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We're Hiring a Biz Dev Director, But Want Someone Else to Email Us Your Resume

thederek.com

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Re: We're Hiring a Biz Dev Director, But Want Someone Else to Email Us Your Resume

#21

Post by btilly »

rscale wrote: post #11
btilly wrote: post #7

Something not entirely dissimilar happened to someone I know. He was called, "due to feedback from someone who worked with you" and sold on a business opportunity. He'd be starting as the head of IT, etc. (This was, in fact, a reasonable position for him.) Near the end of the call he was told, "We still have another few members of the team to fill out. Can you recommend anyone for the head of finance?" The real story…

Wow, that is the shadiest backchannel reference methodology that I've ever heard. If I was the candidate and I heard that story, I'd reject the job without delay. Manipulating people I respect is an astonishingly poor way to establish a relationship. I can't believe the CEO thought this was a good idea. Well, sadly I can. There are a lot of firms that succeed in spite of their management, not because of them.

That is your opinion. However everyone involved in the actual story thought that this was clever of the CEO and respected him for it. It may help that all had managed enough people to understand that manipulation is often necessary. (See, for example, the standard strategy for delivering criticism in a way that will be heard - aka a "shit sandwich".)

The CEO needed an honest answer to a question which people usually lie about, and got it.

For more on this topic I highly recommend reading Machiavelli's The Prince. The advice is both horrifying and effective. Figuring out why it works can be very enlightening.

Re: We're Hiring a Biz Dev Director, But Want Someone Else to Email Us Your Resume

#22

Post by jusben1369 »

derekflanzraich wrote: post #14
jusben1369 wrote: post #2

Good luck with the strategy. Not sure whether the value of this will be solely in it's uniqueness but even that can be effective. I think you're going to create unneccessary confusion though with a "Director" title while stating "with a salary range of $28-32k/year and uncapped commission." Even at a startup a Director level Sales/BD person would be around 100/100 for an OTE of $200K in a market like NY. So if I have…

Well, the salary is what we can afford-- and so that obviously works as a filter. We're an early stage startup, so we're hoping people will believe in our vision + recognize the upside they can help create... and that then the salary becomes less important. Plus uncapped commission doesn't hurt (especially if you're confident you can close deals) and this position, in time, is definitely one that can earn a meaningfu…

Understood Derek and why you arrived at your number. Look at your revenue goal for the next 12 months. Look at $18K (base = $50K) If $18K is 15% or less of your revenue goal then find a way to make it to $50K. What also happens when you're paying $50K vs $32K is you'll attract a significantly upgraded candidate which in turn will increase your chances of hitting or exceeding your overall revenue goals. Don't save $18K to get a candidate who's 80% of what you can get for $50K. I suspect that 20% equates to $100K to $200K in revenue for you over the next 12 months.
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