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 executivesKey traits to look for in early sales hiresStructuring compensation for first sales repsShould 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 LinksLinkedIn: 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: PursuitThe 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 GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow 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.