CRO & VP Sales Recruitment
Revenue leadership that makes growth a system instead of a lucky streak
When the Owner Can No Longer Be the Best Salesperson
In most privately held companies, the best salesperson in the building is the owner. The biggest accounts are their relationships, the pricing lives in their head, and revenue grows exactly as fast as their calendar allows. That model built the business. It also caps it.
A strong Chief Revenue Officer or VP of Sales turns revenue from a personality into a system: a real pipeline, disciplined pricing, account plans for the customers who matter, and a sales team that performs without daily supervision. The right hire does not just sell more. They make growth predictable enough to plan around.
We recruit revenue leaders for Canadian owner-managed businesses in manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, and services, where sales is relationship-driven, cycles are long, and the difference between a sales manager and a sales builder is everything.
What a Strong CRO or VP Sales Owns
The Revenue Number
Full accountability for the top line, with the forecasting discipline to see shortfalls coming while there is still time to act.
Building the Sales Team
Hiring, coaching, and holding salespeople accountable, and having the courage to upgrade seats that are not performing.
Key Account Leadership
Protecting and growing the accounts the business depends on, and reducing the risk of revenue concentrated in a few relationships.
Pricing & Margin Discipline
Defending price in competitive markets so growth shows up in profit, not just in volume.
Pipeline & Process
A working sales process and CRM discipline that make the pipeline real, visible, and honest.
Market Expansion
Opening new territories, channels, and customer segments deliberately instead of opportunistically.
Signs It's Time to Hire a CRO or VP Sales
Revenue growth depends almost entirely on the owner's personal relationships and selling time.
The sales team operates without real management: no coaching, no accountability, no consistent process.
Forecasts are guesses, and the business regularly gets surprised by soft quarters.
A large share of revenue sits with a handful of customers and nobody owns reducing that risk.
Competitors are taking share while your selling approach stays the same as it was ten years ago.
The company has strong products and operations but growth has flatlined for reasons nobody can clearly name.
Why Sales Leadership Searches Are Risky
Great Sellers, Poor Leaders
The classic failure: promoting or hiring a star salesperson into leadership. Selling and building a sales organization are different skills.
Charisma Hides Weakness
Sales candidates interview better than anyone. Separating genuine builders from polished talkers takes rigorous referencing and evidence.
Industry Rhythm Matters
B2B industrial sales with long cycles and technical products is a different sport than transactional selling. The experience must match.
Owner Hand-Off of Accounts
Key customers are used to dealing with the owner. Transitioning those relationships takes a leader with patience and credibility.
Compensation Design
Getting the base, incentive, and expectations right matters more in sales leadership than in any other executive hire.
Time to Impact
Revenue leaders need runway before results show. Setting realistic milestones prevents both false alarm and false comfort.
One-Year, No-Fault, Full Replacement Guarantee
We are so confident in our process that we offer a one-year, no-fault, full replacement guarantee on every executive we place. If it doesn't work out for any reason, we'll conduct a replacement search at no additional fee.
Ready to Find Your Next Revenue Leader?
If growth has stalled or still depends on the owner's phone, the right sales leader changes the trajectory of the business. Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Book a Free Consultation