Why Great Sales Hiring Starts Long Before the Interview
Every sales manager knows the pressure of filling an open seat. Pipeline coverage starts slipping, the team is stretched thin, and suddenly, every day without a rep feels like a missed opportunity.
So the search begins. A few interviews later, a candidate shines. They're articulate, confident, and full of potential. You make the offer, onboard quickly, and hope for the best.
Three months later, the warning signs appear. They’re capable but inconsistent. The deals aren’t closing, the energy feels off, and you realize something was missing from the start.
This story is all too common. The truth is, most hiring problems don’t happen during the interview; they happen before it.
We’ve seen time and again that the difference between an average sales team and a high-performing one comes down to how intentional the hiring process is.
Here’s what we’ve learned.
1. Define Success Before You Hire
Too often, companies start recruiting without a clear picture of what success actually looks like in the role. Titles like “Account Executive” or “Business Development Rep” mean different things in every organization.
Start with a role scorecard. A simple document that defines the key competencies, behaviors, and outcomes that make someone successful in your sales environment. The clearer you are about what “great” looks like, the easier it becomes to find it.
2. Attract Talent, Don’t Just Accept Applicants
The best salespeople aren’t scrolling job boards; they’re performing somewhere else. That means if you only rely on inbound applicants, you’re fishing in shallow waters.
Great hiring teams are proactive. They source through referrals, networks, and targeted outreach. They also invest in employer branding so that when a top performer considers a change, your company feels like a place worth joining.
3. Test for Skill, Not Just Talk
A polished interview doesn’t equal performance in the field. Structured interviews, role plays, and scenario-based questions help reveal whether a candidate can actually sell or just talk about selling.
Gut feel might work occasionally, but consistency comes from process.
4. Move Fast, Decide Intentionally
Sales talent moves quickly. When you find the right person, delays kill momentum, and top candidates often accept another offer before you’ve finished the internal debate.
Clarify your decision-making process upfront. Who’s involved? What criteria matter most? The faster and more aligned you are, the better your chances of landing top talent.
Hiring great salespeople isn’t luck. It’s a system. And small improvements in clarity, sourcing, and structure can dramatically increase your hit rate.
That’s why we created the Sales Hiring Blueprint Scorecard. It's a quick, 3-minute diagnostic to help sales leaders identify where their hiring process is strong, where it’s at risk, and how to improve it.
Because great sales results don’t start with closing deals; they start with hiring the people who can.