A leader's resume lists titles and companies. It does not show how much influence the person really had. This is what I look at before I present a CRO or a VP of Sales.
The hard decisions of the last 24 months
I ask each leader to share, precisely, the big and hard decisions they had to make over the past twenty four months. Why they made them, the rationale behind each one and the results they got. It tells you their real influence.
Tenure
I look at tenure first. There is a saying that CROs either last eighteen months or four years. A leader with only short stints has to come in with very compelling stories. Every very successful CRO or VP of Sales has those long roles where they can explain, with substance, how they were able to be so successful.
The numbers I ask for first
- Revenue when they joined.
- Revenue when they left.
- How they got from one to the other.
If a leader cannot give them, I ask why. We deal with numbers in this business.
Team results, not personal ones
A leader is not supposed to carry a quota, so I do not look at personal numbers. I look at what the team did under them:
- How they moved up market.
- A new product they launched.
- A new geography they opened.
- Any other initiative they took.
- How they streamlined the sales approach.
- How they rolled out a new sales methodology.
The mistake leaders make most
The number one mistake is to sound braggadocious and pull the credit toward themselves instead of their team. The leaders who last talk about what the team built.
What to hand a recruiter in the first conversation
- A TrackRec record that the people who worked with them have verified.
- Letters of recommendation.
- A couple of investors I can call, people they worked with in the past.
How they treat the recruiter
I also look at how a leader handles communication with me. Every time we have placed very senior people, the ones who make it to the end use us to the maximum and try to get as much information as possible. They see us as a partner and an ally who can help them cross the finish line.
For what leaders are paid, see the sales salary guide. For how any seller can put numbers on the record, see How do I prove my sales track record and quota attainment to a recruiter?
Happy hunting.
