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Sales Leadership Recruiting

 

Sales Recruiting / Sales Leadership Recruiting

 

SALES LEADERSHIP RECRUITING

The VP or CRO who actually builds revenue.

We recruit Directors, VPs of Sales, and Chief Revenue Officers assessed on team attainment records, revenue org build experience, and the real circumstances behind every departure, promotion, and plan change.

Team Attainment

Individual quota means nothing for a VP. We look at team attainment records, rep performance distribution, and how the org performed relative to plan under their leadership.

Build vs. Inherit

Managing an established team is not the same as building one. We distinguish leaders who have recruited, ramped, and scaled revenue orgs from those who inherited working machines.

Departure Circumstances

Leadership departures are rarely voluntary for the reason stated. We investigate the real circumstances — missed plan, board changes, product pivots — before a candidate reaches your process.

Motion Ownership

PLG, direct enterprise, channel, and product-led motions require different leadership instincts. We assess whether the candidate’s operating history matches your revenue model.

THE SALES LEADERSHIP HIRING REALITY

A VP hire is the most consequential sales decision you make.

A wrong VP of Sales costs 18–24 months of momentum. The ramp, the first missed plan, the rep turnover, the board conversation, the re-hire. No single decision in a revenue org carries more downstream risk.

Most sales leadership candidates look good on paper. They’ve been in the right seats, managed large teams, and can tell a compelling growth story. The job is to figure out what they actually built vs. what they inherited, what the board version of the story is, and whether their operating instincts match your stage and motion.

We conduct structured reference calls with boards, CEOs, and direct reports — not just the references the candidate controls. We verify team attainment, plan changes, departure circumstances, and whether the success story holds up under examination.

WHAT WE ASSESS

→

Team quota attainment % and rep performance distribution under their leadership

→

Revenue org build experience: hiring, ramping, and structuring teams from scratch

→

Plan changes and whether performance was achieved in a favorable or difficult environment

→

Real departure circumstances — validated through board and CEO references

→

Revenue motion fit: their operating history vs. your specific growth model

→

Stage fit: their experience at your ARR / team size / growth rate

THE AXE LEADERSHIP SEARCH FRAMEWORK

Six stages. Every search. No shortcuts.

Built for high-stakes leadership searches where a wrong hire costs more than a year of revenue momentum.

01

Search Intake

We define the role: stage, team size, revenue motion, reporting structure, board expectations, compensation range, and what’s driven the last two leadership searches. Context shapes everything.

02

Candidate Profile

We define the ideal operating background: stage, motion, org size, deal complexity, and whether you need a builder, a scaler, or a stabilizer. The profile drives the target list.

03

Market Mapping

We build a targeted search universe from VPs and CROs at comparable-stage, comparable-motion companies — then validate who’s genuinely open, not just LinkedIn-visible.

04

Leadership Assessment

Structured evaluation of team attainment, org build history, plan performance, departure context, motion fit, and stage fit. We validate the story before you invest interview time.

05

Reference Investigation

We speak with boards, CEOs, direct reports, and peers — not just the references submitted. We ask specifically about plan attainment, team health, departure circumstances, and leadership credibility.

06

Offer & Close

We manage the offer, competing process risk, and close. VP and CRO candidates evaluate total comp, equity, board relationship, and growth trajectory — not just base salary.

LEADERSHIP ROLES WE RECRUIT

Every leadership role has a different profile.

The criteria for a first VP of Sales at a Series A are not the criteria for a CRO at a $30M ARR company preparing for a growth round. We define the right profile before the search begins.

First VP of Sales

A builder who can set process, hire the first reps, define the playbook, and carry quota simultaneously — while reporting directly to a founder who has never managed a VP before.

Series A–B, pre-process, 0–5 rep orgs

Scaling VP of Sales

A leader who can take a working motion and scale headcount, processes, and performance across multiple teams, segments, or geographies without breaking what’s already working.

Series B–C, 5–30 rep orgs, post-PMF

Chief Revenue Officer

Owns the full revenue architecture — sales, marketing alignment, customer success, and revenue operations. Accountable to the board for net new ARR and overall revenue trajectory.

Series C+, $10M–$100M+ ARR, board-level accountability

Regional VP / Director

A leader responsible for a specific territory, vertical, or market segment — building teams, hitting regional plan, and operating as a scaled extension of the central revenue org.

Enterprise, multi-region, geographic expansion

VP of Business Development

A leader who owns strategic partnerships, channel relationships, and alliance-sourced revenue — operating alongside the direct sales motion with separate accountability and targets.

Partner-led, channel-heavy, or ecosystem-driven growth

Head of Sales Development

Leads the SDR/BDR function — responsible for pipeline generation strategy, team performance, sequence optimization, and the handoff quality that drives AE productivity.

Pipeline-led organizations, high-volume SDR teams

ENGAGEMENT MODEL

Retained or subscription. Built for the stakes of the role.

Sales leadership searches require dedicated capacity, proactive outreach, and the willingness to disqualify candidates that look right on the surface. We match the engagement model to the urgency and stakes of the role.

Retained Search

For VP of Sales or CRO searches where the stakes are high and speed matters. Dedicated recruiter, structured search process, market mapping and reference investigation included.

Monthly Subscription

For companies running multiple leadership searches in parallel — Regional VP, Director of Sales, Head of SDR — alongside individual contributor hiring. Fixed monthly engagement, unlimited searches.

Revenue Org Build

For companies building the full revenue leadership stack — CRO, VP of Sales, Regional Directors, and IC pipeline — under a single coordinated search strategy.

