In today’s challenging business environment, many skilled salespeople are available for hire – but many toxic types are too. Hiring a toxic salesperson can cost companies 133–213% of their annual compensation. *

International bestselling Amazon author C. Lee Smith’s new book “Hire Smarter, Sell More!" is an actionable sales journal that taps into talent analytics – data-​based insights into the behaviors, attitudes, personality traits, and sales aptitude of your candidate pool – to enable better hiring decisions.

“With downsizing and uncertainly from COVID-​19, there are more good salespeople available than in the past 10 years, so it’s a great time to hire if you can,” says Smith. “If you’re sitting on openings or making changes, now is the time to overhaul your hiring process so you are prepared when we emerge from the pandemic. It will mean you’ll protect your team from a toxic hire and rebound with a rock star choice.”

In July 2020, “Hire Smarter, Sell More!” reached top international positions in Amazon Bestseller categories including:

• USA #1 in Business Mentoring & Coaching and #2 in Sales & Selling
• Australia #1 in Business Teams
• Canada #1 in Sales & Selling

The book shares four years of research from Smith’s team at his company, SalesFuel®, which has conducted three exclusive studies that surveyed hundreds of sales managers, salespeople and buyers about hiring practices and what they each believe makes up a desirable salesperson. In collaboration with Behavioral Resources Group, Smith also extensively studied the key psychological, behavioral and motivational characteristics of each group using data from some of the largest sales teams in the world.

“If you want to hire the right people the first time, this is the book you need to read. Lee’s many years working with salespeople and sales teams have given him an edge when it comes to knowing these types of people,” says Steven Sisler, president at Behavioral Resource Group Inc. “He breaks down the necessary elements that make a great salesperson – it’s the person – focusing on values, beliefs, motivations, and behaviors.”

Hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions of the book are available on Amazon.

Author C. Lee Smith is a professional certified behavioral analyst who helps sales teams leverage critical insights that enable them to acquire, develop and retain their best employees and customers. He is the CEO of SalesFuel®, a sales intelligence firm he founded in 1989 that has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Sales Enablement providers worldwide by Selling Power magazine. He is one of the select few certified advisors worldwide for sales consultant Jeffrey Gitomer and was personally recognized as one of the Leading Sales Consultants by Selling Power in 2020.

Here are six insights from the book:

• After leadership, salespeople are the most important positions that a company hires. Are you hiring the right salespeople and avoiding toxic misfits?
• Success breeds success. Rainmakers can make a huge impact on the sales team's attitude and performance.
• If you think hiring a top-​tier salesperson is expensive, wait until you hire a toxic one.
• There are 13 types of toxic salespeople. Knowing each type can help sales managers and recruiters easily spot a toxic hire.
• Sales managers and recruiters need to look for reasons not to hire a salesperson just as much as they need to look for the opposite. You're hiring, not recruiting.
• Remember, the best hiring decision that a sales manager can make may be the one they don't make.

*Center for American Progress, Salary​.com, and BIA Advisory Services