Dear SaaStr: When Do You Find a “Fractional” VP of Sales Works at an Early Stage Startup?
Just about Never.
I’m not a fan of fractional sales leadership for early-stage startups. It’s almost always a waste of time, money and energy. Don’t get … oversold here 😉
Here’s why it almost never works:
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You Need Someone All-In. No one has heard of you yet. Process gets you nowhere at this stage. Fractional sales leaders are mostly about … process. The good ones will listen to Gong calls and even talk to a few customers. The mediocre ones won’t even do that. But that’s not enough to sell a product, especially one no one has ever heard of. One without proven demand.
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They (Generally) Won’t Build the Team You Need. A great VP of Sales isn’t just about closing deal. They’re about recruiting and building a team. Fractional leaders rarely have the time or incentive to recruit top talent for you. And without a strong team, you’re not going to scale. I have worked with a >few< that focus on getting you a top full-time VP Sales / CRO. But you really need to diligence them to make sure they can deliver, and have the network to deliver here.
- You Can Only Handle So Much Advice. In the end most fractiona leaders in sales, marketing, etc. just want to provide advice. You can only process a few hours of this at a time.
- It’s a Band-Aid That Doesn’t Work. Hiring a fractional CRO / VP Sales when you need to figure it out yourself is worse than nothing. You’ll delude yourself into thinking you are making progress.
If you’re not ready to hire a full-time CRO / VP of Sales, you’re better off doing the work yourself as the founder and/or hiring a strong individual contributor sales exec (or two, ideally) who can help you get to $1M-$2M ARR.
Once you hit that milestone, you’ll have the traction and clarity to bring in a great full-time Head of Sales who can scale your team and processes.
Fractional sales leadership might seem appealing because it’s cheaper or easier, but in reality, it’s rarely the right move for early-stage startups.
The only very small exceptions I’ve seen is where the fractional resource truly is great and hands-on … and commits to hiring a full-time VP of Sales for you. And has the network to deliver that. That can work.
More on that here:
