You’re Hiring Sales Reps Wrong
You just hired a sales rep.
15 years of industry experience. Knows all the players. Has a book of business. Great references.
Six months later, they’re not hitting quota.
They can’t qualify. They can’t handle objections. They fold on price.
And you’re stuck.
You hired for the wrong thing.
Companies Over-Index on Industry Experience
Companies post a job: “Must have 10+ years of experience in our industry.”
Then they wonder why 80% of their hires don’t work out.
Industry experience doesn’t predict sales success. Skills do.
I worked with a manager last year who hired someone with 20 years in their space.
The person knew everyone. Had relationships. Understood the market.
But they couldn’t run a basic discovery call.
They’d get on the phone with a prospect and immediately start pitching.
No qualification. No questions about commitment. No understanding of what was at stake.
They just hoped their relationships would close deals.
Six months in, they were at 30% of quota.
The manager was shocked. I wasn’t.
Because industry knowledge and sales capability are two different things.
What Predicts Success
We’ve hired over 200 salespeople in the last 20 years.
Four things predict whether someone will succeed.
Desire. Do they actually want to be in sales? Or are they here because they couldn’t find something else?
Most people in sales don’t actually want to be there. They fell into it. They’re not committed to getting better.
You can teach skills. You can’t teach desire.
Outlook. How do they view the world? Do they believe they can succeed? Or do they think everything is stacked against them?
If someone walks into an interview telling you how hard the market is, how tough the competition is, how prospects never have budget, they’re going to struggle.
Because they’ve already decided it’s not going to work.
Responsibility. Do they own their results? Or do they blame everything on external factors?
Ask them: “Tell me about a deal you lost.”
If they say “Our pricing was too high” or “Marketing didn’t give us good leads” or “My manager didn’t support me,” they have no accountability.
And if they can’t own their losses in an interview, they won’t own them when they work for you.
Capability. Can they actually do the job? Do they have a process? Can they qualify? Can they handle objections?
Most reps can’t articulate their process.
Ask them: “Walk me through how you qualify an opportunity.”
If they say “I just have a conversation and see if there’s a fit,” they’re winging it.
Assessment Tools vs Gut Feel
Most companies read a resume. Have a nice conversation. Check references.
Then they make an offer based on how they feel about the person.
That’s not hiring. That’s hoping.
We use assessment tools for every sales hire.
Not personality tests. Those tell you who someone is.
We use sales-specific assessments that tell you if they can actually sell.
Can they handle rejection? Do they need external validation? Will they make 50+ calls a day? Can they ask for money without folding?
I’ve seen candidates who looked perfect on paper fail these assessments.
And I’ve seen candidates who looked average on paper pass them and become top performers.
The assessment doesn’t lie. Your gut does.
What Happened
That manager I mentioned? The one who hired the 20 year veteran who couldn’t sell?
They started using assessments.
Next hire: Less industry experience. But scored high on desire, outlook, responsibility, and capability.
That person ramped in three months.
Hit quota in month four.
Outsold the veteran by month six.
What to Do Instead
Stop hiring for industry experience.
Start hiring for the four things that actually matter: Desire. Outlook. Responsibility. Capability.
Industry knowledge can be taught. Sales DNA can’t.
Ask better questions in interviews:
“Tell me about a deal you lost and why.”
“Walk me through your qualification process.”
“How do you handle it when a prospect says your price is too high?”
Use assessment tools. Not gut feel.
And stop assuming that someone with 15 years of experience can actually do the job.
Because most of them can’t.
We just launched sales recruiting and search services for companies that can’t afford another bad hire.
We’ve hired over 200 salespeople in the last 20 years. We know what actually predicts success. We screen for skills, not resumes. And we only present candidates we believe can do the job.
If you need to fill sales roles and want to talk about how we do it differently, reply to this email.
Questions our sales training programs? Email me at adam@thenorthwoodgrp.com.
