What's your framework to prioritizing needs/deliverables when you're the first sales leader at a company establishing the function?

When you are the first sales leader at a company establishing the function, you're going to constantly battle the demands on your time. Personally, I tend to use a mixure of the Eisenhower Matrix combined with ruthless diligence of writing down my Top 3 priorities for the quarter, the week, and the day.  By being able to quickly take stock of my Top 3 priorities across each of those 3 time horizons, I can quickly determine the importance of other asks as they relate to those priorities. Unless t ...Read More

As the first GTM hire and sales leader at Vanta, hitting our weekly revenue target was the absolute most important thing that I could do for myself, for the company, and for my CEO. Yes, you read that correctly, I had a weekly revenue target that I had to hit (and that we exceeded on a weekly basis for the first few years). Why weekly? I think it came from some YC guidance. :) If you're taking on a first sales leader role where there are literally no sellers, it's critical that you first roll up ...Read More

Fantastic question. As the first sales leader at a company, you’re essentially laying the foundation while also focusing on driving growth...which means prioritization is everything. A framework should then help you to balance what drives revenue now with what sets up repeatability and scalability later. Here’s an approach I've taken in the past that may prove helpful: 1. Anchor to the goals of the business Confirm and clarify the company revenue/sales objectives for the next 12–18 months (e.g., ...Read More

#1 Need = REVENUE. Never forget that. Do everything in your power to exceed your number, everything comes after that. When you're the first sales leader at a company you're wearing multiple hats and you're under a ton of pressure. You need to get to know your team, what makes them tick, why they joined the company in the first place, what records have they set or broken and what will get them to do that again. Do you know their dog's name? What do they do on the weekend? How do they celebrate a ...Read More

When you’re the first sales leader at a company, establishing the function from scratch can be daunting. Here’s how I approach prioritizing needs and deliverables: Leverage Existing Assets: Build on Experience: Over the course of my career, I’ve created a "treasure chest" of value assets, including quarterly business reviews, value engineering tools, first call decks, sales process templates, and more. I keep these in an off-brand format so that when I join a new company, I can quickly adapt the ...Read More

When establishing the sales function as the first sales leader at a company, it's essential to prioritise needs and deliverables effectively to lay a strong foundation for future success. Here's a framework to help you prioritise: Understand Business Goals: Gain a deep understanding of the company's overall business goals and objectives. Align sales strategies and priorities with these goals to ensure coherence and effectiveness. Assess Market and Competition: Conduct thorough market research to ...Read More