Dear SaaStr: What Do I Look For In My First Marketing Hire?
Hiring your first marketing leader is a pivotal moment, and it’s easy to get it wrong if you don’t approach it strategically.
The vast, vast majority of “marketers” are just not the right fit to be your first marketing hire and leader.
Here’s how to do it right:
1. Define What You Need Right Now. And Hire That. For Real.
This may sound obvious, but too many founders just hire a “marketer”. The best one they can find. Not someone 80%+ focused on exactly what you need in marketing — now.
- Are you looking for someone to generate leads from scratch, or do you already have a steady stream of leads and need someone to optimize and scale?
- If you have no leads, you need a growth / demand-gen expert who can create demand from nothing. If you already have leads, you can hire someone who knows how to manage the funnel and increase revenue per lead.
- If you have a sales-led motion, hire someone that has worked with a sales team at your stage.
- If you are SMB, you need someone that knows those motions. Ditto enterprise.
You can’t risk hiring a marketer than doesn’t know how to get you the type of leads you need for your start-up, today.
In fact, most marketers will really only do 3-4 things for real, max. Ask them. Ask them the top 3-4 things they’d do. That’s … what they will do.
Is that what you need?
2. Hire for the Stage You’re At
Related to prior point, but unless you are growing like a rocketship, don’t overhire in marketing. If you’re early-stage, you probably don’t need a VP of Marketing from a $100M ARR company—they’ll be too senior and likely won’t roll up their sleeves. Instead, look for someone who’s been hands-on at a startup or a smaller company and knows how to build from the ground up. And hire someone that doesn’t need a team to start. A little help from some cost-effective agencies is fine and good. But a whole team? That’s not who you need.
3. Focus on Metrics and Execution. Not Brand or “Product Marketing”. Not Until You Are At $10m-$20m+ ARR At Least.
Your first marketing leader needs to be metrics-driven. Ask them about their experience with lead velocity rate (LVR), cost per lead (CPL), and conversion rates. They should be able to show you how they’ve moved the needle in previous roles.
4. Test for Hands-On Ability. You Need a “Hands-On Keyboard” Marketer. Most Aren’t.
Early on, you need someone who can do the work themselves—whether it’s running campaigns, building collateral, or setting up webinars. If they’re focused on strategy and not execution, they’re not the right fit for your first hire. 95% of the senior marketers you talk to will really only want to work on strategy.
5. Look for Some Previous Success, For Real. An Owner.
Ask for specific examples of campaigns they’ve run and the results they’ve achieved. If they can’t point to measurable successes, they’re not ready for this role. Bonus points if they’ve worked in your industry or with your target customer profile.
6. Don’t Expect a Silver Bullet. But Demand Small, Quick Wins.
Marketing isn’t magic. It’s about consistent execution and iteration. If you’re expecting your first marketing hire to instantly 10x your leads, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Be realistic about what they can achieve in the first 3-6 months. But 100% agree on what that plan will be — before they start.
7. Start Pre-Recruiting Early
Like with a VP of Sales, it can take 6+ months to find the right marketing leader. Start building relationships with potential candidates before you’re ready to hire, so you’re not scrambling when the time comes. Finding a mediocre marketer is easy. The market is flooded with them. Finding someone that can own and do it at your start-up? That’s a real gem you need to find.
8. Avoid the “Blue Pens” Trap. You Don’t Need to Do >Much< Brand Building … Until You Have A Brand.
If you hire the wrong person, you’ll end up with a lot of fluff—like branded swag and pretty PowerPoints—but no real results. Make sure they’re focused on driving revenue, not just building a brand. Most marketers work on brand. But you only need a tiny amount of this until … you have a brand. Until $20m+ ARR minimum, and maybe even $50m+ ARR.
9. Make Sure They Convince You They Can Do It Before They Start
A great marketer should convince you with data and examples how they can tilt the curve for you. If they can’t convince you they can do it, don’t have them start. This is the #1 mistake in the end I see 99% of founders make.
They hire a VP of Marketing that talks the talk. But that they aren’t 100% sure can do the job that needs to be done.
10. Yes, They Need to Know AI Cold
Don’t cut corners here. Make sure they truly know how to use AI to dramatically accelerate marketing, outreach, outbound, automate lead qualifcation, inbound, everything. You just can’t afford to run the 2021 playbook today unless you are growing at epic rates. If you are, any playbook will work, of course.
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