Field Notes
Where Sales Strategy Meets People Strategy
Practical, research-backed lessons on hiring salespeople and sales leaders, paying them well, and keeping the good ones.
Two Good Finalists, One Job: How to Choose Between Sales Candidates
When two sales finalists both clear the bar, gut feel usually picks the one you liked most. Here's a fairer way to break the tie, built on what the research says about how hiring decisions go wrong.
What a Bad Sales Hire Really Costs (and How to Work Out Yours)
The famous "30% of salary" figure has no traceable source. Here's what the research does say, and a simple way to add up what a wrong sales hire would cost your business.
How to Read a Sales Assessment Report Without Getting Fooled
A sales assessment report isn't a grade. Here's what the scores mean, what they don't, and why the most useful comparison is your own best people.
Reference Checks That Actually Tell You Something About a Sales Hire
"Would you rehire them?" gets you a polite yes and nothing else. Here's how to run reference checks for a sales hire that turn up facts, not compliments.
How to Evaluate Interview Candidates for a Sales Role
You probably decided in the first minute. The research says that impression sticks for weeks. Here's how to score sales candidates on what they can do instead.
Structured Interviews for Sales Roles: Why They Work and How to Run One
The friendly chat feels like a good interview. The research says a structured one predicts performance far better. Here's how to build one for a sales hire.
How to Hire Your First VP of Sales (Without Betting the Company on a Title)
Your first senior sales hire is the one you cannot afford to get wrong, and it is usually the one chosen on the thinnest process.
Why Hiring on Gut Feeling Is the Riskiest Move in Sales Recruiting
The candidate who lit up the room is the one your instinct is worst at judging, and in sales that read is worse than useless. Here is what the research on gut-feel hiring actually shows, and the process that beats it.
When should you hire your first sales manager?
Wondering when to hire your first sales manager? Promoting your best rep is the default that backfires. Here is the real trigger, the research, and the Ontario legal trap to avoid.
AI Was Supposed to Take the Bias Out of Sales Hiring. It Just Learned Yours.
Everyone selling AI hiring is selling you Moneyball. The catch: the tool either learned bias from your history or showed up already carrying it. Here's what the research shows, and how to fix it.