In today’s climate of margin pressure and talent turnover, building a high performance sales team isn’t optional, it’s essential. But what separates consistent performers from those who never hit quota? According to Doug Brown, CEO of CEO Sales Strategies and guest on the Selling the Cloud podcast, it comes down to a few critical, often overlooked fundamentals.

Here are key takeaways from Doug’s conversation with AGS co-founders Mark Petruzzi and KK Anderson, designed for executives who want to elevate their sales hiring, leadership, and performance strategy.

Stop Hiring Blind: Clarity Before Candidates

Most companies rush into hiring without defining what a high performing seller looks like. Doug argues that clarity must come before the job post goes live:

• Define the exact attributes, mindset, and culture fit needed for success

• Build a structured, repeatable interview and scoring process (like lead scoring for people)

• Simulate working conditions before making the hire to test how candidates respond to real scenarios

“It’s like my grandmother’s banana cream cake. Once we had the right recipe, we could recreate it over and over again.” – Doug Brown

Mindset Over Résumé: What Really Drives Results

Hiring based on pedigree or résumé alone creates variability and disappointment. What matters more? Measurable traits like:

• Will to Sell (the grit to keep going when rejection is high)

• Ego Strength (self confidence, not arrogance)

• Empathy (the ability to connect with and care about the buyer)

Doug’s team once recruited bungee jumpers, Olympic athletes, and military veterans not because of their sales backgrounds, but because of their mental toughness.

Assessments Backed by Data and Discipline

KK and Doug align on the power of structured sales assessments like those from Objective Management Group (OMG):

• OMG’s tools quantify attributes like commitment, desire, and trainability

• But data isn’t enough. You must combine assessments with structured interviews and real world simulations to validate fit

“Commitment comes from someone’s why. If you don’t explore that during hiring, you’ll miss the most important variable.” – Doug C. Brown

Experience ≠ Success: Potential is the True Multiplier

Doug shares a story of a biotech client paying PhDs to prospect until he helped them build a two tiered team:

• SDRs with hustle booked the meetings

• Experts with credentials closed the deals

Doug himself broke into enterprise telecom sales with no prior experience—just intense drive and a weekend crash course in telecom lingo. Within four months, he outsold 36 others.

Key Actions for Growth Minded Executives:

• Codify the ideal seller profile before you post the role

• Implement structured interviews and assessments to de risk hiring

• Prioritize mindset and commitment over industry experience

• Use a two role system: hunters who open doors and experts who close

• Reignite top performers by reconnecting them to their personal why

Want to Learn More?

If you’re ready to stop the guesswork and start building a repeatable system for hiring and scaling elite sales talent, the AGS team can help.

Reach out to Accelerant Growth Solutions to connect with Doug or explore how AGS leverages tools like OMG to build sales teams that win consistently.

Listen to the full Selling the Cloud episode with Doug Brown for deeper insights into how top companies engineer their sales success.