Dan Leymaster's blog

Anyone in sales knows how important it is to hire the right people. In fact, it has been said that hiring the right people is the absolute most important element in running a successful company. I can’t argue. I’ve seen the impact that just one great salesperson can have on a company. And I’ve seen the struggles that go along with not having the right people in place. But identifying the right person is only the first step.

One of the biggest mistakes made by businesses today is that they have people with limited sales experience interviewing and hiring their potential salespeople. That may not seem dangerous at a glance, but it can have a disasterous effect on sales, and ultimately the growth of the company.

I’m a big sports fan. I’ll admit it. When the NBA playoffs are happening you can bet I’m flipping from one channel to the next to catch as much of the action as possible. I find it very interesting how often professional athletes are criticized for not being…well, professional. Their off-court antics seem to make the headlines on a daily basis and their on-court behavior might sometimes raise a few eyebrows as well. But my experience has shown me that sales professionals have a lot to learn from athletes about professionalism.

He may bake the best pastry in town, but he’ll get outsold every day of the week by a baker with an inferior product but superior message.

If you are thinking about starting or expanding your sales team, think about this for a moment: