How to Hire a Startup VP Sales: 16 Traits to Look For
Few positions are as pivotal to the success of your startup as the Vice President of Sales (VP of Sales). This powerhouse doesn’t just drive revenue growth; they are instrumental in shaping your startup’s sales strategies, facilitating business expansion, and is crucial for cultivating and sustaining a high-performing sales team.
But here’s the burning question: what does it really take for a new VP of Sales hire to truly shine in this role?
You might think you’re searching for a sharp candidate with VP of Sales experience, but what you really need are all the skills, subtleties, and qualities of someone who can bring your vision to life, provide invaluable insights, and fuel remarkable organizational growth.
To ensure that founders, CEOs, and decision-makers discover and onboard the perfect leader for their startup sales team (and dodge the expensive pitfalls of a bad hire), they need to look no further than this list of VP Sales startup traits.
What Kind of VP of Sales Does Your Startup Need?
Not all VPs of Sales are created equal. Each candidate brings different experiences, strengths, and VP of Sales characteristics.
So, what kind of VP of Sales does your startup (really) need? First, it’s important to understand VP Sales startup traits with respect to something we like to call “superpowers.”
Most VPs of Sales are like superheroes with special powers. At Avenue Talent Partners, we believe in uncovering these “superpowers” before evaluating their VP of Sales traits.
Why, you ask? Picture this: you come across a candidate who ticks off all your boxes but lacks the specific experience your business desperately craves. They might be amazing, but it’s in the wrong area.
And guess what? They become one of the 70% of executive hires who crash and burn within 18 months. That’s why it’s crucial to pinpoint the exact kind of VP of Sales you need before diving into the hiring process.
Here are the four superpower categories Doug Landis—a dear friend of ours—says most VPs fall under.
Deal Management
VPs in this category are all about being where the action of the deal is. They’re relentless about the power of a pipeline and know the details like the back of their hands. They embrace being on the front lines with the customer to determine what it takes to get a deal across the finish line.
If your team struggles with creating meaningful pipelines or getting customers to sign on the dotted line, finding a VP of Sales in this category may be a good fit.
Process Management
VPs with process management superpowers are hyper-focused on improving how things get accomplished. They’re usually organized with lists and spreadsheets, leaning into iteration to improve efficiency.
VPs in this category can be helpful if you lack certain systems or want to improve your current ones.
Company Management
Company management VPs are phenomenal communicators who focus their efforts on big-picture tasks. They’re skillful at setting expectations and managing progress up, down, and across the organization. They also know what pieces of data to focus on.
These VPs are master hypothesizers, and you can find them testing their theories to find what works, all while prioritizing your startup’s goals.
Culture Management
Culture management VPs prioritize building a loyal team that’s excited, motivated, and committed. They have a knack for galvanizing people and creating a culture so worthwhile that people follow them wherever they go.
VPs with this superpower command an audience and are known for their personality. They love to talk to people and engage, often making them particularly capable of wooing investors.
Matching VP Sales Superpowers to Your Startup’s Needs
Now that you know all about the VP Sales startup superpowers, it’s time to match them with the specific needs of your startup.
Start by evaluating your startup. What current stage is it at, what are its challenges, and what are its goals? Then, determine what superpower aligns with your various business needs. For example, if your startup lacks some systems, you might prioritize a Head of Sales focused on process management.
Once you’ve narrowed down and honed in on your specific needs, it’s time to focus on the specific VP of Sales traits to look for.
16 Traits to Look for in a VP of Sales for Your Startup
We’ve identified the top 16 traits that will help you fill the gaps in your team and achieve your business goals. While it’s unlikely to find a candidate with all 16 traits, ranking them based on importance will help you identify the most critical traits for your startup. Then, you can add this list to your VP of Sales hiring scorecard.
With that in mind, here are the top 16 traits to look for in a VP of Sales for your startup.
1. Alignment with Mission
One of the most important things a sales leader needs to do is align and identify with your company’s mission. This VP of Sales will fight for it, won’t give up, and instill this passion and drive in others.
Candidates can boast any number of impressive VP of sales skills for startups, but without genuine mission alignment, they’re likely to jump ship at the first sign of a challenge.
2. Multidimensional Skillset
Many VPs of Sales will fall under one overarching experience category. But, the best hires have multidimensional skill sets, making them capable of adjusting and adapting quickly. This trait is incredibly helpful for startups, which often lack the resources to hire all the necessary people for full-time roles.
Someone possessing this trait can jump into whatever whenever they’re needed.
3. Balanced Growth Mindset
Your VP of Sales should be excited about growth—but not “at any cost.” In fact, you should be wary of candidates who seem too eager for growth.
For example, if they close too many deals too fast or deals that are simply too large for your team to handle, it can strain operations. If someone keeps angling for a larger bonus and higher ARR but doesn’t care about the fallout, they’re not a right fit.
Instead, seek candidates who have what we like to call a balanced growth mindset. These potential hires want to help you grow but strategically and carefully approach how it’s done.
