Your sales team drives your company forward. You can’t close the deal or grow your client base without talented sales reps. Your company can also build a presence in a country by hiring sales representatives there. Recruiting sales reps internationally aids you in determining if a particular country is a good fit for your company.
Why international sales recruitment?
International sales representatives can make initial connections and attract local customers as your company tests new markets. Some of the benefits of hiring sales reps internationally include:
- Breaks down language barriers: Ideally, the sales representatives your company hires will speak both the language of your country and the language of the country where they live. They can communicate with leads and new clients fluently while relaying any critical sales data and information to the other team members.
- Reduces cultural barriers: Cultural expectations and ways of doing business often vary from country to country. A perfectly acceptable custom in one part of the world can be offensive in another. You need a sales team that understands the subtle cultural expectations and norms to make a good impression on their leads.
- Increases the size of your talent pool: When you hire internationally, you increase the size of the talent pool available to your company, as you’re no longer limited to a single geographic area. Hiring internationally has become even more popular due to the increased prevalence of remote work. You no longer need physical offices in each country where your company wants to do business.
- Mitigates your company’s expenses: Hiring internationally can lower your company’s overall costs in several ways. Depending on the countries where you hire, your company might have reduced salary and benefits expenses. If your company’s entire sales team works remotely, you save on the costs of renting and maintaining office space.
- Allows you to grow in multiple locations simultaneously: If you recruit sales representatives in several countries, you can compare the performance results after a quarter or two. From there, you can decide to continue your growth efforts or focus on expanding in other locations that lead to the most success.
Top countries for recruiting international sales workers
When recruiting sales employees internationally, it’s helpful to look at regions with many sales representatives. An area’s unemployment rate and overall economy, plus the languages spoken there, can also determine whether it is a prime location for building an international sales team.
1. Brazil
Brazil has one of the largest economies in South America. Unemployment in the country hovers around 13.9%, meaning there may be a large and promising talent pool available.
Sales representatives based in Brazil earn an average salary of BRL 30,962 monthly. The compensation typically consists of approximately BRL 7,125 base pay, and the rest comprises commissions and bonuses.
Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, but many residents, particularly those in the biggest cities, also speak English.
2. France
France is experiencing its highest employment rate in four decades. More than 27 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 were employed in France as of 2022. France-based employers anticipate hiring an additional 2.72 million people over the next few years.
The average salary of a sales representative based in France largely depends on the area of the country where they are located. Companies looking to reduce hiring expenses might consider hiring representatives based in places other than Paris, which is a higher-cost jurisdiction compared to other parts of France.
3. Germany
Germany has the 4th-largest economy globally and the largest economy in Europe. It also has a high employment rate, which reached 77.2% in the first quarter of 2023.
Germany-based employees enjoy high salaries compared to the rest of the world. On average, sales representatives based in Germany earn EUR 62,100 annually.
German is the official language of Germany. The country also has a high number of residents who speak English proficiently.
4. India
India is also a hot spot for companies that want to hire sales representatives. India has also seen an increase in employment over the past year, with its employment rate reaching 45.2% in the first quarter of 2023.
Sales reps based in India tend to be tuned in to market changes and demands and often rely on data accessibility and quality for success. Many reps put a heavy emphasis on establishing trust between themselves and their leads, which helps to increase conversion and leads to high retention rates after the sale.
The average monthly salary for India-based sales representatives is INR 94,300. The average base pay is INR 1,936, with the remaining employees’ monthly earnings coming from commissions and bonuses.
India officially recognizes 22 languages in its constitution, while Hindi and English are the official languages of the country’s government.
5. Mexico
Mexico shares a border with the U.S. and several time zones with the U.S. and Canada. It has a population of nearly 130 million and is one of the top 15 economies globally. Total employment reached 58 million in March 2023.
The average salary of Mexico-based sales representatives is MXN 291,468 annually.
The official language of Mexico is Spanish, and few other languages are widely spoken there. You might want to look for reps who speak your country’s language and Spanish to ease communication.
6. The Philippines
The Philippines is an island country with a vibrant economy. It had strong growth in 2021 and 2022.
The country has a high number of sales reps and is a relatively lower-cost jurisdiction. The average sales representative in the Philippines earns PHP 116,000 monthly, of which PHP 20,000 is the base pay and PHP 96,000 is bonuses and commissions. Your company can reserve more of its budget for competitive benefits offerings and other business areas to drive success.
The official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and English. It is one of the countries with the highest English proficiency rate in Asia.
7. South Africa
At the end of 2021, South Africa reported its highest unemployment rate since 2008, 35.3%. In the second quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 32.6%. The country is in dire need of jobs, which will help pull millions of residents out of poverty and into the middle class.
While unemployment is at record highs in South Africa, the country’s economy is progressing. South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2021 increased by 1.2%. Its total growth during the year was 4.9%. In 2023, its GDP expanded slightly by 0.4%.
Sales representatives working in South Africa earn an average annual salary of ZAR 164,586. They are known for being exceptionally talented regarding lead conversions and have a high success rate when turning prospects into clients.
The country’s constitution recognizes 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, Zulu, and English. Many people based in South Africa can communicate easily in multiple languages.
8. The U.S.
Sales representative roles in the U.S. are among the highest paying for people without a college degree. It’s also one of the country’s best jobs in sales and marketing.
In the U.S., opportunities for sales reps are usually directly tied to the economy. The better the economy overall, the more sales positions there are, and the greater the need for people to sell services and products.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which keeps track of job openings, growth, and median salaries, notes that the number of employment opportunities for sales representatives in the country is expected to grow by 5% between 2020 and 2030. While that rate is slightly lower than the average for all U.S. occupations, it does mean that the country will add around 169,400 sales rep jobs annually. As of 2022, more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. are employed as sales representatives.
Sales representatives based in the U.S. earn a median annual salary higher than the national median salary. Since May 2021, the median salary for U.S. sales reps has been around USD 61,600, compared to a national median salary of USD 45,760.
Tips for recruiting for international sales jobs
Recruiting independent sales reps internationally isn’t identical to hiring sales representatives based in your home country. You might look for the same qualifications in each candidate, but the hiring process and legal requirements will likely differ. As you hire and grow your company, remember to do the following:
- Develop a consistent onboarding process: A consistent onboarding process brings employees up to speed quickly on the responsibilities of their new role. It also introduces them to the company’s culture. Ideally, your company’s onboarding process will be the same wherever your employees are located.
- Test candidates: In addition to verifying credentials, test candidates before hiring. A test focused on the essential skills for the role, such as a practice sales call, allows you to evaluate their experience and determine if their sales style is a good match for your company.
- Set clear expectations: Employees need to know what their tasks and responsibilities are when they are on the clock. Along with establishing schedule expectations, discuss breaks, time off, and other everyday workplace concerns with candidates so everyone is on the same page.
- Follow local laws: Employment laws differ from country to country. Your company must follow the rules and regulations of any country where you decide to do business.
Choose G-P when recruiting international sales reps.
At G-P, we help companies unlock the power of the everywhere workforce through our industry-leading Global Growth Platform™. Let us handle the complex and costly tasks involved in finding, hiring, onboarding, and paying your sales reps, anywhere in the world, with the speed and guaranteed global compliance your business needs.
Contact us today to learn more.
