The Secret AMAZON Method 📦 How to Build a Hiring System That Never Fails | Sales Mates Podcast #97

💸 Friends, hello!

In episode 97 of the Sales Mates Podcast, we break down why hiring sales managers “based on charisma” is the most expensive mistake – one that can cost you $100,000. How does the stat that 40% of hires fail destroy your annual revenue before a salesperson even makes their first call?

We talk about how the Amazon hiring method works. We unpack why intuition in interviews no longer works, and how to implement a Scorecard system to evaluate candidates with numbers – not emotions. And also: how to run reference checks the right way so you don’t hire a “professional actor” instead of a professional salesperson.

📌 In this episode:

00:00 – Intro: the biggest mistake when hiring a Sales Manager

00:21 – How much a bad sales hire costs your business

00:57 – Building a systematic sales department

01:34 – Typical CEO hiring mistakes

04:24 – The IT sales job market in 2026

05:35 – How to evaluate candidates objectively

07:00 – The Amazon hiring method

08:17 – Interview structure: chronological interview

09:43 – How to run role plays in an interview

11:40 – How to do reference checks (collecting recommendations)

13:18 – The optimal number of interview stages

16:23 – A practical test task for a sales manager

18:54 – Validating sales skills in IT

21:20 – Active candidate sourcing (Outbound Recruiting)

23:41 – Top 5 competencies of a sales manager

25:47 – Coachability: the ability to learn

27:24 – Why a salesperson needs a mentor

32:06 – Hiring in IT Outsource and Outstaff

33:31 – The Sales Mates hiring framework

Summary

In this episode, the hosts discuss why a structured, system-driven approach to hiring salespeople is critical, what common mistakes can lead to major financial losses, and what can be learned from Amazon’s recruitment practices. They cover key interview stages, the importance of reference checks, and the role of test assignments and role-plays in selecting the right candidates.

The conversation also explores how the candidate market is evolving, why professional sales communities matter, the challenges of sourcing strong talent, and the effectiveness of proactive (outbound) recruiting. Finally, they outline expectations for candidates, highlight coachability and the ability to adapt to company changes, and reinforce the value of building a repeatable hiring system.

Takeaways

• Hiring based on charisma can lead to major losses.

• Recruitment quality improves when you run more interview stages.

• Your hiring system should be built into your overall sales process.

• Fast hiring often results in bad decisions.

• Team interviews help reduce subjectivity and bias.

• A chronological interview helps validate real experience and outcomes.

• Role-play is a critical step in the selection process.

• Reference checks must be part of the standard workflow.

• Test assignments help evaluate a candidate’s readiness for the role.

• The hiring process should be standardized and repeatable.

• The candidate market is actively evolving.

• Professional communities help salespeople learn and grow.

• Candidate sourcing challenges are common across many companies.

• Proactive (outbound) recruiting has a higher chance of success.

• Expectations for candidates must match their actual experience level.

• Coachability is a key trait of top-performing salespeople.

• Adapting to change inside the company is critical.

• A hiring system must be structured, thoughtful, and consistent.

Hosts: Anton Fedulov and Oleksii Sinichenko.

Practical advice from two successful sales leaders who share the secrets behind their results, personal experience, and strategies – plus interesting guests and funny everyday sales stories.

Watch and listen online on our Sales Mates Podcast YouTube channel.

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