• Early Sales Hires

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    When making early sales hires, trusted experts offer several key pieces of advice:

    1. Offer Equity Alongside Cash Compensation: Mark Goldberger highlights the importance of offering equity to early sales hires. This aligns their long-term vision with the company's goals, ensuring their commitment and drive to make a lasting impact on the organization 1.

    2. Avoid Hiring a VP of Sales Too Early: Maggie Hott advises against hiring a head of sales early on. Instead, she recommends hiring experienced individuals who have been in AE roles at high-growth companies. These individuals have the necessary hustle and grit to build from the ground up, which is often more critical than having a seasoned sales leader who may not be as hands-on 2.

    3. Hire Salespeople With Early-Stage Experience: Jason Lemkin suggests that founders should manage initial sales themselves to develop a repeatable process. When ready, hire around two sales reps, not just one. These hires should have a couple of years of experience and enough maturity to be trusted with leads and customers 3.

    4. Support Systems Are Crucial: Dannie Herzberg notes that a common mistake is waiting too long to hire revenue operations and sales enablement teams. These support systems are essential for helping the sales team thrive and scale 4.

    5. Data-Driven Compensation: Sam Taylor emphasizes the importance of building data-driven targets before implementing variable compensation. Structuring incentives beyond just revenue ensures alignment with early-stage goals and helps build an informed opinion on targets over time 5.

    These insights help shape an effective strategy for building a capable and motivated early sales team.

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