Scoping technical sales roles in building materials
posted 15 Sept 25
Hiring technical sales talent in the building materials sector is notoriously tricky. A mis-scoped role doesn’t just delay hiring, it inflates costs, shrinks your candidate pool, and risks leaving critical markets under-served. Getting the brief right from the start is the difference between securing a high-impact hire and watching months slip by with little progress.
Common scoping pitfalls
When scoping technical sales positions, we regularly see the same challenges resurface:
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Overly narrow product focus – Clients sometimes expect candidates to have direct experience with one very specific product line, which rules out strong hires with transferable expertise.
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Unrealistic territory coverage – Expansive geographies can sound efficient on paper, but in practice they create unsustainable travel demands and limit candidate appeal.
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Misjudging technical depth – Hiring managers often swing too far in either direction: demanding deep engineering knowledge when commercial acumen is more critical, or underestimating the technical credibility needed to win client trust.
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The “unicorn” brief – Expecting a candidate to be equally technical, commercial, and product-specialist leaves the talent pool vanishingly small. Compromise here creates much stronger outcomes.
Must-have vs. Nice-to-have traits
Separating non-negotiables from “nice extras” is where many searches stall. In technical sales, a must-have is the ability to build trust quickly with technical buyers and translate product capabilities into client outcomes. A nice-to-have might be direct product familiarity, useful, but not essential if the candidate can demonstrate strong learning agility. Over-prioritising the latter is a common cause of unnecessary delays.
In technical sales, the costliest mistake isn’t hiring the wrong person. It’s scoping the role so tightly that the right person never makes it to interview.
Building a success profile
A robust role scope goes beyond a job description. We recommend:
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Work backwards from the start date to ensure enough runway for sourcing, interviews, and onboarding.
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Map the non-negotiables (e.g. commercial credibility, territory viability, process ownership) against the “desirables.”
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Design interview stages to test both technical credibility and sales behaviours. For example, pairing a technical case study with a commercial role-play ensures candidates are evaluated fairly across both axes.
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Align stakeholders early by booking regular touchpoints before the search even begins. Consistency prevents last-minute changes that derail timelines.
Why it matters
A role scope that balances ambition with realism expands your talent pool, shortens time-to-hire, and reduces the risk of costly mis-hires. Clients who invest in clear scoping upfront typically see smoother processes and stronger long-term performance from their hires.
Get in touch today and our specialists can stress-test your role scope before going to market.
