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Three Steps to Sales Talent Management for New VPs of Sales

  • Writer: Mike Pinkel
    Mike Pinkel
  • Apr 16
  • 2 min read


Probably half of startup VPs of sales fail in their first year. The reason isn't what you think. It's not about hiring the wrong VP of Sales -- it's about how founders and VPs work together!


The biggest opportunity for better collaboration is talent management.


It should be a relay race. The sprinting founder hands off a baton to a VP of Sales who is already running too. The VP of Sales sprints to the finish and we all celebrate.


Too often, the founder walks over to the VP of Sales and hands over a big bag of....


Why can't VPs of Sales get a running start after they join?


They're stuck doing basic talent assessment when they should be scaling the team.


They can't tell what reps are good because nobody has gathered the right data.


How do we fix this?


First, founders build a proper talent assessment BEFORE the VP starts:

  • Create a spreadsheet with 12 months of revenue by rep

  • Gather cleaned pipeline data for the next two quarters

  • Collect three demo recordings from EVERY rep from the last month (no cherry-picking their best calls - and nowhere to hide for folks trying to fly below the radar)


Second, the VP of Sales uses that data to make decisions in the first month - not the first quarter or first half:

  • They give low performers a written PIP that specifies revenue, pipeline, and skill development targets for the next two months

  • It’s time for them to move on if they miss on any of these three

  • If HR tries to insert more requirements before exiting someone, the founder puts a stop to that


Third, the VP of Sales designs hiring process that finds hidden gems:

  • Skip the obsession with years of experience - great people want to join your startup for the upside, not to make a lateral move!

  • Run real sales simulations instead of just checking resumes

  • Test communication skills with rapid-fire objection handling

  • Make candidates actually sell your product (with a proper pitch deck)


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If you liked this article, have a look at our piece on the Hidden-Gem Hiring Process to see how to select great sales reps. You can also check out the P.S.I. Selling Content Page for more insights on sales communication, strategy, and leadership.


Want to build a sales process that proves value and a team that can execute? Get in touch.


For more about the author, check out Mike's bio.

 
 
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