Dear SaaStr: What Are Your Top 3 Pieces of Advice for a Young, First Time VP of Sales? I’m Just Turning 30
A few top mistakes I see with first-time stretch VPs of Sales.
1. Don’t lower the bar on hiring.
The clock may be ticking to get some AEs and SDRs in the door, but you are still better off making sure whomever you hire is truly strong enough. Way too many first time VPs of Sales I see make check-the-box hires — often because they aren’t sure they are senior enough to attract top talent. But then those hires often perform worse than the handful of existing reps.
2. As you scale, hire managers better than you. And often more experienced.
If you want to scale past 18-24 months as a VP of Sales, you are probably going to have to hire a few managers under you that know more than you, and are arguably “better”. But if you don’t, you won’t be able to scale.
3. Be positive but honest with the CEO
Way too many VPs of Sales, first time and 10th time, overpromise to the CEO. It only makes things worse. Be positive but transparent. If the CEO doesn’t have your back — then at least you know.
More here:
How to Succeed as a First-Time VP of Sales. Or Just a First-Time VP in General. (Updated)
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Jason Lemkin, Khareem Sudlow
