Hiring a VP of Sales is one of the most important — and riskiest — moves a SaaS founder can make. Data shows that the average tenure of a SaaS VP Sales is just 18 months before they “fail” or part ways with the company. That means many businesses are burning time, money, and momentum with the wrong hire.

I’ve placed dozens of sales leaders in my career, and I’ve seen the same mistakes crop up again and again. If you’re wondering how to hire a successful sales leader, here are the pitfalls to avoid and the lessons to apply.

Let’s Dive In!

1. Don’t Overlook Stage Fit

One of the biggest reasons VP Sales hires don’t work out is a mismatch with the company’s stage of growth. A sales leader who thrived at scaling a business from $20M to $50M ARR might completely struggle when asked to build a team, process, and playbook from scratch at $1M ARR. On the other hand, someone who loves building at an early stage may find themselves out of depth in a structured, corporate environment.

👉 Takeaway: Always prioritise stage-fit experience over brand names on a CV.

2. Beware the “Glorified AE”

Some candidates can look like rockstars because they’ve smashed quotas and closed big deals themselves. But that doesn’t mean they can scale a team. This is the “Glorified AE” problem — they’re essentially still an individual contributor with a VP title. They can sell, but they can’t hire, coach, or enable others to succeed.

👉 Takeaway: Dig into their history of building teams. How many reps have they hired? How many hit quota? What’s their approach to onboarding and coaching?

3. Balance Strategic Vision with Execution

Many failed VP Sales hires happen because the leader sits too high above the detail. They’re focused on forecasting, dashboards, and strategy but lose touch with the day-to-day sales reality. On the flip side, if they’re only “in the weeds” and never step back, they won’t be able to shape the bigger picture.

👉 Takeaway: A successful sales leader flexes between both modes — strategic in the boardroom, but still close enough to coach reps and understand customer conversations.

4. Align on Founder Expectations

Another common reason VP Sales hires don’t last? Founder misalignment. The founder’s vision might be inspiring, but the goals they set are often impossible. When a VP Sales is held to targets that can’t realistically be achieved with the current product, resources, or market, conflict is inevitable.

👉 Takeaway: Before you hire, define together what success looks like in the first 6–12 months. Ensure targets are challenging but achievable.

5. Stop Falling in Love with the CV

Founders often get dazzled by impressive logos, big deal wins, or “unicorn” track records. But just because someone had success at Salesforce or HubSpot doesn’t mean they’ll thrive at your $2M ARR startup. Too many founders hire based on pedigree instead of practical fit.

👉 Takeaway: Ask candidates how they achieved their results, at what stage of growth, and with what resources. This will tell you far more than the brand names on their resume.

The Bottom Line

So, how do you hire a successful sales leader? By focusing less on the CV and more on the context. Most VP Sales failures come down to stage mismatch, glorified AE syndrome, lack of balance between strategy and execution, misaligned expectations, and founder over-optimism. The average VP Sales tenure may be 18 months, but if you hire based on stage-fit, team-building ability, and cultural alignment, you dramatically improve your chances of success.

Hiring your first (or next) VP Sales won’t be risk-free — but with the right evaluation, it doesn’t have to be a revolving door.