You have taken the first step and launched your startup. Now you are looking to focus on growth to bring in new customers and increase sales. However, how do you know you are ready to commit to a dedicated salesperson full-time? Unfortunately, this question doesn’t have a straight answer. Whether you are ready to hire a salesperson or not depends on several situational factors affecting your business. But here are some signals you are ready to make a sales hire.
When You Have A Product-Market Fit
Before hiring sales reps, it’s crucial to establish if people love or want your product and that the large market will make your business viable. If you do not have the demand for your product in its current form, getting a salesperson may exhaust your resources. Insead, use those resources to focus on marketing, design and upgrading your product to meet the market demand before bringing on sales talent.
When You Have At Least 10 Clients
When you have more than ten clients, then it’s clear people are willing to buy your product and engage your business. Moreover, it also shows that you have started to build an effective sales process and have established buying personas. Ten clients isn’t a definitive factor, but it’s a good place to start to hire sales reps for your team. You should also consider other factors in your business to make the final decisions.
When You Have A Lead Generation Strategy
If you have leads coming in but trouble keeping up with the volume, you will know you need a salesperson. However, before you hire sales reps, it’s vital to have a strategy for generating inbound and cold leads. Inbound leads are the ones generated through inbound marketing efforts, such as marketing campaigns and tradeshows / events. On the other hand, cold leads are the ones generated through data-building efforts and manual prospecting, often by the sales person or a business development representative.
There isn’t a shortcut when recruiting salespeople, and you shouldn’t wait too long to hire. First, however, you must plan and prepare for the costs and ensure you have a productive path the reps will follow. This will ensure you maintain a productive startup.
