JR Butler’s Post

Five things your startup's first sales hire should be:   🌪 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀: at the beginning, things are going to break, and other things are going to fail - they need to be entrepreneurial, and happy to live with more questions than answers.   😃 𝗔𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: as a founder, you likely haven't managed a salesperson before. And you may have strong views on how sales should be done (because hey, this is how it was working for you). These views may be wrong. And you want a sales rep that can openly share this with you and help refine the sales strategy. 👩💼 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟮-𝟯 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Less than that, and it’s the blind leading the blind. It's ok if they are not able to build a scalable sales process, choose the right CRM or recruit channel partners - at this stage this is not needed. But they need to know how to drive outreach and lead generation, that's the bread and butter of startup's early stages. 📊 𝗔𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: closing your earliest customers will help inform your product roadmap. Make sure your sales hire has the ability to listen, absorb and clearly articulate customers' needs internally. 💲 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁-𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱: this first sales hire will likely be the first and only company employee working for OTE ('on target earnings'). It's ok if on paper it makes them the most expensive one, too. Think of their comp as a monthly investment, 50% base salary - 50% commission or bonus. A decent sales rep should get to breakeven in 3-4 months. It’s not a huge investment, viewed that way. Questions? Let me know! #SalesHiring #StartupSuccess #SalesStrategy #EnterpriseSales #b2bSales 🌟

Enterprise sales is one of the most lucrative roles in tech. Navigate it successfully and become a multi-millionaire. BUT BEWARE – if you hop from gig to gig: By chasing the next shiny object, you might be leaving hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on the table. There are 5 levels in the career of an individual contributor seller. Each builds its own skills, offers and opportunities. And each comes with significant trade offs. But knowing how to play the long term game in B2B sales can make the difference between getting by and retiring early. I break down The Career Trajectory of a Seller here: https://buff.ly/3TQpJwQ #sales #enterprisesales

It's been a while since I've posted on Linkedin however, it's perhaps a good time to make a return as my company continues to grow.... We recently launched a recruit tech software company called Deal Fuel which revolutionises the way sales reps land opportunity and how businesses access A1 Sales talent. In a short time, we've placed over 187 reps across a range of niches for 8-9-figure companies. The sort of roles we specialise in have been SDRs, to Accounts Execs (closers) and Sales Managers. We've helped reps pick up opps that earn anywhere from $5000 - $25,000 per month (Receipts to share). We've now found ourselves with a bit of a pickle but a very good one. We have staffed so many reps that we need more on the platform as we're seeing no decline in demand from businesses to hire from us. Just today 35 reps have been connected with opportunities and it's not even midday.... So this a public invitation to any sales reps / aspiring sales reps to ping me a message to get access to a private platform that drives INBOUND opportunities directly to you. We have flipped the narrative of hiring on its head. Instead of you chasing your tail, businesses come to you instead. DM me "Deal Fuel" and I can share a resource to explain exactly how it works and if you'd be a good fit to join.

"The people closest to you will hurt you the most." #hottake 🌶 I saw #founders getting screwed by their C-suite more than I can count. It's sad, really. Founders shell out a ton of money in hopes of growing their company. They want to stop wearing so many hats. So they hire experts. (Or so they think.) But these new hires then achieve... nothing. Zilch. #CSO are the most guilty. Sometimes I wonder if CSO is short for "Chief Screw Over". I saw it a lot when I was selling lead generation services: #storytime The new CSO was 6 months into the job. We had a discovery call. Here are some highlights. - they had 2-3 salespeople, but their leads had dried up last quarter (#recession) - they never spent a single dollar on lead generation before because people "just found them" (i.e. they used to come from the founder's network) When I asked what their plans were going forward, this guy dropped the bomb: "We are currently exploring some options." Uhm.. what?! These guys should have been on the phone doing #outbound nonstop. They should have been mining their #CRM for any possible lead. They should have been investing in #leadgeneration ASAP. Instead, this guy was sitting around "exploring" like he was Marco motherlovin' Polo. "But Paul, not every CSO is like that." Of course not. But if I had a beer for each time I encountered this situation... ... I could throw one hell of a company off-site. ---- You are a founder? You hate doing sales? You want to stop wearing so many hats? Stop hiring mediocre people full-time. Hire excellent people part-time! DM me to get a #fractional CSO.

Hiring senior sales talent can make or break a promising startup. Yet most founders trip up in avoiding common yet fatal hiring mistakes. Here are the 7 proven ways to hire senior sales executives who deliver: 1. Seek Sellers With Infectious Charm: Technical skills can be learned. But the innate ability to build instant rapport is rare. Look for magnetic personalities who connect effortlessly. This talent is non-negotiable. 2. Demand Niche Mastery: Generalists dabble but specialists conquer. Leaders must demonstrate a deep understanding of your product specifically. Not just the industry. This level of insight unlocks strategic problem-solving. 3. Recruit Those With a Ready Tribe: The best leaders attract followers. Vet for a clear hiring plan and database of past teammates eager to reunite. This momentum enables hitting the ground running. 4. Mandate Hands-On Selling: Great leaders remain active deal-closers no matter how big their team grows. If that hands-on passion for the hunt doesn't exist, pass on that candidate. 5. Reject Armchair Strategists: Real deals aren't won over email. Sales leads must enjoy meeting customers face-to-face. If not, keep searching. 6. Seek Fresh Blood: Gray hair commands respect but current know-how fuels growth. Look for executors who have been actively carrying quotas up until last month. 7. Judge Past Results, Not Brand Names: Big-name company experience means little without proof of personal excellence. Vet candidates based on their specific achievements. Not past firm affiliations. Get any of these hiring criteria wrong and you'd risk managerial paralysis, cultural fragmentation, and commercial stagnation. Get them right however and you can take your startup's growth trajectory into the stratosphere ✈️. The stakes are high so choose your sales leadership wisely. What would you like to add to this? Comment below 🤔 Found this helpful, consider resharing ♻️and following me Maaz Ansari for more such insights.

