Notes from live sales and GTM searches. What startups pay, what is working to find reps, and what is not.
Fractional SaaS sales recruiting lets early-stage companies bring in experienced closers and revenue leaders without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Chris Stinson
Editor
AI-generated resumes and auto-apply bots have driven application volume up 45%+, and made keyword-stuffed resumes worthless as a hiring signal. Why employers hiring outside sales reps went back to old-school sourcing.
Chris Stinson
Editor
When to move off founder-led sales, why first sales hires end in restarts, and what to write down before day one. Five sources and what I see in live searches.
Chris Stinson
Editor
First AE OTE for startups: SMB and mid-market $140K to $220K, enterprise $220K to $300K. Why ranges disagree, and how to pressure-test attainment before you hire.
Chris Stinson
Editor
Do startups still need SDRs now that AI does outreach? Yes, but the work changes. What Salesforce shipped, what the vendor numbers say, and what a rep still owns.
Chris Stinson
Editor
A soft jobs report does not make sales hiring easy. What the September numbers say, why strong reps are staying put, and what it takes to move one.
Chris Stinson
Editor
Companies are cutting SDR teams and handing prospecting to AEs with bigger quotas. Who thrives, who burns out, and how to test an AE before you hire.
Chris Stinson
Editor