Maaz Ansari’s Post

Lenny and Jason M. Lemkin's discussion on building a world-class sales organization was super insightful for me. I wanted to share my learnings to the wider audience. Here are the key takeaways: 1. Recruit your FIRST 20 customers yourself before hiring a sales rep. 2. Ensure the sales rep hits quota before hiring senior sales talent. 3. Your initial sales hire should be someone you would buy from. Ask yourself, "Would I buy from this person?" 4. Avoid hiring sales reps who don't prioritize earning money. 5. In B2B, focus on problem-solving rather than just selling. 6. Aim for a sales rep who can close at least 3x to 5x more than their take-home pay. 7. A high number of reps not closing deals can lead to significant issues. 8. Quality is better than quantity when it comes to sales reps. 9. When hiring your first 10 reps (including the VP of Sales), look for someone who has successfully sold a product that was harder to sell than yours. 10. Jason's favorite interview question is, "What do you plan to accomplish in the first 14 days?" 11. Discussing lost deals can provide valuable insights. 12. "Switching to annual contracts" may not always be good advice. 13. Avoid creating conflict between departments. 14. Tension between product and sales teams can indicate a healthy deal pipeline. 15. Be patient in hiring to avoid making costly mistakes. Lenny Jason - A question for you - we can differentiate the top performers and the underperforming ones. How do you find the ones who are just doing enough to keep their jobs (muddled middle)? #startups

The classic startup dilemma: 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐯𝐬. 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞? Every startup needs an operator. BUT... equal parts strategist. This is what I get told. Every single time. It's always going to boil down to hiring for purpose vs. growth. In the context of sales, often founders say they need a Head of Sales. But let's dig a bit deeper 👇 Say you're running a 10-person SaaS operation, so practically everyone "sells". You targets SME's and you've just hit your first XXX customers or MRR target. Customers are onboarded and have gone-live. Now you want to bring in your first commercial person, someone senior. How senior is the golden question? Typically, what founders say they want are: - hunters who are also exceptional at building and nurturing relationships - hands-on sales leaders comfortable with running a 360 process - help product ship new features based on customer feedback In other words, what they really need is: - a high-performing AE, who has before excelled in a prospecting role (S/BDR) - someone who enjoys selling themselves, but has ambitions to coach others - been part of an early operation and successful market launch Every hire and company is contextual, so treat it that way. Sometimes you need a growing and ambitious AE from a reputable company. Other times you need a seasoned sales leader who misses the action.

Founders often struggle about when to hire sales reps. Hiring too soon (or too late) can lead to significant issues. But how do you get this right? To start, the company has to have found proper product-market fit. Launching a sales team before PMF is just a waste of time, money and resources. Most of the time, you want to have founder-led sales. However, if the founder is product-focused, you can start with one sales hire. This hire needs to be able to be a future VP of Sales with the organization. However, it's critical that this first sales hire be able to do all the sales on their own. This will allow proper exposure for positioning as the sales assets and process is being tailored. Once sales begin to accelerate on a steady trend, then you can look to begin hiring. Now, if the founder/sales leader-only function is done correctly, the leadership now knows EXACTLY who to hire. Often founders look back and realize that had they hired before this stage, they would've hired the wrong people. Not only are you able to calibrate the proper timing of hiring sales reps, but now you will be able to attack each stage in the sales strategy build from experiential knowledge -- SO important. Hiring too late will not only miss opportunities, but can greatly slow down the trajectory of growth and market capture. I've also seen the fear of hiring cripple a company's growth. An early-stage company is a fragile thing. You can't accelerate too fast, or it can break. But you can't withhold the proper "fuel" needed to grow, or it can die. It's a delicate balance. And if not struck appropriately it can be very costly.

Individual Contributor OR Sales Manager? First hire. As a founder or executive in the startup space, one of the most critical early hires you'll make is on the sales front. The question lies whether you should start with an individual sales contributor or go straight for a sales manager? The decision can make a significant impact in your startup's growth trajectory. Bringing on an individual contributor (IC) as your first sales hire can be advantageous in the early stages. An experienced IC can hit the ground running, focusing solely on generating revenue and closing deals. They can A/B test messaging, positioning, and go to market strategies, providing valuable insights to refine your sales approach. However, an IC operating alone can struggle to keep up with demand as your startup gains traction. There's also the risk of them becoming a bottleneck, limiting your company's ability to scale efficiently. Alternatively, hiring a sales manager from the get-go can lay the foundation for a strong sales organization. An experienced sales leader can develop and implement a robust sales strategy, build out processes and playbooks, and start assembling a high-performing team. That said, a sales manager without a dedicated team to lead can find themselves stretched thin, juggling managerial responsibilities with hitting individual quotas. So, which path should you choose? The answer lies in your startup's specific needs, growth stage, and financial resources. If you're still in the early stages of product market fit, with limited funding, an individual contributor could be the way to go. They can drive initial revenue while providing invaluable customer feedback to inform your sales and product strategies. However, if you've achieved product market fit, have secured substantial funding, and are ready to accelerate growth, a sales manager could be the better investment. They can lay the groundwork for a scalable sales organization, allowing you to capitalize on momentum and rapidly expand your market presence. Ultimately, there's no one size fits all solution. The key is to carefully assess your startup's unique circumstances, growth goals, and resources available before making this critical hire. Whichever path you choose, remember that building a strong sales foundation is essential for any startup's long term success in this highly competitive landscape. #StartupSalesStrategy #SalesHiring #ScalingSales