4. Resilience
The startup ecosystem is unstable and can often feel like a rollercoaster full of ups and downs. Your first VP of Sales needs to be resilient enough to enjoy the peaks and withstand the challenges.
Resiliency is particularly crucial in sales when your team experiences one “no” after another. Your VP needs to help them overcome this rejection so they can quickly move on.
5. People-First Focus
While your VP of Sales might focus on processes or company management, they can’t lose sight of taking care of their people along the way. When VPs have a people-first focus, they act as a coach, making team members feel supported enough to excel in their roles and hit sales goals.
Keep in mind that VPs without a people-first focus make turnover in your sales department more likely because it’s more difficult to work under them.
6. Expertise in Setting Expectations
A top-performing VP of Sales must easily break down high-level, big-picture views and goals into manageable steps for their team to tackle. These VPs have expertise in setting expectations, and they set their team up for success by creating realistic, attainable goals. At the same time, they create appropriately challenging targets so people don’t get complacent or bored.
7. Learner’s Mindset
Having a learner’s mindset is one of the top qualities of a successful VP of Sales. Candidates who are lifelong learners are willing to continuously expand their skills and knowledge, educating themselves on how to improve and learning from mistakes (instead of repeating them).
8. Accountability
Your VP of Sales should have the discipline to hold themselves and their sales organization to high standards. Someone who excels in sales leadership in startups should take transparent ownership of efforts and outcomes and be experts at holding their team members accountable for their actions.
9. Stress Management
Stress management is essential when it comes to leadership traits for startups and executives. Executive positions are taxing, with research showing us that 55% of leaders report high or extreme stress levels, given all the high-pressure situations to handle. This allows them to maintain composure and work through just about any situation.
10. Strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence is often cited as one of the most critical workplace skills, with data revealing that 90% of top performers have above-average emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) constitutes the ability to practice self-control and self-awareness while expressing emotions and empathizing with others.
This trait comes in handy when working with salespeople, especially when it comes to empathy and self-awareness after they face tough, consistent rejections.
11. Preparation and Homework
Your VP of Sales shouldn’t be flying by the seat of their pants. They should prepare for things (not just their interview) and do their research before taking action, demonstrating continual readiness.
While this trait can be tough to gauge, you can ask candidates questions to see how well they researched your brand story, product, service, or industry.
12. Active Listening
Active listening is another essential trait. Instead of just listening to what people are saying, active listening refers to someone fully engaging with a speaker and understanding their message.
Being able to actively listen goes a long way in sales. It’s also a necessary component for building relationships and fostering empathy.
13. Talent Management
Your VP must know how to hire, onboard, support, and retain team members. While interviewing VP Sales candidates, ensure they understand how to execute these processes and can discuss these skills.
14. Data-Driven Decision-Making
Does your candidate know how to track metrics and KPIs and then leverage that data during decision-making? When they do, they make more intelligent decisions based on concrete facts.
15. Strategic Thinking
For startup sales management, you need an innovative VP who can take charge, not someone who waits around for constant instruction. When a candidate can strategize, they’ll be independent, goal-oriented, and an effective VP of Sales for startups.
16. Cross-Functional Collaboration
Your VP of Sales won’t work in a silo, and they can’t have a mentality that it’s “sales against the world.” Instead, they need to understand that your company functions in an ecosystem, and success requires building and implementing plans to encourage wins across the organization.
In general, look for candidates comfortable working across departments to pursue organizational success (with marketing, for example).
How to Create a Scorecard for VP Sales Interviews
When hiring a VP of Sales, you can use a sales interview hiring scorecard to objectively assess candidates. We developed this tool to empower you to evaluate candidates equally based on unbiased standards and qualifications.
Here’s how you can create a VP Sales startup scorecard to guide your hiring process.
1. Rank VP Sales Traits
First, determine which traits are most important to your startup, ranking them in order of importance. You can refer to the list above for inspiration or use additional traits that your organization prioritized to outline your ideal startup VP of Sales qualities.
2. Assign Weight to Each Trait
Then, assign different “weights” to each so that when you’re scoring, the more important traits will count more.
3. Create Questions to Assess Traits
Lastly, create questions to assess if a candidate possesses the traits you need. Link each question to specific traits to help you objectively assess each candidate. Assign each candidate a score in each trait to see how they stack up against one another.
How Do You Find the Right VP of Sales for Your Startup?
Finding the right VP of Sales for early-stage startups remains a huge undertaking with significant (read: very costly) ramifications. While knowing the traits to look for can help guide your search, it might not be enough to help you cross the finish line with your perfect hire. Some founders just get blessed with all kinds of superpowers besides hiring.
That’s why founders and startups turn to us at ATP (Avenue Talent Partners, of course).
ATP is a boutique executive recruiting firm specializing in startups in their early stages—particularly for sales and customer success (CS) roles. Our proven track record delivers high-quality, personalized recruitment services through a hands-on approach. For startups looking to take the guesswork out of hiring, we’ll help you bring on “the one”—the right VP of Sales or other role for your startup.
Ready to find the perfect VP of Sales for your startup? Drop us a line, and let Avenue Talent Partners make it happen!
