Swipe Right-VP Sales edition

CEO: How do I find a resilient sales leader who can really deliver growth? 

I have heard this question a lot lately. The current squeeze on capital has elongated buying cycles and made sales targets harder to meet. Sales leaders are under pressure, and many CEOs and investors wonder if they have the right person to lead their growth efforts.

My first question is, “Did you hire the right person from the start?”  I was recently reminded of this oldie but goodie: The 48 Types of VP Sales. Make Deadly Sure You Hire the Right One." https://lnkd.in/eM9Syc2u

Ten years later, its categorization of VP Sales archetypes is still pretty dead-on. If you haven’t read it in a while, do yourself a favor and start your VP Sales assessment there. 

However, there is a new wrinkle for intrepid sales leaders and the good people who hire them. The rise and proliferation of AI are changing market dynamics faster than some product teams can keep up. It is more likely than ever that even more mature growth companies will have lapses in product-market fit while PMs and engineers add features or evolve products as the pace of change increases. 

In this scenario, CEOs need a resilient sales leader with whom they have a mutually trusting relationship.  Because this is what they might hear:

“The forecast is light because we don’t have a great product market fit right now.” 

Now, “The product isn’t up to par” is a legendary excuse for underperformance, right up there with “Our prices are too high” and “We don’t have enough leads.” 

But sometimes it’s true. 

A resilient sales leader holds hands with the product team, builds trust and empathy with colleagues, and helps define the roadmap, all while searching for creative ways to sell in the meantime. 

You’ll hear. “We have alignment on where the product needs to go, and I trust the product and engineering department will deliver it.  This is my plan to fill the gap, and here’s what help I need.”

If this isn’t what you are hearing from your VP Sales when the pipeline is sluggish during a time of product evolution, you might have the wrong person.   Conversely, if you have the right person but downplay their credible product feedback as an “excuse” thinking it will drive them to better performance, you risk losing a good growth partner.