Beyond Founder-Led Sales

Every startup begins with sales cycles led by founder(s), themselves. But, that's not sustainable.

Who will help you hire, onboard, and coach those first few sales professionals to build a revenue machine while you get ready for your first full-time sales leader?

Leaping from Founder-Led Sales to building a sales organization

Helping founders build predictable revenue

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Three phases of sales growth for startups.

Phases of early stage revenue

Visionaries found most startups without a sales, marketing, or sales development background. Yet, those first few sales cycles that you personally manage seem soeasy. So, why are your first sales hires unable to replicate your performance?

The Founder-Led Sales phase is only sometimes indicative of future growth. Your first few sales were likely sourced via investors or personal networks. Your early adopters were forward-thinking innovators with an appetite for new solutions. Your first-hand expertise is genuinely compelling for prospective customers.

Eventually, your time becomes scarcer, and you know you can only be personally involved in some sales cycles. It would be best to build a team, but you need help finding the right people, and training and mentoring them, replicating your Founder's insight. Do you think you should hire a sales leader first? A sales development representative? An account executive? What's the next step?

Evolving Beyond Founder-Led Sales

If you hire individual contributors, then who is going to give them the ongoing training and coaching that they deserve? What if they need to be more successful? Why not?

If you hire a sales leader to build a team, you're making a risky seven-figure investment in the business. What if you choose the wrong leader? What if the company still needs to be ready to scale at the necessary rate to support this new team?
who will give them the ongoing training and coaching
UpTempo Group provides an intermediary step between founder-led sales and hiring a full-time sales leader. By partnering together, we can help you ensure the success of your first sales hires until your company is truly ready for a full-time VP of Sales.

Typical engagements for each stage of growth

UpTempo's Founders have experience with every phase of startup life, from Seed to IPO, from Employee #10 to Employee #10,000. Each phase of growth requires a different set of priorities, so the UpTempo team spends time with each Founder to understand their startup's past, present, and future priorities before proposing the right engagement for that stage:
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Typical engagements at each stage of growth

Three options to fit your business:

Fractional Leadership

We build & lead the sales team(s)
Hiring, mentorship, process & tech
Part-time until full-timer takes over
$XX,XXX / month (retainer + variable)

A seasoned fractional sales leader provides immediate impact, having built high-growth teams in the past. Establish the right sales culture from the beginning, while giving yourself time to focus on other priorities.

Let's talk about leadership

Fractional Direct Sales

We manage sales cycles directly
Strategy, sales, leads & revenue
Hiring & coaching as goals are met
$XX,XXX / month (retainer + variable)

Jumpstart your direct sales efforts with two 20+ year industry veterans who will follow best practices, manage enterprise sales cycles, and generate revenue while obtaining valuable market feedback along the way.

Let's talk about sales

Specific Project(s)

Typically lasts 3-6 months
Training, cust interviews, playbook, etc
Statement of Work with timeline
$X,XXX / month (depends on scope)

UpTempo can launch an initiative, fortify a team, or market-test something to help you build your business. Following a discovery meeting, a detailed Statement of Work, cost structure and timeline are followed.

Let's talk about projects

How can we help?

Tell us more about your business. Be descriptive!
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The better we understand your growth initiatives, the better we can prepare for our conversation.

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