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Insights — Sales & Commercial Recruitment — 3 min read

How to Recruit a Good Salesperson (Who Will Actually Sell)

Recruiting a salesperson is easy; recruiting one who actually sells is notoriously difficult. This guide covers the process, sources, and decision between advertising and headhunting.

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In short

To recruit a good salesperson, you must define the role by commercial outcomes (targets, sales cycle, and customer type) rather than just traits. Use a structured process: a clear job description, proactive sourcing (headhunting for passive talent or targeted advertising), a two-stage interview focusing on evidence and 'role-play' scenarios, and a thorough reference check. The key is distinguishing between a candidate who can sell themselves and one who can sell your product.

Most business owners have a story about a 'star' sales recruit who interviewed perfectly, had an impressive CV, and then failed to produce a single pound of new business. In B2B markets, the cost of a bad sales hire isn't just the salary; it is the six months of lost momentum and burnt leads that go with it.

Recruiting a good salesperson requires moving past the 'personable' interview and into a structured process that tests for the specific commercial behaviours your business needs. It also requires an honest assessment of whether the person you need is currently looking for work, or whether you need to go and find them.

1. Define what 'Good' looks like for your business

A 'good' salesperson in a high-volume telesales environment is very different from a 'good' salesperson in a long-cycle industrial engineering firm. Before you look at a single CV, you must define the environment they will operate in.

  • What is the average order value? (Small transactions vs. large capital projects)
  • How long is the sales cycle? (Weeks vs. months or years)
  • Who is the buyer? (Procurement, technical managers, or MDs?)
  • Is it new business (Hunter) or account growth (Farmer)?
  • What does the lead source look like? (Cold outreach vs. inbound enquiries)

2. The Search: Advertise or Headhunt?

This is the most critical choice in the recruitment process. Advertising attracts people who are actively looking; headhunting (executive search or proactive sourcing) targets people who are currently successful elsewhere.

MethodBest for...ProsCons
AdvertisingEntry-level to mid-market roles, well-known brands, high-inbound sectors.Lower upfront cost, faster initial volume of applicants.High volume of unsuitable CVs, misses the best performers who aren't looking.
HeadhuntingSenior BDMs, Sales Directors, niche technical sectors, competitors.Access to 'passive' high-performers, higher quality-to-interview ratio.Higher effort/cost, takes time to build trust with candidates.
Hybrid SearchSpecialist B2B roles, BDM vacancies in SMEs.Combines reach with targeted approaches.Requires specialist expertise to manage both channels.
Advertising vs. Headhunting for Sales Roles

3. Where to find B2B salespeople

If you choose to advertise, the platform matters. While generic job boards can work for high-volume roles, specialist B2B salespeople are often found through more targeted channels.

  • LinkedIn: The primary tool for B2B recruitment. Use LinkedIn Jobs for advertising and Recruiter Lite for proactive searching.
  • Niche Industry Boards: For manufacturing, engineering, or construction roles, industry-specific publications often have more relevant job sections.
  • Your Professional Network: Referrals from trusted partners or non-competing businesses in your sector.
  • Specialist Recruitment Partners: Agencies or consultants who understand the specific commercial nuances of your industry rather than generalist 'sales recruiters'.

4. A Step-by-Step Recruitment Process

A structured process prevents you from hiring on 'gut feel'—which is how most bad sales hires happen.

  1. 01The Filter: Review CVs not for 'years of experience', but for evidence of targets hit and growth achieved in similar environments.
  2. 02The Screen: A 20-minute phone call to check commercial alignment, salary expectations, and basic communication skills.
  3. 03First Interview: Focused on the 'How'. How do they prospect? How do they handle objections? How do they manage their pipeline?
  4. 04The Practical Test: Give them a scenario (not a full sales pitch of your product) to see how they research a lead and open a conversation.
  5. 05Second Interview: Cultural fit and deep-dive into past performance. Ask for specific examples of deals lost as well as deals won.
  6. 06References: Always speak to former managers. Ask: 'Would you hire them again?'

5. How long does it take to recruit?

Recruitment timelines vary based on the seniority and rarity of the skill set. Rushing a sales hire is almost always a mistake.

  • Standard BDM/Sales Executive: 4–8 weeks from brief to offer.
  • Senior/Specialist Technical Sales: 8–12 weeks.
  • Sales Director/Executive Search: 12–16 weeks.

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Written by

By Tom Evans

Founder, Evans Sales Consultancy

Published 4 October 2026 — 3 min read

Common questions

  • Yes — it has widened the realistic candidate pool beyond commuting distance, which helps for hard-to-fill or senior roles, but it also raises the bar on how you assess self-management and pipeline discipline at interview, since there is less day-to-day visibility once someone starts. Many businesses now use a hybrid pattern: remote prospecting with regular in-person team or client days.

  • For most B2B roles, LinkedIn is the most effective platform. However, for specialist industries like manufacturing or construction, sector-specific job boards often yield higher-quality candidates who understand the technical nuances of the role.

  • A good agency or recruitment partner is valuable when you need access to passive candidates (headhunting) or when the cost of your own time spent screening hundreds of poor CVs outweighs the fee. It is especially useful for niche or senior roles.

  • Salespeople are professionally trained to be persuasive. To see past the polish, ask for specific metrics, use practical role-play scenarios, and focus your questions on the process they use rather than just the results they claim.

  • In highly technical fields (e.g., complex engineering), some industry knowledge is essential. However, in most B2B sectors, it is easier to teach a talented salesperson your product than it is to teach an industry expert how to sell.

  • Look for quantifiable achievements: 'Grew territory from £X to £Y', 'Exceeded target by Z%', or 'Opened 15 new key accounts'. Avoid CVs that only list responsibilities without mentioning outcomes.

  • Speak directly to a former line manager rather than relying on a written reference, and ask specific, outcome-based questions: what target were they set, did they hit it, how did they perform under pressure, and would the manager hire them again. Vague, generic references that avoid a direct answer are a signal worth probing further.

  • Move quickly once you know you want them, be transparent about your timeline, and sell the parts of the role a competing offer cannot easily match — autonomy, product, progression or culture — rather than simply raising the salary. If they are weighing a counteroffer from their current employer, focus on the reasons they started looking in the first place, since those rarely disappear with a pay rise.

  • Keep it to around 20 minutes and focus on commercial fit before personality: confirm their sales cycle and deal size match yours, ask one or two questions about a real result they achieved, and check salary expectations and availability early so you do not progress someone who was never a realistic match.

  • Test it directly rather than asking about it: give the candidate a realistic cold-outreach scenario in interview and listen for how they open, handle an early objection and ask for the next step, rather than taking 'I love cold calling' at face value. Strong cold callers usually describe a structured approach — research, a clear opening reason for the call, and a habit of booking a next step rather than trying to close immediately — and can give you specific examples of call volumes and conversion rates from a previous role.

  • Respond within a few days of application, give candidates a realistic view of the role and targets rather than overselling it, and tell people quickly when they are no longer in the running rather than leaving them waiting. Strong sales candidates are usually in more than one process at once, and a slow or vague experience is often the reason you lose the one you actually wanted.

Still working out the right approach?

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