let salespeople hire salespeople

most companies go through sales hiring from the wrong end.

they let product managers and executives pick salespeople. this is like asking a librarian to choose a race car driver. they optimize for the wrong things.

i watched this happen last week. a product manager rejected a candidate who would have crushed quota. why? "too aggressive, not collaborative enough." translation: this person might close deals.

the pattern repeats everywhere. hr screens for people who interview well. managers pick candidates who sound smart in meetings. everyone avoids the pushy ones.

but pushy works in sales. the smooth talkers who charm interviewers often freeze when a prospect says no. the "collaborative" candidates struggle with cold calls. you end up with a sales team that's great at internal meetings and terrible at closing business.

one bad sales hire costs 40 lakhs. multiply that by a few wrong picks and your quarter is shot. the damage spreads. good salespeople leave. the remaining team gets demoralized.

there's a simple fix: let only active salespeople hire other salespeople.

not former salespeople who moved to management. not executives who did sales ten years ago. people currently carrying quota. they know what works because they do it every day.

when salespeople interview candidates, they test different things. they put prospects through live objections. they watch how someone handles pressure. they ask why someone must buy now instead of next quarter.

these interviews reveal what matters: can this person think fast? do they push back when challenged? can they turn a no into a yes?

salespeople also know what the job demands. they understand that nice doesn't always work. they can spot someone who'll crack under rejection.

this approach makes hiring faster too. no committee decisions. no endless rounds. if someone can sell, the team knows it quickly.

the best part: accountability becomes automatic. when salespeople pick their teammates, results trace back to decisions. numbers don't lie. good pickers get promoted. bad ones learn fast.

this works beyond sales. it means letting people who do the work choose who joins them. let surgeons pick surgeons. let engineers pick engineers.

but sales makes the case clearest because the results show up fast. either someone can close deals or they can't. either your team hits numbers or it doesn't.

stop letting outsiders pick your salespeople. let the closers choose the closers.