Hiring a Vice President of Sales is a super critical decision that directly impacts revenue growth and sales team performance. Before you hire a VP of sales, make sure to read our actionable tips, supported by data and industry insights, to help you make the right VP of sales hire!
5 Steps to Hiring a VP of Sales
1. Define the Role Clearly
- Specify whether the focus is on revenue generation, team building, or both.
- Highlight metrics of success, such as achieving X% revenue growth within Y months.
2. Look for Proven Experience
- Prioritize candidates who have consistently met or exceeded quotas in their previous roles.
- Stat: 75% of successful sales leaders previously held director or senior-level sales roles.
3. Focus on Industry Fit
- Candidates with prior experience in your industry are 2x more likely to ramp up quickly.
- If entering a new market, consider someone with experience launching products in similar sectors.
4. Test for Leadership and Vision
- Include behavioral interview questions to gauge leadership style and strategic thinking.
- Example: Ask, “Describe a time you transformed an underperforming sales team. What was your strategy, and what results did you achieve?”
5. Assess Cultural Fit
- Candidates who align with your company’s values are 27% more likely to perform better long-term.
- Include team interviews to observe their interaction with potential colleagues.
VP Skills and Traits to Prioritize When Hiring in 2025
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Strong understanding of sales analytics and CRM tools.
- Adaptability: Proven ability to pivot strategies during market shifts.
- Team Leadership: Experience in building teams and retaining top talent (sales turnover averages 34%, so retention skills are critical).
- Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal skills to present strategies to stakeholders.
VP Sales Hiring Red Flags to Avoid
- Lack of measurable achievements in previous roles.
- Overemphasis on managing existing accounts without a track record of growing revenue.
- High turnover in leadership roles—could indicate difficulty in managing teams or aligning with company goals.
Where to Find VP Sales Candidates to Hire
Call Rev Pilots right now and we will guide you through how to hire the best VP sales candidate for your sales team.
- Professional Networks: LinkedIn and industry-specific associations.
- Recruiting Firms: Specialized firms often have access to a database of top-performing sales leaders.
- Referrals: 30% of senior hires come from personal or professional recommendations.
As an FYI, the vice president of sales will report to the Senior VP of Sale , Chief Revenue Officer or CEO, so there is often still room to move up in the company. Check out this article on different sales job titles.
Before You Hire: Vice President of Sales Job Description
Every industry has its own sales description for a sales VP, but the primary responsibilities remain similar. So if you are looking to hire a VP of sales or if you’re hoping to land a position at a tech company, the job listing may be similar to below:
Our team is looking for an analytical, dedicated VP of sales to join our team. Your daily responsibilities will be overseeing sales activities, meeting with large clients, designing sales strategies, writing sales reports and marketing our software and services.
As a critical member of our team, you’ll be responsible for overseeing our sales operations in our Southwest offices.
Our ideal candidate is a:
- Natural leader
- Motivating
- Sales expert with at least10 years of experience
- Ability to recruit top sales talent
Qualifications include:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree
- 10+ years of experience in sales management
- 5+ years of experience as a director or VP
- Understanding of commission structure
- Understanding of software licensing
- Etc.
The above is a very basic example of a job description that you may find on some of the world’s leading job boards.
If you want to land a position as a vice president of sales, you must have the right skillset for the job. The following skills are most in demand.
Skills to Look Out for When Hiring a Vice President of Sales Job in 2025
Businesses are looking to hire vice presidents who have a mix of the leading soft skills and hard skills to fill their ranks. A few of the leading soft skills, include:
Pro Tip: BLS.gov lists earning a Bachelor’s degree as a requirement for an entry-level sales position. Although not mandatory it is helpful to at least this level of education if you plan to become a VP. A few of the fields of study to consider are:
- Communication: As a VP, communication is key if you’re to find success in sales. You need to be able to communicate with other teams to ensure that the business’ goals are met. If you’re not a master of communication, you’ll need to work on this in-demand skill or you will be unlikely to be hired for the position.
- Customer Service: Major clients will want top-tier service and are likely to reach out to you personally when they have a problem. You’ll need to have robust customer service skills to keep these high-value accounts happy.
- Management: Working in an executive role means being able to manage all of the sales teams below you. Depending on the position, you may need to work with teams across multiple offices and find a way to manage them properly.
- Analytical: One of the most in-demand skills in the business world is being analytical. VPs of sales must be extremely analytical because the revenue of the business will rely on you extensively.
Before You Hire: VP of Sales Salary to Know
The salary for a vice president of sales varies greatly, so before you make your offer to your VP sales hire, make sure to review this carefully. According to LinkedIn, the national average base salary for a VP of sales is $160,000 per year. On the high end, a VP of sales may earn $220,000 or more. At SaaS companies and large enterprises, Salaries often exceed $300,000 per year. This is only part of their compensiation.
It’s important to note that this is the average for just the base salary. A VP of sales may also receive additional compensation in the form of:
- Commission – $90,000 median per year
- Bonuses – $42,000 median per year
- Stock options – $40,000 median per year
- RSUs – $50,000 median per year
Location will also play a major role in how much a VP of sales will earn. Salary data from LinkedIn shows the median base salary for this role in several key cities.
VP of Sales Salary by City
- San Francisco Bay: $198,000/year
- Greater Boston: $180,000/year
- Chicago: $170,000/year
- Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill: $175,000/year
- Charlotte Metro: $167,000/year
- Los Angeles: $165,000/year
- Denver: $165,000/year
- New York City Metro: $164,000/year
A VP of sales earns more than double the national average salary, but they have wide-ranging responsibilities, including the role of a leader and management.
Vice President of Sales Responsibilities
The vice president of sales has a wide range of responsibilities. Along with their role as a sales leader, the VP of sales will also serve as a mentor, strategist and manager.
In order to meet sales quotas and reach the company’s objectives, a VP of sales must perform several tasks, including:
- Developing strategies and plans
- Recruiting and hiring
- Working with other senior leadership across the company
- Promoting company services and products
- Creating sales training programs
- Managing sales operations
- Keeping an eye on competitor activity
- Anticipating customer needs
- Motivating the sales team to reach their goals
- Generating sales reports
- Communicating and working with the marketing department
- Set goals for quarterly and annual sales
- Reviewing customer activity
- Finding ways to improve customer satisfaction
- Arranging face-to-face meetings with customers and partners to nurture relationships
A good VP of sales must have excellent communication skills to work with their sales and marketing teams. They must also have excellent written communication skills, as they will be responsible for generating sales reports and forecasts.
The primary goal of hiring the ideal VP of sales is to ensure that the company is on the right track to meeting its sales quotas and goals for the quarter and year. For this reason, their responsibilities are wide-ranging. Some VP of sales will need to handle tasks that are unique to an individual company.
A VP of sales is a leader, mentor, motivator and strategist. They have many responsibilities, and they need a great deal of skill to excel in this role.
