The wrong VP Sales hire costs more than the salary.
Sierra Advisory helps B2B SaaS founders scope, assess and hire senior revenue roles — or gives an independent read on whether the team already in place can get you where you need to go.
People & Team Building
What this is
A mis-hire at VP Sales or CRO level rarely costs just the salary. It costs the twelve months before you admit it isn't working, the pipeline built on the wrong motion, and the reps who leave with the leader. Most founders making that hire are doing it for the first time, against candidates who interview far better than they operate.
The work is unglamorous and specific: scoping the role against the actual stage of the company rather than the title the board expects, building an interview process that tests for the motion you need, and pressure-testing candidates with someone who has done the job.
The second half of this service is assessment rather than hiring — an independent review of the revenue team you already have, its structure, and the gaps between it and the number you are being asked to hit.
What the engagement covers
- Building a team: role scoping, hiring frameworks, interview process, and candidate assessment
- Second opinion: independent review of your current revenue team structure, performance, and gaps
Right for you if: “You're about to make a senior revenue hire, or you're unsure whether the team you have can get you where you need to go.”
How it’s engaged
Diagnostic
A focused audit of your GTM, team, or specific growth challenge. Deliverable: a clear diagnosis and prioritised action plan. The right starting point before any longer engagement.
Retainer
Ongoing strategic and operational support. Defined scope, regular cadence, accountable to outcomes. Most strategy and people engagements run on this model.
Evidence
Zebra BI — revenue organisation transformation
Net New ARR Growth
Total NRR
New Logos
Zebra BI is a bootstrapped B2B SaaS company with proven product-market fit and a growing customer base, but its revenue organisation had never been properly unified. Sales, customer success, and pre-sales each operated to their own priorities, creating a fragmented GTM motion that capped growth and made pipeline unpredictable.
Common questions
About people & team building
When should a SaaS startup hire a fractional VP Sales?
A fractional VP Sales makes sense when founder-led sales has hit a ceiling and the company is not yet ready, or funded enough, to hire a full-time VP Sales. Typically this happens between $500K and $3M ARR, when a repeatable process needs to be built before bringing on a permanent leader.
What is the difference between a fractional CRO and a full-time CRO?
A fractional CRO does the same job as a full-time chief revenue officer — owning pipeline, sales strategy, forecasting and team management — but on a part-time or fixed-term basis rather than as a permanent hire. The difference is commitment structure rather than seniority: there is no equity package, no notice period and no lengthy ramp, and the engagement is sized to the problem. A full-time CRO makes sense once the revenue function is large enough to need someone in the building every day. A fractional one makes sense while you are still building toward that, or while you are searching for the permanent hire.
Other services
Fractional & Interim Revenue Leadership
You've outgrown founder-led sales but aren't ready, or it's too early, to hire a full-time CRO.
GTM Strategy & Optimisation
You're growing but not fast enough, or you've hit a plateau and can't diagnose why.
Investment & Strategic Advisory
You're raising early capital and want a hands-on GTM investor, not just a check.
Start the conversation
Not sure which engagement fits?
That's what the first call is for. Bring your situation. We'll be direct about what makes sense.