The Next Era Of Sales Talent Agency

You know how when you take on something new, your well-wishers say "break a leg?" I took that literally.

It was my second day at Sales Talent Agency. Our co-founder Sonya Meloff had taken a risk on a noob recruiter and brought me to a big new client pitch. Having practiced my lines in front of the mirror a dozen times, I was eager to impress – perhaps too eager. Walking down to the boardroom and in a hurry to get there, I missed a step, and heard a pop.

Somehow, I brought myself to the table and sat down. I made it through the pitch, and once we were done, I stood up, but could only walk a few excruciating steps. When Sonya asked me what was wrong, I showed her my ankle – by now an impressive blue. She gave me a ride home. 

I had only gotten to STA because Jamie Scarborough had also taken a chance on me. I had no recruitment experience and had really only worked for myself, but Jamie responded to a cold note on LinkedIn and took me under his wing. He let me try stuff, let me be bold, entrepreneurial, different – even dangerous. Eventually, he reasoned, the kid will click. 

That dedication to investing in recruiters and bringing out their creativity is core to this company's DNA. It's what has allowed us to put together a team that recognizes talent in unexpected places, that understands recruitment is relationships, that spin and hustle and brute force don't result in the long-term placements that our clients look to us for. It's the ethos that has let us facilitate $500 million in salaries and helped over 1,500 companies hire 6000+ elite sales professionals since 2007.  It's why Growth500 has recognized us as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies six times. 

I am humbled to announce that Jamie and Sonya are now doubling down on that unconventional bet: They have asked me to lead STA through the next phase of our growth as CEO. My partner on this journey will be the incredible Kristin Condon, a sales recruitment expert who was gracious enough to teach me the fundamentals of the game early on and who shepherded me through my first big client win, Thomson Reuters. Kristin has been my North Star since I started here and as our Chief Customer Officer, she will ensure that we continue to deliver elite experiences to our clients and candidates. Jamie and Sonya will be here to guide and mentor us through the process, something we're deeply grateful for. 

Recruitment, especially sales recruitment, is a "wicked problem." Client expectations evolve fast, and the landscape in which our clients are competing changes even faster. Successful recruiters need to gain domain expertise, but also be fluent at project management, marketing and customer success to fulfill our mandate to be a client's trusted advisor. A resume that aligns with the role is just a starting point:  We need to place people who have the work ethic, resiliency, empathy, curiosity and intelligence to thrive in a high-pressure environment. A recruiter also needs to be comfortable having limited control over the hiring process – easier said than done!  It’s a tough ask but when you get it right, you can change the trajectory of a person's life, and transform a company. 

STA is Canada's top agency at solving these wicked problems. This has allowed us to evolve as a firm and develop specialized practices that clients seek:  We launched our executive search division in 2016, our technical sales division in 2018, our customer success division in 2019 and our latest initiative, STA NEXT, in the middle of a pandemic. 

COVID-19 has discombobulated sales recruitment: who, how, and where you hire is all up for re-examination. Add to that the post-hiring challenges of onboarding and integrating individuals into the culture of a company in this remote world. Meanwhile, the job of the seller has never been harder: they are selling against status quo in an environment defined by fear and fiscal conservatism.  

We recognize the scope of these challenges and are ready to partner with our clients and candidates to overcome, and even benefit from them. 

Your trust in us is beyond appreciated!

Thank you,

Asad Zaman - CEO | Sales Talent Agency