Transitioning out of founder led sales and hiring a sales team is tough The room for error is small and mistakes are easy Founders commonly get hiring wrong Great sellers from huge companies with massive Rolodexes are expected to come in and ‘kill it’ with little to no training Sellers with years of performance get hired to sell because of the “unreal, amazing opportunity” without understanding People leave high paying jobs for the outside look of a cool and sexy up and coming startup without knowledge of equity knowledge, workload and expectations, and many of the risks Founders don’t maliciously hire the wrong people only to fire them later Many founders were never taught how to hire Many don’t know who they are looking for If they do know who they are looking for, finding the right one is challenging As a founder know these 6 things to get hiring right: 1. Ideal candidate profile 2. Top 5-10 attributes needed to be successful in role 3. Questions to test for key attributes 4. Knowledge of good and bad answers to the questions 5. Use a hiring scorecard 6. If it ain’t a F yes, it is a No (Don’t convince yourself to make a hire bc you’re tired) The transition out of founder led selling is a patient process When you go too fast, the system breaks and frustration pours across the company Revenue often goes down, people are fired, and the mess grows If you are transitioning out of founder led sales and growing your team, ask for help if you’ve never done it before

🚀 10 Lessons on Hiring a Great VP of Sales from Jason M. Lemkin 💡 Hiring the right VP of Sales can make or break your #SaaS business, especially when you’re scaling past $5M ARR. Here are 10 key lessons for SaaS founders looking to hire their first (or next) VP of Sales from Jason Lemkin’s #SaaStrAnnual talk. 1. Don’t Exit Sales Too Early The biggest mistake founders make is stepping away from sales too soon after hiring a VP. Even with a new hire, you must remain involved, helping close deals and mentoring your sales leader. 2. Avoid the 'Jaded, Broken or Done' Candidates Lemkin warned about hiring candidates who are jaded or have mentally “checked out.” You need someone who is still hungry and passionate about the hustle of sales, not someone looking for a cushy job. 3. Sales Leaders Must Know the Product One critical hiring mistake is bringing on a VP of Sales who doesn’t understand the product. If your VP can’t have deep conversations about your product with customers, you’re going to lose deals. 4. Founder-Led Sales Can’t Scale Even if you've been burned by a bad VP of Sales hire, don’t fall back into the trap of founder-led sales for too long. You need to keep pushing forward and find the right leader to scale. 5. Look for VPs Who Love Being in Deals When interviewing candidates, ask what they want to do in their first two weeks. If the answer isn’t “meeting customers and closing deals,” they might not be the right fit. 6. A Great VP is Also a Great Recruiter Your VP of Sales needs to be able to build a strong sales team. If they haven’t successfully hired and managed 2-3 top reps before, they’re probably not ready for the role. 7. Full-Stack Sales Leaders Are Rare Finding a VP who can do everything from outbound to closing is rare. Ensure they have experience in the key areas you need—whether it’s managing partnerships, direct sales, or outbound. 8. Be Careful with Process-Heavy Candidates Some VPs are great at managing processes but don’t want to sell. Don’t hire someone who’s more focused on building systems than getting in front of customers and closing deals. 9. Don’t Settle for Mediocre Hiring the wrong VP of Sales can set you back an entire year. It’s better to keep looking than to settle for someone who doesn’t fully align with your vision. 10. Trust Your Gut If you’re not 100% confident in your VP of Sales hire, keep searching. The right person will be someone you believe in fully—and they’ll have the ambition to drive your company’s growth. Hiring the right VP of Sales is one of the toughest decisions a SaaS founder will make, but it’s also one of the most important. #SaaStr #SalesLeadership #GoToMarket #BusinessGrowth #SaaStrAnnual24

