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How to Transition From Founder-Led Sales to Your First Sales ...
saastr.com
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Founders are often the best salespeople early on because they know the product inside-out, they’re passionate, and customers love talking to the CEO. You need to close your first 10-20 customers yourself to deeply understand the sales process, objections, and what resonates with buyers. This is non-negotiable—even if you hate sales. “You need to at least prove deals can be closed before you bring in anyone to close more of them.” 2. Hire Two Sales Reps To Start, Not One. And Get Them Both Hitting a Basic, Sustainable Quota Before You Hire a Head of Sales.
Founders are often the best salespeople early on because they know the product inside-out, they’re passionate, and customers love talking to the CEO. You need to close your first 10-20 customers yourself to deeply understand the sales process, objections, and what resonates with buyers. This is non-negotiable—even if you hate sales. “If you jump too early, you risk hiring sales reps who flounder because the process isn’t defined yet.” 2. Hire Two Sales Reps To Start, Not One. And Get Them Both Hitting a Basic, Sustainable Quota Before You Hire a Head of Sales.
9. Stay Deeply Involved “Even after transitioning day-to-day sales, founders have to stay close to the process.” 10. You Never Get the Time Back. Don’t Expect To.
Founders are often the best salespeople early on because they know the product inside-out, they’re passionate, and customers love talking to the CEO. You need to close your first 10-20 customers yourself to deeply understand the sales process, objections, and what resonates with buyers. This is non-negotiable—even if you hate sales. “But after closing 10-20 customers yourself, it’s time to get help to scale and start hiring your first 2 sales execs.” 2. Hire Two Sales Reps To Start, Not One. And Get Them Both Hitting a Basic, Sustainable Quota Before You Hire a Head of Sales.
Founders are often the best salespeople early on because they know the product inside-out, they’re passionate, and customers love talking to the CEO. You need to close your first 10-20 customers yourself to deeply understand the sales process, objections, and what resonates with buyers. This is non-negotiable—even if you hate sales. “The transition typically happens when you hit ~$1M ARR or so or when you can no longer handle the volume of leads yourself.” 2. Hire Two Sales Reps To Start, Not One. And Get Them Both Hitting a Basic, Sustainable Quota Before You Hire a Head of Sales.
10. You Never Get the Time Back. Don’t Expect To. “Assume you spend just as much time in sales & with prospects and customers after you build a sales team as before.” The transition from founder-led sales to a commissioned team is a pivotal moment in scaling your business. Done right to ensure alignment, check in regularly with your sales leader to review progress, challenges, and opportunities. If they’re hitting their numbers and building a strong team, give them room to run. If not, address issues quickly before they snowball.
10. You Never Get the Time Back. Don’t Expect To. “Your time will just change to more of a “middler” than an opener and a closer.” The transition from founder-led sales to a commissioned team is a pivotal moment in scaling your business. Done right to ensure alignment, check in regularly with your sales leader to review progress, challenges, and opportunities. If they’re hitting their numbers and building a strong team, give them room to run. If not, address issues quickly before they snowball.