Gregg Salkovitch

Founder @ Right Choice Resources | Sales Recruiting | 3x Top Sales Performer | 3x Inc. 5000 | #1 Salesperson Turned Sales Recruiter Finding "A" Talent

Growing up, I developed a love for baseball at a young age. 

Despite not being the biggest, strongest, or most athletic player, I worked harder than anyone else and was able to make multiple traveling league teams. 

It was through this experience that I learned the importance of grit, which would later serve me well in my sales career.

After becoming the top salesperson at three consecutive companies, I began searching for my next sales position.

However, I encountered a problem: the recruiters I spoke with knew nothing about sales.

They were reading off a script, couldn't answer my questions, and didn't truly understand the role or the company.

As a candidate, I found many recruiters to be lacking in knowledge and credibility plus they were pushy. This realization led me to the idea of starting a sales recruiting company of my own. 

After co-founding a successful sales recruiting company and making the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies for three consecutive years, I founded Right Choice Resources.

• We’re specialists, not generalist that focuses solely on sales and sales related positions.

• Transparency is a core value for us, even if it means potentially losing revenue.  Todd Caponi even mentioned me and a specific example I shared with him in his best selling book, "The Transparency Sale" (page 163-164).

• Each of our recruiters having a strong sales background helps us better understand and relate to candidates. 

• We place a high importance on our candidates, recognizing that without them, we wouldn't have a business.

Every day, I get to pursue my dream of helping others succeed in their careers and assisting companies in surpassing their revenue targets.

Other things you may not know about me....

•  As a perfectionist, I have personal coaches in business, health, weight training, and tennis to help me improve and achieve my goals.

• Love Cleveland sports. If this doesn't demonstrate loyalty and resiliency, I'm not sure what does.

• Took ongoing batting lessons from Joe Charboneau, the 1980 baseball Rookie of the Year.

• Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, is a distant relative of mine.

• Consistently score in the top 10% for empathy on assessments.

Email: gregg@rightchoiceresources.com

Looking for a job? Click below:

https://rightchoiceresources.com/careers/

Founder | Owner

➤ National sales recruiting company focused on placing "A" salespeople, executives, BDRs, Account Manager, Customer Success, Marketing, and Operations.

I was completely sold on her after the 3rd interview.

But after the 6th interview, I wasn't at all.

I don’t recall ever hearing this from a hiring manager.

If I did, it was so rare I can’t remember it.

Do you know what I have heard often?

Regret from losing strong candidates due to delay.

Most sounds like this:

“I wish we had moved faster.”

“If I give her an offer now, do you think she'd consider rescinding her other acceptance?”

“When we asked her, she said she wasn’t close to other offers.” 
(that was a month ago.)

Here’s the dilemma:

Hire someone you’re 80%+ sold on after a few interviews or add 3 more steps and risk losing them.

My opinion?

6 interviews rarely improves hiring outcomes.

It usually just increases the chances you lose a great candidate.

The lesson?

Decisive companies win top talent.

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Keynote speaker and panelist discussing how to best utilize LinkedIn and social media

Keynote Speaker

Increasing Sales Using Creative & Inexpensive Methods


Keynote Speaker 

Prospecting & Cold Calling Using LinkedIn

Miami University

Admitted to the accelerated 11 month MBA program and received scholarship.  Graduated with high honors and a double major in Marketing and Management.

Case Western Reserve University

Private all boys college preparatory school.

University School

Orange High School

Right Choice Resources 

Sales Empowerment Group, LLC

Sales University Group

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RE:WORK TRAINING

re:work's mission is to reshape hiring trends and empower untapped talent by providing free career training to diverse, motivated individuals looking to jump start their career in the tech industry.

I assisted individuals by crafting effective resumes, optimizing their LinkedIn profiles, and practicing for interviews, with the goal of assisting them in securing their ideal job.

If you have a job, help those who need one.

Because one day, the roles will be reversed.

I see it every week.

Someone gets laid off.

They reach out.

Ask for help.

Crickets.

Then a few months later…

They post on LinkedIn:

“Excited to announce my new role.”

Now the same people who ghosted them are back.

“Congrats! Let’s catch up.”

Why?

Because now they’re valuable again in their eyes.

Now they can open doors.

Or the roles flipped.

Maybe the ones who ignored them are now unhappy or were laid off.

My take when I was in this spot?

I remembered who tried to help, even if it didn’t lead anywhere.

And I remembered who didn’t respond.

The lesson?

Networking is about helping people when they need it most.

Not only when it's convenient and benefits you.

A salesperson reached out about an open role. 

I declined him. He wasn't close

What did he do?

