How do I hire? What am I doing wrong? I can't keep people.
These are questions and comments Amy Volas, Founder and CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, hears frequently from her clients these days. And who are her clients? Leaders in SaaS organizations looking to hire executive sales leaders.
Amy is well-versed in discovering, attracting, and retaining top talent, especially in today’s economic climate.
Her high-level advice is as follows:
To those leaving jobs to find another: Don’t be the person who, when things get tough, leaves to find something new. There will always be something better, but is it better for you? There will always be problems. There's no perfection.
To those hiring: Assembling a winning team is not just about hiring. It's about finding those who can make a difference and keeping them motivated and engaged.
Matching talent with hiring managers can be tricky, but there is a strategy behind it. And this is where Amy’s years of experience and expertise come in.
It’s all about the people — the revenue-critical people
Amy’s career has spanned two economic downturns, one global pandemic, and today’s “interesting times,” as she calls this moment.
Through all of these decades of ups and downs, one thing has remained true: It’s all about the people — the revenue-critical people.
But here’s the thing: The old often becomes the “new” again.
For example, over the past 18 months, Amy has seen a shift in focus. No longer is it just about “net new,” or “inbound,” or “metrics we used to look at.” There is more push toward outbound, customer retention, and expansion. And while growth remains a top priority, leading companies prioritize profitability and sustainability.
All of the above informs hiring decisions.
“Many hiring managers,” says Amy, “are coming to the harsh realization that what got us here isn't going to get us there.”
The #1 culprit? Failure to adapt and grow.
We live in a different world than just a few years ago.
The companies — and their sales teams — struggling the most are those who have failed to adapt to the rapidly changing times. It’s less about rigid playbooks and more about agile, flexible frameworks.
Many successful sales leaders grew up doing one particular thing to get to the top: the same thing their colleagues did. But that “one-track mindset” means they haven’t learned other parts of the business. They are now “one-trick ponies.”
The 2023 market requires the activation of a different muscle.
Amy is adamant about this: “We need to find employees who have honed their craft, paid their dues, learned the necessary skills, made mistakes, and have had broad and deep experience and exposure to the entire business.”
But in many situations, she is seeing just the opposite.
The collective “we” have perpetuated a FOMO feeling: “Wait, there's more! If you join company XYZ, you’ll have a better title! More money! A greater opportunity for growth!”
So, people quit.
And too often, they leave before gaining the necessary experience to excel in the long run.
Example: Take someone in Enterprise Sales who has jumped jobs every six to 12 months. That’s not enough time in one role. So when they enter a hiring situation and say, “I was a top leader, a top performer,” they are not taken seriously.
It’s not possible to truly master your skills that quickly. Instead of pointing fingers, it’s time to look hard in the mirror.
And if you're only job hopping for money! title! shiny object! and you are not better off compared to where you are today, you are living ona hamster wheel of bad decisions.
Speaking of shiny (or clean/clear?) objects ...
Get “Windex clear” on what you are hiring for
You need to see through a window. It’s dirty. How can you do that if it's not clear? Windex is great for that.
That’s Amy’s analogy for effective hiring, for attracting and retaining top talent.
Get “Windex clear” on the actual work this new hire will be responsible for. Too often, people get hired because of a warm introduction or because the person has “a big network.” Other times, the hire is because this person came from a competitor and “we need them.”
That’s not enough today — especially in a time where domain expertise reigns supreme.
Other considerations, per Amy. Can this interviewee:
- Have a business conversation?
- Listen with intent and curiosity?
- Connect the dots to the bigger picture?
This foundation is necessary for long-term success.
Amy also is an advocate for interview scorecards. Sure, you need to focus on the person, but having a rubric in place to evaluate (and measure) talent using data that is quantifiable is essential.
Finally, Amy encourages all hiring managers to evaluate how interviewees show up, how they communicate. Are they prepared? Are they taking the job seriously or just going through the motions?
But there’s one more thing.
Alignment equals retention. Excellence creates opportunities.
Hiring is not an experiment. And if you feel like it is, then you need outside help.
Too often, Amy sees scenarios where both parties get so focused on the outcome (“I have to hire/get hired”) that they miss all the context. You're just looking for what you want to see and miss all this other stuff.
NOTE
You always find what you are looking for. If you are looking for the wrong thing, you’ll find it. Looking for the right, you’ll find it.Remember that hiring scorecard? It helps quantify and align what's important to both parties. Alignment equals retention. It’s the space where both parties blossom together.
One final tip: Look for interviewees who “lean in.”
“Excellence creates opportunities,” says Amy. “Those who lean in think broadly, not just about their specific tasks.”
You can't fake care. You can't fake intentionality. That's the lean-in.
Want to hear more from Amy? Listen to her entire conversation – plus even more conversations with revenue leaders – to help you convert and close more talent in 2024.