At Seed or Series A, hiring your first GTM team is one of the most critical moves you’ll make.
The right hires will win logos, build pipeline, and give investors confidence. The wrong ones will burn 6–12 months of runway and stall your growth.
So how do you consistently hire salespeople who deliver in a high-pressure, early-stage cybersecurity environment?
Why Cybersecurity Startups Struggle to Hire Sales Talent
Early-stage founders often underestimate how much effort it takes to recruit top salespeople.
Hiring isn’t just about posting a job ad. To land the best Account Executives or Sales Leaders, you need to:
- Map the market (who’s selling into your ICP today)
- Proactively reach out to passive candidates
- Screen deeply for results and behaviours
- Run a fast, structured interview process
Most internal talent teams are already stretched thin. When they’re managing a dozen roles at once, deep headhunting simply doesn’t happen.
And when hiring slows, revenue slows. Time kills deals — and time kills hiring.
What to Look for in High-Performing Salespeople
“A-players” isn’t just a buzzword. In cybersecurity, true high performers usually show:
- Proven quota attainment — multiple years over target
- Complex deal experience — able to walk through six-figure enterprise deals step by step
- Pipeline ownership — they build their own pipeline, not just wait for inbound
- Curiosity and coachability — ask tough questions and adapt fast
- Resilience — they’ve thrived despite tough markets or product challenges
These aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re the difference between a rep who can build new business in a crowded market and one who’ll be gone in six months.
Red Flags That Kill a Hire
Some candidates look good on paper but are a risky bet for a Seed or Series A business. Watch out for:
- Job hopping — 3+ roles in 5 years without clear progression
- Vague on performance — can’t explain quota or attainment clearly
- All pipeline, no revenue — they talk activity, not outcomes
- Blame culture — everything was the company’s fault
- No curiosity — they don’t ask questions in interviews
- Reliance on inbound or BDRs — not a fit for startup hunting
One bad hire at this stage doesn’t just cost salary. It costs lost revenue, missed opportunities, and board confidence.
How to Structure an Interview Process That Works
Great salespeople move fast. If your interview process drags, you’ll lose them.
Here’s a simple structure for early-stage GTM hiring:
SDRs (10 days max)
- Intro call (30 mins)
- Prospecting task (72 hrs turnaround)
- Final interview — role play + Q\&A (90 mins)
Account Executives (2 weeks max)
- Intro call (30 mins)
- Deep dive with hiring manager (60 mins)
- Panel task — discovery/demo + Q\&A (60–90 mins)
- Final with C-level (30–60 mins)
Sales Leaders (3 weeks max)
- Intro call (30 mins)
- Deep dive with hiring manager (60 mins)
- Team fit session (60 mins)
- Panel task — 30/60/90 plan + Q\&A with execs (90 mins)
If your second stage is happening a week after the first, you’re already too slow.
Building Your First GTM Team: Step by Step
When I work with cybersecurity founders, I always start by working backwards from the goal.
- Pick a realistic start date — not “yesterday”
- Set an offer deadline — to keep urgency
- Design a process under 2–3 weeks
- Market map competitors and adjacencies
- Engage via multiple channels — calls, InMail, referrals, email
- Screen consistently against a scorecard
- Keep candidates engaged — they should never wonder where they stand
- Close quickly — the best talent won’t wait
This level of structure may not sound exciting, but it works.
The Boring Truth About Sales Hiring
There’s no magic trick to hiring great salespeople.
The reality? It’s boring, time-consuming work:
- Cutting through the noise
- Cold calling passive candidates
- Screening out the wrong fits
- Coordinating interviews quickly
- Keeping the best people engaged
Most founders know what they want in a sales hire. They just don’t have the hours to go and find them. That’s why recruitment often makes or breaks early GTM leaders.
The most urgent thing is also the thing you can’t afford to rush.
Final Word
At Seed or Series A, building your first GTM team isn’t about filling seats. It’s about finding the salespeople who can build pipeline, win enterprise customers, and prove your model to investors.
Define what high performance means for you. Avoid the obvious red flags. And run a fast, structured process that respects the candidate’s time.
Because one great AE at this stage doesn’t just hit quota. They change the entire trajectory of your company.