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You Don't Need a CRO (Yet): GTM Roles to Hire Instead

Updated: 8 hours ago

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Why This Matters

Founders feel pressure to hire a CRO the moment a Seed or Series A closes because it sounds impressive and signals maturity. The reality is simple. Early stage companies need revenue, not a department head. You are still proving ICP, pitch, and process. A senior executive built for scale will not fix that. A seller who can close and build will.


What Founders Often Get Wrong


  1. Hiring a title before a motion

    1. Many CROs are 2 to 3 layers removed from day to day selling. Dashboards, board decks, and hiring plans do not close your first wave of deals.

    2. Flip it: Hire a doer who sells daily, learns fast, and helps shape the pitch and process with you.


  2. Expecting scale without support

    1. Strong CROs expect SDRs, RevOps, enablement, and marketing. Most early teams lack this support. Without it, a CRO becomes an expensive liability.

    2. Flip it: Scope the job to match your stage so one person can make meaningful progress without a full org.


  3. Chasing signal over substance

    1. A big title can impress investors. Top candidates care more about scope, traction, and near term wins.

    2. Flip it: Sell ownership, crisp proof points, and the next two milestones. Use transitional titles when useful.


What Great Early GTM Hires Do

  • Own a motion and sell every day

  • Turn feedback into a tighter pitch and simple process

  • Prove momentum with clear, specific proof points


Hire By Stage


If You are Still Founder Led

  • Title: Founding AE or Player Coach

  • What They Do: Learn alongside you, sell daily, and co build the pitch and the first steps of process.

  • What to Look For: Loves ambiguity, feedback hungry, strong discovery and storytelling, adjacent ICP familiarity, ability to self source and close.


If You are Gaining Traction

  • Title: Sales Lead

  • What They Do: Sell, run point on deals, begin to own pipeline and mid funnel control.

  • What to Look For: Proven success at your ACV, motion, and buyer persona.


If You are Ready to Scale

  • Title: Head of Sales

  • What They Do: Sell, hire 1 to 2 reps, and stand up the first repeatable motion.

  • What to Look For: Player coach with a track record going from 0 to 1, then 1 to 5 across people, process, and revenue.


How To Talk About It Without Underselling

Founders worry a smaller title will limit talent. Smart sellers care about scope and ownership, product traction, and upside in comp or equity. If the role has teeth, the right people show up. Use transitional titles as needed: Founding GTM Lead, Head of Sales (player coach), Revenue Lead on a future VP or CRO track.


Final Thought

Hiring a CRO before your sales motion is baked is like hiring a CFO before you have revenue. The right move is about timing, not title. Scope the first hires to close and build. Once the motion is repeatable and resourced, that is the moment to consider a true CRO search.


About ClosedWon Talent

ClosedWon Talent is a specialized sales recruiting firm that helps growth focused companies hire top GTM talent. We partner with founders, revenue leaders, and investors to build high performing sales teams across SaaS and beyond.


What sets us apart is the ClosedWon Method, a proven recruiting framework built on speed, precision, and transparency. We combine deep industry expertise with a curated candidate network to deliver shortlists of qualified, motivated sales professionals fast. Our team does not just fill roles, we act as embedded partners who understand how to assess selling style, territory experience, and growth potential based on each clients' specific needs.

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