5 Strategies from Top Sales Recruiting Companies to Hire the Best Salespeople

Hiring top-notch sales talent has never been more critical – or more challenging. In many industries, experienced salespeople are in high demand and short supply. One recent study found that many B2B sales orgs ended 2021 with 10-15% of their sales roles unfilled, and when you factor in ramp-up time and turnover, they effectively had 50-60% of their sales capacity “at risk”. No wonder CEOs rank hiring and retaining sales talent as a top growth challenge. On the ground, you might be feeling this crunch: fewer qualified applicants, more candidate “ghosting,” and pressure to make every new hire count. The cost of getting it wrong is huge – a bad sales hire can cost hundreds of thousands in lost revenue and time. Meanwhile, sales team turnover has spiked, so the hires you do make need to ramp up fast and stick around.

How can you beat the odds and bring in great salespeople who drive revenue and focus on selling outcomes? We’ve compiled 5 proven strategies to do exactly that, drawing on insights from some of the best sales recruiting companies and our own experience building high-performing sales teams. These strategies will help you not only find more qualified candidates but also improve your hiring process so you consistently land winners. Let’s dive in:

1. Define Your Ideal Sales Candidate Profile

Before you even write a job post or call a recruiter, get crystal clear on what “great” looks like for your sales role. This is a step too many skip, and they end up hiring on gut feel or generic criteria. Start with an analysis of your top performers (or if it’s a new position, identify the traits needed for success in that role). Consider factors like:

• Skills & Experience: What specific sales skills are non-negotiable? (e.g. consultative selling, relationship-building, SaaS experience, enterprise-level deal experience, etc.) How many years of experience and in what industries?

• Proven Performance: What metrics would indicate someone is a high performer? Perhaps they’ve beaten quota 3 years running, or brought in $X in new business at a similar company.

• Soft Skills & Culture Fit: Do they need resilience to handle long sales cycles? High energy for a fast-paced environment? Think about your sales process and team culture – what personal attributes mesh well (competitive, coachable, self-starter, collaborative)?

• Growth Potential: Ideally, a great salesperson will grow with your company. If you value promotion from within, look for signs of leadership or the ability to take on more responsibility down the line.

• Sales Apptitude Assessment: You can use a tool like PXT Select or Sales Fuel to create a benchmark of your sales team. These tools can then be used for each candidate to ensure they match your Ideal Candidate Profile.

  
  

Document these as your Ideal Candidate Profile. This will serve as a compass for all other steps in hiring. It helps you (and anyone involved in interviewing) stay aligned on what you’re looking for. It also ensures you tailor the job description to attract the right people. For example, if your ideal sales rep is someone who can build a territory from scratch, your posting should emphasize independence and “entrepreneurial mindset” rather than just listing generic duties.

Insight: Top sales recruiting companies use this step as the foundation of their search. At revenueify, we call it “aligning on strategy” – understanding exactly what the client’s ideal rep looks like. If you engage an external recruiter, make sure they spend time with you on this profile. The payoff: better quality candidates who truly fit the role and fewer wasted interviews. (On the flip side, if you skip this, you might attract the wrong crowd – e.g., lots of account managers when you needed a hunter – or worse, you might hire someone who looks good on paper but is a poor fit, leading to an early exit.)

2. Proactively Build a Talent Pipeline

The best salespeople – the ones you really want – are usually not scrolling job boards all day. They’re often passive candidates, succeeding in their current jobs, or they’re getting bombarded with recruiter messages and have options. To hire the best, you need to go find them; don’t just passively wait for applicants. This is where a proactive sourcing strategy comes in.

Think like a salesperson recruiting prospects: always be prospecting for talent.

Some effective tactics:

• Tap Your Network & Employee Referrals: Great salespeople tend to know other great salespeople. Let your team know you’re hiring and incentivize referrals. A referral bonus is nice, but even without one, true sales pros love to bring in talent that makes the team stronger.

• Leverage LinkedIn and Social Media: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to search for people with the titles and experience you want. Share the job post on your LinkedIn with a personal note. Engage in industry groups or forums – often the individuals who comment insightfully on a sales leadership thread, for example, could be worth reaching out to.

• Industry Events & Communities: If there are industry conferences (even virtual), webinars, or local meetups, participate and network. You might meet your next star seller at a roundtable or get a recommendation from a peer.

