Field Notes
Where Sales Strategy Meets People Strategy
Practical, research-backed lessons on hiring salespeople and sales leaders, paying them well, and keeping the good ones.
How to Assess a VP of Sales Candidate Beyond the Numbers
A VP of Sales candidate's quota history tells you they could sell. It doesn't tell you they can lead. Here's what an executive assessment should cover, what the research says works, and what to watch in Ontario.
How to Hire Your First VP of Sales (Without Betting the Company on a Title)
Your first senior sales hire is the one you cannot afford to get wrong, and it is usually the one chosen on the thinnest process.
What Does a VP of Sales Actually Do?
If the honest answer is "sells the big deals himself," you did not hire a VP of Sales. You gave your best closer a raise and a new business card.
VP of Sales vs Sales Director vs Sales Manager: Which Sales Leader Do You Actually Need?
The three titles get used as if they mean the same thing. On a payroll run and an org chart, they very much do not.
When Should You Hire a VP of Sales?
Most owners ask this too late, and a few ask it about five years too early. Here is how to read the signals instead of the revenue line.