A Great Process Will Identify Great Talent

No company can expect to bat a thousand on new hires, but Schmidtmann said firms can minimize the possibility of failure with a structured, step-by-step process.

Even though you will almost always be competing for talent against a larger company able to offer higher salaries, Schmidtmann said successful firms know how to present a potential liability as an asset.

A triple threat for the sales department would likely have complex selling skills, product and industry knowledge and a referral network, Schmidtmann said. Realistically, though, Schmidtmann said companies will likely have to settle for expertise in or two of those areas and train the rest.