Here is an urban legend we encounter frequently in our sales hiring activities – customers don’t walk with the salesperson. What I mean is customers rarely follow a salesperson to a new company. If the salesperson quits one company and goes to a competitor, it is a rare occurrence in which the customers move their business with the salesperson.
Yes, everyone can provide an example of when it happened, but we deal with many salespeople in many industries and it just is not common. Sales candidates, on the other hand, will go out of their way claiming that they can bring the business with them.
Unfortunately, many companies who do not have a strong sales hiring process will get caught up in the possibility of gaining new business for little investment. This blinding desire often masks the obvious weaknesses the sales candidate possesses. Beware of this pitfall!
The best approach is to assess sales candidates based on their abilities, aptitudes and performance within your hiring process. The strongest candidate may not be directly from your industry which will not be surprising if your run a talent-based process. And if your final candidate is from your industry and brings a customer or two with them – terrific, they are the exception not the rule. Just don’t make your hiring decision based on that hope.