Are you in the process of hiring for sales roles? A quick Linkedin search for various forms of Account Executives and BDM’s gives me 623 job posts in Ireland, 9749 in the UK and 2482 in Sweden.  So you are not alone! Hiring the wrong sales people can be a significant setback for any startup or SME. Mis-hires are costly not only due to the direct financial impact of their salaries and training but also because of the lost revenue potential and the time it takes to correct hiring mistakes. The right salespeople are more than just quota meet-ers; they understand and embody your company's vision and values, effectively bridging the gap between what you offer and your customers. They are your company's frontline warriors, turning potential leads into loyal customers and transforming challenges into growth opportunities. When expanding your team, it's crucial to look beyond mere qualifications. Assess candidates for their alignment with your company's culture, their drive for success, and their potential to contribute meaningfully. Sometimes, the best candidates are those who might not tick all the traditional boxes but bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that propel your company forward. Remember, the foundation of growth starts with the people you hire. Invest time and effort in assembling a sales team that not only drives your business's expansion but also shares and enhances your vision. I work closely with Start-Ups and SMEs to ensure they have an effective Revenue Engine! 🚀✅ Let's make sure your first hires are the right ones, setting your business up for lasting success. #hiring #sales #startups #fractional

Hiring your first Sales Leader? Here's how to find your Sales Unicorn 🦄 Your hunt for the perfect CRO/VP Sales feels like searching for a unicorn. Imagine this - You're a founder, You're on an all-consuming quest to find someone who can 👉 💰 Sell the product 📑 Document what works 🤨 Interview reps and leaders 📈 Hire and Onboard those reps 🛠️ Build the revenue operations out. 💸Continuously sell their team on the vision. 📢 Coach their reps to all of the above, and.... 😎 Be great at all the above one for it to work. It's hard. 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙤? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘤𝘶𝘵. The unicorn logo on the resume. Aha. If they did it there, than they can do it here. You're outsourcing the research, assuming the last company got it right. 𝗚𝗮𝘀𝗽. 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 Now it's 7 months later and you're on the unicorn hunt again. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙. Throw the Unicorns Sales Checklist away 🗑️ Unicorns aren't born from a checklist. 🚫 ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ 🚫 They exist in the places you least expect. You have to do the work, be creative in your search and know.... 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠! Does this mean it's nearly impossible to hire a great early sales leader? Are we setting our expectations too high? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 👇👇👇👇 *** 𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦.

Is your company's growth stalled because your sales team wears too many hats? Most of the companies I work with have been built on the passion and drive of a charismatic founder. The sales “process” was simply to free up as much of the founder’s time to spend with prospects and watch them magically convert. But they quickly realize that if all sales has to go through them it puts a lid on company growth. So, they start building a sales team, but I have seen many make this mistake: they hire people for sales and… There are many versions of the “And” - Sales and marketing - Sales and social media - Sales and design - Sales and fulfillment - Sales and… They’re still hiring as if they’re the small, scrappy startup, asking their people to play multiple roles. There’s just one problem: building a sales team for the first time is hard work. If you don’t do it the right way – by documenting a clear sales process, identifying your ideal customer, laying out the expected daily activity, painting a clear picture of success, managing and coaching – the first sales people you hire will struggle. And if they struggle at sales, they’ll be more likely to spend time on the “And.” People naturally want to spend their time on things that are succeeding. So, they’ll subconsciously find a need to post something on Facebook rather than make the next uncertain sales call. One of my clients who made it through the adolescent phase and is now more than $200 million in annual revenue said that the biggest growth in the company came when they started hiring to plan and not to need. They had plateaued at around $10 million for more than a decade and had always been hiring for their current need, waiting until everyone was overwhelmed. It was only when they began to hire people that they wouldn’t need for 3-6 months that growth took off. Resist the temptation to hire sales and… Hire them for a sales role they can grow into over a few months. Do the hard work of setting them up for success and coach them so they can help you succeed. If you want to drive better results by setting up a sales team for success, reach out to see if I can help. #sales #hiring #success

Hiring your first Sales Leader? Here's how to find your Sales Unicorn 🦄 Your hunt for the perfect CRO/VP Sales feels like searching for a unicorn. Imagine this - You're a founder, You're on an all-consuming quest to find someone who can 👉 💰 Sell the product 📑 Document what works 🤨 Interview reps and leaders 📈 Hire and Onboard those reps 🛠️ Build the revenue operations out. 💸Continuously sell their team on the vision. 📢 Coach their reps to all of the above, and.... 😎 Be great at all the above one for it to work. It's hard. 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙤? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘤𝘶𝘵. The unicorn logo on the resume. Aha. If they did it there, than they can do it here. You're outsourcing the research, assuming the last company got it right. 𝗚𝗮𝘀𝗽. 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 Now it's 7 months later and you're on the unicorn hunt again. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙. Throw the Unicorns Sales Checklist away 🗑️ Unicorns aren't born from a checklist. 🚫 ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ 🚫 They exist in the places you least expect. You have to do the work, be creative in your search and know.... 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠! Does this mean it's nearly impossible to hire a great early sales leader? Are we setting our expectations too high? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 👇👇👇👇 *** 𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦.