Jason M. Lemkin explains what a new VP of Sales must do in the first 30 to 45 days: concentrate leads on top performers, remove weak ones, and hire replacements. Keeping underperformers or losing top talent early signals failure. Don't spend too long doing individual contributor work yourself.
What you want to see In a great VP of sales is when they join in the first 30 to 45 days they've they've focused on the top performers and moved out the weak performers. You've got to see this. If they keep everybody including the weak performers that's a really, really weak sign in a VP of sales. And if someone good or the only good people quit off man, you're in trouble because what do you do as a first VP of sales? Immediately thing you want to do is you concentrate your leads on who can close the most. So you figure out who am I, what are the top resources I have today? You give them more leads and you figure out who can't close and you move them out and bring in two or three people you know. So you've got to see the right people moved out and the right people retained or you're in trouble. Okay, next point, carrying a bag too long. See this with too many first time VPs of sales.