He called and left me a voicemail thanking me for the consideration.

Then he followed up with an email saying something similar and added why he is confident he could be successful, despite being light on experience.

Polite.

Professional.

Not defensive.

Not pushy.

Resilient.

What happened next?

I told my recruiter, “I know he’s light on experience, but we have to give this guy a shot.”

We interviewed him.

Submitted him.

And told the client exactly how he handled the rejection.

Our client just agreed to interview him based on that story.

The lesson?

How candidates handle rejection says more than their resume ever will.

Me: The OTE is $250K but what do most reps actually make?

Manager: $150K–$175K.

Me: Then why isn’t the OTE $150K–$175K?

Manager: Because they should be able to make $250K.  It just may take 2-3 years.

Me: Do you tell candidates that?

Manager: No.

And this is why people don’t trust companies.

OTE shouldn't be based on what's possible one day.

If $150K–$175K is the real first-year number, then say that.

That’s how you build trust.

And when you don't?

You lose credibility.

You lose your reputation.

You lose your top employees.

The lesson?

It’s better to lose a candidate over honesty,

Than to hire them based on a lie.

A prospect was being a bully and disrespectful.

So I told her we weren't a good fit.

She was shocked.

Like most bullies, I don’t think she expected pushback.

It clearly hit her ego.

What made it worse?

I didn't raise my voice.

I wasn't emotional.

I stayed calm.

I was respectful.

Her next move?

She asked why I felt that way.

I told her the truth.

She apologized and asked me to reconsider.

I politely declined.

The lesson?

Some prospects aren't worth it.

Protecting your self-worth matters more than closing a deal.

We hired an “A” and a “C” player.

The “C” player blew him out of the water.

Why?

The “A” player was extremely gifted.

So gifted that things always came easily.

His talent was a 9.

His work ethic was a 3.

The “C” player was borderline awkward.

Nothing came naturally.

He performed based on pure grit.

His mindset?

“If the average rep makes 50 calls to book 1 meeting, and it takes me 100,  I’ll just make 200 calls and book 2 meetings.”

My thoughts?

Companies interview hard for skill.

But too often ignore work ethic.

I’ve seen mediocre talent dominate their numbers.

And elite talent fail miserably.

The lesson

Grit > Talent

Candidate: I must be at my job 2 years or it looks bad.

Me: Don’t you hate it?

Candidate: Yes, but if I don't stay 2 years, companies won’t hire me.

Me: So, you're OK taking an additional year of abuse so your resume can look better?

Candidate: Yes.

My opinion?

Yes, some companies will judge job movement.

But I’d rather deal with that than spend years of my life miserable.

The lesson?

No job is worth your misery.

Laid off candidate sent me his resume today.

At the top it says, “Life is good.”

I loved that.

He lost his job 6 months ago.

I’m sure he’s stressed.

He’s sending endless applications.

Getting ghosted and declined.

And still, life is good for him.

That kind of positivity is rare.

And it will help him get hired.

That’s exactly the type of person I’d want on my team, and I believe most would agree.

The lesson?

Jobs are important.

Your life is more important.

Staying positive is easy when things are going well.

The real test is staying positive when it’s difficult.

I got a cold call. The salesman was great.

So I told him.

“I’ve received a lot of phone calls, and this was one of the best.”

He was shocked.

And genuinely appreciative.

Yes, I was busy.

But I’ve been in his shoes.

I’ve been yelled at and hung up on many times.

And never received any encouragement, not even from my boss.

It would’ve been hypocritical to act negatively.

I used to dial for my life.

Trying to close a couple prospects just to afford basic bills.

Why did he call me?

Because that’s his job.

And he's trying to make a living.

It takes guts.

It’s stressful.

You get rejected constantly.

It's hard to get mad at somebody for that.

The lesson?

If you built your career doing this, don't forget what it felt like.

And regardless, keep in mind the person on the other end of the call is just like you were.

They're trying to make a living.

Kindness and encouragement are free.

The best part of hiring senior salespeople?

They have stories.

I was reflecting on myself

And the best salespeople I know.

What helps experienced reps close more business than junior ones?

The stories.

My personal experience?

I have real-life examples for almost every situation.

I can share the situation.

And the result.

Whether it worked.

Or didn’t.

And stories are what sell.

When I only had a few years of sales experience, I was mostly saying, “My opinion is you should do it this way.”

Now I can say, "Let me share what I recommend, why I recommend, and 3 instances where it worked."

That only comes with experience.

The lesson?

The next time you pause on someone being “too senior,”

Remember that there’s a lot to be said for hiring someone more seasoned.

