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Recruiting sales, business development & account management roles 

 
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The sector

We observe an increasing demand for Inside Sales, Customer Service, and Business Development roles in industries such as industrial machinery, food & beverage, environmental services, chemistry, and tech. Employer demand centers on proficiency in advanced CRM systems, sales automation, AI analytics, and fluency in Dutch, French, English (and German in some cases). Soft skills like relationship-building, empathy, adaptability, and problem-solving are also prioritized.

Many Belgian companies still tie incentives to volume or revenue and lack training in value-based selling. Only 50% provide sales teams with training to sell on value rather than price. This can limit alignment with more consultative or solution-oriented sales roles. Flexible models - freelance, interim, hybrid roles - are increasingly common as firms look to manage cost and staffing agility, particularly for high-skill senior or niche business-development roles. 

 

Our expertise 

For Sales & Business Development roles, the 3 Rs matter: results, relationships, and resilience are key drivers of success.  

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First, we focus on technical & sales domain knowledge first as well as tools:  

  • Core sales functions: inside sales, field sales, account management, enterprise sales, channel/partner sales. 
  • Business development scope: lead generation, strategic partnerships, market expansion, deal negotiation. 
  • Sales models: B2B, B2C, SaaS, consultative selling, solution selling. 
  • Industry-specific cycles: long enterprise deals vs. high-volume transactional sales. 
  • CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics. 
  • Prospecting & outreach tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Outreach.io, Apollo.io. 
  • Analytics & forecasting tools: Tableau, Power BI, Clari. 
  • Communication tools: Zoom, Teams, Slack for client engagement. 

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Then we evaluate the candidate’s understanding of Metrics & KPIs 

  • Familiarity with pipeline health metrics: leads generated, conversion rate, sales velocity. 
  • Revenue metrics: quota attainment, average deal size, ARR/MRR for subscription models. 
  • Customer metrics: churn rate, net promoter score (NPS), upsell/cross-sell rates. 

 

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The core aspect is to evaluate the candidate’s cultural & performance Sensitivity
  • Evaluating sales track record—look for consistent quota attainment or overachievement. 
  • Assessing prospecting ability—can they open doors or only manage existing accounts? 
  • Spotting soft skills: resilience, negotiation, relationship building, commercial awareness. 
  • Checking deal complexity experience—selling high-value, multi-stakeholder solutions vs. quick transactional sales. 
  • See if the candidate has a good understanding that sales cultures range from high-pressure, numbers-driven to relationship-focused. 
  • Being mindful of burnout risk—top performers are in demand and won’t tolerate toxic environments. 
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To source top Sales talent we leverage: 
  • sales communities: LinkedIn sales groups, Sales Hacker, Pavilion. 
  • industry events & trade shows to spot active and passive talent. 
  • competitor sales teams—but discreetly, to avoid reputational issues. 
  • earning potential—clear base + commission + bonus structures. 
  • product-market fit—top sellers won’t join if the product is hard to sell. 
  • career progression—salespeople want to know there’s a path to leadership or enterprise-level deals. 

Some testimonials from client

"We never feel like a mere customer, because Profile Group strives to establish a real contact and to provide a real added value for BelV. "

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Marika Roobaert | Head of Administration, Support & Quality - Bel V 

"We consider our Profile Group consultant as a member of the company more than an external partner. "

Nico Grootaert
Nico Grootaert | General Manager - AB Automotive 

"I highly recommend Lana to any company looking for a recruiter who really understands what is needed and acts accordingly."

An van Haelen
An van Haelen | Director - Altrex Belgium NV 

"Nathalie helped us with the search for our new colleague in Belgium/WalloniaFaster than expected, she brought us the right candidateWe are impressed by her guidance, commitment and proactivity. Thank you for the pleasant cooperation! "

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Dries Caymax | Manager Procurement & Product Management - PRIMAVERDE  

"From the outset, Nathalie demonstrated a keen understanding of our needs and the specific requirements of the role. She meticulously screened candidates, ensuring that each one was a perfect fit not only in terms of skills and experience but also in alignment with our company culture. Her ability to identify top talent is truly impressive. "

Fabrice Wychuyse
Fabrice Wychuyse | Sales Manager - FOYLO 

"I recently worked with Nathalie Hautphenne and Profile Group at Pacapime and am very satisfied with their service and support. 
Thanks to their powerful tool, we were able to quickly find suitable candidates for our open position. 
What I especially appreciated was Nathalie and her team’s proactive follow-up. They called regularly to check in and provided valuable feedback, which made the process significantly easier. 
Thanks to this collaboration, we found the right candidate, who will soon join our team on a permanent basis. 
I wholeheartedly recommend Nathalie and Profile Group for their professional approach and customer-focused service. "

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Tuba Gören | HR-Officer & recruitment - Pacapime  

"I particularly appreciated Nathalie’s comprehensive approach, starting from the very first interview. 
From the beginning, I received all the necessary information to project myself into the future, which allowed me to be fully aligned during the meetings with the client. Nathalie also managed all the appointments and provided the necessary feedback step by step until the employment contract was finalized. 

If the opportunity arises again, I will not hesitate to contact Nathalie to help me find my future colleagues. "

Daniel Clef
Daniel Clef | Senior Sales and Service Manager/Country Manager - HIAB

"I have worked with Lana from Profile Group on several permanent recruitments for profiles that were previously difficult to find. 

She listens carefully to our needs and expectations, even though they are not always the easiest to meet. 

In addition, our APOK DNA was thoroughly examined so that candidates were not only screened on their skills and experience, but also on their personality and ambitions. 

What makes a big difference to me is the good follow-up and communication of actions and whether or not results have been achieved. 

Where necessary and where possible, adjustments are made, always with the necessary professionalism, drive and enthusiasm. 

In less than a year, Lana has become a permanent partner in the field of selection. 

Definitely an added value and highly recommended! "

Eva Eeckhout
Eva Eeckhout | Talent Acquisition Manager - APOK

 

 

 

Our experts

Our consultants in Sales & Account management rolesare 

Hans Verheij

Hans Verheij

NL | FR | EN Executive Search Partner & Assessment Manager
Lana Walleghem

Lana Walleghem

NL | EN Executive Search Partner & Recruitment Expert
Nathalie Hautphenne

Nathalie Hautphenne

FR | NL | EN Executive Search Partner & Senior Recruitment Expert
companies (19)
 

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