From Hyperscale to High Standards: Erin Bates on Building Revenue Teams That Actually Perform

What happens when a revenue leader has hired more than 300 people and still believes the most important part of the process is knowing when to say no?

In Episode 16 of Between Two Hires, host Tom Hannigan sits down with Erin Bates, a seasoned go-to-market executive with over 15 years of experience scaling sales, customer success, and RevOps teams at high-growth companies like Checker. Erin shares hard-earned hiring wisdom—from red flags to avoid to why a soft yes is often the wrong answer.

This episode is essential listening for revenue leaders, startup founders, and anyone building high-performing teams under pressure.

---

The Numbers: 300 Hires and Counting

Over the course of her career, Erin has hired between 300 and 400 people across roles like SDR, AE, customer success, solutions consulting, enablement, and RevOps. Add another 150 to 200 internal promotions, and her influence on scaling revenue organizations becomes crystal clear.

“Hiring is one of my passions—especially when it comes to building successful, high-performing teams.”

---

The Best and Worst Surprises in Hiring

One of Erin’s most memorable wins was promoting a newly hired SDR to AE within the first month. Though she initially underestimated his fit, she quickly course-corrected—and he went on to thrive in sales leadership.

On the flip side, her biggest miss involved a candidate who fabricated details about a previous role. It was a reminder that reference checks and backchannel conversations are non-negotiable.

“I don’t hire anyone without at least one backchannel from someone in my network.”

---

How to Spot Real Talent in Sales Interviews

Sales candidates are often great at selling themselves. Erin has developed a system for cutting through the polish and identifying true performers:

• Use behavioral interview questions focused on past actions
• Ask two or more follow-ups to every answer
• Revisit key questions later in the process to check for consistency

“I had a candidate claim to be the top rep, but later revealed only two people were on the team. That told me everything I needed to know.”

---

Hiring at Scale Without Compromising Quality

While helping one company scale from 8 to 80 reps in a single year, Erin learned a critical lesson: never sacrifice quality for speed.

“Hiring the wrong person is worse than missing a hiring target.”

To maintain quality, she recommends:

• Getting crystal clear on ideal candidate profiles
• Walking away early if someone doesn’t meet the standard
• Having team leaders personally source five candidates a week
• Keeping non-fit candidates warm for future roles rather than compromising now

---

Why 70 Percent is the Sweet Spot

Erin aims to hire people who meet 70 percent of the requirements. If someone seems like a perfect fit on paper, she questions whether they’re actually stretching.

“High-potential candidates who are coachable and hungry often outperform more polished ones.”

Pairing potential with strong enablement and coaching makes all the difference.

---

Hiring Wisdom to Work By

Erin’s clearest hiring mantra?

“A soft yes is a no.”

If a candidate elicits lukewarm reactions or uncertain feedback, they’re probably not going to raise the bar. Erin emphasizes clarity and decisiveness over dragging candidates through a long process in hopes they’ll grow on the team.

“We’re all too busy to invest time in candidates who aren’t a true fit.”

---

Who Erin Is Hiring Right Now

Erin’s team is actively hiring for multiple roles, including:

• Enterprise Account Executives
• Expansion Account Executives
• Revenue-focused Customer Success Managers
• Sales Development Representatives (the first SDRs in the org)

If you’re passionate about revenue, enterprise sales, or customer impact, Erin is open to hearing from you.

---

Listen to the full episode of Between Two Hires for Erin Bates’ complete approach to hiring at scale, building high-trust teams, and knowing when to walk away.