Hiring the Right Sales Guy

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One of the big mistakes start up entrepreneurs make is hiring the wrong sales guy. Sales guys come in many flavors. Here are a few prime examples:

Super Sales Guy—lone wolf; hunts off his LinkedIn/Rolodex connections; has the ability to sell really big deals by himself, sometimes oversells; often creates delivery issues due to little staff and specialist involvement

C Level Sales Opener Guy—similar to above, except is best at opening C level doors and bringing in the right tech resources to close the deal; better on integrated selling and delivery than the super sales guy; often has issues with below C-level guys who influence purchase decisions in a company (thinks they are beneath him)

Hunter/Gatherer Guy— goes on a focused hunt, catches the prey and brings it back for the family to eat; tends to get caught up in delivery, leaving a revenue gap when his/her project nears an end.

So what's the best type of sales guy for a start up?  To be honest, none of the above. The founders are the best sales guys, supported by the correct marketing and sales support technology, processes and people. They know their solutions and vision best and should be the one who lead the charge in the marketplace.

Instead of hiring a very expensive super sales guy, for example, use your board members to get introductions at target customers.  That's a prime role for board members and should be a key criteria in choosing them. Want C-Level introductions? Try cold calling at 8am in the morning when the C-levels get in early to check their emails. Need a group of specialists to sell the solution?  Assemble the team from current employees to make the pitch. Everyone should be a sales person in a start up.

Comments

[David Snelson]

Very interesting types and I agree with your conclusions completely Dave. A good read!

Hope you had a good Christmas and Happy New Year to you.

[Errol Forkner]

David is spot on right!

The CEO/President needs to have/share great passion for how his/her companies capabilities solve customer problems. Capturing that passion and instilling it into the marketing and sales guys/gals is where a greater reach/coverage is achieved. Once the initial sales have happened, then the Billie May axiom of letting people know about a product/service that really works is the next step in selling.

Common sense approaches are the best!