Green With Envy? Don't let the green-eyed monster capsize your team. Use these techniques to bring a sales superstar onboard without rocking the boat.

If your sales are greatly in need of an elixir, some sort ofpick-me-up to boost production, one way to ramp up sales is to hirea rainmaker-a seasoned sales pro who has multiple connections andyears of experience in your industry. Scottie Oliver, co-founder ofsales consulting firm EA Group in Alpharetta, Georgia, believes that atleast 20 percent of a sales manager's time should be dedicatedto hiring and integrating sales superstars into anorganization.

Bringing in a superstar creates unique management concerns,though, and you'll do well to take a few pointers from theexperts:

• Engage the team in the selection process. Pick one ortwo reps to be part of the selection and interview process.According to Gerry Murak, a turnaround performance specialist andfounder of Murak& Associates in Williamsville, New York, assembling across-functional team has many benefits. Murak says that involvingteam members in hiring raises the performance bar for the entireteam and removes the confrontational aspect of the assimilationphase. Murak adds that, during team interviews, "positivechemistry becomes readily apparent, as does an 'oil andwater' scenario." Having worked with such clients as Ford,General Mills, and GM, Murak warns that hiring a stellar sellerusing a top-down management strategy is "tantamount tothrowing a live grenade in the middle of the team."