Hiring a Sales Manager? Here's What Most Companies Get Wrong
You've posted the job. CVs are rolling in. Everyone looks qualified on paper—quota achievements, big-brand experience, glowing LinkedIn recommendations. So why does hiring a sales manager still feel like a gamble?
Because most companies focus on the wrong things.
After placing sales professionals for over a decade, I've watched the same hiring mistakes play out repeatedly. Companies prioritize product knowledge over market expertise. They confuse different types of salespeople. They create unrealistic role expectations then wonder why new hires struggle or leave within 18 months.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The New Business vs. Account Management Trap
ELEVATE YOUR BUSINESS WITH SALES EXCELLENCE
This is the first question most hiring managers get wrong: What does this role actually require?
Sales roles exist on a spectrum. At one end, you have pure hunters—salespeople who live for new client acquisition, thrive on cold outreach, and get bored once the deal closes. At the other end, you have relationship builders who excel at nurturing existing accounts, upselling, and long-term customer success.
The problem? These require completely different personalities.
A hunter will get frustrated managing existing accounts. An account manager will struggle with the rejection inherent in constant prospecting. Yet most job descriptions ask for both, creating an impossible brief that attracts mediocre candidates who claim they can do everything.
Be honest about what you need. If you need 20 new clients in the first quarter, you need a hunter. Don't pretend it's a balanced role.
Who They've Sold To Matters More Than What They've Sold
Here's a mistake I see constantly: Companies prioritize candidates who've sold similar products over candidates who know how to sell to their actual customers.
Someone who's sold SaaS to pharmaceutical companies won't automatically succeed selling to investment banks. The pain points, buying cycles, and decision-making processes are fundamentally different.
More importantly, consider who your candidates have been selling to within organizations. If you're selling business solutions that deliver ROI and operational efficiency, you need someone who can engage with economic buyers—COOs, finance directors, heads of operations. These conversations are about business outcomes, not technical specifications.
Too many candidates only know how to sell to CTOs and technical buyers. That's fine if you're selling infrastructure. But for most modern SaaS companies, technical buyers are influencers, not decision-makers.
The best candidates don't just understand your target market—they already have relationships there.
Deal Size Determines Sales DNA
Calculate this before you interview anyone: Based on your targets and average deal size, how many deals must this person close per year?
If the answer is 50+ deals, you need someone comfortable with high activity, quick qualification, and managing volume. These are typically smaller deals with 1-2 month sales cycles.
If the answer is 5-10 deals, you need a consultative seller with the patience for 6-18 month sales cycles, complex stakeholder management, and the ability to manage multiple decision-makers.
These are different personality types. High-velocity salespeople get frustrated waiting months for decisions. Enterprise sellers dislike the pressure and rejection rate of high-volume prospecting.
Don't try to hire someone who excels at both unless you're prepared for a long search and premium compensation.
The Startup vs. Big Brand Question
If you're a small company without brand recognition, be careful about hiring exclusively from market leaders like Salesforce or HubSpot.
These salespeople have partly succeeded because of their brand. Doors open easily. Prospects take their calls. The brand does half the selling.
At a startup, there's no brand halo. Your salesperson needs to open doors through personal credibility and determination. They need entrepreneurial instincts and comfort with ambiguity.
That doesn't mean you should exclude big-company candidates entirely—sometimes they're ready for a new challenge and bring valuable process knowledge. Just ensure they understand what they're signing up for.
Why Great Salespeople Will Choose You (Or Won't)
You're not just evaluating candidates. They're evaluating you.
Great salespeople assess you across four dimensions: the company, the solution, the role, and the package.
They want to know if you have credible leadership, clear market positioning, and realistic funding. They need to believe your product is actually sellable—because they can't make money if they can't close deals. They're evaluating whether the role matches what you're describing. And they need a clear, achievable commission structure.
If your commission plan is complicated, unclear, or has too many caveats, strong candidates will walk away.
Here's the truth: A generous commission structure doesn't matter if the product is unsellable. Strong leadership doesn't compensate for below-market salary. All four factors must work together.
The Track Record Question
Don't be impressed by one exceptional year. Look for consistent quota attainment over 3+ years and reasonable longevity in roles (3-5 years is ideal).
Be wary of candidates with 1-2 years at every company for the past decade. Either they're consistently underperforming or they lack commitment.
However, if a strong candidate struggled in their current role, investigate context. Is the product viable? Does the company have product-market fit issues? Look at their performance in previous roles. Sometimes strong performers hit rough patches in broken companies.
But if every company they've worked for has had "problems" and it's never their fault, that's a pattern.
Three Hiring Mistakes That Cost You Money
First: Confusing different types of salespeople. High-velocity and consultative sellers are different personalities. Hire for your actual sales cycle.
Second: Creating unclear commission structures. If you can't clearly explain how someone makes their OTE in the first interview, fix it before you hire.
Third: Ignoring job-hopping patterns. One short stint can be explained. Five consecutive short stints is a pattern you'll repeat.
The Bottom Line
The difference between a strong sales hire and a weak one isn't just revenue—it's the compounding effect on team culture, customer relationships, and market position.
Be clear about what you actually need. Be honest about what you offer, including the challenges. And remember that the best salespeople have options. If you can't articulate why someone should choose you, you'll lose them to competitors who can.
Take the time to get this right. Your revenue depends on it.
Annalie Graham, September 2025
About Annalie Graham
As Associate Director at Armstrong Lloyd, I specialise in helping B2B businesses build teams that truly deliver. Over the past 10+ years, I’ve worked with technology, manufacturing, and professional services organisations to connect them with the senior marketing and sales leaders and rising stars who can drive growth.
I believe recruitment is about more than filling a vacancy – it’s about understanding a company’s vision, culture, and commercial goals, then finding the people who can make that vision a reality. My clients value my market insight, straight-talking approach, and ability to uncover talent they didn’t know was out there.
I’m a regular presence at industry events, staying close to the conversations and trends that matter most to marketing and sales leaders. Whether it’s the impact of AI, evolving go-to-market models, or the challenges of scaling a marketing or sales function, I’m passionate about helping businesses navigate change and secure the talent they need to thrive.
About Armstrong Lloyd
Armstrong Lloyd goes above and beyond being a pure search firm – we partner with your business because we’ve all stood in your shoes as experienced hiring managers and commercial leaders. We understand the pressures of hitting revenue targets, expanding market share, and building high-performing sales teams that deliver results.
Our hidden network goes far beyond LinkedIn searches, adverts, or referrals from ex-colleagues, giving you access to the top 1% of sales talent.
Whether you need interim leadership, business development team building, or executive search across the UK and beyond, the team at Armstrong Lloyd will help you achieve your commercial goals by securing the sales professionals who can give you a competitive advantage.
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