You just made a rockstar new sales hire, only to learn a few months later that they are not as strong as they seemed during the recruiting process. All sales leaders have unfortunately experienced this scenario. Unlike other roles, a poor sales hire is particularly frustrating because it directly delays reaching revenue goals, damages client relationships, and stalls momentum. To mitigate these risks, consider five pragmatic approaches:

1. Prioritize Passive Job Seekers

The best sales talent typically isn’t job hunting. Recruiting passive candidates — those currently employed and performing — typically yields higher-quality hires than job board applicants. These professionals bring proven track records and are less likely to be "between jobs" for performance-related reasons. Reaching them may require more personalized outreach or using recruiting agency partners, but we believe the ROI is significantly higher.

2. Hire in Cohorts

Making multiple hires simultaneously can reduce onboarding costs, create healthy internal competition, and provide redundancy. Salespeople thrive on performance comparison and shared momentum. With proper planning, companies can deploy multiple hires across territories or target verticals without duplication. Cohort hiring also enables scalable training programs and shared onboarding plans that streamline ramp-up.

3. Require a Tactical 90-Day Plan in the Interview Process

Every sales candidate should prepare a clear, measurable 90-day ramp-up plan. This should include specific target accounts and contacts (for candidates with industry experience), activity expectations (e.g., 40 outbound calls per day, 5 demos per week), product mastery checkpoints, and defined sales goals. This allows hiring managers to filter out candidates who lack a structured approach to sales or existing book-of-business to leverage.

4. Hire for Industry and Product Experience

Sales cycles and ramp time decrease dramatically when reps already know your industry and can speak your buyers’ language. Yes, this narrows the talent pool and may involve navigating non-competes, but the higher quota attainment and quicker ramp times offset these challenges. Barring this, focus on recruiting candidates who have closely correlated experience, e.g., similar sales cycles and processes or buyer profiles.

5. Use Higher Variable Compensation

A well-structured comp plan can self-regulate performance risk. By increasing the variable portion of a salesperson’s compensation — while maintaining OTE (on-target earnings) competitiveness — companies can align incentives with results. High-performing reps will hustle for the upside, while underperformers naturally self-select out due to lower guaranteed earnings.

Conclusion

Sales recruiting will always carry risk, but it doesn’t have to be a gamble. By applying these practical strategies — from flexible hiring models to structured onboarding and higher variable compensation — companies can build high-performing sales teams faster, smarter, and with less downside. De-risking doesn’t mean slowing down; it means being intentional about how you scale.