Great VPs of Sales move fast: network hires and deal immersion in week one

The Gist

• Jason Lemkin claims you can spot a great VP of Sales within 30 days, not 90
• Top performers bring 2-4 network hires immediately and dive into critical deals
• Databricks' CRO scaled from $1M to $3B ARR by leveraging his Cloudera/IBM network
• Rippling's early sales team was built entirely from employee #5's network

• Great VPs of Sales make critical hires and decisions within the first week, while mediocre VPs delay action and focus on process over execution.
• Top sales leaders constantly cultivate their network to ensure they can bring in 2-4 high-performing sales execs immediately upon joining a new company.
• Underperforming sales reps rarely improve and should be addressed within the first 30 days to prevent pipeline and morale issues.
• Great VPs immerse themselves in active deals within the first two weeks to identify and fix sales process issues, rather than focusing on strategy sessions.
• By day 30, the difference between a great and mediocre VP of Sales becomes evident through team morale, pipeline movement, and talent retention.
• Process without trust is ineffective; great VPs build trust first through decisive action, while mediocre VPs focus on process documentation early.

• Hire a VP of Sales who has a proven network of 2-4 high-performing sales reps ready to join immediately.
• Ensure the new VP of Sales conducts 1-on-1 meetings with top performers in the first week to assess and retain talent.
• Direct the VP of Sales to immerse in active deals within the first two weeks to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
• Evaluate the VP of Sales's impact by day 30, focusing on team morale, pipeline movement, and talent retention.

• 20-30% of pipeline (Losing a top sales rep can result in losing 20-30% of the pipeline and negatively impact team morale.)
• 2-4 great sales execs (A great VP of Sales brings in 2-4 high-performing sales executives within the first week.)
• 30 days (Underperformers should be addressed within 30 days to prevent long-term damage.)