Case Studies

The Cost of Ignoring Data When Hiring

How Overlooking Data-Driven Hiring Led to a Costly Mis-Hire

A mid-sized SaaS company sought a Sales Executive and used CollabGenius’s Role-Based Assessment to evaluate three finalists. The assessment recommended Person C for her balanced approach to persuasion and relationship-building, but the company instead hired Person B, drawn to her aggressive negotiation style.

Within months, Person B struggled to close deals, alienating clients and internal teams. Sales targets were missed by up to 40%, and after eight months, she left due to poor fit. The company faced $255K in hiring, training, and lost revenue costs.

This case underscores the risks of relying on intuition over data in hiring. After this costly lesson, the company adopted CollabGenius’s methodology to align hiring decisions with role-based strengths, ensuring better performance and long-term success.

Company A

Client Overview:

A mid-sized SaaS company specializing in enterprise solutions was seeking a Sales Executive to drive new business and manage key accounts. They enlisted CollabGenius to assess three shortlisted candidates using the Role-Based Assessment to determine the best fit.

The Candidates:

  1. Person A (Vision Former): Highly Coherent, thrives on challenges, treats work as a motivation source, and promotes collaboration.
  2. Person B (Vision Mover): Strong negotiator, persuasive, adapts to circumstances, and mobilizes people effectively.
  3. Person C (Action Mover): Establishes trust, maintains work-life balance, assertive yet persuasive, and considers all stakeholders fairly.

CollabGenius Recommendation:

Based on the assessment results, Person C was identified as the best fit for the Sales Executive role due to her ability to build relationships, be persuasive yet assertive, and close deals effectively.

Client’s Hiring Decision:

Despite the recommendation, the client chose to hire Person B, impressed by her strong negotiation skills and ability to push forward despite obstacles. They believed her Vision Mover style would be more impactful in expanding their market reach.

The Outcome:

Within six months, the new hire struggled to meet key sales targets. While she was able to initiate conversations and negotiate, she lacked the relationship-building ability and empathy required to close deals. Clients found her approach too aggressive, and internal team members reported difficulty collaborating with her.

As a result:

  • Revenue targets were missed by 30% in Q2 and 40% in Q3.
  • Customer retention declined, as initial deals did not transition into long-term relationships.
  • The employee left the company after eight months due to cultural misalignment and performance struggles.

The Cost of the Wrong Hire:

  • Hiring & Training Costs for Person B: $25,000 (recruitment fees, onboarding, and initial training)
  • Lost Revenue Due to Poor Sales Performance: Estimated at $200,000 over six months
  • Cost to Replace & Train a New Candidate: $30,000 (severance, new recruitment, additional training)
  • Total Estimated Cost of the Mis-Hire: $255,000

Lessons Learned:

The company realized the importance of balancing persuasion with trust-building in sales. They acknowledged that a strong closer, like Person C, who could gently but firmly bring others along, would have been the better fit. Following this experience, they re-engaged CollabGenius for future hires and integrated Role-Based Assessments into their hiring process.

Conclusion:

Hiring decisions based on traditional intuition rather than data-driven insights can lead to costly missteps. This case underscores the value of aligning role-based strengths with job demands to ensure success. Companies that embrace CollabGenius’s science-backed hiring methodology gain a competitive edge in team performance, retention, and revenue growth.

Human Collaboration Modeling in Under an Hour

Surface how people behave with others under pressure, ambiguity, and shared goals.

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Psychometrics show traits. CollabGenius shows contribution.

1

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2

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3

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4

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5

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6

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7

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CollabGenius doesn’t just streamline your process—it transforms how you evaluate talent, build teams, and provide exceptional client value. Ready to revolutionize your placements?