The first sales reps are different from all the other reps you'll bring on. They take the sales burden off of the founder and put your company on the path to scale.
Unfortunately, many founders go out and hire the top rep at a large company and expect the same results. The actual results end up being the opposite.
Your first sales rep and the 20th sales rep are two completely different people.
This position will be operating independently. They need founder support, but they won't get as much as they'd like in an early-stage company. They embrace the uncertainty and get excited about figuring it out as they go. They adapt to the customer's changing needs and the product's evolution. Many of these early reps end up going on to found their own companies.
Product feedback is arguably the most important thing for an early-stage company. The company needs the rep to find the "why" and pass that back to the product team. A good first rep is as excited about learning as they are about getting the next sale. Customer and market knowledge drives product iteration. The front-line sales rep's ability to decipher this information is critical.
In the early days, it's doubtful the reps will make the commissions everyone hopes they'll make. The top rep of an established company is used to making a certain amount of money and will put in the work to get it. But that predictability isn't there yet. When they don't hit those commission goals? It can be very frustrating for them. These will be great reps for your company in time. When a rep is driven by impact more than a momentary outcome, the loss of income doesn't affect them. Every sale matters to them because they see the direct impact it makes. It's exciting to them when they see a new product enhancement that came from their feedback. Most of all, they love getting the chance to build the company from the ground up.
Bonus: Give them a higher base salary in the beginning OR a much greater percentage of the deal in commission.
"Hire because they can close. Not because they are one of 4,000 reps at Salesforce that sell a product with $10,000,000,000+ in revenues, a proven brand, and huge infrastructure behind it"
- Jason Lemkin
Relevant experience is important for two main reasons. 1) You won't have endless time to train this person. 2) If you're a founder that has never done sales, you may have no clue how to train this person.
Things rarely are ideal, so I make trade-offs in the order I have listed above.
Use this profile to hire your first sales reps to build your initial foundation. That foundation will position your company for its next stage of growth.