How to Know When It’s Time to Hire a Salesperson vs. Fix Your Systems

For growth-stage founders, this decision can make or break your next milestone

Hiring a salesperson can feel like the obvious next move when growth slows down. But often, adding someone to a messy system just creates more confusion, not more sales.

At Believe & Build, we’ve seen this decision play out across luxury e-commerce brands, early-stage agencies, and seven-figure startups. The truth is, most companies are not actually ready to hire a salesperson when they think they are.

Instead, they need to fix what’s broken behind the scenes.

This article walks you through how to tell the difference.

The Urge to Hire: Why Founders Feel the Pressure

It usually sounds something like this:
"We need someone to take sales off my plate."
Or
"We just need someone to close more deals."

But here’s what’s often missing:

• A repeatable sales process

• Clear lead stages and responsibilities

• Tools that actually support a sales team

• Data that helps improve performance

Without these, hiring a salesperson can lead to:

• Slow ramp-up

• Misaligned expectations

• Poor performance metrics

• A founder still stuck in sales

Signs You Actually Need Better Systems, Not a New Hire

Here are some indicators that your business needs structure before it needs headcount:

1. You’re managing leads manually

If your lead pipeline lives in a spreadsheet, notes app, or not at all, your business lacks the visibility needed for scale.

2. No one owns follow-up

Leads go cold or fall through the cracks because there's no automated system or clearly defined roles.

3. You can’t answer “What’s in our pipeline right now?”

If you can’t see deal stages, expected close dates, and win rates at a glance, your sales system isn’t functioning.

4. You’re still the only one who knows how to sell your product

This means your knowledge lives in your head, not in a documented playbook.

Signs You’re Ready to Hire a Salesperson

Now let’s talk about when hiring is the right move and what needs to be in place first.

1. You have a defined sales process

There’s a clear structure from lead to close, with outlined steps and communication templates.

2. You have enough volume to justify it

A consistent flow of inbound leads, referrals, or outbound opportunities exists but you can’t keep up.

3. You have a functioning CRM

The system is clean, actively used, and supports visibility for both leadership and the sales team.

4. You’re ready to let go

You’re not just hiring to “offload," you’re ready to train, support, and give someone ownership.

What Happens When You Hire Too Soon

Here’s the reality we’ve seen many founders face:
They hire a salesperson, give them a list of leads, a general pitch, and hope they “figure it out.”

A few months later, the new hire hasn’t ramped. Results are flat. The founder is frustrated.
And the system is still broken.

Fixing the sales infrastructure before hiring is what allows your team to succeed, not the other way around.

What You Can Do First

If you’re on the fence, start here:

• Audit your CRM. Is it usable and up to date?

• Document your sales process. Can someone new follow it without guessing?

• Analyze your pipeline. Do you have enough volume to justify another person?

• Automate your follow-up. Can you systemize before you scale?

These steps not only give you clarity, they also make you a more attractive business for high-performing salespeople to join.

Closing Thought

Hiring a salesperson is not a fix for a broken system. It's an investment in acceleration once the engine is already running smoothly.

If your team is still duct-taping the sales process together, the most strategic move might be to pause, build the system, then add the right person into a role they can thrive in.