Episode #16
Hiring A-Players: What Great Sales Teams Look For
What does it actually take to identify, hire, develop, and retain A-player salespeople? In this episode of Marked Closed Won , Jon Reynolds sits down with longtime sales leader Kevin “KG” Gaither to take a deep dive into what separates great salespeople from great resumes and how sales leaders can build teams that consistently produce. KG brings experience from eight startups, three successful liquidity events, and decades in sales leadership , and shares the lessons he has learned from building, fixing, and growing sales organizations. The conversation covers: The six traits every sales hire should have Why resumes are marketing vehicles and what sales leaders should evaluate instead How to structure an effective interview process without dragging it out for months The red flags that can expose a bad hire before it's too late Why reference checks should be handled by the hiring manager Why KG doesn't rely on presentations, demos, and projects when evaluating sales candidates How to build a structured onboarding and training program The Tell → Show → Do → Assess approach to sales training How to give A-player salespeople autonomy without sacrificing accountability Why “you cannot manage outputs, you can only manage inputs” The importance of activities, meetings, and pipeline as forward-looking sales metrics How to create an environment where motivated salespeople can thrive How managers should distinguish between skill and will when coaching struggling reps When a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) makes sense How to handle performance-based terminations objectively and consistently The four pillars of building, fixing, and growing a sales organization: Hiring, Onboarding & Training, Coaching, and Performance Management Why creating a clear career path can help a sales organization become self-optimizing Whether you're a startup founder, VP of Sales, CRO, frontline sales manager, or sales professional, this conversation is packed with practical ideas for building a stronger sales organization. Connect with KG: KG's website: InsideSalesExpert.com His site includes hundreds of sales leadership articles and free resources, including his popular 77 Interview Questions for Sales Leaders guide. Subscribe to Marked Closed Won for more conversations focused on the sales funnel from generating leads, to increasing conversion, to closing more business and growing revenue. http://markedclosedwon.com https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578258184776 | https://www.instagram.com/markedclosedwon/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/marked-closed-won/ https://www.youtube.com/@MarkedClosedWon #Sales #SalesLeadership #SalesManagement #SalesHiring #SalesRecruiting #APlayers #SalesTraining #SalesCoaching #SalesTeam #SalesPerformance #SaaSSales #B2BSales #EnterpriseSales #StartupSales #RevenueGrowth #SalesStrategy #MarkedClosedWon