• Nurture a “Bench” of Candidates: Keep track of any strong candidates you come across, even if you don’t have an opening yet. Perhaps you interviewed someone great 6 months ago and couldn’t hire them then – periodically check in. Or maintain a talent CRM where you store interesting resumes. When a position opens, you can immediately reach out to your bench.

• Use Specialized Recruiters or Agencies: (We’ll discuss this more in strategy 5, but suffice it to say, partnering with a firm can instantly expand your pipeline.)

By building a pipeline, you avoid the scenario of desperately needing a hire yesterday and having zero leads. It also lets you hire faster. In sales, open positions are extremely costly – one source estimates open sales roles cost firms $250K+ in lost revenue per year. So filling positions quickly is crucial. If you cultivate candidates in advance, you can drastically cut down the typical 42-day average time-to-fill. (In fact, our REVUP recruiting boast: we fill most sales roles in under 30 days by always having 200-300 vetted sales professionals on deck.) reve

Tip: Treat recruiting like sales: fill your funnel at the top (lots of sourcing), nurture relationships (even simplistic – a LinkedIn follow or a check-in message), and you’ll have warm candidates when you need them. Your next superstar might not start looking for a job until next quarter, but if you’ve already said hello by then, you’ll be ahead of your competition.

3. Use Data-Driven Hiring Practices (Don’t Rely Only on Gut) 

Hiring is often compared to dating – there’s a tendency to go with “chemistry” or intuition. While cultural chemistry is important, relying on gut instinct alone in hiring salespeople can backfire badly. Why? Top sales candidates are usually excellent at selling… themselves. They interview well and can charm you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll succeed in your role or your environment. To separate the truly great from the great talkers, you need some objective, data-driven criteria in your process.

Here are a few ways to bring data and structure into your hiring decisions:

• Structured Interviews: Rather than unstructured chats, use a consistent set of behavioral questions for all candidates. For example, ask every candidate, “Describe a time you had to turn around an underperforming territory – what did you do?” This not only yields insights but also allows fair comparison. Score candidates on key answers. Research shows structured interviews are far better predictors of job success than unstructured ones.

• Sales Role Play or Task: Consider giving a short assignment. It could be a mock sales call (scenario-based role play) or a presentation. See how they handle objections or pitch a product (perhaps even your own, to gauge preparation and fit). This provides concrete evidence of skills.

• Assessments & Profiles: Use validated sales assessments to gauge things like personality fit, cognitive abilities, or sales style. A tool like PXT Select (which we use at revenueify) can measure how a candidate’s traits align with a top-performer profile for the role. These tools can uncover, for example, that a candidate who sounds confident actually has lower assertiveness than your role requires – a red flag you might not catch in conversation. Fact: About 50% of organizations now use pre-employment assessments, and 78% report that it improves the quality of hire. (It can add a bit of time to the process, but many find it worth the insight gained.)

• Reference Checks that Matter: Go beyond the perfunctory “check the box” reference call. Develop a few pointed questions that can reveal strengths or weaknesses (“On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate their prospecting rigor?”; “Would you re-hire them if given the chance?”). Sometimes tone of voice or a slight pause can tell you volumes that a generic recommendation letter won’t.

By incorporating data at these stages, you mitigate the risk of bad hires. As the old saying goes, “hire slow, fire fast” – take the time to gather evidence in hiring so you’re more confident in the choice. This was echoed in Harvard Business Review – many sales hiring fiascos happen because managers fell in love with a candidate’s charisma and assumed past success would translate into future success, without digging deeper. A data-backed approach helps avoid those pitfalls.

Critically, balance data with human judgment. The goal isn’t to make hiring impersonal, but to inform your personal judgment with solid evidence. For example, if a candidate scores a bit lower on an assessment trait, you might probe that area more in a follow-up interview rather than discarding them. On the flip side, if your gut loves a candidate but every data point raises concerns (say, references are lukewarm and they bombed a role play), recognize that bias might be clouding you.

In essence, think of hiring like managing a sales pipeline: you wouldn’t forecast a deal just because you had one great meeting; you’d look at the data (customer needs, budget, timeline) to back it up. Approach your candidate selection with the same rigor.

4. Streamline Your Hiring Process and Sell the Role

Top sales candidates are evaluating you as much as you’re evaluating them. Just like a savvy buyer won’t wait around for a slow sales rep, an A-player sales rep won’t stick around if your hiring process drags or if they feel unimpressed by the experience. That’s why this strategy is two-fold: move efficiently and make your company/opportunity attractive. It’s about creating a positive candidate experience, which, in turn, helps you land the talent.

