China’s Shipping & Logistics industry is hungry. Whether they are Global Top 10 or medium-sized, every carrier and freight forwarder is looking for the same talent: Excellent sales people to get ahead of competitors.

A regular used measurement for a good sales person is the ownership of direct business, summarized as a client list. This list of yearly/monthly shipments is often regarded as the “hard skill” of a sales person. The quality of this list often decides whether an offer is extended or not. But how relevant is a client list for the hiring decision?

For a sales people, an employer is a platform to develop new business. A sales person depends on the operational strength of the company. A job change would be a rational option only when the new employer provides a better platform for the candidate’s current and future business partners.

Thus, the client list is only relevant when the hiring company can provide a stronger platform (operations, customer service, shipping rates etc.) than the candidate’s current company. If not, the candidate’s clients would have little incentive to transfer. This may leave the candidate empty handed.

Rather than merely looking at the candidate’s current shipments, companies should recruit sales people fitting their own strengths and weaknesses. Companies should realize that only a small proportion of sales persons would actually be qualified for their business niches. Consequently, it becomes incrementally important to have your selling points ready to attract those truly value adding sales people.