"I've hired dozens of salespeople, and only really the top 10% are worth it."

Craig Caryl said that on this week's Sales Show. He's been selling for 40 years. Today he's the Founder and CEO of InsureMEP, selling to insurance brokers and owners of large commercial buildings.. some of the most careful buyers you'll ever pitch. 🐯

If you're hiring salespeople right now, that sentence stings. Craig calls the rest "cycling through a lot of wasted time and energy." And the deals land back on your desk.

So I asked Craig what he does himself, and what he listens for when he hires. Here's his answer, in five habits to look for.

1. Sell to the person who owns the budget

Craig once sold software that tracks the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems of large commercial buildings. He sold it to facility managers and building engineers.

It took about a year and a half to close a sale. Maybe one in 100 bought. "It was a brutal sale."

Then he repositioned the same product as a way to save money on insurance. The sales cycle dropped by a third. And he got to pitch higher: ownership, the COO, the CFO, the people who decide and hold the budget, instead of someone five or six layers down. 🐬

Same product. Different problem. Different buyer. "The higher you can get up the decision food chain, the better."

2. Sell a problem the buyer hasn't had yet

I asked Craig: a building owner says, "I've never had a flood. I don't need this." What do you say next?

"You haven't yet. Yet."

Then he makes it real. A coffee pot overflows on a long weekend. Nobody's there for two days. A million, two million dollars of damage.

And when the buyer still doesn't see it, he doesn't argue. He brings proof: "Here's five other examples of people like you who also felt like they never had a problem, and then had a gigantic problem."

That's the part a weak hire skips. They pitch the product. Craig lets the buyer feel what doing nothing costs.. before price ever comes up. In our 8 Steps of the Repeatable Sale that's Step 4, Cost of Inaction. 🌴

3. Follow up every 3-4 days until it's yes or no

"Someone goes quiet after a great call. What do you send, and when?"

Craig's answer: a rhythm. Every three days, every four days. Never a week without reaching out, because a week of silence is where a deal goes stale. "They know that I'm not going to go away, and they either need to respond to me positively or negatively."

One prospect didn't call back for nine months. After six months Craig started leaving funny messages about his day. When the guy finally picked up, he was laughing about the messages.

Someone once called Craig a crocodile. "If I get on your pant leg, you're not going to get me off."

But here's the line that keeps it from being pushy: when someone says "I'm not interested," he says "OK, no problem." He's following the buy signals they gave him. Nothing more.

"People respect when you say what you're going to do, and then you do what you said you were going to do." "Most salesmen just don't have the follow-up." That's why it wins. 🐯

4. Talk Ducatis first, pitch second

Craig and I had talked about Italian motorcycles for a while.

"Did that give me some great insight into how to sell you on something? No. But it gives me a point of contact and a bridge for us to talk in the future." Before he ever pitches me, he'll bring up the Ducatis, because it puts a smile on my face.

Craig is curious about people. Kids, vacations, what they do for fun. Craig can listen to someone talk for an hour. Every answer adds to his map of what they're worried about.. and what they're not.

The buyer feels seen and understood. And you want to keep talking to someone who sees you. 🐬

5. Research for half an hour before the call

So how do you spot the 10% before you hire them?

Craig listens to how candidates run their process. The first good sign: "Somebody that really researches the person they're selling thoroughly." Not someone who just picks up the phone. Someone who spends a half hour understanding who the buyer is, maybe looking at what they post on social media, before the first call.

Then: how skilled are they with a CRM? Walk me through some sales you've actually made.

And the line between a seller and everybody else: "If you can't get the check at the end of the day, then you're not really useful to me. Then you're business development, like a BDR rep. You're not a sales guy. You got to get the check."

That's the bitter part of hiring: you only find out who gets the check after you've paid them. So even after 40 years and a fairly good sense for people, his rule stays: "Hire fast and fire faster." 🌴

Your move this week

Before your next sales interview, ask the candidate to walk you through the last deal they closed. Listen for three things: what they researched before the first call, how often they followed up, and who signed the check. That one question tells you more than any CV.

And if you're the only one closing right now, write down your own rhythm first. What you research, when you follow up, what you say when the buyer has "never had a flood." Not one of Craig's habits above is a personality trait. Every one of them is control, in a different room of the sale.

A new hire can only run a process that exists. Write yours down, and you're not managing a salesperson anymore. You're running a sale that happens to have your name on fewer and fewer of the calls. That's how you stop being the only closer, and get your evenings back. That's Sprintlife. 🐯

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkJmQvTyE4s

Founders are doing this live inside Sprint Club.. weekly coaching, real numbers, accountability. 7-day free trial → https://www.strategysprints.com

Ready to accelerate now? Book a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/strategysprint/discovery-call

Happy hunting.

Simon & The Sprinters 🐬⚡️🐆