Just because someone excels in their role doesn’t mean they should interview new hires—especially if they’re a salesperson. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller reveal why great salespeople often make the worst hiring decisions, how to spot the right evaluators for your team, and the mindset shift that separates a persuasive seller from a discerning buyer.
Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:
- The role of a job seeker in an interview.
- The role that an interviewer should be playing.
- Why Dan isn’t involved in the hiring process at Strategic Coach®.
- A secret ingredient in the Strategic Coach hiring process.
- The powerful question you should ask every prospective customer and team member.
Show Notes:
Salespeople shouldn’t conduct interviews because they’ll treat every interaction like a sale—focused on overcoming objections rather than evaluating fit.
Great salespeople are wired to close deals, which means they’ll prioritize getting a "yes" over finding the right candidate.
A sales-driven interviewer risks hiring the wrong person simply because they couldn’t resist "winning" the interaction.
As the person doing the hiring, you’re the buyer, not the seller.
It’s the job of the applicant to convince you they’re the right fit.
It’s not the interviewer’s job to get the applicant excited about the position.
Your hiring team should be dispassionate evaluators—think poker players, not persuaders.
The best hires are those who sell you on their ability to contribute to your company’s future.
Confidence in hiring comes from being decisive, not from convincing someone to join.
Trust your instincts—if a candidate feels off early on, that feeling rarely improves over time.
Resources:
Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan
How To Improve Business By Asking Good Questions
Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan
Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage
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