Are you moving away from sales because it's hard, or because you're ready to scale?
Are you moving away from sales because it's hard, or because you're ready to scale?
Founder-led GTM helps with revenue and making the right hires to scale
This week, Tom Wilkinson invited me onto his podcast. We had the opportunity to cover a topic I love talking about: hiring to build an amazing sales team once Founders have found product-market fit. You can find a link to the full episode here: Spotify, video.
Below is a recap of the key topics we covered.
Be clear on why you’re hiring
Is it Bandwidth or is it Need?
You must understand your company and its problems first. The consistent challenge we see is that Founders need to ask themselves: is it a bandwidth issue or a genuine need?
If you have a bandwidth problem and haven't figured out how to sell, bringing in an account executive won't help. They'll likely fail, even if they're amazing at selling, because they don't know the problem in the market - and neither do you yet. It's your idea and your company!
If you’ve determined you need to hire
Once you've proven you can consistently close deals, consider:
What type of hire do you need?
What are you planning for? Is it scale?
Are you aiming for your first $500K in revenue, or your first million?
A common mistake is hiring someone too senior too early. While enterprise sellers are great for million-dollar deals, that profile is only suitable when the company is ready.
Ask yourself:
What do you need now?
What are you planning for in the next six months?
As your product matures and develops, and people become familiar with what it does, who do you actually need in that role?
More reading on this topic when you’re ready to hire
Good and bad hiring surprises and key indicators of top talent
Good Surprises
Finding someone who can grow and develop in the role by proving their coachability and previous successes of being ready to grow. They also need to be coached by someone who has real experience selling to evolve into the seller you expect them to become
Bad Surprises
The highly anticipated sales hire doesn’t pan out. Stage fit is incredibly important. They may be an amazing seller, but not for this stage. To avoid bad surprises like this, make sure you have made some considerations:
Have they done something at this stage? Have they started a company? Have they been a founding AE? What would make them an exception if they haven’t done any of the above?
Indications of Top Talent
They know what great looks like from previous employers. This knowledge of best practices becomes ingrained and stays with them.
Unique or exceptional backgrounds:
Sometimes, unconventional experiences can translate into top sales performance (an example is one of our clients has several people who were Professional singers/entertainers before going into sales)
Former Olympians, Division I athletes, or those who've excelled in other fields often have the dedication and drive to succeed in sales
Top performers at a “number two” product
If they were a top performer at a company that wasn’t a leading solution in their respective market, they typically know how to win deals and sell value even when the product isn't the customer's first choice. This also shows proven adaptability.
How to construct a successful interview process – some things to look and listen for
A deep understanding of how to run a sales process and what led to their previous successes
You need to assess how well a candidate understands the sales process and can articulate a clear, actionable plan for success in the role. You’ll learn a lot more about candidate's potential than simply reviewing their past performance numbers
The best candidates can go beyond surface-level performance metrics. Ask candidates to explain their success in comparison to peers and what specifically made them successful – it’s really interesting to hear some answers
Self awareness
Look for candidates who can critically assess their performance, even if they weren't the top performer. The best will tell you their goals and what they expect to do in their next role, the worst will blame their territories or bad luck
The best often reference other top performers they aspire to be like (even their peers in their current role)
Detailed 30-60-90 Day Plan
Ask for specifics about their approach to onboarding and achieving success. Look for concrete strategies, not vague promises to learn and absorb information
Goal-Oriented Thinking: Ask how they plan to hit their targets, especially in the first quarter. Even if their plan is ambitious, what matters is their ability to think strategically about achieving goals.
Comfortability with Ambiguity
This person is coming in to join a startup where very few things are figured out! What you want to gauge quickly is their level of confidence in asking clarifying questions
Reactions to unusual or "off" requests and seeing how they react. Do they run at the problem or run away from it?
As a Founder, you’re a real-time problem solver. Is this the candidate who can do that alongside you?
How do they collaborate with you during the process? (They’re going to be reporting to you, at least for now)
How do they ask questions? Do you like their working style? Could you see yourself talking with them each day and would you enjoy having them around when times are tough and when times are great?
The best hires are expensive, can they make more by joining your company?
When you’re trying to hire a top-tier Account Executive, you're likely selling them on the role more than they are selling themselves. Throughout the process, seek to understand their values, show that you care, and share your enthusiasm about the company that you want them to join. Top candidates are often taking a significant gamble, leaving high-paying jobs ($500k+ in some cases), so ensure the experience is compelling and the opportunity is clear. This is especially crucial for early-stage companies where the risks are higher. Know why you're selling to the right candidates.
More reading on making the right hire here
I had a ton of fun doing this and hope to do more – lots of other topics to cover…!
Episode Below: