Vollardian’s Post

I’ve been the first sales hire 2x. Here are 4 things i've learned: 1. Impact from Day One: In an early-stage startup, every single employee plays a crucial role in shaping the company's direction and success. In Sales, your contributions will directly impact the company's growth trajectory, making your work feel incredibly meaningful and rewarding. 2. Unmatched Learning Experience: A startup environment means wearing multiple hats and being exposed to various aspects of the business. You'll not only hone your sales skills but also gain invaluable insights into product, marketing, and overall business operations. 3. Rapid Career Progression: In a startup, ton of opportunities for growth and advancement. With hard work, dedication, and a hunger for learning, you can quickly climb the ranks and take on leadership roles. 4. Ownership and Autonomy: Unlike larger companies, where processes are rigid and have red tape, you have more autonomy and freedom to execute ideas. You'll be able to take ownership of your projects, experiment with new ideas, and make decisions that directly impact your success. What do you think the cons are? Comment below 👇

🧠People often think salespeople always make more money than others, right? The truth is, it depends, and the stress is always the same. ✔️ Many companies believe hiring salespeople will solve all their revenue problems, but this isn’t true. If you’re joining an early-stage sales team, it can be quite hard to make big money, I did twice :) ✔️For early-stage startups, hiring salespeople might be risky for cash flow. If you don’t have any clients and are trying to gain traction, it might not be a good time to hire a sales rep. When you do hire a rep, the best way to make their job easier is to provide them with some case studies. ✔️If you don’t have any examples and expect the rep to bring in clients without having any experience with your product, it will take a long time. You should show them: here are a few clients, this is how I reached out to them, and these are the problems they faced. This way, you can find similar prospects. ✔️I’ve talked with many early-stage founders who expected me to bring their first clients or asked me if they should hire a sales rep. ✔️Remember, guys you need to figure out the right time to hire sales rep If you don't have branding or some social proof but expecting sales rep to bring leads in competiton market that will be not easy. #saassales #saasgrowth #sdrs #coldemail #sales

Being a sales leader at an early-stage startup isn't for everyone. I shared a post last week about more people wanting to be careered AEs; many sales leaders reached out, saying how much the post resonated. Here are my 15 learnings from being a VP Sales: 1. It’s a tough gig. 2. It can be a lonely place. 3. The number is on your head. 4. You have a short period of time to make an impact. 5. VCs will constantly be questioning if you are the right hire. 6. You need to know your data. 7. You are always interviewing. 8. Managing people isn’t always fun. 9. Always communicate bad news quickly. 10. Your peer network is super important. 11. Cross-collaboration with the SLT is vital. 12. Know how to manage up. 13. Get access to detailed metrics at the interview stage is key. 14. Only go to leadership if you really love helping people. 15. You can earn more most of the time as a seasoned individual contributor. Personally I loved the strategic nature of the role and am findings the learnings super valuable building Cosmic Partners!

We recently met with 3 founders who laid off their sales teams after less than 6 months. Here’s where they went wrong: They decided to build their team from the bottom-up — instead of hiring an experienced leader, they saved money by investing in cheap talent (rookie content marketers, first-time SDRs). The problem: Most founders don’t have the time or sales/marketing experience to train cheap talent. Now their staff has no idea how to do their job and aren’t receiving adequate support. The solution: Hire 1 expert to grow the team. It can be a VP of Sales and/or Marketing. Let them bring in a few big accounts on their own + build out the systems. After there’s some success, slowly expand. Here’s how to GTM if you’re a startup founder: https://lnkd.in/gPgaNbFC

I've been the first sales hire or sales leader at a few startups in my career. It's always the same song and dance. Figure out the ICP, the messaging, the tech stack, the sales stages - OH and by the way - you need to sell too. You could almost say it takes a bit of a Unicrn to be able to do all that. This was literally the conversation that Chris Ray, Zach Walker and I had when I was considering bringing Revenue Rocket on at my last spot. How do I juggle everything organizational AND sell all at the same time. The story resonated so much that I decided to jump on board the rocket ship. What happens once that rocket ship blasts off? A rebrand. Today we launch Unicrn Now you CAN get that Unicrn salesperson. But why stop at 1? Instead, you can get the best sales leader, AE, SDR and Rev Ops, all in 1. So if you're looking to hire your first sales leader, expand your sales dev org or figure out your tech stack, hit me up - would love to chat about it. Big thanks to my daughter's Unicorn for posing with me for my new profile pic.

Experience the Power of a Diverse Community! At Sales HQ, diversity isn't just a buzzword – it's our driving force. Picture this: your desk neighbor could be a seasoned Chief Revenue Officer, while across the room sits a serial entrepreneur fresh off their latest startup success. Our community is a melting pot of talent, from enterprise account executives to scrappy startup founders, and everything in between. But it's not just about the impressive resumes. It's about the wealth of experiences and perspectives that come with them. Imagine the possibilities when a SaaS startup founder swaps insights with a SaaS CRO, or when a sales influencer shares tips with an unemployed account executive looking to make their next move. It's these spontaneous conversations and coffee catch-ups that spark innovation and drive success. Take, for instance, the story of one of our own who was laid off his first week as a member. Instead of feeling lost, he found comfort from our community. With the support of fellow members, including one of the area's top sales recruiters, he's now actively pursuing new opportunities with confidence. But the benefits extend beyond job hunts. Deal collaboration is thriving within our walls, with members sharing valuable insights and connections to unlock new opportunities and drive deal momentum. Whether it's navigating complex F500 accounts or uncovering hidden opportunities, the power of our diverse community is undeniable. These are just a few examples of the magic happening at Sales HQ every day. So, if you're ready to experience the power of community-driven success, join us at Sales HQ. Together, we're rewriting the playbook on what it means to thrive in sales. #PowerOfCommunity

Hiring a VP of Sales first? Think again. 🤔 But, do you truly have product-market fit? How to really know in 3 steps: ➡️ Dive Deep with Customers: Before you even think of selling, talk to 50-100 customers. Real validation comes when they're eager to buy, not just willing to listen. ➡️ Focus on Product First: A sales VP thrives on a product that's ready. Without product-market fit, their skills are underutilized, leading to frustration and wasted resources. ➡️ Hire a Product-Savvy Individual: Opt for someone who understands the product and can gather technical feedback from potential customers. This approach not only saves time but also ensures you're building something customers actually want. The journey to product-market fit is critical. It's not just about having a good product, it's about having a product that's essential. Aim for that 85% fit before scaling your sales efforts. #Startup #Growth #ProductMarketFit #StrategicHiring

Are you a startup ready to skyrocket your sales, or a sales professional looking for exciting new gigs? At Go Sell Me, we connect forward-thinking businesses with top-tier sales talent to create winning partnerships! For Startups: Post your products, list your requirements, and connect with experienced sales reps eager to help you scale. For Sales Reps: Find the perfect gig, leverage your skills, and partner with businesses that need your expertise. Choose opportunities that align with your passion and experience! Why Go Sell Me? Hassle-free platform to match businesses and sellers Diverse opportunities across multiple industries Flexible, results-driven, and growth-focused

Transitioning from founder-led sales is easy. Founders: My 5 steps to building your first sales team. 1. Create your GTM motion 2. Clearly define your ICPs and target personas 3. Master founder led sales 4. Build your first sales playbook (document everything) 5. Hire excellent founding sales people I speak to a lot of SaaS founders who have been doing sales themselves and want to quickly hire a sales person or sales team. But transitioning from founder-led sales isn’t as easy as just hiring a salesperson and pointing them in the vague direction of prospects. It needs process. And expertise in knowing who to hire and and when. The key point I always reiterate is, don’t starting hiring until you’ve completed the first 4 steps. You’ll just increase the likelihood of mishiring and all of the opportunity cost that comes with it. #sales #founders p.s the transition is only easy when you do these well!

As a founder, one of the biggest inflection points is transitioning from doing all the selling yourself to building out a dedicated sales team. Get the timing and approach wrong, and it can set you back. Get it right, and it can supercharge your growth. We recently chatted with Roi Ravhon, Co-Founder and CEO of Finout, about making this critical transition. Roi shared his firsthand experiences hiring Finout's first VP of Sales in the U.S. and scaling the go-to-market team from there. Here are 3 key lessons that stood out: 1️⃣ Prioritize "builders" over "scalers" in early sales hires When making those first sales leadership hires, favor candidates who will roll up their sleeves, get into the trenches, and lead by example. As Roi put it, "We value people who can prove themselves, then build a team, then start to grow together with us." 2️⃣ Spend as much time as possible with new sales leaders   Don't just hire your VP of Sales and then disappear. Roi emphasized: "You need to work very, very closely with that person. You need to share the same vision. You need to share the load." He made it a priority to be in the same room as their new sales leader frequently during this transition. 3️⃣ Leverage founder sales experience to shape your transition process When transitioning from founder-led to team-led sales, your early experiences are invaluable. Roi stressed leveraging those insights, saying: "We spent many, many, many hours talking about what we're selling, how we're selling, what's our differentiation." Use that knowledge to mold your sales process. Whether you're navigating this transition currently or looking ahead to it, there's a wealth of wisdom in Roi's experiences. The full recording also covers topics like integrating distributed teams and entering the U.S. market. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ep95YFjW