One of the most pressing concerns for staffing teams is sales turnover. Most company sales forces have a 25-30% annual turnover. At this rate, that's a new team hired and trained every four years.

Depending on the field, turnover costs can total tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per employee.

More than half of college grads, regardless of major, will work in sales at some point. But few colleges offer sales courses, meaning that there is no central resource pool for sales talent.

The linked article compiles some of the deepest analysis of effective sales hiring. It deemphasizes the significance of company culture and highlights the competencies that make for great salespeople.

Read full article at Harvard Business Review.