When to Hire a VP of Sales vs Interim Sales Leadership
At some point in every growing company, revenue begins to plateau.
What worked early on stops working as the organization grows. The founder can’t
personally manage every deal. Salespeople start operating independently without
consistent structure. Forecasts become unreliable. Leadership meetings turn into
conversations about what might happen instead of what will happen.
This is usually the moment when leadership starts asking a very important question.
Do we need a VP of Sales?
The answer is often yes. But what many companies overlook is that hiring a full time
executive is not always the right first step. In many situations, bringing in interim sales
leadership can be a far more effective way to stabilize revenue and build the foundation for
long term growth.
Understanding the difference between these two options can save organizations a
tremendous amount of time, money, and frustration.
Hiring Sales Leadership: A Critical Decision for Growing Companies
As companies grow, one of the most important decisions leadership teams face is when to
hire experienced sales leadership. Some organizations immediately recruit a full time VP of
Sales, while others benefit from bringing in interim or fractional sales leadership to stabilize
revenue operations first.
Understanding the difference between these two paths can help companies make better
decisions about how to structure their revenue organization.
A Pattern I’ve Seen Repeatedly
In more than two decades working in automotive sales organizations, I’ve seen this
situation play out many times. Early revenue growth is often driven by relationships, hustle,
and a few strong salespeople who know the industry well. That approach works for a while,
but as the company grows the lack of structure begins to show. Pipeline visibility fades,
forecasts become optimistic, and leadership starts realizing the organization needs
experienced sales leadership to scale.
Signs Your Organization Needs Sales Leadership
Many companies wait too long to bring experienced sales leadership into the organization.
Revenue begins to suffer long before leadership recognizes that the underlying problem is
Structural.
A few warning signs tend to appear first.
The sales pipeline becomes difficult to understand. Different salespeople manage deals in
different ways, and leadership no longer has clear visibility into what is actually happening
inside the pipeline.
Forecasting becomes optimistic rather than operational. Sales managers predict outcomes
based on hope rather than data. Leadership meetings start including phrases like “if this
deal closes” or “we think this opportunity will move forward.”
Territory coverage begins to break down. Some markets are overserved while others
receive little attention. Opportunities are missed simply because no one clearly owns the
Account.
Salespeople work hard, but results become inconsistent. Without structure, accountability,
and leadership guidance, even talented sales teams struggle to maintain momentum.
When these conditions appear, the organization almost always needs stronger sales
leadership. The question then becomes how to bring that leadership into the company.
When Hiring a Full Time VP of Sales Makes Sense
A full time VP of Sales is the right decision when an organization has already established a
relatively stable revenue engine and is ready to scale.
In these situations, the company typically has a defined product or service that is already
selling successfully, a sales team that is producing results but needs leadership to scale, and
consistent market demand with a relatively predictable sales cycle.
Hiring a permanent VP of Sales in this environment allows the company to build long term
leadership continuity and focus on sustained expansion.
However, many organizations attempt to hire this role before the underlying sales structure
is ready. That often leads to frustration on both sides.
The executive enters the organization expecting an operational sales system, but instead
finds broken pipelines, unclear territory coverage, and inconsistent sales processes.
At that point the VP of Sales spends months simply trying to stabilize the environment
before any growth initiatives can begin.
This is where interim sales leadership can make a significant difference.
When Interim Sales Leadership Is the Better First Step
Interim sales leadership works best when an organization needs experienced revenue
leadership quickly but the long term structure of the sales organization has not yet been
fully defined.
In these situations, an interim leader can step into the business, evaluate the current sales
environment, and implement the operational discipline required to stabilize revenue
Performance.
This typically includes improving pipeline visibility, establishing consistent forecasting
processes, aligning territory coverage, and creating accountability across the sales team.
Because interim leaders focus on operational execution rather than long term employment,
they are often able to move faster and make structural changes that internal teams may
struggle to address.
Another important advantage is flexibility. Many organizations are not yet ready to commit
to a permanent executive hire while the sales organization is still evolving. Interim
leadership provides experienced guidance during this transitional period without forcing
the company into a long term decision too early.
Once the revenue structure becomes stable and predictable, the organization is in a much
stronger position to recruit and hire a permanent VP of Sales.
Building the Foundation Before Scaling
Revenue growth rarely stalls because of a lack of effort. In most cases, the real problem is
that the sales organization lacks the operational structure required to scale.
When companies attempt to solve this problem simply by hiring a new executive, they often
discover that leadership alone cannot fix an environment that lacks fundamental discipline.
Interim sales leadership can provide the bridge between early growth and long term
executive hiring. By stabilizing the revenue engine first, organizations create the foundation
that allows a future VP of Sales to step in and focus on expansion rather than repair.
For many companies, that approach leads to faster progress, stronger sales teams, and more
predictable revenue growth.
If your organization is navigating these types of challenges, bringing experienced sales
leadership into the business can often provide the clarity and structure needed to move
forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should a company hire a VP of Sales?
A company should typically hire a VP of Sales when it has a proven product or service, a
growing sales team, and a relatively stable revenue engine that needs leadership to scale.
What does an interim VP of Sales do?
An interim VP of Sales provides temporary leadership within a sales organization, helping
stabilize revenue operations, implement sales processes, improve forecasting, and align
sales teams around clear performance goals.
What is the difference between a VP of Sales and fractional sales leadership?
A VP of Sales is usually a full time executive responsible for long term leadership of the sales
organization. Fractional or interim sales leadership allows companies to bring experienced
revenue leadership into the organization temporarily while stabilizing operations or
preparing for growth.
About the Author
Roger Reger is the founder of Reger Growth Partners, an advisory firm that provides
interim revenue leadership for companies operating within or entering the automotive
ecosystem.
With more than twenty two years of experience in sales leadership, Roger works directly
with founders, CEOs, and executive teams to help organizations strengthen revenue
performance, implement scalable sales infrastructure, and accelerate market expansion.
Organizations navigating revenue growth challenges or preparing for expansion within the
automotive industry are welcome to start a conversation.
roger@regergrowth.com
