Most sales leaders hire wrong. They prioritize industry experience over buyer understanding, rush to fill empty seats, and sell the role before qualifying candidates. Walter Crosby flips this approach entirely.
His counterintuitive strategy? Write job ads that repel weak candidates. Interview like you're qualifying a prospect—with tough questions and genuine discovery. Forget the "industry retread" myth; product knowledge is trainable, but understanding buyers isn't.
Crosby emphasizes assessing cultural fit early and identifying coachability as the ultimate predictor of success. The biggest mistake? Fear-based hiring. An empty territory hurts less than a bad hire who drains resources and damages team morale.
The lesson is clear: treat hiring as strategically as you treat closing deals. Patience and process beat panic every time.