High performing sales teams are built deliberately – not accidentally. Whether you are hiring your first Sales Development Representative or adding experienced Account Executives and Account Managers to an established function, the difference between a good hire and a great one shows up in pipeline quality, win rate and retention. A dedicated recruitment consultancy helps you define what great looks like for your market, then designs a fair, repeatable process to find and secure the people who deliver it.
Why work with a recruitment consultancy for sales
- Clarity before candidates – We translate growth targets into role outcomes, competencies and a realistic 30-60-90 plan. Everyone involved knows what success looks like.
- Market insight you can use – Up-to-date guidance on salary bands, on-target earnings structures, accelerators and hybrid expectations keeps offers competitive without overpaying.
- Access to passive talent – Many top performers are not applying to adverts. We run targeted outreach and referral programmes that surface people you would not otherwise meet.
- Process that protects quality – Structured interviews, practical tasks and consistent scoring reduce bias and mis-hires while speeding decisions.
- Time saved for leaders – Your sales and people teams focus on customers and coaching while we manage sourcing, shortlisting and coordination.
Our consultancy framework
1) Role definition and design
We start with your commercial goals, customer profile and sales motion. Together we define responsibilities, territory or account coverage, and three measurable outcomes for the first 90 days and first year. We agree the hybrid pattern, tools, reporting line and progression pathway so the role is attractive and clear.
2) Competency model and scorecards
For each role – Sales Development Representative, Account Executive and Account Manager – we create a simple competency set with observable behaviours. Examples include prospecting discipline, discovery depth, value communication, objection handling, closing, relationship management and coachability. Each competency has a 1 to 5 scale with anchors so interviewers assess consistently.
3) Sourcing strategy and candidate brief
We combine passive outreach, curated networks and targeted advertising. Every shortlisted candidate is presented with evidence against must-have criteria, notes on culture alignment and realistic ramp expectations. You see a concise shortlist – not a stack of CVs.
4) Structured interviews and a practical task
Two stages usually deliver the best signal to noise ratio:
- Stage one – competency interview using the scorecard and evidence-based questions.
- Stage two – practical exercise tailored to your market, such as a short discovery call role play or a territory plan outline. We share preparation guidance so the process is fair and the assessment focused on real skills.
5) Offer design and acceptance
We benchmark compensation for your location and sector, agree a range in advance and recommend a clear, transparent offer format – base, on-target earnings, accelerator rules, hybrid policy and start date in one document. Verbal offers are followed by written terms the same day to maintain momentum.
6) Onboarding and ramp
A simple 30-60-90 plan accelerates time to productivity. We map enablement sessions, shadowing, call reviews and early pipeline goals. Leaders receive a manager checklist and a basic dashboard to track progress.
What good looks like by role
- Sales Development Representative – Top of funnel creation with measurable activity quality, relevant messaging and learning agility. Early success is meetings with the right stakeholders and properly qualified opportunities.
- Account Executive – Ownership of full sales cycles – rigorous discovery, value communication, multi-threading and confident closing. Success shows up in pipeline added, cycle control and quota attainment without last-minute compression.
- Account Manager – Retention and expansion of existing customers. Clear renewal plans, proactive risk management, stakeholder mapping and value-led growth motions drive strong net revenue retention.
Metrics that matter
We help you track a small set of indicators that predict hiring quality and commercial impact:
- Time to shortlist and time to offer – speed without rushing decisions.
- Stage conversion rates – where candidates exit and why.
- Offer acceptance rate – a signal of market fit, not just pay.
- Ramp speed – time to first qualified opportunity or first deal, depending on role.
- 12 month retention – the key measure of recruiting quality for permanent hires.
Reducing risk – common pitfalls and how we avoid them
- Vague success criteria – We set outcome-based briefs so interviews and offers stay aligned to real work.
- Overlong processes – Two stages plus a short practical task beats four unstructured interviews every time.
- Opaque compensation – We recommend publishing salary bands and on-target earnings rules to improve both search visibility and candidate trust.
- Weak onboarding – We provide a simple schedule and review cadence so new starters know what good looks like and how to get there.
How we work with different business stages
- Startups and small teams – Lightweight tools, founder-friendly timelines, and hands-on guidance for the first commercial hire through to a small team.
- Growing companies – Repeatable hiring sprints, manager training and interview calibration to maintain standards as hiring volume increases.
- Established teams – Role refresh, territory alignment input and leadership hiring where the focus is on raising the bar and strengthening succession.
The outcome
A recruitment consultancy partnership should give you confidence, speed and consistency. You will know exactly what you are hiring for, meet candidates who fit the brief and make offers that get accepted. Twelve months later, your data should show stronger pipeline, steadier revenue and a stable, motivated team.
If you want a recruitment process that reflects how your sales function actually wins and retains customers (and candidates who can perform within it) we would be happy to help you design and deliver it.