Sales Playbook Step 7: Define Your Hiring Process

In my last article, I highlighted the eight common mistakes companies make when hiring salespeople (insert link). In this one, we’ll lay out proven sales hiring process steps to help you recruit and onboard sales reps more effectively.

Hiring the right salespeople can be the difference between accelerated growth and stalled performance, but making the right hire doesn’t happen by chance. That’s why having an established, repeatable sales hiring process is critical. A defined process ensures consistency, minimises bias, and helps you evaluate candidates on the specific skills and attributes that drive success in your sales environment.

What Do You Want Them to Do?

This may sound obvious—of course, you want them to sell—but ask: Who do you want them to sell to?

• Are they responsible for prospecting and acquiring new customers (business development)?

• Or will they focus on serving and growing existing customers (account management)?

This single choice shapes every other step in your hiring process.

You should also decide whether the role is product-focused or market-focused:

• A product-focused salesperson sells specific products across many markets.

• A market-focused rep offers solutions tailored to a niche or industry.

If you’re unsure, review Steps 1 and 2 of this series for deeper guidance.

Skills vs. Attributes

Once you’ve defined the role, list the skills (learned abilities you can train) and attributes (innate traits) required to excel.

1. Skills

Skills are learned abilities—things a salesperson can be trained to do.

Common core sales skills include:

●Prospecting – Identifying and reaching out to potential customers

●Cold Calling – Initiating conversations with new prospects

●Lead Qualification – Determining which leads are most likely to convert

●Sales Pitching – Clearly presenting your value proposition

●Objection Handling – Addressing and overcoming concerns

●Closing Techniques – Knowing when and how to ask for the sale

●Negotiation – Reaching win-win agreements on terms and pricing

●Product Knowledge – Understanding the solution and its benefits

●Time Management – Prioritizing tasks and managing a sales pipeline

●CRM Proficiency – Using tools like Salesforce or HubSpot to track and manage

deals

2. Attributes

Attributes are innate traits that shape how a person behaves. While some can be

Strengthened, they are generally harder to teach and tend to remain stable over time.

Top attributes for successful salespeople include:

● Resilience – Bounces back from rejection

● Curiosity – Interested in the customer’s business and challenges

● Coachability – Open to feedback and learning

● Empathy – Understands and relates to buyer needs

● Drive/Motivation – Internally motivated to achieve

● Accountability – Takes ownership of results

● Confidence – Believes in their ability and value

● Work Ethic – Puts in consistent, focused effort

● Adaptability – Adjusts well to change

● Integrity – Honest and ethical in all interactions

● Positivity – Maintains a can-do attitude

● Emotional Intelligence – Manages their own emotions and reads others well

● Competitiveness – Has a strong desire to win

● Resourcefulness – Finds solutions creatively

● Persistence – Doesn’t give up too easily

In hiring, skills determine what someone can do, while attributes reveal how likely they are to do it consistently and effectively. The most successful salespeople combine both in ways that align with your company’s values and sales model.

Build a Scorecard For Your Sales Hiring Process

Turn your must-have skills and attributes into a simple hiring scorecard. During interviews, ask candidates to provide evidence, then rate them on a 1–5 scale for each criterion. This keeps decisions data-driven and guards against gut-feel hires.

Sample questions:

• “Tell me about a time you bounced back from rejection.”

• “Walk me through your approach to qualifying a lead.”

There’s Power in Preparation

Adding a salesperson is a significant investment. Taking the time to define the role clearly and identify the necessary skills and attributes can make all the difference in

How that hire impacts your business.

Too often, I see business leaders jump into hiring without a process. Instead, they “trust

their gut” and hope the person works out. Hope is not a strategy.

Establishing a hiring process that clearly defines the role, responsibilities, skills, and attributes is essential to consistently identifying and onboarding top-performing sales talent.

Focusing on both technical ability and personal fit gives you a complete picture—and a better chance of building a strong, high-performing sales team.

Next Steps to Build Your Sales Hiring Process

Take the first step by defining the key traits of success for your sales role—and use

them to guide every stage of your hiring process.