Dear SaaStr: When a VP Sales is Struggling, What Do They Start to Do That … They Shouldn’t?
Struggling in sales is tough, and you need to give your leadership some time and room to claw back to growth.
But here are some signs … they won’t get there:
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Blaming Marketing or Product: Struggling VPs often start pointing fingers at marketing for not delivering enough leads or at the product team for feature gaps. While there’s always room for improvement in these areas, a great VP of Sales takes ownership of the pipeline and figures out how to sell with what’s available. Excuses don’t close deals.
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Overpromising on Pipeline: They’ll claim the pipeline is amazing and just needs another quarter to close. This “next quarter will fix everything” mindset is a huge red flag. A great VP of Sales will acknowledge challenges and present a realistic plan for improvement, not just push problems down the road.
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Focusing on Process Over Selling: Instead of diving into deals and figuring out how to close, they spend their time tweaking CRM systems, building dashboards, or refining processes. At early stages, this is a sign they don’t know how to sell your product or are avoiding the hard work of figuring it out.
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Hiring Weak or Inexperienced Reps: A struggling VP often hires junior or unqualified sales reps because they can’t attract top talent. The best VPs of Sales bring in A-players who can hit the ground running. If they’re not building a strong team, it’s a sign they’re not confident in their ability to lead.
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Failing to Retain Top Performers: If your best sales reps start leaving after the VP joins, it’s a major red flag. Great VPs know how to retain and motivate top talent. If they can’t keep your winners, they’re not the right fit.
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Avoiding Customer Interaction: Some VPs retreat from direct customer engagement, either because they’re overwhelmed or don’t know how to sell the product. This is a huge mistake, especially in the early days when understanding the customer is critical to building a scalable sales process.
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Overcomplicating the Sales Strategy: They create overly complex sales plans that are difficult to execute, often backloaded to hit unrealistic targets in Q4. A great VP of Sales keeps it simple and focuses on achievable, incremental wins.
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Failing to Adapt to Your Product and Market: They try to apply the exact playbook that worked at their last company without adapting it to your product, market, or sales cycle. Every business is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.
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Not Owning Up to Misses: When things go wrong, they deflect blame or downplay the issues instead of taking responsibility. Transparency and accountability are critical traits for a VP of Sales. If they’re not owning up to misses, they’re not building trust.
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Lack of Urgency: Struggling VPs often lack the urgency needed to drive results. They might seem busy, but they’re not focused on the right activities—like closing deals, coaching reps, and driving revenue. A great VP of Sales is laser-focused on hitting targets and moving the needle.
If you’re seeing multiple signs from this list, it’s time to seriously evaluate whether your VP of Sales is the right fit.
