VP of Sales search
We take on retained VP of Sales searches for companies that need a leader to hire, coach and manage a sales team to a reliable number. You meet candidates who have sold at your price point, through your channel and in a motion that looks like yours.
The VP of Sales role and its market
A VP of Sales runs the sales team. That covers hiring and coaching sales managers and reps, designing territories, setting quotas, building the compensation plan with finance, running forecast calls and defining the sales process from first meeting to signed contract. Most report to the CEO, a CRO or a Chief Commercial Officer. In a founder-led company the VP of Sales is often the first person to take the number from the founder, which means writing down a playbook that until now lived in one person's head. In a larger business the role may cover one region, segment or product line, with several directors underneath.
Fit with the sales motion decides most of these searches. Inside and field selling, transactional and enterprise deals, channel and direct sales each need different habits, and a leader who excelled in one often struggles in another. Price point matters too: running a team that closes small deals in a few weeks has little in common with managing nine-month cycles involving procurement, legal and a buying committee. Companies also go wrong by hiring their best rep's manager from a much larger company, where marketing, enablement and operations did work the new hire will now have to do alone. We pin down motion, deal size and support structure in the brief and screen hard against them.
What sets a strong VP of Sales apart
Each of these can be tested in interview or through references before an offer.
- Same motion, same price point
- Has led a team selling at a similar deal size and cycle length through the same channel. Their CRM reports or former managers confirm the numbers.
- Reps who hit quota
- Can tell you how many of their reps reached plan in recent years and what they changed for the ones who did not.
- Built a team from hiring
- Recruited a large share of their own team and can describe the profile, interview process and ramp time they used.
- Honest forecasting
- Former CEOs or CROs describe their forecasts as dependable, including calling a miss early.
How we assess VP of Sales candidates
Each candidate is interviewed by your CEO or CRO and one or two other leaders, such as the CFO or head of marketing, using the same structured questions on team building, pipeline management and process. We follow with a working session: the candidate reviews a sample of your pipeline and compensation plan and explains where deals are likely to stall and what they would change in the first quarter. Some companies also ask for a short mock coaching conversation with a rep scenario. References come from managers they reported to, reps and managers they led and, where possible, peers in marketing or finance. Claims about team attainment and growth are checked directly.
What shapes VP of Sales compensation
VP of Sales compensation is weighted toward variable pay. A base salary is paired with commission or bonus on team bookings or revenue, often paid monthly or quarterly, with accelerators above plan. Long-term incentives depend on ownership: stock options or RSUs at venture-backed and public companies, management equity at private equity-backed ones, and sometimes none in smaller family-owned businesses. The size of the team, the revenue target, the sales motion and location all shift the range, and candidates will ask about how quotas are set and how commission caps work. We agree the plan structure and range with you or your compensation committee before the search begins.
Other revenue and marketing searches
Hiring a VP of Sales: common questions
Should our first VP of Sales come from a large company or a startup?
That depends on what support they will have. Leaders from large companies are used to marketing, enablement and operations teams; if you lack those, look for someone who has built a team with less help. We test this directly in interviews.
How long does a VP of Sales search take?
A retained search for this role commonly takes a few months from brief to accepted offer. It depends on your sales motion, location and how confidential the search is. Candidates often want to collect commission or bonus earned before moving, which can shape the start date.
How do you judge a sales leader's track record?
We ask for specific figures on team attainment, growth and rep turnover, then check them with former managers, finance leaders and people who reported to the candidate. Matching motion and deal size count as heavily as the headline numbers.
Do we need a VP of Sales if we already have a CRO?
Often yes, once a company has several sales teams or regions. The CRO owns the full revenue line and strategy, while the VP of Sales runs day-to-day selling and the managers. We define how the two roles divide work before the search.
Discuss your VP of Sales search
Send the title, the reporting line, the ownership of the business and when you need the person in place. We will reply to set up a call about the brief.
Prefer email? Write to info@executivesearchfirms.org.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.