GTM 134: When to Hire Your First Sales Reps (And How to Get It Right) with Joe DiMento

Joe DiMento is the Head of Go-To-Market & Industry Partnerships at Bain Capital Ventures. Previously, he was an operating partner at Fractal Software, helping launch vertical software companies and find product-market fit. Before that, he was the first non-founder seller at three startups, turning early traction into a repeatable sales motion. He began his career at Google and Bain & Company and holds an MBA from Stanford GSB.

Discussed in this Episode:

• When to hire your first account executives
• Key traits to look for in early sales hires
• Structuring compensation for first sales reps
• Should you 'hire the buyer' to be your sales rep?

Highlights: 

05:03 When to hire your first sales reps.

13:17 Characteristics of top early-stage sales reps.

22:25 Designing a sales compensation plan.

31:55 Hiring for grit, curiosity & determination.

42:03 Fast-tracking your sales career.

Guest Speaker Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joedimento/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker): 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
• Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand): 

• Website: https://gtmnow.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/GTMnow_
• YouTube:    / @gtm_now  

Sponsor: Pursuit

The best talent isn’t actively job hunting. Pursuit helps companies hire elite go-to-market talent on a non-retainer basis. As a key GTMfund partner, they equip sales and marketing teams with top performers.

If you're hiring for sales or marketing roles, reach out to Pursuit at pursuitsalessolutions.com/gtm or message a GTMfund team member.

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.