Job spec, comp bands, onboarding plan for £1-5 m ARR startups.
The first sales leader can compound growth—or burn a year of runway. If you’re between £1–5m ARR, this guide shows exactly who to hire, how to test for fit, what to pay, and how to onboard them so pipeline and revenue ramp in 90 days. We also add a GCC lens on compensation and hiring signals.
Key takeaways: Hire for stage fit: ‘Builder’ over ‘Optimizer’ at £1–5m ARR. Set OTE with a 4–5× quota:OTE ratio and a 50/50 base:variable split. Use a structured interview scorecard; run a paid take‑home. Onboard with a 30‑60‑90 plan tied to pipeline hygiene, win rates, and hiring milestones. Benchmark comp locally (UAE/KSA) and add upside for over‑performance.
Hire a builder; pay for outcomes; onboard with measurable milestones.
At £1–5m ARR, prioritise a ‘Builder’—a hands‑on player‑coach who can define the motion, hire 2–4 AEs/SDRs, and carry a number—over a pure ‘Optimizer’.
Great first sales leaders are comfortable with ambiguity and process creation. They’ve closed deals at your price point, can write a basic playbook, and know how to qualify pipeline with clear exit criteria. Avoid CVs that show only scale‑stage optimisation; you need someone who can win deals while hiring and coaching the first pod.
Has owned a new logo target personally, built the first playbook, hired at least 3 reps, and improved win rate or cycle time in a prior seed/Series A company.
Use a 50/50 split (base/variable), a quota‑to‑OTE ratio around 4–5×, and an attainment target where ~50–60% of ramped reps hit quota.
For a first sales leader carrying a number, anchor OTE to the booked revenue impact and regional market. A common pattern is £140–£220k OTE (base 50%, variable 50%) with a 4–5× quota multiple and accelerators beyond 100%. Equity should reflect stage risk and hiring responsibility; add a kicker for building the first pod successfully.
Cross‑check with local salary guides and adjust for visa/benefits. Senior sales leadership packages often include housing/education allowances in the GCC. For UK‑based roles serving GCC, benchmark UK base and add travel budget.
Run a structured loop: discovery, live deal review, role play, and a paid 48‑hour take‑home to build a one‑page playbook and 90‑day plan.
Score on ICP clarity, qualification rigor (MEDDICC or equivalent), coaching approach, forecasting hygiene, and ability to hire. Ask for a pipeline walkthrough with artefacts (emails, call snippets). Reference with two former CEOs and two former reps.
1) Objection handling for pricing; 2) Qualification of a weak inbound; 3) Coaching a junior AE on discovery questions. Use the same prompts for all candidates to reduce bias.
1) Walk me through a deal you lost and what you changed in your process. 2) Show me your last forecast and explain variances. 3) How do you coach an AE who is great at discovery but weak at closing? 4) Which exit criteria belong in our stages and why? 5) What would your first 30 days look like here?
Days 1–30: instrument pipeline and win 1–2 deals. Days 31–60: hire the first pod and lift conversion. Days 61–90: formalise playbook and forecast cadence.
Tie milestones to measurable leading indicators: pipeline hygiene (next steps, exit criteria), win rate, cycle time, and coaching notes. Publish weekly updates to the exec team with risks, asks, and metric trends.
Fundraising and sales pages must feel instant: target INP ≤200 ms, LCP ≤2.5 s, CLS ≤0.1 to protect demo bookings and paid CAC.
Compress hero imagery (≤150 KB WebP), preconnect to analytics/CDN, and reserve media slots to avoid layout shifts. Fast pages improve conversion through every stage of your funnel.
PhaseMilestonesLeading IndicatorsDays 1–30Win 1–2 deals; ICP clarified; exit criteria livePipeline with next steps ≥90%; 3× coverageDays 31–60First pod hired; weekly forecast cadenceWin rate +3–5 pts; cycle −10–20%Days 61–90Playbook v1; coaching rhythm setForecast within ±10%; hiring plan agreed
Keep criteria weighted and evidence‑based.
CategoryWeightWhat good looks likeStage fit (Builder)25%Has built a motion at similar ACV/ASP; can describe playbook with artefacts.Deal execution25%Runs crisp discovery; qualifies out weak deals; credible live deal review.Hiring & coaching20%Has hired ≥3 reps; clear coaching rhythm; measurable lift in win rate/cycle.Forecast & operating cadence15%Weekly forecast hygiene; within ±10% accuracy over last two quarters.Regional relevance10%Experience selling into GCC or adjacent markets; understands procurement & compliance expectations.Values & collaboration5%Partners with product/marketing; crisp written updates; no hero culture.
Simple beats clever.
Use a 50/50 base:variable split with quarterly measurement. Pay for booked revenue (or cash for very early stages), set a threshold (e.g., 70% of target) before variable pays out, and add accelerators at 100%+ to reward out‑performance. Avoid caps. Include clawbacks for churn within a short window if your model demands it.
Win rate, cycle time, average deal size, pipeline coverage by stage, and hiring velocity. Tie a small portion of variable (e.g., 20%) to team outcomes once two or more AEs are live.
Start with a lean pod; add roles only when bottlenecks appear.
For mid‑market motions: player‑coach leader + 1 AE + 1 SDR + shared SE/CSM. For enterprise: leader + 1 AE + SE support; layer SDR later. Define handoffs clearly (MQL→SQL→Opportunity) and instrument pipeline hygiene (next step, close date, owner) so you can scale without chaos.
Once you have 3+ sellers or your cycle exceeds 60–90 days, a part‑time RevOps contractor can keep CRM, reporting, and comp plans clean.
Local proof points shorten cycles.
If most of your pipeline is in the UAE/KSA, consider on‑the‑ground coverage for faster procurement and reference access. If your HQ is elsewhere, budget for frequent travel, local phone numbers, and Arabic enablement where relevant. Align allowances (housing/education) with market norms if relocating leaders.
Publish a security pack (SOC2/ISO progress, data residency), standard MSA/DPA, and a bank of buyer‑side FAQs to reduce legal loops.
The top three: hiring an Optimizer too early, vague scorecards, and unmeasured onboarding.
Fix by testing stage fit with a paid take‑home; using a weighted scorecard; and instrumenting 30‑60‑90 milestones with leading indicators. Do not scale headcount until win rate and forecast hygiene improve for two consecutive months.
Quick answers to common first sales leader questions.
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