CEO @ InsideSalesExpert.com Helping sales leaders avoid galactically ridiculous mistakes in all areas of building, fixing & growing their sales teams
If you think hiring "experienced sales reps" is your key to successfully scaling your sales team, you're sorely mistaken. I thought I had it all figured out too but then I learned (the hard way) that there was a difference between Experience and Expertise. 👉 Experience is repeated exposure Experience is the life equivalent of a really extensive experiment. You put yourself out there, win some, lose some, and always learn in the process. It's a place to try things out. 👉 Expertise is honing your craft It's the mastery achieved by going deep into a subject, fueled by passion and persistence. Keyword is "mastery" with demonstrated results to back it up. ❌ In my experience, you can have high Experience with low Expertise. 💡 Can you have high Expertise with low Experience? Maybe? If the experience was really intense maybe you can? Generally no, right? This is why I feel so strongly about having a thorough hiring process for your sales leaders as well as your sales people so that you can learn more about their expertise and go beyond just learning about their experience. 💡 Learning Lesson: when you’re hiring for your sales leaders or sales people, make sure that you are exploring both their experience as well as their expertise. There’s a big difference. Ever been burned hiring that salesperson or sales leader who had lots of Experience but not Expertise?
Thinking about this and the various sales jobs I've had... Expertise is constantly being honed, adapted, and sometimes rebuilt entirely. High expertise today may be starting from scratch tomorrow. How about assessing a rep's ability to build relevant expertise quickly? Assuming you mean product and positioning expertise, not sales skill expertise - which seems more of an experience play.
Insightful distinction between experience and expertise for effective hiring.
Hey Kevin, love this take! I've seen some reps with tons of 'experience' but they struggle when the script flips on them because they're not experts at adapting or innovating. It's like having a Swiss Army knife that's never been sharpened—lots of tools but no edge! What do you think about prioritizing adaptability during hiring?
Great insight! Experience can only get you so far, but expertise is what truly drives results. It's crucial to dig deeper during the hiring process to assess both, ensuring you're bringing in people with the right skills and proven track records. Quality over quantity when scaling your team! Kevin Gaither
Right again Kevin Gaither. This exact reason is why the much of our sales team is new to both industry and to sales. We prefer to make our own sales reps focused on what we know to be the keys to success.
Experience + Expertise. Yes. That is why it is important to probe for and to understand the expertise side of the equation. I look for the the sales skills and sales process along with the business sense and vertical knowledge.
The difference between Experience and Expertise is a great distinction to highlight.
I have seen the results of hiring for experience vs expertise. I'm glad you are sharing your POV as it's something that may not be top of mind for leaders who are making their first 'big' hire. 👏
Powerful insights. Experience fuels growth, expertise drives mastery. Hiring cautiously ensures alignment.
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5moFurther proving why “years of experience” by itself isn’t the end all be all. Kevin Gaither When I became a recruiter, my role and learning curve was intense. That hasn’t stopped. So while I’m “only” 7 years in to recruitment, I’ve gained a ton of experience in that time that has helped me hone my craft—giving me the expertise that some with more experience than me may not have. Love this differentiation.