I was thinking about my worst sales manager.

His issue? No sales experience.

He didn’t know what it was like to prospect.

To get hung up on.

To be ghosted.

To spend weeks on the road.

To grind through a 3-day trade show.

To close a big deal.

My thoughts?

Great sales leaders don’t need sales experience.

But it definitely helps a lot.

Not just for empathy.

For credibility.

Is it required? No.

But I think of it like sports.

You don’t need to have ever picked up a football to be a great coach.

But it helps when you have and know what it feels like to get hit.

Most good companies have good hiring processes.

And most bad companies have bad ones.

The interview is a job preview.

It shows you if they’re honest.

How well they communicate.

If they’re organized.

Going MIA, inconsistent answers, and a change in comp mid process?

That’s the culture.

Don't expect it to get better if you accept a job there.

The lesson?

Never ignore what the interview process is showing you.

It’s one of the clearest indicators of what it’s actually like to work there.

Interviewing salespeople is tough.

Because after all, they are salespeople.

Many are confident and know what to say.

But confidence does not equal competence.

In fact, many aren't competent.

They use it as a smoke screen to fool you into thinking they're strong salespeople.

This article is about how to spot the people who are truly "A" players, and those who are just good at sounding like they are.

Interested in more articles like this?

You can sign up for our email list at the end of the article.

I hear this all the time from executives. “Salespeople are hard to interview because they’re salespeople.” I agree. Their livelihood depends on overco

Interviews: Confidence ≠ Competence

Company was making huge profits but got greedy.

They cut all of our commissions significantly.

Their logic?

“We’ll make an extra 20%.”

Our logic?

80% said, “I’m out. Now you're making $0 on me."

20% said, “I’ll stay, but I'm not working as hard and am going to start looking."

And when they stayed?

They were demotivated.

And didn't put up those big numbers.

The miss?

Leadership got fixated on reps making "too much.”

They didn't realize those aggressive commissions were the reason the revenue was strong in the first place.

The lesson?

Don’t get greedy.

Cut commissions ≠ higher profits.

Stop hiring for industry fit.

Start hiring for intangibles.

I understand why companies hire for industry experience.

And sometimes it makes sense.

Usually, there's a shorter ramp.

Less training.

Feels safer.

But in my experience?

If hiring managers can be patient for 3–6 months,

Intangibles win almost every time.

You can teach a product.

What’s harder to teach?

Intelligence.

Instincts.

Likeability.

Work ethic.

I’ve seen industry veterans struggle.

And many "non-traditional" hires become top performers.

The lesson?

Hire for what you can’t train.

And train the rest.

Many top salespeople get promoted to leadership.

But do their skills translate?

In many cases, no, and it can cause real damage.

In other cases, yes, but only when it is done the right way.

This piece explains both sides and what to look for to avoid costly mistakes.

One of our clients called me. The conversation went like this. Client: We need to hire a new Director of Sales. Me: Don’t you already have one? Client

Top Producer ≠ Strong Sales Leader

Prospect: Have you recruited in our space before?

Me: No, never.

Prospect: I appreciate your honesty.

Me: I can explain why I’m confident we can find the right candidate for you, but I’m not going to lie to you.

3 weeks went by.

I forgot about the conversation until he called me.

Prospect: I know you haven't recruited in this space. But you’re the only one who was honest with me, so I want to give you a shot.

Me: I appreciate that so much.

Prospect: I didn't feel that the other firms I spoke to were honest with me. I’d rather work with somebody I can trust without the experience than somebody with experience I can’t trust.

The lesson?

Many lie try to impress and close deals.

Fewer are honest, knowing it may cost them the deal.

Honesty is a competitive advantage.

Hiring based on your gut can be a smart move.

But it can also lead to costly mistakes.

So what do you do?

I believe in hiring based on a calculated gut instinct.

That means I don't rely on a vague sense that someone “feels right.”

Instead, I ask myself 4 simple questions, then I make the decision.

In this article, I break down exactly what those questions are and how to use them.

You’ll hear this advice all the time in hiring: “Go with your gut.” Sometimes that’s terrible advice. Sometimes it’s exactly right. The difference is 

Hiring With Gut Feeling

One of the biggest challenges I see in recruiting?

Managers looking for reasons to say no, not yes.

When I talk to hiring managers, it’s more common to hear:

“Here’s what I don’t like.”

And it's less likely to hear:

“Here’s what I really like," or "I'm keeping an open mind and would love to speak to them."

My experience?

When you focus on what’s wrong,

You'll always find it, even if it's not there.

The lesson?

Great hires come from open minds,

Not checklists.

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