Sales employees may be easier to come by in retail and other B2C industries right now given the state of the economy and the number of unemployed workers. But this doesn't prevent a hiring company from needing to sign on the best candidates they can find for all job openings.

A friend of mine applied for seasonal retail positions at three different department stores a few weeks ago. She made applications online on the same afternoon.

One of the three companys' websites took her to a "schedule your interview" screen after her online application had been successfully submitted. A message announced to her that a preliminary review of her qualifications indicated that she qualified for an interview. She scheduled the interview on the spot for later in the week.

Her interview day arrived, she had her interview, and she was hired at the interview to start in a few days. A week later, the two other retailers called and left voicemail messages inviting my friend to an interview. Their problem was this: She was already working for the retailer that had scheduled her interview online during her employment application submission.

The best practice in selling is to "close the sale today because tomorrow may never come." The same principle holds true in recruiting sales employees to work in your company.

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Sales Trainer Skip Anderson is the founder of Selling to Consumers, a consulting company whose clients are companies and individuals who sell to consumers (in-home selling, retail, financial/real estate, etc.). Get free Selling to Consumers email sales tips in your inbox.