Andrew Compton’s Post

1.) Everyone makes talking head videos with fancy equipment in a studio surrounded by microphones and 37 types of ficus plants. We film ours in a dingy old shed. Why? It’s nothing more than just doing the opposite of everyone else. It’s the Arkham Way 2.) Our messaging isn’t typical. We have outbound about wizards, Ben Franklin, the Titanic and other random shit that we somehow find a way to tie back to recruiting. Marketers respond the most because they get what we’re trying to do. Sales leaders are hit or miss. 3. Call us for recruiting/branding help for TA teams.

After managing multiple 30-member sales teams... Here are two of the biggest lessons I learned:

Think managing a sales team is easy? Think again. After overseeing 30+ people in hyper-growth environments, here are two hard-won lessons: Lesson #1: Invest in robust tracking systems early. Effective sales management demands visibility. Every interaction—calls, meetings, emails—needs to be tracked. Some might cry, “Micromanagement!” But I call it smart leadership. Without a solid tracking system, you’re flying blind, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Detailed tracking transforms the game, enabling: - Better oversight - Enhanced support Lesson #2: Hiring salespeople is a double-edged sword. Top salespeople excel at one thing: selling themselves. This makes it challenging to distinguish between top closers and smooth talkers. As someone who tends to hire quickly, I get it. I want to see the best in everyone. 😃 But when hiring, you need to look beyond the charm. Identify candidates who can see through the smiles and recognize true potential. This may sound harsh, but in a fast-scaling company, a weak link can stall your momentum just as swiftly. Founders and CROs, what would you add to this list?

Three discover calls in two days, I am breaking a sweat here 😅 Each one of them at one point highlighted sensitivity to "cost". This reminds me of the following quote (I don't know who said it?) "If you think you can or you think you cannot, you are correct" My version in this scenario; "If you think it is a cost or think it is an investment, you are correct" In order to establish where you stand as a Sales Leader who needs to hire, ask yourself this question; "Do you believe your hiring process can create a competitive advantage?" #salesrecruitment

Ever notice that it only takes 1 bad sales hire to send your sales team into a tailspin? I’ve seen it happen. One crappy salesperson can drag down productivity, sour the culture, and drain the energy of even your top performers. The cost is massive. On the flip side, one exceptional sales hire can change everything. They raise the bar, inspire their peers, and create unstoppable momentum. The impact is immeasurable. So, what’s the lesson? 👉 I've learned to be patient and intentional in my salesperson hiring process. ⛔ Don’t rush to fill a seat. I’ve learned that it’s far better to wait for the right fit than to settle for someone who isn’t. 🔥 But when you realize you’ve made a mistake, act quickly. Don’t let a poor fit linger and fester. Hiring is one of the most critical decisions we make as sales leaders. The difference between a lousy hire and a great one is the difference between mediocrity and excellence.

What’s the fastest way to lose the trust of your #sales team? 🛑 Tinker with the compensation plan to make it harder for reps to exceed quota and hit accelerators. I’ll never understand why companies pull this stunt and then wonder, "Where did all our top salespeople go?" 🤷♂️ Spoiler: They went somewhere that values their earning potential. 💰 Salespeople thrive on uncapped potential and the thrill of building their paycheck through performance. Strip that away, and you’re creating a perfect storm for disengagement, mistrust, and turnover. Now, not only do they need to grind 3-4x harder just to keep up, but they’re watching the goalposts move at their expense. I have yet to hear a legitimate business reason for taking away a rep's earning potential. It’s bad for morale, bad for retention, and ultimately, bad for the company. When you pay more salespeople more commission, your company makes more money. Bottom line. Sales leaders: if you want to keep top talent and drive success, focus on supporting—not stifling—your reps’ ability to earn. Who's with me?

Here's What Inc. 5000 CEOs Look For When Hiring Salespeople

It's hard to overstate the importance of hiring successful salespeople. To attract and hire successful sales reps is an enormous competitive advantage. Sales hiring is your chance to pull away from the pack. A-players often have these traits: - Resourcefulness - Smarts - Competitiveness - Coachability - Persistence - Termination - Likeability - Leadership skills - Positivity if you're able to find and hire intelligent, self-directed individuals, the results can be magical. 🎯🌟

Qualities to Look for When Hiring High-Performing Sales Reps Not all sales reps are created equal. After placing over 300 reps in the past year and seeing more than $100M in generated revenue, I’ve learned that the highest performers share these traits: Resilience: The ability to handle rejection and keep going. Empathy: Knowing what the customer needs, sometimes before they do. Accountability: They own their results and aim to exceed expectations. Adaptability: Being able to improvise adapt and overcome hardships. Coachability: Nobody loves a know-it-all, especially in sales, you have to understand in this game you are always gonna be the student continuously learning. Being stagnant in this space will have you eaten by sharks! Looking to scale your sales team? We can help you find the best talent to drive your growth. DM “REPS” for a consultation!

To start - I'll admit to personally being guilty of this terrible habit 😅 ... As the legend, 🐶 Jacco van der Kooij (founder of Winning by Design) puts it: 'Sales leaders + execs put FAR too much focus on new business rather than building / expanding from their existing base' There are SO MANY positive externalities from creating raving fans (namely creating lowest cost leads ever, eg the UserGems 💎 playbook) So why do we always default in investing 10x in new biz vs our client base? **Onboarding, Retention, Expansion Jacco says: because it's the way sales has been done since the beginning of... sales! Every month, every quarter, every year, starts at ZERO. Recurring revenue isn't a major consideration when you're staring at a big goal and a giant $0 on your dashboard. So from Day 1 you're starting from the bottom, and do it over The kicker... we structure everything to focus on net new business acquisition to drive revenue: 1. The 1st business model was built with a focus on net new business 2. Comp plans are structured with a focus on new business 3. Quota is structured with a focus on new business 4. The way we hire 5. The way we write job descriptions 6. The way we train managers, VPs, everyone. This structure is built from decades of selling this way - it's deeply ingrained in our culture we don't even notice. So how do we make the change to grow more efficiently?? Build a raving fan client base who super-charges our revenue engine??? Killer convo with Jacco Van Der Kooij on my latest epi of 10/10 GTM Check the full conversation below 👇