Your job as a sales leader becomes infinitely easier when you have the right people on your team.
And here’s the hard truth:
If a new hire doesn’t raise the average performance level of your current team… walk away.
I know the pressure.
You’ve got gaps.
You’re covering for people.
Targets don’t stop because a seat is empty.
But if you “fill the hole” with someone who lowers the bar, you’re not helping your team – you’re signalling to your top performers that this is the standard you’re willing to accept.
That message erodes culture faster than any competitor ever could.
High performers notice.
They quietly adjust their expectations of you.
And eventually… they leave.
David Kuenzle says it perfectly: “Very often no breath is better than bad breath.”
A painful vacancy is still smarter than a poor hire.
Because deep down, we all know the moment we start “talking ourselves into” a candidate.
You feel it in your gut.
You know they’re not an A-Player.
You know you’re settling.
Great sales cultures are not built on warm bodies – they’re built on standards.
And standards only rise when every new hire raises the curve, not drags it down.
So slow down.
Be deliberate.
Refuse to settle.
Recruit sales professionals who are better than your team’s current average – and watch your whole bell curve lift.
That’s how you build a high-performance sales culture.
One A-Player at a time.