The case for getting it right
The hire who missed quota.
Every sales leader has the story. The hire who interviewed like a closer — and ramped like a passenger. The rep whose pipeline never built. The seat that took your team off plan — and your own number with it. Here's the math.
What you pay
Sunk before quota happens.
$150K
Base + ramp guarantee, 12 months
Paid in full — whether quota happens or not.
$150K+ committed before a single deal closes.
What you don't get
A wrong hire vs. a top rep.
Top rep
Poor rep
Annual loss
New sales
New customer revenue, quota attainment
$1.3M
$300K
$1M
Customer expansion
Upsell, cross-sell, multi-year — where the margin lives
$400K
$100K
$300K
Customer retention
Revenue preserved on existing accounts — low churn, strong NRR
$400K
$200K
$200K
How it adds up
Lost new sales (direct revenue)
→
$1.0M
Lost customer expansion (direct revenue, where margin lives)
→
$300K
Lost customer retention (revenue at risk on existing accounts)
→
$200K
Lost revenue from a wrong rep
=
~$1.5M
+ $150K base + ramp guarantee, paid before quota happens
→
$150K
~$1.5M
Their number. And yours. Lost — every year the wrong hire stays in seat.