50 Best Companies to Sell for in 2014

For the fourteenth year, the corporate research team at Selling Power has identified and ranked the best companies to sell for among the top sales forces in the United States. The focus includes companies of all sizes, with sales forces ranging from fewer than 100 salespeople to companies with sales-force numbers in the thousands.

An extensive, expanded questionnaire was sent to executives in sales, training, and human resources to uncover key data that would be important to prospective employees as they look for a new sales role or enter the sales profession. This year, we focused on three broad areas while examining the data: customer growth and retention; hiring, compensation, sales training, and enablement; and company recognition and reputation. (See ratings chart below).

As expected, our detailed rating system placed the top companies extremely close, with only 9 points overall separating the top 10 companies. Heartland Payment Systems and SunGard tied for the top spot this year. In other cases of a tie in the overall point rankings, the companies were placed in alphabetical order. Anyone entering the sales field or making a career move to a new company should begin his or her search by taking a good look at Selling Power’s list of the 50 Best Companies to Sell For.

• #1 Heartland Payment Systems

  Wholehearted Success: What's it like to work at a publicly owned company posting profits in the billions? For one thing, get ready to use tools such as Heartland's proprietary Web-based CRM solution, Atlas. Accessible from any computer or iOS device, Atlas streamlines prospecting, managing pipeline, pricing and creating proposals, and drawing up paperless agreements with Heartland clients.

• #2 Sungard

  Sunny Days at SunGard: Here's an executive team that sets a great example for reps. SunGard's CEO spends more than half his time in the field selling and supporting customers. The same dedication is expected of all execs; their appointments are tracked inside Salesforce each week.

• #3 Forest Laboratories

  Put Me in, Coach: At Forest Laboratories, sales managers see field time as the greatest opportunity to help salespeople develop skills and deliver results. Division sales managers receive comprehensive, ongoing training to become better coaches, and the internally branded "Forest Coaching model" promotes two-way dialogue, partnership, and self-awareness among the team.

• #4 LevelEleven

  Leveling Up: Thanks to a healthy commission plan, salespeople at LevelEleven know that, if they win, the company wins. And don't worry about burnout; the company's "no vacation" policy means employees can take as much time off as they need. Other ways to blow off steam and keep camaraderie strong include regular outings for bowling, baseball, and charity work.

• #5 Hilti

  Hello, Hilti: Want to know you're joining a winning team? Each new sales hire at Hilti is formally evaluated (using Hogan Assessments) in the areas of ambition, sociability, interpersonal sensitivity, and prudence. The company's hefty budget for organizational and development initiatives helps support reps once they've been hired.

• #6 Iron Mountain

  Group Climb: On average, 78 percent of the sales team tunes in to Iron Mountain's weekly skills-training and thought-leadership Webcasts. There are also classroom sessions and interactive, role-based coaching sessions several times a year, as well as monthly refreshers for smaller groups.

• #7 DocuSign

  Delighted at DocuSign: Not only does the company accelerate compensation when reps achieve 100 percent performance, it also places no caps on commissions. Combine that with realistic sales targets and a comp model that's crystal clear, and the result is an extremely motivating culture that drives sales success.

• #8 UniFirst

  The UniFirst Universe: With a services-renewal rate of 91 percent among its customers, UniFirst knows how to keep people happy. Salespeople are supported through weekly product training sessions, as well as daily and ongoing skills training. The company's print, audio, and video library allows reps to learn at their own pace, on their own time.

• #9 Northwestern Mutual

  Good Directions: Starting the day they're hired, reps at Northwestern Mutual receive independent study and interactive classroom learning. Workshops, speakers, reading, and presentations are offered continually to help salespeople tap into the true art of selling, including the ability to have courageous conversations with clients.

• #10 Avention

  Avention Achievers: What's it like to be rewarded for hard work? Ask the reps at Avention. Prizes (ranging from gift cards to dinner with the CEO to cash awards) are regularly up for grabs for a variety of goals. As an added bonus, salespeople can use the Hoopla app to see where they stand in relation to their peers.