As a founder, hiring the right leadership talent is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. But when it comes to hiring Go-To-Market (GTM) leaders, the challenge becomes even greater as you scale.
A GTM leader can significantly influence your company’s sales, marketing and revenue operations. However, the decision comes with its own set of challenges that can quickly lead to mis-hires, lost time, wasted budget and disruption to your team’s growth.
At ScaleWise, we’ve worked with 200+ start-ups to help them navigate these challenges through fractional hires. Here’s a breakdown of the key challenges and common issues founders face when finding their fractional leaders, and how you can de-risk the process.
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The biggest challenges when hiring fractional GTM leaders
1. Knowing what type of leader you need
One of the most common challenges faced by founders is not knowing exactly what type of leader they need. Many start-ups think they need a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), but in reality, what they need is a Head of Sales or a Sales Operations leader. At other times, founders have a vague idea of what they need but lack the clarity to define it.
A fractional GTM leader brings the necessary experience to diagnose the problem and help define the right leadership for the stage of growth.
At ScaleWise, we specialise in identifying whether you need a fractional Sales Leader, Marketing Expert, or RevOps Specialist, all based on your unique challenges and goals. This clarity saves you time, resources, and the headache of potentially hiring the wrong fit.
2. Getting the assessment process right
Too often, founders get drawn into hiring leaders who talk a good game and have shiny logos on their CVs, but fail to deliver. Many founders are enticed by impressive resumes or a leader’s experience at a large, established company, only to find that this person doesn’t fit their start-up’s culture, stage, or growth needs.
The hiring process often becomes about finding someone who sounds good, rather than someone who will make an impact.
At ScaleWise, we provide hands-on support in the assessment process, ensuring that we’re not just looking at a candidate’s qualifications but also their ability to execute in your specific industry and growth stage. Our screening process, led by experienced GTM operators, ensures that the candidates we introduce to you have the stage-fit experience necessary to drive immediate results.
3. Finding the right stage-fit
Another issue that often arises is the misalignment between a leader’s experience and the company’s growth stage. Many start-ups mistakenly hire someone who has experience scaling a larger company and expect them to fit into a startup environment. Leaders from bigger-scale environments often struggle with the lack of established structures, brand recognition, or a full team to execute strategy.
The right fractional GTM leader will have hands-on experience at your stage of growth, whether it’s navigating the transition from founder-led sales to building a repeatable and predictable GTM machine. Fractional leaders bring pattern recognition and the “battle scars” necessary to deliver quick wins as well as sustainable growth strategies based on a company’s specific context.
At ScaleWise, we ensure that every leader we place has the stage-specific experience to match your needs, allowing you to avoid costly mis-hires and set the right foundation for growth.
Why fractional GTM leaders are crucial for start-ups
1. De-risking expensive hiring mistakes
Hiring a full-time GTM leader is a big investment, and a mis-hire can be costly.
On average, GTM leaders stay in their roles for just 16 months, and the cost of a failed hire can reach up to £1M when considering recruitment fees, lost time, and the negative impact on the business. Fractional GTM leaders reduce this risk by allowing start-ups to test the waters and validate strategies before making any long-term commitments.
2. Fast impact without full-time commitment
Fractional GTM leaders bring clarity and focus to your GTM strategy, delivering results quickly. With experience at your specific stage, they can identify bottlenecks, optimise processes, and provide actionable solutions within weeks, rather than months, allowing your company to make faster progress towards its goals.
3. Flexible, low-risk engagements
Fractional leaders give you access to high-calibre talent without the financial commitment of a full-time hire.
You can hire for specific needs, whether it’s for a few days a week for three months, or a focused project like building a sales playbook, ensuring you only pay for the expertise you need, when you need it.
Hiring the right fractional GTM leader can be a game-changer for start-ups.
It allows you to access high-level expertise, test strategies before committing, and de-risk costly hiring mistakes.
If you’re struggling to find the right fit or need a helping hand in navigating this complex process, ScaleWise is here to partner with you on your next chapter in your growth journey.
To find out more about interim and fractional leadership, check out our Definitive Guide to Interim and Fractional Leadership.
