If you’re an ambitious small business owner you’ll eventually find yourself wondering, “Should I hire a salesperson?”

Unless sales is your love language and selling is one of your working geniuses, the answer is definitely yes! You’ve got enough to do already and, just like an expert athlete, an experienced salesperson will make it look ridiculously easy. 

But when’s the best time to hire a salesperson? Like so many things, there is no one size fits all solution. 

Here are the key questions to answer when considering whether you should hire a salesperson:

• What’s your current revenue? 
• How profitable are you? Or, said another way, can you scale and maintain your existing profit margin?
• What is your desired revenue? 
• Do you have an existing pipeline of potential business?
• What can you afford to invest in sales before you see a return? 
• How will you manage a salesperson? 

Current Revenue – Can Your Business Afford to Hire a Salesperson? 

A full time salesperson will expect a starting wage of between $50k and $80k, depending on where you’re located and the service you offer. Commission will be on top of that, as will any other benefits and employer costs. 

Typically, you’ll need revenue in excess of $1.5M to make a full time salesperson viable. A part time or outsourced salesperson may make more financial sense. 

Can You Maintain Your Profit Margin and Scale?

 
This is one that a lot of smart business owners fail to consider; can you maintain your profit margin as you grow? Sometimes the cost of acquiring new business exceeds the value of the new business you generate.