Build the team

Hire, ramp and pay GTM people so the engine runs without you in every deal.

What founders use for build the team, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. The counterweight: the POSist co-founder on what to do when your product genuinely cannot be self-serve, including pricing... SaaSBoomi Article · 12 min read AMA with Sakshi Tulsian: Growth strategies for your non-self-serve product Shweta Mishra
  2. A worked example for a 3M dollar ARR business with two or three reps: 200k OTE at 50:50, quarterly targets blending new,... Pocus Article · 11 min read Sales Compensation: How to Choose the Best Plan for Your Product-Led Team Pocus
  3. A deliberately contrarian first plan: cover the rep's fully loaded cost first, then pay 20 to 25 percent on everything above... SaaStr Article · 9 min read A Framework For Your First SaaS Sales Comp Plan Jason Lemkin
  4. One number that tells you whether your whole GTM spend is working, with current benchmark bands (under 0.5 underinvesting, 0.75... The SaaS CFO Article · 8 min read How to Calculate the SaaS Magic Number Ben Murray

The questions

Hiring and ramping GTM people 16

Your first sales hire, the interview loop, the ramp plan, and knowing early when someone is not going to make it.

When do I stop selling myself and hire my first salesperson? 5 → What does a good first sales hire actually look like, and what should I not fall for? 5 → I have been offered the first sales hire job at a startup. What should I check before I say yes? 4 → How do I interview a salesperson when I have never sold for a living? 3 → What should a new rep's first 90 days actually look like? 5 → All 16 questions in Hiring and ramping GTM people →
Comp, quotas and territory 16

Comp plans, quotas, OTE and accelerators, territory and segment design, in dollars and in rupees.

I have been handed a comp plan. How do I work out what I will actually earn? 5 → What do OTE, pay mix, accelerator, draw and clawback actually mean? 4 → I am a founder writing my first sales comp plan. What is the simplest thing that works? 4 → What is a fair quota for my first rep when we have no history to go on? 5 → How do I set quotas that most of the team can actually hit? 5 → All 16 questions in Comp, quotas and territory →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →