Definition: Remember the rolodex? It was a metallic contraption that held cardboard cards organized by letter of the alphabet on your desk. You wrote people’s names and phone numbers or stapled their business cards to it.
A sales hire who theoretically should be able to make lots of sales quickly because they have sold into the right target audience in the past is called a rolodexer. You’re buying their contacts when you hire them.
Generally, rolodexers greatly value their network and will not sell to known prospects if they feel they have been tasked with promoting a quarter-baked product.
Often hiring rolodexers is a “hail mary” and disheartening to the rest of the team, especially if they know sales are not closing due to quality, price, or other more fundamental problems with the offering.
You may also find teams disappointed if they happen to know the rolodexer’s rolodex is pretty weak!
Use It In a Sentence: Man, these deals just aren’t closing. I bet a rolodexer could kill it with our product.
For Further Reading: When Does It Make Sense to Order a Sales Funnel Audit | Top of Funnel in Focus: Account-Based Marketing
More Definitions: Closing the Deal Definition, Qualified Lead Definition, Hardware Wallet Definition
