As a founder, owner, CEO, or board member, you define your needs: the goals you want to accomplish, the specifics of your sales structure, the nature of your product, the target markets, etc. …and there is most definitely someone out there who has done that before. The perfect match is bringing their experience into your organization!
Read MoreThere is a lot out there: advice from founders and investors, stories of unicorns, tools and services that claim to guarantee success, ultimate tips and steps, … Starting, growing, and succeeding with a startup is complex and has a multitude of aspects.
Read MoreSometimes they are flexible, maybe even adjusting to your availability. And there are what I would label “best practices” in Business Development for a fractional executive that, in the end, allow building a pipeline.
Read MoreThe ratio between those two is a balancing act, one that does determine whether the solopreneur is successful and their practice survives. But is there an ideal ratio, an ideal amount of time to spend on Business Development?
Read MoreWhat needs to be different when you interview a candidate for a fractional executive role, like a Fractional VP of Sales or Fractional CRO? They are hired for a specific task, period of time, or interim role. Interview for the skills required to complete those shorter-term goals; everything else is gravy.
Read MoreFrequently, when speaking with startup founders, I hear the comment, “we are not ready for a sales leader.” The reasoning provided includes lack of funds (“we need to generate some revenue first”), a sequence in hiring (“we are busy hiring AEs and SDRs”), or delays in product development (“the product is not ready for primetime”).
Read MoreIn a recent conversation with a founder, she shared that it was important to her that certain positions like her VP of Sales be W2's employees, given the confidential business info they would know and have access to. Are W2 employees better at keeping proprietary business information confidential than 1099 contractors?
Read MoreFrom a legal perspective, when you work with an independent contractor, you relinquish control over how, when, and where they do their work. Though, when work is about outcomes and results, isn’t controlling the how, when, and where control for the sake of control?
Read MoreHalf of those hired in from the outside turn out to be unsuccessful. That is a staggering statistic, and from a sales leadership perspective completely in line with other stats frequently quoted: a 2.5-year average tenure of a sales leader and only 1.5 years for the first VP of Sales a company hires.
Read MoreThe OECD defines a scaleup company as a company having an average annualized return of at least 20% in the past three years with at least ten employees at the beginning of the period.
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