Interesting thing I noticed working in Enterprise Sales: Many of the... — Consultants — Technologists — Solution Architects ...in the business... have a misconception of their responsibilities to support growth. In their mind, they're not responsible for "sales". — They believe it's not their job — They feel turned off by "selling" — They don't want to think commercially Here's my take: Leaders never say, "That's not my job". (features as one of Amazon's Leadership Principles) Even if you're not a "salesperson" earning commission... Everyone is responsible for the company's growth. — The CIO & CTO — The engineers — The marketers — The operatives — The managers Literally 99% of the organisation. The reason is simple: If the company doesn't keep growing, you end up with... — Fewer projects for technical staff — Limited progression opportunities — Top line focus shifts to bottom line — New tech adoption slows down Plus, with opportunities constrained, layoffs can start. New business is the lifeblood of any organisation. It's the lifeblood of your (and everyone's) job. So, support that goal. Help salespeople help you. Even when it's outside of "your role".

If you are serious about breaking into Tech Sales you need to give this a watch……… I want to break into tech sales is arguably one of the most used phrases in 2024 but in my mind…. It’s lazy, generic and likely to set you up for failure. Let me explain…….. If you are serious about breaking into tech sales I would really think about these three factors to give you clarity and the competitive edge 💪🏻 1) What kind of tech do I want to be selling- physical product, saas, big tech 🧐 2)What industries do I want to sell to…. Ideally based on passion or prior industry experience ⚽️ 📺 🍱 3) What personas do I want to to sell to… Sales, HR, Finance 📞 👨⚕️ This will really help you focus on the right roles and really impress when you are in front of the right businesses.

There's a fantasy that I've seen some new CEOs hold on to about hiring sales reps or outsourced lead gen teams. Fact is, the sooner they let go of this belief, the sooner they'll start making more sales. The fantasy is that a top sales rep who is happy with a 100% commission-only compensation structure actually exists. You might even see lead generation companies offering this. Reality check: no such person exists. Because it puts the risk entirely on the rep. This belief leads to underperforming reps, a revolving door of new staff, and constant frustration by management. It wastes a lot of time. So what works? The sales reps who are worth their weight in gold always have a salary + commission + bonus (in startups, maybe also equity). This distributes the risk to both the company and the rep, which is the fair way to do it. And the really good reps may make more money annually than the CEO - unless the CEO's ego enforces a cap on earnings, in which case the best reps will leave. Bottom line: pay your people well. Even if it means taking a lower salary yourself (remember, you've got more equity). #salary #saas #sales *** If you liked this post, please share with your network and follow me Raj Khera for daily executive coaching to grow your business.

Someone recently shared an interesting thought with me. Less-tenured sales leaders working in the SaaS space likely have little experience with economic adversity. Let’s face it: until 2022, times were pretty good in SaaS! Less so now. Those of us who experienced the “dot com bubble” and the recession of 2008/9 have experienced severe headwinds and learned how to weather them. Our newest sales leaders may be experiencing their first SaaS “storm” in real time. Forbes said, “The 2010s were a period of unparalleled prosperity for the world of SaaS companies.” 2022, however, ushered in SaaS’s “first recession.” Today, quota attainment is down, and generating pipeline, especially outbound pipeline, is more challenging than ever.  Add budget cuts and layoffs, and the newer sales leaders face challenges they’ve never seen. I have been racking my brain to determine what advice I can offer. Here is what I came up with. There is better advice out there. I hope people will share that advice in the comments 1). Stay close to your best people. Invest in them. Retain them. 2). Ensure your sellers get close to their prospects and understand the “power line.” Sam Jacobs had a great post on the topic. Read it. (Link in comments.) 3). Get even closer to your customers. Today, growing accounts is much easier than winning new ones. 4). Play a long game. By all means, abandon a sinking ship, but stay put if possible. 5). Prospect and help your team prospect. Being a leader should not prevent you from helping to develop the pipeline; this has never been truer than it is today. 6). Nearbound is your best friend. Work your network. Seek referrals. 7). Raise your hand. Ask for help. This is not a time to “turtle up” and hope for the best. Image: Cumulative Market Capitalization of all Public SaaS Companies ($ in 000s), Meritech

In the last few weeks, I have spoken to a number of people who are trying/considering breaking into tech sales. My number one piece of advice to any one who is thinking about it...DO IT. I was originally attracted to tech sales after witnessing the tech boom of the mid 2010s, and though the modern tech landscape is a bit different, there are still so many benefits. 💰 Show me the money - Tech sales boasts some of the most lucrative roles especially early in your career. It's not uncommon for the top reps to be making over $100 K in their 20s and this figure can keep climbing. 📖 The office is a classroom - Working in sales, allows you to learn valuable skills that will stay with you for life. The actual role of sales you learn how to communicate, negotiate, work hard, and be disciplined. Depending on the product, you gain a deep understanding of the industry you work in and the roles you call into. 🕺 Work hard, play hard - Sales is definitely a grind, but it can be one of the most fun roles. By nature, people that are attracted to sales are typically high energy and extroverted, which means you will have a blast with your team. A lot of tech companies adopt hybrid working location models, rewards for sales performance, and flexibility when it comes to your daily schedule as long as you hit your metrics. It's not easy, but it's worth giving a shot. Even if sales is not your endgame, the experience you gain can transform your career. For anyone who is curious about how to break in, getting started, or just want to learn more about what it is like to work in tech sales, feel free to reach out to me. #BDR #techsales #coldcalling #startup