High-volume call centers lose money every time a rep quits. Then you’re stuck trying to fill a role while trying to address why your employee left. Hiring the right person for the job saves you from that mess. This guide covers how to hire a sales rep who will close deals and stay on your team.

Why sales rep retention matters for call centers

Replacing a sales rep costs time and revenue. You spend weeks recruiting, then months training, and a rep who quits after six months never reaches full productivity.

The real problem is that most teams screen for skills and stop there. They skip the factors that predict whether someone will stay. 

Call centers with 50+ reps know this pain well since one bad hire ripples across the floor while good hires lift everyone around them. Learning how to hire a sales rep who stays means looking beyond what's on the resume.

Skills to look for when you hire a sales rep

The right skills separate reps who hit quota from those who churn out. Focus on these four areas when evaluating candidates.

Closing ability

According to Salesforce's State of Sales report, 67% of sales reps don't expect to meet quota, and 84% missed their previous target. You need someone who closes deals, not someone who manages relationships.

Look for candidates who have closed new business at a company similar to yours, with a product similar to yours, and for buyers who face similar problems.

Buyer understanding

The same Salesforce research found that 59% of buyers say most sales reps don't take the time to understand them, and 73% say most sales interactions feel transactional.

Hire reps who build real connections rather than running through scripts.

Communication and problem-solving

Strong candidates explain value in simple terms and think on their feet under pressure. They work well alone while contributing to team goals.

In B2C call centers, this means handling objections smoothly and adapting to different prospect personalities throughout the day.

Time management and resilience

Reps spend 70% of their time on nonselling tasks. You need people who protect their selling time and stay focused on revenue-generating activities. They also need thick skin since rejection is constant in high-volume environments.

For B2C call centers, prioritize experience with high-volume phone sales, comfort with short sales cycles of one to two calls, and familiarity with regulated industries like Medicare or insurance. Knowing how to hire a sales rep with this background gives you a head start. 

How to screen candidates before the interview

Screening saves you from wasting interview time on candidates who won't be a good fit. If you want to learn how to hire a sales rep who actually stays, start here. Follow these steps before bringing anyone in:

Write an accurate job description

Vague listings attract vague candidates. Include the real duties, compensation, and skills required. Describe your call center environment and be honest about targets. Candidates who opt out save you time later.

Create a skills checklist

Rate each resume against your must-haves. Look for evidence of past sales success like quota attainment numbers, notable wins, and performance metrics from previous roles. No metrics on the resume? That's a red flag.

Run a quick phone screen

Call candidates without warning to see how they handle a cold professional situation. Strong candidates respond well while weak ones stumble. Save time for the candidate to ask questions because good salespeople ask good questions.

Red flags to watch for

Spotting warning signs early saves you months of wasted training and lost revenue.

1. "Sales manager" in their title

You need someone who spends 80% of their time in selling conversations. Managers manage. You need closers. Unless they're stepping back into an individual contributor role for a specific reason, move on.

2. Job-hopping history

Anyone who left a sales role after only a few months likely underperformed. Sales cycles take time to learn, and reps who leave early often do so before their numbers catch up with them. Look for three-year tenures or longer instead.

3. No performance metrics on their resume

A strong sales rep knows their numbers and takes pride in them. They list quota attainment, targets, and notable wins. If a candidate's resume is vague about results, their results were likely vague too.

4. Big-company-only experience

Reps from large companies often rely on established playbooks, inbound leads, and brand recognition. Your call center may lack all three. These candidates need to adapt fast, or they will struggle when the safety net disappears.

The common thread? Each of these flags points to someone who may not survive in a high-volume environment where results come from personal effort, not company resources.

How to evaluate candidates in the interview

Once candidates pass screening, the interview reveals whether they can sell in your environment. Focus on two areas: asking the right questions and watching your candidates sell. 

Here are questions that help reveal fit:

1. Their sales process

Ask candidates to explain how they move a prospect from first contact to closed deal. A strong candidate walks you through it step by step. Someone who stares blankly or gives vague answers is not the right fit.

2. Context behind their success

Past success at a large company does not guarantee success at yours. Dig into the support system they had in place. Ask what tools and resources helped them, how much the brand name contributed, and what they would do differently without those advantages.

3. Understanding of your buyer

Get them to talk about your target buyer. Push back on their answers and see how they respond. B2C call centers need reps who understand individual consumers rather than complex B2B decision-makers.

Questions to ask:

Run a mock sales demo

Presentation skills matter for phone sales. Ask finalists to sell your product in a role-play exercise.

Score them on whether they:

• Opened with a clear agenda

• Researched your company beforehand

• Customized the pitch to your business

• Closed with a clear next step

• Followed up after the exercise

Strong candidates treat the mock demo like a real sales call by preparing thoroughly, following up promptly, and asking for the business.

How to make the final hiring decision

After interviews and mock demos, two more steps separate good hires from risky ones.

Check references

References reveal what interviews hide. The candidate you meet is performing while references show how they actually work.

Ask previous managers whether the candidate hit quota, how they handled coaching, and whether they would hire them again. A candidate who avoids giving references raises a red flag.

Hire two reps at once to reduce risk

Hiring a single rep is a gamble because you may not yet know what "good" looks like. One hire gives you only one data point.

Two hires give you a comparison since one will likely outperform the other. You learn faster, they learn from each other, and a bit of competition helps motivation. Even if both underperform, you have a better chance of hitting targets than with one struggling rep.

How onboarding affects retention

Hiring right is half the battle. The other half is effective sales onboarding that ramps new reps to productivity fast. Long ramp times kill retention because a rep who struggles without results will quit, or you end up letting them go.

What strong onboarding looks like

• A clear training schedule with set objectives.

• Study materials they can reference after training.

• Shadowing top performers on real calls.

• Regular check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.

• Specific, actionable feedback on their calls.

The problem with manual coaching

Most call center managers spot-check a few calls per week and cannot identify weak points at scale. New reps get generic coaching instead of targeted help, which slows their progress and increases the chance they leave.

How Alpharun cuts ramp time and boosts retention

New reps quit when they struggle too long without results. Alpharun shortens that struggle by showing them exactly what your best reps do to close deals.

Instead of generic training, Alpharun analyzes thousands of your top performers' actual calls to find what drives conversions. Then it builds those tactics into a custom playbook for your team.

What new hires get:

• Real-time coaching during calls, not after the call ends or in a weekly review.

• A clear picture of "good" based on your actual winners, not theory.

• Short coaching notes are sent directly to them after each call.

What managers get:

• Automated QA across 100% of calls, so struggling reps get spotted early.

• Custom scoring that matches your business: required disclosures, lead-discovery tactics, and compliance checks built in.

• Less time on routine feedback, more time on high-impact coaching.

Why this matters for retention

Reps who see progress stay. Reps who feel lost leave. Alpharun gives new hires a clear path to quota so they stick around long enough to hit it.

Knowing how to hire a sales rep is only half the battle. Keeping them requires coaching that actually works. You get both with Alpharun: human coaching that scales your winners' behaviors and AI agents that handle repetitive work, like scheduling and qualification.

Schedule a demo to see how Alpharun turns your best reps' tactics into training for new hires.