To hire your first salesperson without a sales manager, first write down how you win customers today, then hire for the exact job: who the person will sell to, what they will sell, how they will find leads and how you will measure results. Test the skill with a realistic role-play and a short plan, keep pay simple, and set clear targets and a review date.
Key takeaways
- Document your own sales process before you hire. A salesperson cannot copy what is only in your head.
- Define the job type: finding new customers, growing existing ones, or both.
- Test the skill with a realistic role-play and a 30-day plan, not only with an interview.
- Keep pay simple: a base plus a clear, written commission or bonus plan.
- Plan onboarding and weekly coaching. A first salesperson without a manager needs structure from you.
Why the first salesperson is hard to hire
A founder usually makes the first sales through personal contacts, passion and trial and error. A salesperson cannot copy that. If you do not explain who buys, why they buy, what you say and what happens next, the new person will invent a process and you will not know if it works. Without a sales manager, the founder is the manager, and the risk is high: a wrong hire costs months of pipeline time. Read our guide on what a bad hire really costs for a way to estimate that risk.
This guide gives a seven-step method. It does not promise results and uses no sales statistics, because outcomes depend on your product, market and price.
Step 1: Write down how you sell today
Spend two hours and fill in this sheet. If you cannot answer a row, that gap is part of the job to hire for.
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Who buys? (role, company type, size) | |
| What problem do they have when they call you? | |
| Where do your best customers come from? | |
| What do you say in the first call? | |
| What are the common objections, and your replies? | |
| How long from first contact to a decision? | |
| What is your price, and how flexible is it? | |
| What do you promise, and what do you not promise? | |
| What happens after the sale? |
Step 2: Define the role type
| Type | Main task | Skills to test | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| New-business seller (hunter) | Find and win new customers | Prospecting, cold outreach, resilience, pipeline habits | Burnout if leads are weak or the product is not ready |
| Account seller (farmer) | Grow existing customers | Relationship care, upselling, service | May not find new leads |
| Inside seller | Sell by phone or video | Clear speaking, listening, notes | Needs a good lead source |
| Field seller | Visit customers | Planning, travel, local knowledge | Higher cost; harder to coach |
| Hybrid | Both new and existing | All of the above | Role may be too wide for one person |
Choose the type that matches your next 12 months. If you have more leads than time, hire for conversion. If you have few leads, hire for prospecting and decide how you will support lead generation.
Step 3: Set a realistic target and pay
Estimate a target from your own data: the average deal value, the number of deals you win in a month, and how many you could handle together. Do not copy a quota from the internet. Set the target for the first 90 days as activity and learning goals, such as number of qualified conversations and number of proposals, and set revenue targets from month four. A fair plan has three parts: a base salary, a variable payment and a clear rule for how the variable is calculated.
| Item | What to write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Base | A fixed amount that allows the person to live without sales in the first months | Reduces desperation and bad selling |
| Variable | A percentage of revenue, a fixed amount per deal or a bonus on a target | Aligns pay with results |
| What counts | Which deals, when they count (signed, paid, delivered) | Prevents disputes |
| Cap or no cap | State clearly | Avoids surprise |
| Timing | When commission is paid | Cash flow clarity |
| Changes | How and when you can change the plan, with notice | Fairness |
Put the plan in writing, in plain words. Check the law on pay in your country: in the US see the Department of Labor wage pages; in the UK, commission can affect holiday pay, see GOV.UK holiday entitlement; in the EU, national rules apply. Use the cost worksheet to price the full cost. This is general information, not legal advice.
Step 4: Write an honest job ad
Say what you sell, who buys, how leads arrive, what you offer as support and what the pay looks like. Candidates distrust vague promises such as “unlimited earnings”. Describe the real average setup in words, with no invented numbers. See how to write a job ad that attracts the right applicants.
Step 5: Screen and interview for evidence
Use a structured interview. Ask for past examples and numbers the candidate can explain. Verify them in references.
| Area | Question | What a strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Walk me through the last deal you won, from first contact to signature. | Clear steps, what they did, what they learned |
| Prospecting | How did you find new leads in your last role? Which methods worked and which did not? | Methods, effort, honesty about results |
| Objections | Tell me about a time a prospect said no. What did you do next? | Resilience and listening |
| Targets | What target did you have, and what did you reach? How did you plan your month? | Real figures they can explain; planning |
| Fit with a small company | What will you do when there is no marketing team or sales manager to help? | Self-direction, simple tools |
| Ethics | Tell me about a time you decided not to make a sale. Why? | Honesty and long-term thinking |
Use the same questions for every candidate and score with a scale. Our guides on structured interviews and the first interview show how. Avoid questions on protected traits. See what you can and cannot ask.
Step 6: Run a role-play and a 30-day plan
A work sample shows the skill. Give finalists a made-up product or your real product description and 20 minutes to prepare. Then play a prospect for 15 minutes. Score on a written guide: discovery questions, listening, handling an objection, clear next step. Ask them to send a one-page plan for their first 30 days. Do not ask for free real work, such as calling your real prospects. See how to run a work sample test for fair design and pay rules.
