#126 - Steve Suggs • The Hidden Cost of a Bad Hire

In this episode of Referrals Done Right, Scott sits down with sales leadership expert Steve Suggs to unpack one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of business success. Hiring the right people. With more than four decades of experience in recruiting and coaching, Steve breaks down why most hiring processes fail and how relying on resumes, gut instinct, or surface level interviews leads to costly mistakes. Instead, he introduces a more disciplined approach rooted in data, behavioral science, and structured systems that help identify who can actually perform in a specific sales role

The conversation goes beyond theory and into real world application. Scott shares his own experiences of making bad hires and how implementing a structured hiring process completely changed the trajectory of his business. Together, they walk through the importance of assessing personality, character, and intelligence, along with the role of proper interview techniques and proactive recruiting. This episode is a must listen for anyone serious about building a high performing team and creating long term, sustainable growth.

In This Episode:
• Why most hiring decisions fail when based on resumes and interviews alone
• The difference between personality, character, and intelligence in predicting success
• How structured interview questions uncover the truth behind a candidate’s answers
• Why making the hiring process harder actually attracts stronger candidates
• Where to find high quality sales talent beyond traditional job boards

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Episode Markers:
(0:00) - Show Start & Introduction




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Steve Sugg's Links:
FB - https://www.facebook.com/Suggzy
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/SteveSuggs
Website - https://salesmanage.com

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Scott Grates' Links:
Referrals Done Right - https://www.referralsdoneright.org
Referrals Done Right FB Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/296359076662332
Scott Grates Website - https://www.scottgrates.com
Love Living Local  - https://www.instagram.com/lovelivinglocal315
Scott's FB - https://www.facebook.com/scott.grates.1
Scott's - https://www.instagram.com/scottgrates
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scott.grates