In just the last two months I have talked to at least a half-dozen sales managers and CEO's who are looking for the killer business developer (sales rep), see if these description bullets sounds familiar.

- MUST have a track record of quota overachievement (Presidents Club, etc.)
- MUST have a strong set of current relationships in the desired industry
- MUST have a complete understanding of our "insert product and services label here"
- MUST be able to lead and manage a complex sales cycle
- MUST be able to generate significant sales within the first 60-90 days
- MUST be willing to accept a highly-leveraged compensation plan

What each of these executives wants is what I call a sales mercenary, a hired gun to come in, flip their past clients over to their company and do it fast, sometimes the expectation is for millions of dollars in sales. I think there are a few flaws with this approach.

1) This assumes that a sales professional has no loyalty to their current employer and spends their time looking only for the quick buck opportunities.

2) This assumes that these executives' products and services have market validity and fulfill a need for the clients that a sales professional may have relationships with.

3) This highlights the fact that the hiring firm has little to no core marketing or lead generating capacity as they need to buy prospects through hiring the right sales professionals.

4) This assumes that even if you find someone with these qualities that they aren't going to jump at the first chance to leave the hiring companies. (Mercenary)

5) This assumes that buyers follow their sales professional ahead of good business judgment when purchasing products and services.

6) Last but not least the attitude in this list of attributes shows very little concern for meeting client's needs but instead on what's in it for me (EGO).

Even after all of my comments above I must say I have been there. I have tried to hire with this same wish list and you know, it never worked out the way I hoped and led to nothing but frustration for many reasons.

Hiring the right sales professional is a complex endeavor but I think the right way to approach hiring sales professionals is by focusing on competencies, the right competencies and validating the proof that an individual has them.