Step 7: Check references and decide
Ask referees for facts: the role, the targets, the results, the way the person worked with others. Check numbers that the candidate gave. A reference from a former manager is more useful than a friend. See how to check references.
Onboarding a salesperson without a sales manager
You are the manager, so plan your time. Block weekly one-hour coaching and a short daily check-in in the first month.
| Week | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product, customers, your sales sheet from step 1, shadow your calls | Person can explain the offer and the buyer in five minutes |
| 2 | Role-play with you, review of past deals, tools set up | Person makes first outreach with your review |
| 3 | First calls and meetings with you listening | Pipeline sheet started |
| 4 | Weekly plan and numbers; review what works | 30-day review and plan for the next 60 days |
Add a simple tracking sheet for leads, conversations, proposals and decisions. Review it weekly. Use the sheet to coach, not to blame. See the first 30 days onboarding plan.
Mistakes to avoid
- Hiring a salesperson before you have a repeatable way to find leads or an offer you can explain.
- Promising a lead flow that does not exist.
- Paying only on commission for a new product with no brand. This transfers all the risk to the person and can attract the wrong applicants. Check legal minimum pay rules, which apply in many countries.
- Setting a target from a competitor’s numbers, not your own.
- Choosing the most charming candidate without evidence of results.
- Leaving the person alone for a month with no feedback.
Be fair and honest. A salesperson who leaves because the job was misdescribed leaves a gap and a story in the market. A clear, honest process protects both sides.
A worked example (fictional)
This example is invented. A founder of a small software company sells to dental clinics. She documents her process: she finds clinic managers through a local association, calls them, runs a 20-minute demo and sends a proposal. She decides to hire a new-business seller with a base salary and a commission on signed annual contracts. She writes an honest ad and interviews six people with the same questions. Two finalists do a role-play: a dental clinic manager who worries about data privacy. One finalist asks discovery questions and offers a next step. The other talks about features for ten minutes. The founder scores the first higher. References confirm the finalist’s story. In the first month the founder spends one hour each week on coaching, and reviews the lead sheet. After 90 days they review activity numbers, not only revenue, and adjust the plan.
A 30-60-90 day plan for the new salesperson
| Period | Goals (activity and learning) | Review question |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | Learn the offer and buyer; shadow five of your calls; make first outreach with review; set up the lead sheet | Can the person explain the offer and the buyer clearly, and do they use the sheet every day? |
| Days 31 to 60 | Run own calls; book a set number of qualified conversations; send first proposals; weekly role-play on objections | Are the conversations qualified, and which objection comes up most? |
| Days 61 to 90 | Close first deals with your support; improve the script from real calls; plan the next quarter | What changed in the script, and what is the first revenue signal? |
Set the number of conversations and proposals from your own data and your sales cycle. Do not copy numbers from the internet. Review the plan together at day 30, 60 and 90, and write down what you agreed. If the person is not meeting the plan, give specific examples and support early. If you have a probation period, explain how the reviews relate to it. See probation rules by country in the offer guide for the basics.
What to measure
- Activity: conversations held, meetings booked, proposals sent. These show effort and habit.
- Quality: share of conversations that match your target buyer; reasons for lost deals.
- Outcome: deals won and their value, once the sales cycle allows.
- Learning: changes made to the script and the lead sheet.
Review activity and quality weekly. Review outcomes monthly. Be cautious with a single month’s revenue, because small samples are noisy. If you have only a few deals a quarter, one deal changes the picture a lot. Use a longer window and the reasons for lost deals.
Fairness in a commission plan
Use clear rules and apply them to everyone. Do not change the plan retroactively. If you hire more than one salesperson, define how territories and leads are shared, so that the person with better leads does not earn more for the same effort. Avoid unlawful deductions from pay, and take advice on how clawbacks and caps are treated in your country. Keep records of targets and payments.
Frequently asked questions
Should my first salesperson be paid only on commission?
Often a mix is fairer. Many countries have minimum pay rules that apply regardless of commission. Pure commission transfers all risk to the person and can attract the wrong applicants.
Can I hire a salesperson before I have sales systems?
You can, but write down your process first. Without it, the person cannot repeat what works.
How long until a new salesperson produces results?
It depends on your sales cycle. Set expectations from your own cycle length, not from general claims.
What if I am not a good sales manager?
Start with a simple weekly routine: review the lead sheet, listen to calls and role-play. Consider an advisor or mentor with sales experience.
Should I hire an agency or freelancer first?
It can be a lower-risk way to test the channel. See employee or contractor for the rules on status.
Related guides
- Hiring guides for small businesses and founders
- How to make your first hire: a step-by-step plan
- How to run a first interview for a small business
- How to assess skills with a work sample test
- All hiring guides for employers
This is general information, not legal advice.