I’ve built and rebuilt sales teams in Greenville for years. Here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud — most sales problems aren’t training problems, they’re hiring problems.
Stop wasting your life trying to “fix” an average team. Instead, do the hard work once. Figure out what your top 10% of reps have in common, turn that into your hiring blueprint, and then hunt like heck for more of those people.
My best sales teams have always shared a similar DNA. When I finally wrote it down, the pattern was stupid-obvious — they’re from here. They’re not itching to “move back home” in 18 months. That local gravity keeps turnover low, trust high and improves culture.
They come from the same handful of schools. Clemson, Furman, Wofford, The Citadel. Why? Shared culture, shared values, and I often already know the professors and coaches who shaped them. Narrow the funnel, raise the hit rate and it helps the culture that the reps have a lot in common.
They were campus leaders. SGA presidents, team captains, fraternity rush chairs, orientation leaders — kids who naturally attracted followers. Selling is leadership. Always has been.
They pass the beer test. Simple question I ask myself after every interview: “Would I enjoy grabbing a beer with this person?” If the answer is no, I pass — no matter how shiny the resume. Customers buy from people they like, period.
Using Kolbe A Index for sales strategy
They score like our current crushers on the Kolbe A Index. Kolbe.com is the single best tool I’ve ever found for seeing how someone naturally attacks problems. Our top reps are almost always high Fact Finder (deep research) and high Quick Start (comfort with risk), with medium-to-low Follow Through and Implementor. When a candidate’s profile mirrors our proven winners it’s like hiring a clone, except they bring their own book of business energy.
Here’s the punchline: front-load the pain. Spend the money on the right job posts, the campus visits, the lunches with coaches, the Kolbe assessments, the extra interviews. Yeah, it costs more upfront. But it’s pennies compared to the bleeding you stop on the back end. No more nine-month ramp monsters who never hit quota, no more drama and no more “culture misfits” who poison the room.
I’d rather interview 100 people to find five winners than hire 15 “good enough” reps and pray. Because prayer isn’t a sales strategy. Do the homework. Find your matches. Clone them relentlessly. Your future self — and your revenue — will thank you.
In sales, the game is won or lost long before the first call is ever made. Create your perfect salesperson avatar, up your process to go find them, and get ready for higher and greater sales.
John Sterling is the Amazon bestselling author of “Sales for Noobs” and CEO of NOOB School, an online resource for new salespeople. Previously, he helped build and sell Datastream for over $200 million. He has trained and hired hundreds of sales reps globally. Subscribe to his YouTube channel for new sales content every week. noobschool.org.
link
