Employers that hire the wrong salesperson waste 82,500.

UK sales performance authority Silent Edge, in association with Cranfield School of Management, found recruiters who hire a salesperson who is not up to scratch throw away, on average, a salary of £25,000, two recruitment fees, missed targets and managers' time costs - approximately 10% of their salary.

Russell Ward, CEO of Silent Edge, said: "Most sales teams have not had to sell in a recession, making it vitally important that businesses are recruiting the most skilled salespeople. In the current market businesses cannot afford to waste time, money and resources in hiring the wrong person before eventually realising their mistake."

Lynette Ryals, professor of strategic sales and account management at Cranfield School of Management, said: "About a million people in the UK work in sales, yet very little has been done on what good sales people actually do in sales meetings."