Build the job before you hire your first salesperson.
Hire the person first and figure out the rest later, and the rest never gets built. Here’s what to put in place, in order, and what it costs.
The short answer. Before you post the job, write a pay plan with a real base. Build the script, the list and the CRM. Then hire for coachability, and put someone on top of the rep from day one. A new rep takes three to six months to ramp, so budget for the ramp before they start.
That’s also the work we do for owners. Icebreaker recruits a salesperson onto your payroll, builds the comp plan, script, list and CRM around them, and runs them every day. About one in four of the companies we work with is hiring its first dedicated rep.
Are you ready to hire a salesperson?
You’re ready when selling only happens when you have time for it, and that’s what’s holding the business back. Until then, you can keep selling it yourself.
Two things have to be true first.
You have a sale that works. You’ve closed deals yourself and you can say why people buy. A salesperson can sell what you already sell. They won’t find the sale for you.
You can carry a base while the rep ramps. A new rep takes three to six months to ramp. For those months, the base comes out of your pocket, not out of what they sell.
Not sure yet? Take the 2-minute fit check. If the honest answer is “not yet,” it’s better to know before you spend anything.
What to build before your rep starts
A job offer isn’t a job. A rep needs five things. Three come before they start. Two keep running after.
1. The right person. Hire for coachability, work ethic and phone presence, not charisma or a contact list. A great interview doesn’t mean a great rep. And a coachable rep learns your product: industry experience is the most overrated line on a sales résumé.
2. A pay plan that works. A base they can live on through the ramp, and commission that pays for closed business. Put the salary range in the job post. And let them see what a great year pays, or your best rep leaves for someone who showed them.
3. A script, a list and a CRM. Who to call, what to say, and where every conversation gets written down. If it isn’t in the CRM, it didn’t happen. Here’s the cold call script we use.
4. Someone on top of them. Targets on what the rep controls, like calls, conversations and meetings booked, and someone who looks at those numbers every day. Once a month is not management. It’s a status update.
5. Coaching every week. Listen to real calls with the rep and fix the script together. Skip it and they stay exactly as good as the day you hired them.
Miss one and even a great hire flops.
Who will manage your first salesperson?
Decide this before you hire, not after. Someone has to look at the numbers every day and coach the rep every week. You have three choices.
You. It works if you can give it real time every day, on top of running the company. Be honest with yourself about that before you hire.
A sales manager. Another full salary and another recruiter fee. An in-house sales manager runs $110K to $160K a year all-in, before their first hire. Now two hires have to work out.
A fractional sales manager. Someone who runs the rep for you, for a monthly fee instead of a salary. That’s the job we do. Abe manages your rep day to day, and the rep stays your employee. See how we recruit a rep and run them.
How long until a new salesperson pays off?
A new rep takes three to six months to ramp. Plan for it before you hire. The base runs the whole time, whether or not anything has closed.
You don’t have to wait six months to know which way it’s going. Judge the early months on what the rep controls: calls made, conversations, meetings booked and follow-ups logged. If someone checks those every day, you’ll see the direction long before the ramp is over.
The search comes before all of this. Some searches fill in weeks, some take months.
What does it cost to hire your first salesperson?
Whichever way you go, you pay the rep’s salary and commission. What changes is what you pay on top, and who manages the rep.
| Option | What you pay on top of the rep’s pay | Who manages the rep day to day |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Job posts and your time | You |
| A sales recruiter | Most charge a percentage of first-year pay, often around 30% | You |
| Recruiter, then manager | The recruiter’s fee, plus $110K to $160K a year all-in for the manager | The manager |
| Icebreaker | $3,500 to start the search, $3,500 a month once your rep starts | We do, every day |
Our fee covers recruiting, the system and day-to-day management. Full pricing, more reps and the monthly cap.
If you’d rather manage the rep yourself, we also recruit only. See the other ways to work with us.
Recruiter, agency or fractional VP of sales?
A recruiter’s job ends the day your rep starts. An appointment-setting agency rents you meetings, and the rep stays theirs. A fractional sales leader gives you part of an experienced person’s week. Each one is the right call for some owners. See the five options side by side, and when each one is the better choice.
Not sure you’re ready? Take the 2-minute fit check.