How to hire salespeople who actually hit quota

1. Verify the number before you fall in love with the story

Ask for the actual quota, the actual result and the period it covered — then ask where they ranked in the team. "I was over target" means little without context. A rep at 105% in a team averaging 140% is a below-average performer. A rep at 92% in a team averaging 60% may be your best hire this year.

Follow up with how the number was made: how many accounts, average deal size, new business versus renewal. Strong performers can usually explain their key numbers and how they were achieved. Not recalling every figure instantly isn't a red flag on its own — look for a consistent, credible account you can check against other evidence.

2. Test the part of the job that is hardest

For most Australian sales roles, the hard part is not presenting — it is creating pipeline and holding price. Ask them to walk you through the last three opportunities they created from nothing: who they targeted, how they got the first meeting, what the objection was and what they did when the buyer went quiet.

If every example is an inbound lead or a warm account handed to them, probe further. Many account managers create pipeline within existing customers, so ask whether the role needs new-customer acquisition, account growth or both — and look for evidence of the one you need.

3. Use a real-world exercise, not a personality quiz

Give a short, respectful task tied to your market: research one prospect and outline how they would approach them, or run a ten-minute discovery call with you playing the buyer. Score two things — the quality of their questions and whether they controlled the next step. Weak salespeople finish a call without an agreed action.

4. Reference-check the manager, not just the referee

With the candidate's permission, ask to speak with a former direct manager, and ask one question that cuts through: "Would you hire this person again into a role carrying a number?" If the answer is hesitant, follow up to understand why rather than assuming the worst. Then ask what the person needed to be coached on — most managers can name something.

5. Move fast, and be honest about the role

Strong sales candidates are often employed, well paid and may be considering other opportunities. Long, multi-week interview loops lose them. Compress your process, be direct about the earning potential and the difficulty of the territory, and you will both hire faster and lose fewer people at the offer stage.

6. Hire for the market you actually sell into

A star SaaS closer does not automatically succeed selling forklifts to a family-run transport business, and vice versa. Look for transferable buying environments — deal cycle length, decision maker seniority, and whether the sale is relationship-led or transaction-led — rather than an identical industry on the résumé.