Speed matters: Once you identify a promising candidate, act with urgency. That doesn’t mean rush into a hire without due diligence (we still need those data points and consensus), but it does mean cut out unnecessary delays. A few tips:

• Limit the number of interview rounds. Figure out who truly needs to weigh in, and try to consolidate meetings. It’s reasonable to have, say, an initial HR screen, one panel or hiring manager interview, and one final interview. Four, five, six rounds – you’re likely to frustrate candidates (and busy sales pros will drop out).

• Compress the timeline between stages. Don’t let weeks slip by between interviews. Aim to complete the process in a couple of weeks or less. Remember, a star seller with options may get scooped by a faster offer elsewhere.

• Communicate frequently. Keep candidates warm and engaged with updates. Even a quick email, “We’re reviewing candidates and will be in touch by Friday,” keeps them from feeling forgotten.

There’s a statistic from Workday’s data: a quarter of positions take >60 days to fill in today’s market. But you do not want your key sales role to be one of them. Our internal motto is to aim for that “under 30-day fill” as mentioned. It sends a message that your company is decisive and respects talent.

While you’re speeding things up, don’t forget to “sell”. Think of a job interview with a top performer as a two-way sales call. They’re assessing you too. Especially in sales, where excellent people have their pick of companies, you should put your best foot forward. How?

• Highlight Growth and Success Stories: Share how your company supports its sales team. Do you have examples of reps who joined and got promoted or grew their income significantly? Bring that up. Salespeople are motivated by opportunity – show them there’s headroom for them to knock it out of the park (and be rewarded for it).

• Be Transparent about Compensation and Benefits: A-players will want to know they’ll be paid what they’re worth. If you can’t disclose exact numbers early, at least provide ranges or assurances that “for the right candidate, we invest in a competitive package including X, Y, Z.” Also, mention any perks that matter – e.g., if you have robust sales enablement support, or great accelerators for over-quota performance, let them know.

• Showcase Culture and Values: Many top sales professionals care about the team culture, leadership style, and company stability. They often ask themselves, “Will this environment help me thrive?” Make sure to communicate your company’s vision (briefly), the sales team’s vibe, and your management approach. If your company has a training program or invests in continuous development (as we do with coaching and Customer Focused Selling® methodology), that’s a selling point – it shows you don’t just hire and abandon, you help good people become great.

• Be Enthusiastic and Respectful: Seems basic, but treating a candidate like gold during the process goes a long way. Start on time, have interviewers who’ve read their resume, ask thoughtful questions, and importantly, allow time for the candidate’s questions. Ending the interview on a note like, “We’re really excited about the possibility of you joining, and I think you’d love it here because…” can leave a strong positive impression.

  
  

Remember, the hiring process is the candidate’s first real experience of your company’s working style. If it’s disorganized, painfully slow, or impersonal, they’ll assume that’s what working there is like. Conversely, a slick, engaging process can actually sway a hesitant candidate to say yes. I’ve heard candidates say, “I chose Company A over Company B because the interview process at A was so much more welcoming and I got a great feeling about the team.”

Finally, don’t forget to close the deal. When you find your ideal person, make the offer and don’t lowball. If they’re truly a top-tier hire, negotiate fairly and quickly. In sales terms, treat it like closing a big prospect – address any last objections, emphasize the fit, and ask for the yes. Many hiring managers make the mistake of thinking a candidate will wait around; top talent won’t. One HBR article noted that a significant chunk of high-performing salespeople are always job-hunting under the radar – they can jump if something better comes. So when you find a gem, move to close with conviction.

5. Consider Partnering with a Specialized Sales Recruiting Company 

Sometimes, the smartest strategy is knowing when to get expert help. Sales recruiting companies (also known as sales recruitment agencies or headhunters) exist for a reason: they spend all day, every day, finding and vetting sales talent. If you have a critical sales hire (or multiple roles) and limited internal bandwidth, a great recruiting firm can be a game-changer for your results.

Here’s how leveraging a sales recruiting company can benefit you:

• Extensive Networks: Recruiting firms have deep databases of candidates and existing relationships. For instance, a firm might know a dozen stellar VP of Sales candidates or hundreds of proven SDRs who aren’t actively applying to jobs but would entertain the right opportunity. This dramatically expands your reach beyond who you’d find on your own.

