Why you should hire older workers to help scale your new venture

Hiring a sales team to help scale the business you’ve so lovingly nurtured from the ground up can be a daunting moment for any entrepreneur. Who can you hire who will truly reflect the values of your business and share your passion for your products? According to Paul Owen, MD of The True Sales Company, it’s time to focus your hiring on older workers – specifically, on silver salespeople aged 50+.

Older workers might not be the first group you consider when it comes to potential hires. But dismissing them due to (often erroneous) preconceptions could be a costly mistake.

Government priorities

Let’s consider the context. The Spring Budget included targeted support for the over-50s, with £63 million of additional funding and the bringing together of existing skills programmes to create ‘returnerships’ – a kind of apprenticeship for older workers who have left the workforce but might like to return. The government is clearly keen to encourage greater participation in the workforce for older workers.

The labour force participation rate in the advanced economies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of people aged 55-64 dropped from 64.4% in 2019 to 63.7% in 2020. There are 37 member countries in the OECD, meaning the small percentage shift reflects a huge swathe of older workers dropping out of the labour force.

As we continue to re-establish normality after the pandemic, and with the cost-of-living crisis still very much a concern for many households, many older workers are now keen to return to the workforce. According to the Office for National Statistics a record 48,000 people moved out of economic inactivity and into employment during Q4 2022. People aged 16-24 and 50-64 led the flood of people returning work. 

Challenging misconceptions

Older workers can be hugely valuable, particularly in sales roles. However, many face outdated misconceptions when they apply for work. According to 55/Redefined, there is “so much wrong of our current view of ‘old’, and we urgently need to adapt to what growing older means in this new generation”. A worker aged 50 may well still have 20, 25 or more productive years of work ahead of them. So why are we overlooking them in favour of younger workers when it comes to hiring sales staff?

Older workers have experience, often in-depth experience of a certain sector. They have communication skills built up over many years of dealing with office politics. Many have pressing financial responsibilities, such as mortgages to pay, pensions to top up and families to support. They are unlikely to be out partying every night, turning up bleary-eyed for work the next morning and giving minimal effort in the office. In short, they have all the skills needed for a successful career in sales, along with a healthy dose of responsibility and reliability.

Companies that take on older workers for sales roles can benefit hugely from their sector-specific experience. Who better than someone with decades of experience in your area of business to bring their knowledge and enthusiasm to your brand to help grow it?

Taking on an older worker in a sales capacity may also be a way to minimise your outgoings – particularly relevant if you’re still bootstrapping while waiting to attract the right VC funding deal. That’s because many older workers will be happy to work part-time, to enjoy the right work/life balance. In sales, that’s just fine. After all, it’s about the results you achieve, not the hours you put in. An older worker could help grow your business without even needing a fulltime salary – a part-time role with commission could work perfectly.

Training and transferrable skills

Of course, not every worker aged over 50 will be ready to jump straight into selling. But with appropriate training, many have the necessary transferrable skills to make a success of sales. According to The True Sales Company’s Paul Owen, selling is all about honesty, consistency and confidence – and all of these are rooted in solid training and a belief in the product being sold.

Salespeople are at the heart of any successful business. They can support healthy growth, even during uncertain economic times. If your business is on the brink of big things and ready to take on someone to support with sales, it could be time to review your preconceptions about the value of older workers. Why not see if you can find the right silver salesperson to help make your venture the success it deserves to be?