What Top CEOs Look for in Sales Talent: Beyond Experience to Cultural Fit and Drive

When CEOs of Inc. 5000 companies seek new sales talent, they aren’t just looking for candidates with a long resume. While experience and existing relationships have their place, attributes like drive, competitiveness, and cultural fit often take precedence.

According to Inc.’s annual CEO Survey, 45% of CEOs of Inc. 5000 companies consider cultural fit to be the most critical characteristic in a salesperson. In contrast, 21% prioritize existing relationships and connections. Another 18% emphasize finding individuals who have a genuine passion for sales, while only 6% see years of experience as the deciding factor.

Callum Young, founder and CEO of San Jose-based event marketing company Anything Is Possible (No. 564 on the 2024 Inc. 5000), rarely weighs experience heavily when hiring salespeople. Young, who started his company in 2017 to help nonprofits raise funds through low-cost, grassroots events, begins interviews with a simple question: “How would you describe yourself?”

Though it might seem straightforward, Young believes this question reveals a lot about a candidate’s self-perception. For instance, if someone immediately focuses on negative experiences from previous jobs, it could be a red flag. What Young values most in an interview is determining whether he likes the person and could envision working closely with them for an extended period.

Young also seeks candidates who are driven, collaborative team players and who balance competitiveness with humility. He even welcomes a bit of friendly rivalry among his staff. “Chucking in the occasional maverick isn’t always a bad thing,” Young notes, “just to spice things up a little bit.”

JD Hayes, co-founder of Rogers, Arkansas-based retail consulting firm Traverse Group/Legacy Retail (No. 1,106 on the 2024 Inc. 5000), also prioritizes qualities beyond experience when hiring salespeople. He looks for “dedication, discipline, and commitment,” values he developed during his service in the Air Force, which he believes are often shared by athletes.

Hayes sees the discipline found in current and former athletes as key to overcoming adversity and reaching goals. “For me, it’s all about what you do when nobody is watching,” he says. He believes that a candidate who demonstrates the self-accountability of an athlete finishing a tough workout in an empty gym is likely to excel in sales.

Hayes’s sales team, which helps consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies get their products into retail stores, is largely composed of individuals with athletic backgrounds—around 70% of his 20-person team participated in organized team sports at least at the high school level. For them, securing prime shelf space is their playing field, and landing deals is how they win.

One athlete-led team was instrumental in securing a deal that Hayes credits with driving his company’s 463% revenue growth over three years. A few years ago, Hayes connected with a popular trading card brand looking to enter wholesale retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club, where their products had never been sold before. The brand had a surplus of aging cards, but most retailers were only interested in newer products. Hayes’s team, led by a former college soccer player, convinced the wholesalers that selling in bulk could appeal to collectors eager to increase their chances of finding rare cards. This success led to Hayes working with an entire portfolio of trading card brands, including sports cards.

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