De-Risking Hiring: How Gauntlet AI Used Ignite to Scale Sales with Confidence
How Gauntlet AI Built a High-Performing Sales Team—Faster, Smarter, and with Less Risk
About Gauntlet AI:
At Gauntlet AI, we equip organizations with practical AI adoption strategies that deliver real business impact—reducing costs, increasing throughput, and optimizing workflows. Through cohort-based training, custom engagements, and hiring partnerships, Gauntlet AI enables companies to unlock the next level of operational efficiency in the AI golden age.
The Challenge:
When GauntletAI launched its sales team, the goal was clear: bring in high-performing, coachable talent who could ramp quickly and deliver results. As a seasoned sales leader, Brett Johnson had worked with Shift Group candidates before and knew their track record of success.
With limited time and resources, hiring a full-time rep was a risk. Instead, Brett and GauntletAI turned to Shift Group’s Ignite Program—a fully outsourced BDR solution designed to provide immediate pipeline impact without the upfront commitment of a full-time hire.
The Solution: A Proving Ground for Sales Talent
Shift Group placed an elite candidate, a former hockey player with the grit, intelligence, and competitiveness to excel in sales, into the Ignite Program. From day one, he:
- Mastered A New Industry—Going from zero cloud knowledge to leading meaningful sales conversations.
- Generated Pipeline—Booking qualified meetings faster than expected.
- Went Above & Beyond—Taking ownership of his success, asking for feedback, and continuously improving.
His performance was so strong that GauntletAI committed to hiring him full-time before his Ignite contract even ended.
“He is always harder on himself than I could ever be. Particularly, In a remote environment, someone who has the self-discipline and drive to keep pushing himself every day, combined with an incredible level of grit that came standard with Shift Group candidates was invaluable”
Using Ignite to Build Market & Sales Process Mastery
Unlike traditional hiring, which often forces companies to commit to a full team before fully understanding their market, Shift Group’s Ignite Program gave GauntletAI a smarter, lower-risk way to test and refine its sales strategy in real time.
- Market Validation – Our Ignite hire helped us test messaging, refine our ideal customer profile, and identify what sales motions worked best—before scaling the team.
- Sales Process Optimization – With an Ignite rep executing outreach daily, we gathered real-world insights that shaped our sales playbook and improved pipeline generation.
- Lower Risk, Higher Impact – Instead of hiring multiple full-time reps upfront, Ignite gave us a way to learn, iterate, and make data-driven hiring decisions.
For Brett, Ignite wasn’t just about filling a seat—it was about building a foundation for long-term success:
“We felt that Iignite took a lot of risk out of the equation. It gave us a low-risk way to experiment with messaging, refine our ideal customer profile, and identify what sales motions actually worked—all without the immediate pressure of long-term headcount commitments.”
The Impact: Immediate Results & Long-Term Success
Unlike traditional hiring processes, which come with risk and uncertainty, Shift Group’s Ignite Program allowed Brett to test-drive a high-potential sales rep before making a full-time commitment.
- Faster Ramp Time – He was fully productive in weeks, not months.
- Lower Hiring Risk – The outsourced model ensured GauntletAI only brought on proven talent.
- Guaranteed ROI – His last deal before transitioning to full-time paid for his entire placement fee.
For Brett, the decision to bring him on board permanently was a no-brainer:
“The decision to bring him on full-time was simple. His ability to hit the ground running and deliver results early on made it clear he was a perfect fit for the long term.”
In collaboration with Brett Johnson | Head of Sale at GauntletAI | https://www.gauntletai.com/
About Shift Group:
Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals.
The Shift Connect platform accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.
Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.
March 12, 2025
Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent by booking a demo through the contact us page today!
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