Moving sales off the founder’s desk

In many companies between 50 and 200 people, the founder still closes most large deals. It works until the founder’s calendar is full. From then on, growth is capped by one person’s week.

Write down how the founder sells

Founders rarely follow a process they could describe, but they do follow one. Sit in on ten of their calls. Note the questions they ask, the stories they tell and the moment they bring up price. That becomes the first version of your sales playbook.

Then test it. Ask a salesperson to run the next five calls from the notes, with the founder listening. Whatever the founder adds afterwards goes into the second version.

Hand over in steps

Don’t move every deal at once. Start with smaller deals in a market the founder knows well, with a salesperson leading and the founder on the call.

• Month one: the salesperson leads and the founder joins every call.

• Month two: the founder joins the final meeting only.

• Month three: the founder joins when the customer asks.

Tell your largest customers what is changing and why. Most of them will be glad to have a contact who answers the phone faster than a founder can.

Set one discount rule for everyone

Founders often close deals with discounts nobody else is allowed to give. Before the handover, set the discount rules for the whole team, founder included. Otherwise customers learn to wait for the founder.

Measure the handover

Track the share of revenue closed without the founder in the final meeting. It’s the clearest sign the handover is working. Set a target for it each quarter and review it with the sales team.

Give the founder a new job in sales

Founders who stop selling often keep closing deals anyway, because nobody told them what to do instead. Give them a clear role: the five largest accounts, the hardest new markets or coaching the team on calls. A founder with a defined part of the work lets go of the rest more easily.