How to Hire SaaS Salespeople Who Can Sell Your Solution
When you’re selling a SaaS product with technical depth, a slick CV or the ‘gift of the gab’ isn’t enough. The reality? Many sales hires fail not because they can’t sell, but because they can’t understand what they’re selling.
At This is Prime, we’ve placed thousands of entry-level and mid-senior SaaS and tech salespeople across the UK and US. We’ve worked with startups, scale-ups and everything in between. That means we know exactly what it takes to find candidates who can quickly grasp complex products and convert high-value deals, saving you from costly hiring mistakes.
Here’s our guide for how to make sure you’re hiring SaaS salespeople who don’t just talk the talk but truly get your solution and can close deals with the right prospects.
Prioritise Agility & Coachability
For entry-level hires, this is even more critical. You’re often hiring people with limited direct sales experience, so the ability to learn fast, absorb technical knowledge and adapt is the key indicator of success. Look for:
- Learning agility: Have they picked up new skills or adapted to different roles outside sales? This could be teaching themselves new tech skills or thriving in fast-changing environments.
- Curiosity about SaaS and tech: Do they show genuine interest in understanding software products and how technology solves business problems?
- Resilience and grit: Can they keep pushing through rejection and setbacks, which are part and parcel of sales, especially in technical fields?
Why this matters: SaaS products evolve quickly, and sales teams must keep pace. An SDR who can’t pick up new features, market trends, or competitor moves is a liability, no matter how good they sound on a call.
How to spot it: During interviews, ask candidates to share specific examples of how they’ve adapted to new challenges or picked up skills quickly. Look for evidence of self-driven learning or stepping out of comfort zones.
Match Candidates to Your Sales Cycle
Junior hires often support the early stages of the sales funnel like outreach and qualification. But, your mid-to-senior salespeople need to be able to thrive in longer sales cycles with complex buying committees.
This is where working with a dedicated sales recruiter can be game-changing. As part of our two-step vetting process, we ensure that every CV you see is from someone with relevant experience and skills tailored to your sales cycle and deal complexity.
Why this matters: Misaligning sales experience with deal complexity leads to frustrated hires, missed targets, and higher turnover. This can cost you time, money, and momentum.
Communication Matters
Technical SaaS sales requires clear, honest communication. Salespeople are often bridging gaps between engineers, product teams, and business leaders. So, you need someone who can adapt their communication style to best fit the prospect.
You should be evaluating:
- Their ability to simplify complex ideas without “dumbing down”
- Openness to feedback and collaboration with other teams
- Emotional intelligence and resilience in longer, more complex sales cycles
Great SDRs (sales development representatives) don’t just sell a product. They build relationships based on trust and understanding. In SaaS, this means translating technical jargon into real business value for a prospect.
Why this matters: Without strong communication, sales reps risk confusing or alienating prospects and internal stakeholders. This can stall deals and even damage your company’s reputation.
Tip: Make sure your interview process tests communication through exercises like role-plays. See how they tailor their pitch and whether they come across at authentic and clear.
Don’t Mistake Confidence for Competence
It’s natural to be drawn to confident candidates. Sales is, after all, a confidence game. Plus, salespeople know how to sell themselves – it’s part of their job! But, as an employer, you need to stay savvy and avoid being charmed into hiring the wrong person for the role. Otherwise, this can lead to candidates who:
- Chase unqualified leads aggressively
- Struggle to build trust with technical buyers
- Create tension or mistrust within teams & even the wider business
So, ensure your evaluation process includes real evidence of success. At Prime, we assess candidates individually to understand their level of expertise before their CV even reaches your desk.
Why this matters: Hiring based on charm rather than competence leads to costly mistakes, lower team morale, and lost sales opportunities.
Look out for: Candidates who avoid technical questions, give vague answers, or talk more about their personality than their sales process or results.
The Learning Doesn’t Stop
Hiring the right people is only half the battle. The other half is giving them the tools and training to succeed. This can include structured onboarding that goes beyond a list of product features, as well as regular technical training and feedback.
Regular sales training is also important. It’s one thing to know the product but if your team can’t handle objections and craft a great pitch, they will be at a disadvantage.
This is Prime offer every entry-level shortlisted candidate one session of our award-winning training as part of our assessment process. But, the support doesn’t stop there. Our Prime Sales Academy and Bespoke Training is there for you and your new hires every step of the way. To find out more about our training options, click HERE.
Why this matters: Great hires can still fail without proper onboarding and ongoing training, wasting your investment and slowing growth.
Best practice: Foster a culture of continuous learning and feedback with regular coaching sessions and knowledge-sharing.
Don’t Go It Alone
Whether you’re hiring your next generation of sales stars or an experienced closer, This is Prime offers tailored sales recruitment & training that fits your company stage and needs. From entry-level SDRs to mid-senior account execs, we’ve helped build sales teams at some of the UK’s most exciting tech companies.
Our two-step vetting, award-winning training and tailored recruitment processes save you time, reduce costly hiring mistakes, and get your revenue engine firing faster.
Ready to build a SaaS sales team that doesn’t just talk the talk but closes deals? Contact This is Prime today for expert sales recruitment and training.
