When to Hire New Sellers? The Answer Is Now

Years ago, it was common to hear salespeople say they were with their current employer for 20-plus years. That seems to have gone by the wayside, with the average employment for a salesperson being 20 months. Sales is always a game with numbers, and hiring salespeople is no different. Organizations must add sellers year-round to support growth, replace underperformers, and maintain market dominance. Waiting for a vacancy? A critical mistake.

Annual planning should have slots for new hires to help the team increase its sales, and support new product launches and market expansions. Even conservative hiring strategies require replacements for attrition, performance gaps, and strategic upgrades. A top performing team demands constant recruitment.

Why Hiring Now Beats Hiring Later. For the best case scenario, which is low cost products or services with a pre-created universe:

📉 4.1 months – Average ramp time for a new seller.
📈 90 days – High-performing reps start generating ROI.

If you fall behind in the hiring process, this will also cause pressure on the system. When you are in desperate need of a salesperson, you are normally willing to push budget and comp plans and scramble to put someone in your seat to mitigate the amount of damage of not having a seller. Well, how often can you do this without creating dysfunction in your team?

Well, the CEO has the bright idea of not hiring anyone and writing down the forecast with the idea you can pick up where you left off. That is not how the game works. A void creates a need that a competitor is happy to fill. Weakening market presence increases the cost of re-entering the marketing, significantly increases the sales cycle, and can create product/pricing wars, further creating chaos in your numbers.

The Cost of Delayed Hiring

💰 Higher compensation demands – Late hiring increases salary and commission costs.
📉 Lost sales coverage – Empty territories mean missed revenue.
⏳ Slower onboarding – Waiting delays pipeline growth and quota attainment.

Companies either hire ahead of demand or suffer unfilled sales gaps. Every hiring delay costs deals. Every lost deal weakens the pipeline.

How to Stay Ahead in Hiring

🔹 Recruit constantly – Never stop interviewing. Keep a pipeline of strong candidates.
🔹 Upgrade talent – Always look for high performers to strengthen the team.
🔹 Hire early – Secure top talent before competitors do.

One line I have never heard at any company is, "I have too many good salespeople; I do not know what to do with all of them."

The Bottom Line: Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Organizations that hire ahead of the curve outperform those that wait. Unfilled sales roles cost revenue, increase expenses, and weaken market position. Hiring delays force rushed decisions, inflated pay, and missed opportunities.

Smart sales leaders recruit before the need arises. Strong sellers pay for themselves—fast. Start hiring today.