I’ve shared what a new sales leader should focus on. But what can you expect from a new sales leader?

In an early-stage startup, it can be hard to know what to expect from a new sales leader you bring in from the outside. And while I hate to say, “It depends,”…well, it depends.

A “startup” can be a pre-revenue, zero-customer company. It can be several years old, with thousands of customers and tens of millions in MRR.

Sometimes, “startup” is a mindset embodied by a modern company, no matter its age and revenue.

Also, there are different types of “new” sales leaders—new to your company or new to sales leadership? Because that makes a difference as well.

So, yes….what you can expect from a new sales leader in a start-up environment does actually depend.

Hiring sales management is one of the most important things we do as entrepreneurs, especially when that hire comes from outside of your organization (as they usually do at some point). Sometimes, a new sales manager comes in, instantly makes an impact, knows exactly what to do and where to focus, and is a clear fit for your company. When that happens, you never look back and wonder, “Did I hire the right person?”.

But sales is a tricky profession, and sometimes there are more gray areas than we want. A new sales leader comes in, and some things are going well while others aren’t as great as you would like them to be.

In my experience, gray areas are never good with new leadership. A new sales leader is either a win or they aren’t, and deep down, you know it almost instantly. The same goes for any new salesperson as well, actually.

In that way, assessing sales employees—whether SDR, AE, manager, or director of VP—really should be the same. When someone gives us doubt or seems not quite right…we agonize over whether we should keep them. But really, shouldn’t it all just come down to results at the end of the day?

That said…let’s get back to the original question. What can you expect from a new sales manager in a startup environment? Here’s a quick list of what any “new” sales leader should be focused on, assuming they are stepping in to lead a team:

• Hiring plan & recruiting: Creating a hiring strategy/plan and then hiring the right people based on the plan.
• Comp planning: Creating a compensation strategy/quota that incentivizes and retains their team.
• Managing: & coaching A start-up sales leader needs to spend a lot of time with their team and be very hands-on. The significant focus should be on managing, coaching, supporting, and co-selling with their team in the early days.
• Culture: Creating the right culture for recruiting, retention and results. A culture that emphasizes learning, flexibility, accountability, and agility will be very important in the startup phase.
• Documentation and process: Early on, you don’t want a sales manager to be too in the weeds on documentation and process, but you do want some focus on this. As the team scales, you need effective rep onboarding and predictability. That can’t happen without documentation in a sales playbook.

More than anything, you want a startup sales manager to deeply understand your ideal customer profile, your buyer, your product, your differentiation, and your value proposition. They may help you define these, depending on your stage, if they aren’t already defined.

A startup sales manager should be focused on selling, customer acquisition, and building a team. It’s easy to get distracted by other things and not focus on the hard work of landing customers and building a team.

I think it’s easy to spot the new sales leaders who are going to make an impact versus those who aren’t. Don’t hold on to a wrong-fit sales leader.

So, what can you expect?