??"Top Talent" Doesn't Exist ??

Something that's bugged me for many moons now

is this wacky idea of "Top Talent."

Why?

?? It's an oxymoron.

And it makes absolutely zero sense to try and find— because it doesn't exist.

Which is funny because:

? Every sales rep wants to be it. ? Every company wants to hire it. ? Every recruiter wants to sell it.

But the problem—and the reason it doesn't exist— is that there’s no universal standard for it.

The term means something different to everyone.

Which means that trying to be it, hire it, or sell it is really just chasing a definition that someone else made up.

We're haphazardly assuming it means the same thing to everyone.

?? If "Top Talent" Was Universal, Riddle Me This:

Why do the same closers crush it in one offer but completely flop in another?

Hmmmmm?

Is it REALLY about the rep—or is it about the fit?

The idea that you're chasing someone else's definition of top talent assumes their criteria match your business needs.

It’s like picking a football player for a basketball team because they’re an “elite athlete.”

The context matters.

?? The Flawed "Rockstar" Hiring Mentality

A company once told me,

??? "We only want closers who’ve closed over 40% in the past."

Sounds logical, right?

Wrong.

?? Only 33% of their current team was hitting that number. ?? But instead of fixing those issues, they just assumed their under-performers weren’t "top talent."

?? "Ok So What, Zach?"

Are you saying that:

?? Years of experience ?? Lots of generated revenue ?? High charisma ?? A big-shot org on their resume

ARE NOT indicators of top talent?

? Nope. Not saying that.

What I AM saying is that there’s no universal answer for HOW MUCH of each of those things is needed to be considered "Top Talent."

Is it 10 years in sales, or 15? Is it $5 million in revenue, or 10? Is it a company with 100 staff, or 1,000?

Again—there is no objective definition of what "top talent" actually is.

?? The Real Question Should Be:

? Does this person have the capacity to succeed in YOUR system? ? Do they fit YOUR culture, YOUR offer, and YOUR process? ? Are they adaptable, coachable, and able to execute in YOUR environment?

Because hiring based on someone else’s definition of "elite" is like taking a high-stakes poker champion and betting on them to dominate the blackjack table.

It doesn’t matter how good they were somewhere else— it matters if they can win HERE.

?? Stack the Deck In Your Favor

Real recruiting isn’t about hunting unicorns.

It’s about building a system where hardworking, adaptable people become YOUR version of top talent.

If the system is bulletproof,

?? You don’t need to pray for a lucky hand. ?? The talent problem becomes a non-issue.

You’ve stacked the deck in your favor— so the right people don’t have to be unicorns, they just have to show up and play.

?? Stop chasing someone else’s definition of success. Build your own.