kzmt

Founder

Advise on first Sales/BizDev hiring

Hey everyone, first time poster. If this is not the appropriate forum, please let me know.

I need some advise on what type of Salesperson/Bizdev person should we hire.

Here is our situation:

- We get some inbound leads from AppExchange, Salesforce's Marketplace - but our conversion could be better with someone who is more sales oriented.

- We sell to a technical audience for data security/privacy, and are very comfortable with deep technical discussions.

- We believe that we need a combination of a BDR and an AE.

- We are very comfortable playing the SE role to a Sales person. And Marketing/doing webinars, outreach as needed.

- We do have a remote BDR and some Sales/Bizdev support. Also, our Marketing is reasonably competitive.

What type of Sales person would make a good first hire? And what would be a decent offer to hire one?

Given the economy, and our bootstrapped roots, we want to hire someone who can deliver results (and preferably is paid a higher commission and a lower base). Is that a reasonable ask?

Background:

We are fully bootstrapped Salesforce data security and privacy product startup. We have been in business for about 4 years and have sold to some pretty big enterprises.

Both me and my co-founder are technical, but have played the Sales/Bizdev and Marketing role with help of some consultants and Sales coaches.

Feel free to message me directly if this is of interest.

Thanks.

😄 Job Hiring

☁️ Software Tech

7

22 comments

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Pachacuti

Politicker

6

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I wouldn’t hire another SDR. You don’t need that for inbound.

I would look for someone who wants to make the switch from SE to 100% Sales. If they are teachable and personable, that could be a good fit.

kzmt

Fire Starter

1

Founder

Thanks for sharing your perspective. We think we can help with the SE part. Would it make sense to find someone who brings a lot more of qualifying and closing skills?

Would someone looking to switch from an SDR/BDR to AE make more sense?

Pachacuti

Politicker

3

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

When I call into a place I want the person I’m talking to to be very knowledgeable. I don’t need someone to “sell” me.

So again, my 2cents is to look at someone with the technical background to help me when I first reach out, regardless of your ability to support, would be a better hire than an SDR/AE type, based on what you presented above.

3

Sales And Marketing Specialist

Your specific question... "what kind of a person should I hire" is pretty interesting. Are you planning on doing any outside analysis of this person? Doing any additional assessments in your hiring process to make sure they are really a fit for your team, your company, your role? Cuz in my experience you can hire somebody that SAYS all the right things, and they may or may not work out... or you can add a simple set of assessments to your hiring process to ENSURE you are hiring the right person. Do this to ensure the hire is a good fit long term...

kzmt

Fire Starter

1

Founder

Thanks @Bradley Koettel. Yes, once we figure out what type of skills and comp, we will come up with a hiring criteria. I totally agree with you that lots of people talk the talk but are actually pretty lousy when it comes to selling. I have run across a few such myself.

Is there any particular criteria that comes to your mind?

1

Sales And Marketing Specialist

I always recommend running communication style assessments for sales team. You can figure out pretty quickly how well the individual will communicate with your team and your prospects and help identify any areas that might be difficult. There are tons of assessments you can look into but you'll want to give them your entire team to identify what is and isn't working for your specific environment and then hire accordingly. Ping me if you want a bigger list of what we use...

braintank

Politicker

2

Enterprise Account Executive

Can I do it part time?

kzmt

Fire Starter

2

Founder

@braintank I am open to a part time person. Perhaps a good way to evaluate for both parties. Message me if interested.

bravadoben

Executive

3

Head of Revenue

@kzmtBravado can help! We've helped tons of non-GTM founders make their first sales hire(s), be it through advice/lessons learned, full-time hiring, or expert advisors. DM'd you!

oldcloser

Arsonist

1

💀

I’ll do the other part.

kzmt

Fire Starter

1

Founder

@oldcloser Did you mean the selling part, or the evaluation part? I am certainly open to chat.

oldcloser

Arsonist

1

💀

I'm going to speak for @braintank and myself here. He's capable of chiming in afterward should he feel differently. This platform is part community, part recruitment firm. Bravado's revenue model depends on candidate placement. So, with that said, I'd like to remain on this site and call in @gasty for the best way forward.

I always welcome dialogue. Just need to play by the rules here.

kzmt

Fire Starter

2

Founder

Thanks for letting me know @oldcloser. I am mostly here as a someone who would rather do tech stuff but had to sell - so o have found this platform useful to get a better sense of selling and related challenges. I certainly appreciate what the platform provides and will play by the rules. Point well taken :)

oldcloser

Arsonist

2

💀

I like your style. And Bravado will keep a person sane in many cases. Let's get a reply and see what it takes to lift the gate.

oldcloser

Arsonist

2

💀

If your inbound is coming from the tech trades. Good on you for finding a groove. I know you feel comfortable fielding the leads, but I have yet to meet a dev opps or engineer type with true sales blood. You’ll likely be thrilled with the result should you find a real fit.

Comp is directly correlated to deal size. So- can’t answer with data provided. Otherwise, someone with command of the tech vocab you require and a few solid years of proven ability to close deals.

kzmt

Fire Starter

1

Founder

Thanks @oldcloser I have no doubt that we are not good at Sales. Actually, I would say that I am below average.

And that’s where this question is coming from. We need to scale up, and want to bring someone with a lot sharper sales and Bizdev skills - but I just don’t know what type of skills, and how much to budget for.

Our deal size ranges from 10K to 100k. Does that help in suggesting a comp range and the type of person we should be looking to hire?

Maximas

Tycoon

2

Senior Sales Executive

Agree with your vision,gotta be the AE and the BDR that would definitely assist with the stated tasks!

kzmt

Fire Starter

1

Founder

Thanks @maximas I think so too.

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

Welcome bud.

CPTAmerica

Opinionated

2

President/CRO

If it were me I’d hire someone with closing/AE experience that is entrepreneurial. Ideal values would be integrity, curiosity, and ambition.

Take your time. Don’t let a recruiter pressure you into hiring someone you’re not sold on. If you can afford it bring in a consultant to help.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

2

🦊

Take your time, but not too much time. 😉

CPTAmerica

Opinionated

1

President/CRO

Spoken like a recruiter 😂

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