Situation
Fetch.AI is a newer artificial intelligence company based in the UK. The startup has developed a highly innovative way to combine today’s most exciting technologies: blockchain and AI. Now that the company has developed their product, they are excited to expand into the US market.
The Cambridge UK-based company realized a significant growth opportunity in the United States. However, the founders realized they needed external support to recruit their first three-person sales team. They came to Peak to guide them through the recruitment process.
Building A US Based Sales Team
Fetch.AI chose Peak through a competitive bid process. The startup laid out three new specific roles they needed to recruit to achieve their growth goals in the US.
Market Researcher
As an AI company, Fetch understood the value of building on a foundation of high-quality data. The market researcher would be responsible for using business intelligence tools to identify the best leads for the sales team. Fetch did not want to rely on off-the-shelf lead lists because lead quality was vitally important.
Sales Development Representative (SDR)
The SDR position at Fetch.AI is focused on prospecting, qualifying, and setting meetings with carefully selected leads. A track record of success in outbound prospecting through phone, email, and other channels was vital for the sales development representative.
Account Executive (AE).
The account executive role was focused on delivering unique product demos and closing sales. In the first year, the Account Executive quota was to sell ten proof of concept projects to clients.
Solution
The Peak approach to recruiting sales professionals for Fetch’s first American sales hires relied on three guiding principles.
Assessing Culture Fit.
The first hires in any organization have a tremendous impact on the company’s culture. Peak deliberately screened candidates for culture fit by extensively meeting with Fetch’s US manager. Peak screened out several candidates who looked promising on paper after determining a mismatch between Fetch and candidate expectations.
Track Record of Success With Enterprise Technology Sales.
Fetch’s unique combination of AI and blockchain technology offers exciting possibilities. Prospects are unlikely to understand the value of the technology because it is new. The successful candidates needed experience with longer B2B technology sales cycles, often measured in months or quarters.
Testing Candidate Skills With A Mock Presentation.
Interviews are valuable, yet they have limitations during the hiring process. To mitigate the risk of hiring a market researcher with insufficient technical skills, Peak designed a mock exercise. Short-listed candidates were asked to create a short data-based presentation.
The mock exercise asked candidates to select two US cities to pursue specific business objectives and explain their choice using data. These presentations made it easier to determine which analyst candidates had the right mix of analytical and communication skills to succeed in the role.
Results
Fetch has recruited their first US sales team to start the next chapter of its growth journey in just over three months.
Three Market Analyst Finalists.
Fetch considered three finalist candidates through Peak’s extensive interviewing and filtering process. The mock presentation gave Fetch crucial insights into how each person approached and used data to drive business decisions.
Exceptional Account Executive Candidate Quality.
At the start of the recruitment process, Fetch planned to hire only one account executive role. However, they were so impressed by the quality of candidates Peak found they are accelerating plans to hire additional account executives.
Taking The Long View In Recruitment.
Peak faced the opportunity to recommend an additional candidate to Fetch. The additional person had promising qualifications. However, Peak advised against the person due to poor culture fit. This meant less revenue for Peak. Fetch was impressed by the decision.
Who Else Wants Sales Employees?
The sales profession is highly competitive. The best candidates are approached by recruiters and companies constantly. Breaking through the noise to attract top-tier sales talent is Peak’s specialty. Whether you are looking for a sales manager to oversee multiple offices like John Deere, expanding into the US like Fetch, Peak Sales Recruiting can help.
Peak Sales Recruiting has deep expertise working with B2B sales organizations, technology firms, and startups interested in growth. Click here to discuss your sales team needs with Peak today.
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