A sales leader's success is determined less by personal sales ability and more by their capacity to attract a core team of proven performers who trust them. Failing to ask a leadership candidate 'who are you going to bring?' is a major oversight that leads to slow ramps, high recruiting costs, and organizational inefficiency.
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Sales reps at market leaders often succeed due to brand strength and inbound leads, not individual skill. Instead, recruit talent who proved they could win at the #3 company in a tough market. They possess the grit and creativity needed for an early-stage startup without a playbook.
When revenue leaders offload hiring to HR, they lose control over the core attributes of their team. This creates inconsistent talent quality across the organization, weakening the entire sales function. The leader is responsible for the 'DNA' of their team, and abdicating this duty leads to poor performance.
Over a long career, great leaders accumulate a "snowball of talent"—A-players who follow them from one venture to the next. This becomes a powerful litmus test when hiring executives: if they have no network of past colleagues eager to join them, it's a major red flag about their leadership ability or the quality of their past teams.
In a collaborative sales environment, a candidate's ability to be a good teammate is more valuable than their contact list. A difficult personality with a great rolodex can harm team productivity, whereas a collaborative person can be supported in building their own network.
In environments flush with venture capital, sales leaders developed a habit of 'throwing people at the problem' rather than strategically recruiting. This laziness led to hiring mediocre talent ('Cs and Ds'), burning through capital, and creating inefficient sales organizations that struggled when the market tightened.
A sales leader's value isn't in managing from headquarters. It's in being on the front lines, personally engaging in the most challenging deals to figure out the winning sales motion. Only after living in the field and closing landmark deals can they effectively build a playbook and teach the team.
When evaluating sales leaders, prioritize their track record in recruiting above all else. Exceptional leaders are talent magnets who build scalable teams through strong hiring and enablement. Their ability to attract A-players is the foundation of a predictable revenue machine.
When a sales leader consistently fails to attract A-players, it's a vote of no confidence from the talent market. Top performers are signaling they don't believe that leader can advance their careers, which is a major red flag about the leader's own capabilities and future success.
When direct access to top talent is blocked by competitors, savvy leaders identify other successful companies with strong sales cultures (a "lineage") and strategically recruit from that pool. This allows them to tap into a new vein of proven, high-potential talent.
To move beyond reliance on job ads, structure a career path with three distinct stages: 1) Master selling, 2) Coach one other person to sell, and 3) Recruit and lead a team. This model incentivizes top performers to recruit and train their network, creating a scalable, internal talent pipeline.
