Owner Roles: Sales

A significant pain point for clients in the $1-$5 million range is transitioning the owner from a do-it-all machine to a targeted role solely focused on scaling the company. The need for capital, stressed resources, and availability make this extremely difficult for many of our clients. For the most part, the owner has always been the primary driver of sales in the organization. Let’s face it: no one can sell like the owner can (in most cases!). Like clockwork, the answer to hiring a salesperson screams—loudly. For some reason, this is the role that people are interested in transitioning away from the owner. Salespeople are often expensive, and many of them may struggle in small business sales without a well-oiled marketing apparatus. I would argue that there isn’t enough “CEO’ing” to do below $5 million in revenue, and that revenue number could potentially be higher. Our recommendation is for the owner to remain the primary salesperson and utilize the assistance of a sales administrator to assist them in the process. It would be nice if this person also has some potential to do the role later on down the road. This would give the owner time to sell, build their brand, and explore speaking opportunities, podcasting, content writing, etc. The sales administrator would then be able to learn the ropes and develop their skillset.