Looking to Hire?

 

Sales Recruiting / Sales Leadership Recruiting

 

SALES LEADERSHIP RECRUITING

The VP or CRO who actually builds revenue.

We recruit Directors, VPs of Sales, and Chief Revenue Officers assessed on team attainment records, revenue org build experience, and the real circumstances behind every departure, promotion, and plan change.

Team Attainment

Individual quota means nothing for a VP. We look at team attainment records, rep performance distribution, and how the org performed relative to plan under their leadership.

Build vs. Inherit

Managing an established team is not the same as building one. We distinguish leaders who have recruited, ramped, and scaled revenue orgs from those who inherited working machines.

Departure Circumstances

Leadership departures are rarely voluntary for the reason stated. We investigate the real circumstances — missed plan, board changes, product pivots — before a candidate reaches your process.

Motion Ownership

PLG, direct enterprise, channel, and product-led motions require different leadership instincts. We assess whether the candidate’s operating history matches your revenue model.

THE SALES LEADERSHIP HIRING REALITY

A VP hire is the most consequential sales decision you make.

A wrong VP of Sales costs 18–24 months of momentum. The ramp, the first missed plan, the rep turnover, the board conversation, the re-hire. No single decision in a revenue org carries more downstream risk.

Most sales leadership candidates look good on paper. They’ve been in the right seats, managed large teams, and can tell a compelling growth story. The job is to figure out what they actually built vs. what they inherited, what the board version of the story is, and whether their operating instincts match your stage and motion.

We conduct structured reference calls with boards, CEOs, and direct reports — not just the references the candidate controls. We verify team attainment, plan changes, departure circumstances, and whether the success story holds up under examination.

WHAT WE ASSESS

→

Team quota attainment % and rep performance distribution under their leadership

→

Revenue org build experience: hiring, ramping, and structuring teams from scratch

→

Plan changes and whether performance was achieved in a favorable or difficult environment

→

Real departure circumstances — validated through board and CEO references

→

Revenue motion fit: their operating history vs. your specific growth model

→

Stage fit: their experience at your ARR / team size / growth rate

THE AXE LEADERSHIP SEARCH FRAMEWORK

Six stages. Every search. No shortcuts.

Built for high-stakes leadership searches where a wrong hire costs more than a year of revenue momentum.

01

Search Intake

We define the role: stage, team size, revenue motion, reporting structure, board expectations, compensation range, and what’s driven the last two leadership searches. Context shapes everything.

02

Candidate Profile

We define the ideal operating background: stage, motion, org size, deal complexity, and whether you need a builder, a scaler, or a stabilizer. The profile drives the target list.

03

Market Mapping

We build a targeted search universe from VPs and CROs at comparable-stage, comparable-motion companies — then validate who’s genuinely open, not just LinkedIn-visible.

04

Leadership Assessment

Structured evaluation of team attainment, org build history, plan performance, departure context, motion fit, and stage fit. We validate the story before you invest interview time.

05

Reference Investigation

We speak with boards, CEOs, direct reports, and peers — not just the references submitted. We ask specifically about plan attainment, team health, departure circumstances, and leadership credibility.

06

Offer & Close

We manage the offer, competing process risk, and close. VP and CRO candidates evaluate total comp, equity, board relationship, and growth trajectory — not just base salary.

LEADERSHIP ROLES WE RECRUIT

Every leadership role has a different profile.

The criteria for a first VP of Sales at a Series A are not the criteria for a CRO at a $30M ARR company preparing for a growth round. We define the right profile before the search begins.

First VP of Sales

A builder who can set process, hire the first reps, define the playbook, and carry quota simultaneously — while reporting directly to a founder who has never managed a VP before.

Series A–B, pre-process, 0–5 rep orgs

Scaling VP of Sales

A leader who can take a working motion and scale headcount, processes, and performance across multiple teams, segments, or geographies without breaking what’s already working.

Series B–C, 5–30 rep orgs, post-PMF

Chief Revenue Officer

Owns the full revenue architecture — sales, marketing alignment, customer success, and revenue operations. Accountable to the board for net new ARR and overall revenue trajectory.

Series C+, $10M–$100M+ ARR, board-level accountability

Regional VP / Director

A leader responsible for a specific territory, vertical, or market segment — building teams, hitting regional plan, and operating as a scaled extension of the central revenue org.

Enterprise, multi-region, geographic expansion

VP of Business Development

A leader who owns strategic partnerships, channel relationships, and alliance-sourced revenue — operating alongside the direct sales motion with separate accountability and targets.

Partner-led, channel-heavy, or ecosystem-driven growth

Head of Sales Development

Leads the SDR/BDR function — responsible for pipeline generation strategy, team performance, sequence optimization, and the handoff quality that drives AE productivity.

Pipeline-led organizations, high-volume SDR teams

ENGAGEMENT MODEL

Retained or subscription. Built for the stakes of the role.

Sales leadership searches require dedicated capacity, proactive outreach, and the willingness to disqualify candidates that look right on the surface. We match the engagement model to the urgency and stakes of the role.

Retained Search

For VP of Sales or CRO searches where the stakes are high and speed matters. Dedicated recruiter, structured search process, market mapping and reference investigation included.

Monthly Subscription

For companies running multiple leadership searches in parallel — Regional VP, Director of Sales, Head of SDR — alongside individual contributor hiring. Fixed monthly engagement, unlimited searches.

Revenue Org Build

For companies building the full revenue leadership stack — CRO, VP of Sales, Regional Directors, and IC pipeline — under a single coordinated search strategy.