How Not to Ruin Your Company by Hiring the Wrong Salesperson
Hiring the wrong salesperson can tank your company.
No exaggeration.
I’ve seen businesses bleed out because they brought in someone who was really good at selling… themselves.
Sales roles are high-impact positions. A great hire? Game-changer.
A bad one? Expensive chaos. So here’s what to watch out for when you’re recruiting.
🚩 Red Flag #1: “I work on commission only!”
Sounds bold, right? Hustler vibes? Not so fast.
Here’s what it usually means:
- I’m desperate and looking for any kind of foothold.
- I have 10 other companies like yours. If I happen to sell something—great. But don’t count on it.
- I might try to loop in my cousin at a sketchy government-backed company and next thing you know… the guys with three-letter agency badges are at your door.
Hard pass.
🚩 Red Flag #2: “I did everything myself in my last job.”
Translation:
- I’m a compulsive exaggerator.
- That company no longer exists and the founders are “off the grid” on Mars. Don’t bother checking.
- I was so good they couldn’t afford to keep me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Either way: trust issues incoming.
🚩 Red Flag #3: “The problem at my last job was… [insert anything but themselves].”
If the issue was always “the product, the funding, the marketing, the market, the alignment of the moon”—congrats, you’ve found a professional excuse-generator.
Give it a few months and your company will be the next tragic chapter in their autobiography of victimhood.
🚩 Red Flag #4: “Targets? We had some… but I did other things too.”
This one’s tricky—and dangerous.
You're likely dealing with someone from a culture where hitting targets wasn’t really enforced. “We got halfway there, and that was fine.”
No focus. No accountability. Hard to change that mindset once it's baked in.
🚩 Red Flag #5: “I always deliver—whatever it takes!”
Might be:
- A ruthless lone wolf who’ll destroy your team dynamics in 3 months.
- An overconfident optimist who means well but will vanish when pressure hits.
In either case: proceed with caution.
🟢 What Should a Good Salesperson Actually Say?
A solid candidate should be able to:
- Walk you clearly through their sales process.
- Explain how goals were set and tracked.
- Talk openly about both wins and misses (and what they learned from the latter).
- Ideally, they’ve shown upward trajectory—promotions, repeated quarterly success, etc.
And above all—they should come across as… normal.
You're not looking for the Wolf of Wall Street. You’re looking for a curious, empathetic, smart human who knows how to build trust.
If you feel awkward or pressured talking to them, guess what?
So will your customers.
Final Thought
Great salespeople aren’t flashy. They’re thoughtful.
They ask good questions. They listen.
They’re the kind of person you want your client to meet.
