I've placed hundreds of sales reps. Here's the pattern I keep seeing:

Companies rush the hire, skip culture fit, and hand the new rep a quota on day one with no ramp plan. Then at day 60 they're surprised the rep is underperforming.

The fix isn't finding a "better" candidate — it's fixing the process around the hire:

1. Write the role around outcomes, not activity

"Close 5 deals/month" beats "Make 80 calls/day." Top sales talent knows the difference immediately.

2. Interview for coachability, not just past performance

The best rep at their last company might be the worst fit at yours. Culture and systems matter more than raw numbers.

3. Build a real 30/60/90 day ramp

Week 1 is product. Week 2 is shadowing. Week 3 is ramped outreach. No exceptions.

4. Align on comp before the offer

Ambiguous OTE is the #1 reason strong candidates ghost late in the process.

If you're hiring sales or BD talent and want it done right — that's what we do at Starbit Talent.