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Reporting®](/sales-performance-reporting/) [Incentivate Sales Planning Ecosystem®](/sales-planning-ecosystem/) [Incentivate Quota Intelligence Framework®](/quota-planning-and-governance) [Incentivate Dealer Scheme Automation System®](/dealer-schemes-&-discount-automation/) [Incentivate Channel Commission Engine®](/channel-partner-commission-management/) Solutions [By Role](/incentive-solutions-by-role/) [Sales Operations](/role/sales-operations/)[Sales](/role/sales/)[Finance](/role/finance-accounting/)[HR](/role/human-resources-performance-management/) [By Industry](/incentive-solutions-by-industry/) [Software Solutions & Services](/industry-pages/software-solutions-and-services/)[Retail](/industry-pages/retail-incentives-software/)[Medical Devices](/industry-pages/medical-devices-sales-compensation-software/)[Insurance](/industry-pages/insurance-incentives-and-commissions/)[Insurance Brokers](/industry-pages/incentive-management-for-insurance-brokers/)[NBFC](/industry-pages/unraveling-incentive-complexities-in-nbfcs/)[Financial Services](/industry-pages/financial-services-incentives-management/)[Distribution](/industry-pages/distribution/)[Cybersecurity](/industry-pages/cybersecurity/)[Machinery Manufacturing](/industry-pages/incentive-management-for-industrial-engineering-excellence/) Resources Tools [ROI Calculator](/roi_calculator/)[Sales Commission Calculator](/commission-calculator/)[Sales Compensation Analytics Dashboard](/compensation-analytics-dashboard/)[Total Compensation Calculator](/total-compensation-calculator/)[Sales Growth Calculator](/sales-growth-calculator/)[Tiered Commission Calculator](/tiered-commission-calculator/) [Media](/media/) [Blog](/blogs/) [Success Stories](/success-stories/) [Podcast](/podcasts-sales-commission-management/) [Cheatsheets](/cheatsheets/) [Video Hub](/video-hub/) [Incentivate Workflows](/video-hub/incentivate-workflows/)[Insurance Advisor Dashboard](/video-hub/insurance-advisor-dashboard/)[Sales Rep Dashboard](/video-hub/sales-rep-dashboard/)[Job Scheduling](/video-hub/job-scheduling/)[Upload](/video-hub/upload/)[Tables](/video-hub/tables/)[Processes](/video-hub/processes/)[Periods](/video-hub/periods/)[Parameters](/video-hub/parameters/) [Incentive Glossary](/glossary/) About [Our Team](/our-team/) [About](/about/) [Partners](/partners) [Why us?](/why-us/) [Pricing](/pricing/) [Contact](/contact/) [Request Demo](/book-a-meeting/) Table of Contents * [Introduction](#ivcc9) * [When to hire](#26326) * [How and Who to Hire](#2349e) * [Focus more on Skills than Experience](#6384b) * [Develop an Interviewing Strategy](#96a37) * [Sales Assessment Tests](#8b9a4) * [To Conclude](#4c31e) ## Subscribe to our newsletter! Sign Up Recent Posts [ ![](/_astro/AI_Wont_Fix_Your_Incentive_Strategy_But_It_Wi.width-1000_ZlS0oB.webp) AI Won't Fix Your Incentive Strategy, But It Will Transform How You Manage It AI won’t fix a broken incentive strategy, but it can transform how you manage sales compensation, improve efficiency, and make smarter incentive decisions. ](/blogs/ai-wont-fix-your-incentive-strategy-but-it-will-transform-how-you-manage-it/)[ ![](/_astro/Enterprise_Sales_Compensation_AI_Built_for_Go.width-1000_1tvEQR.webp) Enterprise Sales Compensation: AI Built for Governance Learn why enterprise sales compensation requires AI built for governance. Discover how auditability, transparency, and trust help organizations automate incentive management while maintaining compliance and confident decision-making. ](/blogs/enterprise-sales-compensation-ai-built-for-governance/)[ ![](/_astro/What_Is_a_Semantic_Layer_and_Why_AI_Needs_It_.width-1000_FSIJ3.webp) What Is a Semantic Layer and Why AI Needs It to Understand Incentive Data Learn what a semantic layer is and why it helps AI understand complex incentive data, improve accuracy, and deliver trusted sales compensation insights. ](/blogs/what-is-a-semantic-layer-and-why-ai-needs-it-to-understand-incentive-data/)[ ![](/_astro/Why_Commission_Disputes_Take_Weeks_to_Resolve.width-1000_Z2ct7il.webp) Why Commission Disputes Take Weeks to Resolve And How AI Helps Sales commission disputes can delay payouts and reduce trust. Learn how AI simplifies commission investigations, explains payout decisions, and accelerates dispute resolution with greater accuracy. ](/blogs/why-commission-disputes-take-weeks-to-resolve-and-how-ai-helps/)[ ![](/_astro/AgentDhara.width-1000_Z1GJKlM.webp) Introducing Agent Dhara: The AI-Powered Incentive Intelligence Agent That Explains the "Why" Discover Agent Dhara, the AI-powered incentive