---
title: "When should I hire my first VP of Sales?"
slug: "direct-questions/when-should-i-hire-my-first-vp-of-sales"
section: "Direct questions"
description: "Hire for a proven management and scaling requirement, not as a remedy for a founder who has not validated a repeatable sales motion. Start with a written p"
internal_only: false
---

# When should I hire my first VP of Sales?

Hire for a proven management and scaling requirement, not as a remedy for a founder who has not validated a repeatable sales motion. Start with a written problem description and compare a full-time VP against a player-coach, interim help, founder-led sales with enablement, or deferral.

Test whether the buyer definition, sales stages, conversion rates, sales-cycle variability and onboarding economics are known; whether sufficient pipeline can support the role; and what decisions the new hire will own. Ask who will train the hire and how performance will be judged at 30/60/90 days. Financial modelling can quantify the runway impact of each alternative. [Burkland: Strategic Finance for Startups](https://burklandassociates.com/services/strategic-finance/)