PREPARING FOR GROWTH It’s time for your first Sales hire
by Darryll Gillard
T here comes a time in the growth of your business when you must hire someone to look after Sales. And that’s scary. Likely, you haven’t hired a salesperson before. Even more likely you’ve met or know some salespeople that you would never hire. But you already know you can’t keep looking after customers and the company alone. There are only 24 hours in a day, and if you are like most founders, you have absolutely no more hours to give. So here we are. You are going to take the plunge and hire someone full-time to sell to your clients. The first decision you can make is a simple one. Is there someone already on your team who gets on with clients, is passionate about their success, and is comfortable talking to new people? If you have that combination in your team already, sound
them out about Sales. Funnily enough, that’s how I got my first sales job, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (ok, the UK!) I was a project manager looking after software implementation projects for a small tech company. The Head of Sales saw the relationships I built with customers, and how much I cared about them getting the best out of their software and offered me a job on his team (And I absolutely said no at first, but that’s a story for another day!) Most start-ups won’t necessarily have that person in their team already. So, you are going to have to bring in someone new. At first many try to hire the most experienced and senior person they can in Sales. This is often a mistake. You think you are getting someone who can do it all. Build a pipeline, close a deal, build your Sales process, and strategize for the future. And maybe
When was the last time you learned something new?
52 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 25 ISSUE 1
BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 53
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