Jody Chandler’s Post

When to hire the first salesperson or sales leader in your B2B startup? Many founders either don't love selling, get tired of or frustrated from selling, or think that they need to spend their time elsewhere. So the temptation to hire that salesperson is there, often from early stages. However, one of the founder's critical early roles is to figure out the sales approach and a somewhat repeatable and predictable model, so that it can be successfully handed off to others. And I find that far too often, they hire and hand off selling before that's clear enough. Where I've landed with my advice to founders: "When selling is so easy for you that it's boring* in how repeatable and predictable it is for you, then it's time to start hiring others. Great salespeople want something that is repeatable and known, and the easier the better, so you'll get great ones and set them up for success that way." *I've seen very capable founders that can sell most customers because their expertise lets them tailor their approach and solution on the fly, serving more as a bespoke problem-solver than creating a repeatable sale. And that can be fun, even if it doesn't scale so well. So boring is an intentional description to try to solve for that, too.

Founders need to act like a sales leader until ready to hire one. This helps drive accountability and urgency. It can be too easy to let things slip into next month. As a bonus it helps know what skillsets to look for when the time is right. There is lots to do when it comes to building a repeatable sales team and loads that only a seasoned sales leader will be able to implement. But one of the quick wins are knowing your data and the metrics you need to track daily/weekly/monthly. I’ve advised lots of founders that a good first step to acting like a sales leader is setting up the right internal sales cadence to help stay on track. Running: - Daily sales stand ups - Weekly 121’s - Weekly pipeline reviews - End of month reviews - Quarterly kick offs All these help move the needle every day and start and start to build the basis of a sales function. What would your advice be to a founder who needs act like a sales leader?

3 Key Strategies to Quicker Hiring With a Bench of Sales Talent

Hiring your first SDRs or AEs? Hire in pairs. Here's why... 1/ Competition: When two people start together, the natural competition pushes both to excel. This allows both reps to feed off each other and improve their efforts. 2/ Collaboration: Sales is as much about collaboration as it is about individual achievement. Pairs learn from each other and share strategies, which will enable your sales process to improve much faster. 3/ Risk Mitigation: The unfortunate reality is not every hire pans out. By hiring in pairs, you safeguard your team's progress and momentum, ensuring one setback doesn't derail your operations. Building a sales team is a big investment. By hiring in pairs, you're not just filling seats, you're strategically positioning your team for success.

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever been in a situation where you feel trapped by a top performer that's become toxic?  One who's making demands, issuing threats, and killing the culture of your team?  I recently had a client who was struggling with this very problem, and it broke my heart to see the pain and fear they were experiencing.  But let me tell you something, there is a solution. 👉 Always. Be. Recruiting. Are you only hiring when you lose a sales rep or need to replace one? That's not enough. You must always be recruiting.  That means having a constant pipeline of candidates, even if you don't believe you're ready to hire. And when you use a science-based instrument, like our sales strengths identifier, you're at an advantage.  Always be on the lookout for top sales talent. Don't wait until you're in a crisis to start looking! 💡 Did this advice leave you shocked?!  Let us know in the comments below! . . . . #ultimategrowth #nealtricarico #sales #salestraining #salescoach #salescoaching #clienttransformation #customeracquisition

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Whoaaa what's with all the chatter on LinkedIn about whether or not the SDR function is dying? I've seen instances of it working very well and going south. And I don't agree when others say that it's definitely dying or even here to stay. I think the main thing here is really just accountability. AEs and/or managers shouldn't put all the blame on SDRs if their pipeline is running dry. And if you're planning to hire SDRs just because your AEs are struggling to carve out time to prospect, maybe it's time to find out what the cause of that struggle is. Are they're all over the place doing things outside of their scope such as customer support and operations? Do they have a clear idea of who they're selling to and what are they selling? These questions sound basic but you'll be surprised by the answers if you really spend time speaking to the AEs (and not leadership).

Early on, I was making the mistake of hiring eager instead of experienced salespeople. I thought all I need is a someone who is hungry and then I could teach them how to sell. I was wrong. It would take me 3 months to onboard new sales reps because I was in love with my training process. Now I recruit experienced talent. Instead of training how to sell, now I train for how our product adds value. Two very different things. Today, I get new sales rep hires up to speed within 2 weeks. The difference is night and day with this one small mindset change to hiring.

Hiring the right sales leader? It's more than just asking the right questions... 1.) Be laser-specific about job expectations. Don't just sell the benefits and the title, detail the daily grind. 2.) Attitude and body language can speak volumes. They're not just there to look good - they're there to perform. 3.) The questions they ask matter. Are they just after the paycheck or do they actually care about your processes and culture? 4.) Speedy follow-up is key. Don't leave your potential hires hanging, and remember, courtesy goes a long way. 5.) Train your new hires. Onboarding is crucial, even for the experienced ones. Keep them updated and compliant. Hiring isn't a one-size-fits-all game. It's about finding the right fit for your unique sales process. #medicalmanufacturing #medicaldevice #medtech #hiringnow

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