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Protect Yourself Against Hiring a

Toxic Salesperson

C. Lee SmithSalesFuel CEO and Founder

Selling Power MagazineAugust 8, 2019

• Founded the company in 1989, serves as President/CEO

• Recognized in Sept 2018 as one of the nation’s Leading Sales Consultants by Selling Power

• Co-host Manage Smarter podcast on iHeart and the C-Suite Radio Network

• 30-year sales/sales management veteran and GitomerCertified Advisor

• Creator of AdMall® and SalesFuel COACH SaaS platforms for sales teams

• Author and keynote speaker

C. LEE SMITH

• The potential damage that can result from hiring just one such salesperson to your team

• The “Unlucky 13” personality types for sales and how to defend yourself against the harm they can cause

• 7 tips for reducing risk of committing such a costly hire [and often costlier fire!]

• Special announcement!

• Questions from Gerhard and you

Today’s Webinar

Have you ever worked with…?Have you ever worked for…?

What was it like?

How did it make you feel?

Protect Yourself Against Hiring a

Toxic Salesperson



ToxicLeadersand Managers

ToxicProcessesand Policies

ToxicEmployeesToday’s topic

1⃣ 2️⃣

3 Elements of Workplace Toxicity

3⃣

DefiningToxicity

Bad Hire:LowPerformance

Toxic Hire:Lowers the Performanceof Others

Toxic Hires Also:Demoralize, Distract, Drain, Exploit, Endanger, Bully, Confound, Frighten, Slow Down, Anger Co-Workers

• Blunt, cutting, overly aggressive, and impatient

• Subjects co-workers to battle-like conditions, so they’ll surrender to unreasonable demands

• For them to win, their co-workers must lose

SOURCE: Steven Sisler (BRG) and C. Lee Smith (SalesFuel)

Toxicity Example

Toxicity Example• Has exaggerated sense of self-

importance, lacks empathy

• High need for attention+approval

• Takes credit/recognition at every opportunity, but does not share it

• Co-workers quickly become resentful

SOURCE: Steven Sisler (BRG) and C. Lee Smith (SalesFuel)

The Damage is Financial, Psychologicaland Physical

7 Tips for Avoiding Toxic Hires


1. Make sure your screener and/or recruiter isn’t toxic themselves

2. Use Google, social media to find past jobs that have been conveniently forgotten

3. Use a formal employment application


4. Use analytics as ‘another set of eyes’– Moneyball for Sales Managers

– We don’t just rely on assessments like DISC, MBTI and Big 5

– Compare results to patterns of the most toxic employees

– Use data to check against unintentional biases

– Use benchmarks to compare to best, worst employees

– Know their mindset, sales tendencies BEFORE you interview


5. Focus interview questions on attitude, behavior and culture fit, not job history

6. Test how they’ll react to adversity. Remember, you’re hiring, not recruiting!

7. Evaluate how they treat everyone they speak to and meet

7+1 Don’t Go It Alone!