THREE CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ANSWER BEFORE YOU HIRE ANOTHER SALESPERSON
Despite knowing the cost of a bad hire, most companies still hire salespeople without pre-assessment.
At the start of every year, I hear the same sentence: “We need to hire another salesperson”. It is usually said with urgency. Sometimes with frustration. Almost always with good intentions.
And yet, hiring decisions are still driven by interviews, CVs and gut feel – tools that tell us very little about how someone will actually behave when they need to initiate contact, generate pipeline, follow up or ask for the sale.
We assess confidence. We assess experience. We assess cultural fit. But we rarely assess the internal resistance that quietly stops selling from happening. And then we are surprised when “great hires” do not produce.
Before you hire another salesperson, every CEO, Sales Director and Head of HR should be able to answer three questions – clearly and honestly.
1. How Much Can They Actually Produce?
This sounds obvious. It is not. Too many hiring decisions are influenced by how impressive someone sounds rather than what they have consistently done. Confidence in an interview often replaces evidence, and potential replaces proof.
The question is not: “Are they impressive?”. It is: “What level of production is realistically achievable for this person – in our environment?” .
Experienced salespeople fail far more often than organisations care to admit. Not because they lack skill or intelligence, but because they avoid specific selling behaviours: prospecting, initiating contact, following up after rejection or asking uncomfortable questions.
These behaviours do not appear on a CV. And they rarely surface in interviews. Without pre-assessment, companies confuse knowledge of selling with willingness to sell – two very different things.
2. How Soon Can They Produce It?
Hiring for potential can be a smart strategy. It can also be a costly illusion.
Many organisations accept long ramp-up times without questioning why productivity is delayed. Is the salesperson learning the business – or quietly resisting the behaviours required to generate pipeline?
Ask yourself:
- What does “productive” actually mean in the first 30, 60, 90 days?
- When do we need measurable contribution?
- Can the business afford a six-month ramp – even from a supposed “rock star”?
Sometimes, a solid, coachable performer who reaches full productivity in 90 days delivers far more value than a charismatic hire who takes six months just to start prospecting.
Call Reluctance® plays a critical role here. It slows momentum, delays action and creates invisible drag – often mislabelled as onboarding, confidence-building or “finding their rhythm”. Without identifying it upfront, ramp-up timelines become optimistic guesses rather than strategic decisions.
3. How Much Will It Really Cost The Company?
The cost of a salesperson goes far beyond salary. It includes:
- Recruitment fees
- Onboarding time
- Training investment
- Management attention
- Lost opportunities
- Pipeline gaps
- And the hidden cost of missed expectations.
An experienced salesperson may look like a safe bet – until you ask: experience in what environment, with which behaviours or under what expectations?
A strong face-to-face seller may struggle in an environment that demands consistent outreach, digital prospecting and proactive follow-up. The question is not whether they are capable. It is: “What will it cost us to find out”?
Some hires justify the investment quickly. Others never do. And when selling behaviours are avoided, the cost is rarely contained to one individual – it quietly spreads across the team, affecting activity, momentum and results faster than most leaders expect.
What Most Hiring Processes Still Miss
Across industries and company sizes, I continue to see the same problem: salespeople are hired without pre-assessment.
When candidates are scarce or pressure is high, companies narrow their focus. That does not mean lowering standards – it means sharpening them.
Most recruitment processes place too much emphasis on:
- Personality
- Confidence
- Likeability
Yet the strongest predictor of future sales performance remains past behaviour – combined with an understanding of what may block that behaviour under pressure.
Listen carefully in interviews. Do candidates talk about:
- Prospecting
- Initiating contact
- Following up
- Asking for commitment
Or do they rely on vague language like “building relationships” and “creating value”? Confidence is easy in an interview. Consistent selling behaviour is not. And this is exactly why pre-assessment must be part of the recruitment process – not as an add-on, but as a filter.
A Different Mindset For Hiring Sales Talent
Hiring another salesperson should never be an act of hope. When you can clearly answer: how much they can produce, how soon they can produce it and what it will truly cost, hiring becomes strategic – not reactive. In today’s environment, that mindset is not optional. It is leadership.
At SELLEBRITIES, we help CEOs, Sales Directors and Heads of HR hire smarter by identifying top candidates who can consistently navigate the full sales cycle – from prospecting to closing – without hesitation.
Book a 15-minute call to ensure every new hire can deliver on the three critical questions – before they ever step into your sales team.
