Use this script for hiring that first VP of Sales. It works.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ready to hire your first VP Sales? But haven\u2019t done it before? Let me give you a partial interview checklist that may help a bit. You\u2019ll have to vary it for different types of SaaS businesses \u2014 a bit. But it will basically work for all SaaS companies from, say, $200k in ARR to $10m in ARR or so \u2014 a wide range. (After that, you\u2019ll probably be looking for a different type of VP Sales. We\u2019ll get there in our next and final VP Sales post.)<\/p>\n Before we get there, as a reminder, I strongly recommend you hire 1-2 sales reps (ideally 2) before you hire a VP Sales, at a minimum. And make them successful first. So you can practice what you preach, and know of what you are hiring. And also to get big enough so a VP Sales can actually help, not hinder you. More here in our prior VP Sales posts: When You Hire Your First Sales Rep \u2014 Just Make Sure You Hire Two<\/a> and here: What a Great VP Sales Actually Does. Where The Magic Is. And When to Hire One.<\/a><\/p>\n Now if you are ready, but haven\u2019t done it before in SaaS, here are 10 good screening questions<\/b> to see if you have a real VP, Sales candidate in hand \u2014 or not. These questions mostly don\u2019t have right or wrong answers, but will help you determine the quality and fit of the candidates:<\/p>\n 1. How big a team do you think we need right now, given what you know?<\/b> (If he\/she can\u2019t answer \u2014 right or wrong \u2014 pass).<\/p>\n 2. What deal sizes have you sold to, on average and range? <\/b>(If it\u2019s not a similar fit to you, probably pass. If he\/she can\u2019t answer fluidly, pass).<\/p>\n 3. Tell me about the teams you\u2019ve directly managed, and how you built them<\/b>. (If he\/she can\u2019t describe how they built a team \u2014 pass. 50% of the job of VP of Sales is recruiting).<\/p>\n 4. What sales tools have you used and what works for you? What hasn\u2019t worked well?<\/b> (If they don\u2019t understand sales tools, they aren\u2019t hands-on enough for your stage).<\/p>\n 5. Who do you know right now that would join you on our sales team?<\/b> (All good candidates should have a few in mind). Tell me about them, by background, if not name.<\/p>\n 6. How should sales and customer success work together?<\/b> (This will ferret out how well he\/she understands the true customer lifecycle).<\/p>\n 7. Tell me about deals you\u2019ve lost to competitors.<\/b> What\u2019s going to be key in our space about winning vs. competitors?<\/p>\n 8. How do you deal with FUD in the marketplace?<\/b> (This will ferret out if they know how to compete \u2014 or not).<\/p>\n 9. Do you work with sales engineers and sales support? If so, what role do they need to play at this stage when capital is finite?<\/b> (This will ferret out if he\/she can play at an early-stage SaaS start-up successfully \u2014 and if he knows how to scale once you scale).<\/p>\n 10. What will my revenues look like 120 days after I hire you?<\/b> (Have him\/her explain to you what will happen. There\u2019s no correct answer. But there are many wrong<\/em> answers).<\/p>\n 11. How should sales and marketing work together at our phase?<\/b> (This will ferret out if he understands lead generation and how to work a lead funnel. Believe it or not, most candidates don\u2019t understand this unless they were really a VP Sales before).<\/p>\n 12. What would you do your first 2 weeks on the job? Really listen here<\/strong>. Listen if they say unprompted that they\u2019ll go visit customers \u2014 that\u2019s great. That\u2019s what you want. And if all they talk about is process? Dashboards? You\u2019re not ready for that hire. You may never be ready in fact. So many candidates you talk to will talk about nothing but process, not customers to start. Don\u2019t hire those ones.<\/p>\n 13. Should the VP of Sales sell themselves when they start? Listen here, also. Really listen<\/strong>. Look, your VP of Sales can\u2019t be a quota-carrying rep forever. But these days, so many VPs of Sales \u2026 don\u2019t really want to sell anymore. So you\u2019ve got to listen and here and see if they still want to. If they don\u2019t want to sell, but just manage \u2014 you don\u2019t want that hire. Not these days. Not when so many folks are burnt around, and just want to tell others what to do. And not do it themselves.<\/p>\n These questions aren\u2019t magic. None of them are particularly insightful or profound in isolation. In fact, hopefully they are kind of obvious. But what they will do, is they will create a dialogue<\/strong>. From them, you\u2019ll be able to determine: (x) if this candidate is for real, or not, (y) if this candidate can really be a true VP, a leader, a manager \u2014 or not \u2014 and take you to the next level \u2014 or not, and (z) if the candidate is a good fit for your company and space in particular.<\/p>\n Your VP Sales needs to be smarter than you in sales, sales processes, and building and scaling a sales team.<\/p>\nIf any of the answers aren\u2019t good enough, trust me, just pass. If any don\u2019t make sense, pass. And if you know more about any of these questions than the candidate does \u2014 pass. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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