Dear SaaStr: Should I Hire a Sales Rep First, Or a Sales Manager First?
The ideal flow is:
- As the founder-CEO, close the first batch of customers, around 10 or 20, yourself. This will give you firsthand experience and knowledge.
- Once you have mastered the sales process, hire 2 sales reps to run an A/B test and analyze their performance.
- Once you have 2 reps consistently hitting quota, hire a head of sales to scale the team. This typically happens after reaching $1m-$2m in ARR.
In some cases, it may be possible to hire a head of sales as the first sales hire, especially if there is existing revenue from a freemium product or if the CEO has already achieved significant sales milestones.
However, it is generally advisable to have a few reps proving the sales model before bringing in a head of sales. Their role is to optimize and scale the existing process, not to start from scratch.
For more insights, check out this related post: Should Your VP Sales Start Off as a Player-Coach? | SaaStr
(Note: an updated SaaStr Classic answer)
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