Ep 73: The Real Cost of Hiring Marketing or Sales First (and Why It's Rarely Either)

Should sales and marketing live under one leader, or stay separate? Jay Feitlinger and Sarah Shepard dig into one of the toughest calls a growing company makes: which role to hire first, and whether combining both into a single seat ever really works. They walk through the warning signs of an overloaded department, the case for a rev ops hybrid, and why a fractional hire can clear the runway before you make a permanent one. If you're a founder or leader trying to figure out where your next revenue investment should go, this conversation gives you a real framework instead of a formula.Key TakeawaysWhy "it depends" is the only honest answer to the sales vs marketing hiring question, and what actually determines the right call for your businessThe exact team size and pipeline volume that signals a combined sales and marketing role is about to breakWhat happens when marketing generates leads faster than your team can handle them, and why that can hurt your reputation more than help itThe overlooked reason a fractional hire might be smarter than jumping straight to a full-time CMO or VP of SalesWhere rev ops actually fits between sales and marketing, and why it's not quite either oneChapters00:00 Jay and Sarah kick off with East Coast humidity and a preview of a spicy topic 02:07 Can sales and marketing ever really be one role? 05:26 How to define the ratio between sales and marketing in a combined role 08:16 The team size and workload signals that a combined role is about to break 11:00 The million dollar question: if you could only hire one, which comes first? 14:06 Why foundation and positioning have to come before either hire 18:23 The case for rev ops as the real hybrid answer 20:46 A real client story where sales beat marketing as the first hire 24:39 What a bad marketing hire actually costs beyond the salary 25:22 Why a fractional hire can be the smartest first move 27:06 The CMO title trap and why so many hires are set up to failSEO Keywordssales and marketing alignment, revenue operations, fractional CMO, chief revenue officer, B2B marketing strategy, sales vs marketing hiring, revenue growth leadership, mid market sales and marketing, rev ops strategy, head of sales and marketingHostsJay Feitlinger, CEO of StringCan Interactive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayfeitlinger/Sarah Shepard, COO of StringCan Interactive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahshepardcoo/About Revenue RewiredRevenue Rewired is a podcast for B2B marketers, sales leaders, and business owners navigating the intersection of sales and marketing. Hosted by Jay Feitlinger and Sarah Shepard, each episode delivers actionable insights for mid-market companies looking to grow revenue strategically.About StringCan InteractiveStringCan Interactive is a B2B digital marketing agency helping owner-led companies grow revenue through smarter sales and marketing alignment.Website: https://www.stringcaninteractive.com Podcast Email: [email protected] Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Rewired-Identify-Leaks-Costing-ebook/dp/B0FST7JCXQ Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7423414515779936256/?displayConfirmation=true