09/16/25: Your Next Hire- Sales or Crew?

In this session of our Growth Workshop, we explored a critical decision point for business owners—whether to hire a sales rep or a crew first. This decision can significantly impact your growth trajectory, so we created a space for builders to discuss the unique challenges and solutions they've encountered as they scale their teams. Watch the full recording for valuable insights shared during the discussion.

Why This Session Was Valuable

This session was designed to help business owners like you assess the current state of your company, identify bottlenecks, and determine whether your next hire should focus on sales or production. Through the shared experiences and real-world examples from other builders, participants gained clarity on how to make hiring decisions based on where their business stands today.
As Pat shared, "Hiring has been a huge challenge for us, and we've had a fair amount of transition. It's a lot of work, but it’s essential for our growth."
This was a great reminder that hiring decisions not only affect your immediate workload but also your business's long-term sustainability.

Key Highlights


Sales vs. Crew: The Crucial Decision

We discussed the importance of aligning hiring decisions with your current bottlenecks. If your crew is stretched thin but you have a strong lead pipeline, it might be time to hire more crew members. Conversely, if you're struggling to close deals and have a solid lead flow, bringing on a sales rep could be the right move.

Hiring Experiences and Insights

Pat shared how his business grew through thoughtful transitions. They weren’t fully ready for a dedicated sales rep, so they created a hybrid position - a mix of sales and project management. Once the new team member becomes familiar with the project side of the business and the demand increases, the plan is to transition them into a full-time sales role.
“We created a project manager/sales role to bridge the gap as we ramp up in a new area.”

Forecasting and Long-Term Vision

A key focus was on sales forecasting and aligning hiring decisions with future business goals. As Mackenzie emphasized, “If you’re forecasting more deals than you can handle, then you should probably hire a crew.” Aligning hiring decisions with your business forecast is crucial for strategic growth.

Next Steps

  1. Reflect on Your Business Needs. Ask yourself: What is the biggest bottleneck right now? If you have a strong sales pipeline but struggle to close deals, consider hiring a sales rep. If project delays are the issue, expanding your crew might be the solution.
  2. Assess Your Capacity and Pipeline. Take time to analyze whether you're understaffed in either sales or crew. Use real data from your sales forecast and project schedules to make an informed decision.
  3. Create a Recruitment Plan. Whether hiring for sales or crew, it’s essential to have a clear recruitment plan. This includes defining your hiring criteria, streamlining the interview process, and ensuring systems are in place for training and onboarding.
  4. Leverage Your Network and Resources. If finding the right hire is a challenge, consider using recruitment agencies or leveraging tools like your website’s for a careers page in conjunction with Sales Jumpstart workflows and automation to streamline recruitment.

Resources

  • Presentation Slides
  • Worksheet: Use the accompanying worksheet to assess your current needs and determine the next best hire for your business
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