Why Your Sales Hires Keep Underperforming (and How to Finally Fix It)

One of the biggest sales frustrations I hear from CEOs is: 

“Most of the salespeople we hire don’t work out because they don’t live up to expectations.”

Hiring high-performing salespeople is hard. You’re right. I get it. 

However, if your sales growth plan is dependent on hiring a bunch of A+ salespeople who can just “figure it out,” I highly recommend you rethink this strategy.

The key to scaling your sales department is to nail your process first, then hire salespeople. How, then who.

Here's some recommendations to implement before you hire another salesperson:

✅ Create a Sales Playbook: document your proven sales process + messaging in an easy-to-use playbook.

✅ Deliver Ongoing Training: you can't fully ramp-up a salesperson in a 2-day intensive. Effective adoption requires gradual implementation of small changes over time.

✅ Provide Shadowing Opportunities: Pair up new hires with top performers to have them ride-along during real sales calls. Nothing compares to seeing the right way to sell firsthand.

✅ Design a Safe Practice Space: When salespeople don't have a place to safely build confidence, they often end up testing things out on qualified prospects which leads to lost deals and disappointment.

✅ Assign a Dedicated Sales Manager: never make a new hire if you don’t have an org structure that includes a “manager” to give a salesperson feedback, coaching, and hold them accountable.

Click here if you want to learn more about how Pitch Lab implements these strategies for our clients.