Hiring A-Players by Building Relationships

Hiring true A-players in Sales isn’t always simple. Actually, it’s effin hard.

That means in order to hire the right people, you need to make recruiting an ongoing priority – and take a different approach.

Here are 3 rules I have learned that can give you a huge advantage in finding high caliber talent.

Work the Room… for real

Be out there meeting talent face to face. I don’t mean be the jerk that attends various events, passes out a business card and asks the “sales rep” whether or not they’re interested.

What I mean is becoming genuinely interested in meeting people. For instance, one of the best hires I ever made was Steve Murphy. I met Steve while we were both waiting for our flights at the airport. It was around Thanksgiving and we got acquainted.

Between discussing football, the tech scene, and work, we both became interested in the potential of Steve joining my team. Steve interviewed, joined the team and went on to become our top-producing SDR.

In short, in-person meetings (whether they’re at a networking event or a conference or the airport) become a fun way to build new relationships. Just don’t let the relationship die after making a strong initial connection.

[Tweet “#Hiring the best talent takes a personal touch and a lot of patience…”]

Pay it Forward

It’s crucial to have a list of quality people that you want to work with. Helping those folks as much as you can is even more important than the list. For instance, any time I know someone is in the job market, I go out of my way to connect them to a hiring manager, a founder, or a CEO that can benefit from the introduction.

I learned early in my career that the best leaders play the long game. Although they may not benefit immediately, when the time is right, they will benefit back from the help given.

Those are the leaders that end up hiring the best talent. Maintaining a network of qualified, connected, and capable people will always yield a high ROI.

Forget always be prospecting, it’s always be nurturing.

People understand the importance of consistently prospecting for new talent, but more often than not, hiring top talent takes time. It can take months, and even then it doesn’t guarantee you have a good hire. The good recruiters have the patience to build relationships over time.

It’s important to market yourself and your company while building relationships with potential hires. Your team closes a big account? Let your ideal candidates know! Your company is about to host a kick-a** event? Make sure they are among the few folks with a personal invitation. Develop the relationship to a point where the candidate becomes eager to join you.


Most importantly, recruiting becomes a 100 times easier when you become the leader you always wish you could work for. To that end, lead by example and take an active role in your team’s success. People want to work for leaders with vision, skill, and the team’s best interest in mind. Show that to your network, and watch those relationships bring valuable members onto your team.

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