intelligence agent that helps sales teams understand the “why” behind incentive payouts, commission calculations, disputes, and performance insights. ](/blogs/introducing-agent-dhara-the-ai-powered-incentive-intelligence-agent-that-explains-the-why/) # How To Hire a Phenomenal Sales Team * [Sujeet Pillai](/authors/sujeet-pillai/) * Apr 14, 2021 * 4 min read * Last updated on Aug 06, 2026 ## **Introduction** In any industry and every business, salespeople are a vital asset. There are certain times in your business when you may need to add more reps to your sales team. But hiring is an important decision, and there are trends and factors to consider when bringing on new sales hires to build your ideal sales team. ## **When to hire** When you get to a point in your business where you can’t hit your sales goals, it might be time to hire sales reps. However, before beginning the hiring process, remember that the backbone of any successful sales hiring strategy is for team leaders to ensure it's the right time to hire. Many organizations struggle to determine the best time to hire a sales professional. If your sales are strong and your **business is expanding,** you may set new objectives and targets that are beyond your current team's capabilities. If that's the case, now is the time to build a sales team capable of handling your business's sales function. Also, keep an eye out for progress from your initial sales reps. Have things become stagnant? Are your **current reps struggling?** If so, new salespeople can bring fresh energy to your sales team and support them. If you see good results from this, you can consider replacing some extremely underperforming sales reps by adding more fresh faces to your team. Do your company’s sales projections look strong? If your company is seeing **growth projections,** it is crucial that you strike while the iron is hot by ensuring that you have enough members in your sales team. Hiring when your company is growing corroborates that you can competently meet sales demand, offer quality services, and close as many new deals as possible. Once you have identified when to hire sales representatives, the next step is to know: ## **How and Who to Hire** ### **Identify the Job Profile** This is the foremost task you should do in the hiring process. Start by building an overview of the job profile for the salesperson you want to bring to the team. This outlines the job's key responsibilities, required skills and experience, and the employee's personality. It is the job profile that will uncover whether the candidates are an ideal fit for the role ### **Candidate Screening** Now that you have your job profile ready, it’s time to dive a little deeper and start candidate screening. Research says that the [primary cause of poor performance and turnover is poor job](https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-best-ways-to-hire-salespeople) fit. Hence, here’s what to look for when hiring: * **Behavior:** Always remember that great salespeople are relationship builders between your company and your customers. They have a direct connection with the prospects. Hence, it is important to focus on the nature and behavior of the candidate you choose. * **Market Experience:** Does the candidate have enough market experience within your field? Your first salesperson should have experience, as he/ she will be entirely responsible for forming your sales processes and culture - and you definitely want someone who has done this before! * **Resourcefulness:** In sales, the one quality that comes in most handy is resourcefulness. Find someone with the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties during sales and who can think outside the box. * **Coachability:** A coachable rep has an internal motivation to improve and do better. Here is a checklist you can use to determine how coachable your candidate is: Humble, follows instructions well, hungry for feedback, and has the ability to act on the feedback. * **Teamwork:** TEAM stands for "Together Everyone Achieves More." Likewise, a sales team can only meet its target if every team member works toward the goal as a team. If a rep is hesitant or selfish to share information or sales tips with other members, you’re going to have a problem. So, choose wisely! Once you align these attributes with your specific job profile, you will have an easier time determining your perfect candidate for the sales rep’s role. ## **Focus more on Skills than Experience** While experience matters, it is not the only factor to consider in recruitment. There are [other things that matter