• Compensation Plan Best Practices: 

• Time Savings: As a hiring manager or business owner, your time is extremely valuable. Agencies handle the legwork – sourcing, initial outreach, screening calls, and even scheduling interviews – saving you dozens of hours. You essentially get pre-vetted, high-quality candidates delivered to you.

• Expert Vetting: Good sales recruiters are adept at weeding out pretenders. They conduct thorough interviews (often multiple rounds), run skills assessments, and check references before you ever meet the candidate. It’s in their interest to only present candidates who are likely to excel, because their reputation and often their fee (especially if there’s a guarantee period) depend on successful placements.

• Market Insight & Negotiation: Specialized recruiters can give you intel on market compensation, talent availability in your region/industry, and even advise on how to make your offer competitive. They can serve as a go-between in negotiations, helping to close a candidate who might be hesitant by diplomatically handling concerns about salary, title, etc.

• Speed and Efficiency: When you have an urgent opening, a recruiting company can often produce candidates within a week or two, whereas an internal hiring process might take much longer to ramp up. (I’ve seen cases where a hiring manager struggled for 3+ months to fill a role, then brought in a recruiter who filled it in 3 weeks.) When we engage with clients through RevUp Recruiting, for example, we typically present a strong shortlist in 10-14 days, because we likely already know candidates that fit their profile.

Of course, there is a cost to using external recruiters (typically a placement fee or percentage of salary). But consider the cost of a vacancy or a bad hire – it often dwarfs the fee. As one article put it, when you factor lost sales and training, hiring the wrong salesperson can be a “million-dollar mistake”. A good recruiter helps prevent that. They increase your chances of getting a great hire the first time.

Selecting the right partner: If you opt for this route, do your homework (and yes, we humbly suggest revenueify should be on your list!). Look for firms with a track record in your industry or sales role type. As we covered in our previous blog on headhunters for sales positions, you’ll want to evaluate recruiters on their industry expertise, vetting process, and guarantee terms. A quality sales recruiting company will act like a consultative partner, not just a resume peddler.

Engaging a recruiter doesn’t mean you abandon the other strategies here – you should still define your ideal profile and keep an eye on data and candidate experience. In fact, a good recruiting firm will reinforce those steps, working with you to sharpen the profile and then deliver candidates that meet it. Think of them as an extension of your team.

In sum, don’t hesitate to bring in outside help when needed. If you’ve been struggling to find that rockstar sales exec or you’re scaling fast and need multiple reps ASAP, partnering with a recruiting firm can yield a strong ROI. It can free you up to focus on running your sales org (or business) while knowing the hiring is in expert hands. Many companies large and small use external recruiters as a force multiplier for critical hires – it’s a practice that “sales recruiting companies” themselves strongly endorse (for good reason!).

Sales Recruiting Companies Don't have to take Your Best Candidates

Hiring the best salespeople is tough, but with the right strategies in place, you can tilt the odds in your favor. Let’s recap our five strategies: (1) Clearly define who you’re looking for (ideal profile), (2) proactively source candidates before you need them, (3) inject data and objectivity into your evaluation process, (4) provide a fast and candidate-friendly hiring experience, and (5) leverage professional sales recruiting companies when it makes sense.

Implementing these will not only help you hire stronger performers but also do so more efficiently. Imagine a sales team filled with individuals who are exactly the right fit, hit the ground running, and stay for the long haul – that’s the end goal. Each great hire is an investment that pays dividends in increased revenue and team morale, while each mis-hire is costly in more ways than one.

At revenueify, we live and breathe this process every day. We know what “great” looks like for a host of sales roles, we constantly cultivate talent networks, and we use data-driven tools (like our PXT-based sales assessments) to ensure high success rates. Whether you choose to go it alone with these strategies or want a helping hand from a partner like us, the key is to approach sales hiring with the same rigor and creativity as you approach sales itself.

If you found these strategies useful and want to dive deeper, feel free to download our free guide on building a high-performing sales team (it’s packed with tips on hiring and coaching). And as always, if you need personalized assistance or have a critical sales role to fill, reach out to us at revenueify – we’re here to help you find that next superstar who will drive your revenue to new heights.

Ready to hire smarter and faster? Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to a superstar sales team.