more than experience](https://www.forbes.com/sites/chriswestfall/2019/12/23/why-these-3-things-matter-more-than-experience-in-the-job-interview-process/) in a job interview. One of them is skills. A highly skilled person can adapt to different situations easily, so experience becomes less relevant relative to their skills. Hence, when you reach out to candidates, don’t let their experience keep you from seeing their other skills. ## Develop an Interviewing Strategy Develop an interview strategy that includes a range of questions and techniques. It should be relevant to your job profile so you can measure your candidate’s unique traits that might be a good fit for your company. [According to a research report](https://www.brandonhall.com/blogs/eliminate-the-cost-of-a-bad-hire-it-might-be-easier-than-you-think/), 69% of companies cited a broken, non-standardized interview process as the primary reason they were unable to hire quality reps. Hence, through the interview process, gain a better understanding of their goals, interests, and approach to sales. ## Sales Assessment Tests Before sending an offer letter to any candidate, the last but most important step is to assess their abilities. Even though a candidate may appear good in an interview, nothing shows their true capabilities like a real-life test. Put them through sales assessment tests. This can validate their demonstrated traits and skills. Considering the cost of making a bad hire, it’s best to do this before signing the contract. ## To Conclude Understanding the need for a sales team within your company and defining a strong job profile are the best first steps. You have to remember that this is both tough and time-consuming, and cannot happen overnight. Thus, hire candidates who you know will make a difference in the long run for your organization. **So, Ready to start hiring?** _"A proficient, well-behaved sales team is a company’s most significant asset - and an incompetent one its biggest liability."_ **Incentivate** helps to reinforce that success by ensuring sales teams are rewarded fairly, transparently, and in line with business goals through automated incentive compensation management. [ Schedule a Demo ](https://incentivatesolutions.com/schedule-a-demo/) ## Frequently Asked Questions ## When is the right time to hire a sales team? ### The right time to hire a sales team is when your existing team struggles to meet growing business demands or sales targets. Expanding your sales force during periods of growth helps maintain customer service quality, capture new opportunities, and support long-term business expansion with the right talent. ## What qualities should you look for when hiring salespeople? ### Beyond experience, look for candidates who demonstrate strong communication skills, coachability, resourcefulness, teamwork, and a customer-focused mindset. These qualities help sales professionals adapt to changing markets, build lasting customer relationships, and consistently contribute to business growth and overall team success. ## Why are sales assessment tests important during recruitment? ### Sales assessment tests provide a practical way to evaluate a candidate's real-world selling abilities before making a hiring decision. They help validate communication skills, problem-solving capabilities, and sales aptitude, reducing the risk of costly hiring mistakes and improving the chances of selecting high-performing sales professionals. ## Should companies prioritize skills or experience when hiring sales reps? ### While experience is valuable, skills such as adaptability, communication, critical thinking, and the willingness to learn often have a greater impact on long-term success. Candidates with strong skills can quickly adapt to new products, industries, and sales processes, making them valuable additions to any sales organization. ## How can companies build a high-performing sales team? ### Building a successful sales team starts with defining the right job profile, following a structured hiring process, conducting effective interviews, and thoroughly assessing candidates. Once hired, sales professionals benefit from clear goals, ongoing coaching, and performance-based incentives that help them stay engaged, motivated, and productive. ## About Author ![](/_astro/Sujeet_Pillai_1_CsSqCeL.width-300_OBCJ7.webp) Sujeet Pillai [](/authors/sujeet-pillai/)[](https://twitter.com/sujeetpillai) As an experienced polymath, I seamlessly blend my understanding of business, technology, and science. ## Subscribe to our newsletter! 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