[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":95},["Reactive",2],{"gql:data:QNIYCqUsBc":3},{"resource":4},[5],{"author":6,"title":7,"isEditorial":8,"eyebrowText":9,"date":10,"heroImage":11,"introduction":9,"contentComponents":13,"relatedResources":43,"derivedSeoTitle":93,"derivedSeoDescription":94,"derivedSocialMediaTitle":93,"derivedSocialMediaDescription":94,"derivedSocialMediaImage":10},"John Mccracken - Fmr SVP Global Sales, Castlight Health","How to Build a Sales Team from the Ground Up",false,"",null,{"id":12,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":10,"assetUrlXs":10,"assetUrlSm":10,"assetUrlMd":10,"assetUrlLg":10,"assetUrlXl":10,"assetUrlXxl":10},"2144",[14,18,22,25,28,31,34,37,40],{"componentModel":15,"instance":16},"TextBlockComponent",{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":17},"## Hiring, Compensation Models, and Structure with John McCracken",{"componentModel":19,"instance":20},"VideoComponent",{"videoEmbedCode":21},"\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/681124229?h=9e23b53e5a&color=3e7ec3&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\r\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/681124229\">John McCracken on Sales Teams.mp4\u003C/a> from \u003Ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/leadedgecapital\">Avery Rosin\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"https://vimeo.com\">Vimeo\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>",{"componentModel":15,"instance":23},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":24},"**John McCracken, Former SVP of Worldwide Sales at [Castlight Health](https://www.castlighthealth.com/) and [Jive Software](https://www.jivesoftware.com/)**\r\n\r\nJohn McCracken brings more than 18 years of sales leadership experience across high-growth tech firms. He served as the SVP of Worldwide Sales at Castlight Health and Jive Software, and held senior roles at Inovis, American Express, Warrantech, and PC ServiceSource. He also served on the advisory board of iConclude.",{"componentModel":15,"instance":26},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":27},"## What Founders Should Know About Sales Teams\r\n\r\n* Hire differently for inside versus outside sales. For inside sales, look for hungry, early-career talent. For outside sales, prioritize experience and a proven track record at high-performing companies.\r\n* Build a team-based org structure in the early stages. Share quotas across reps and emphasize collaborative selling to break into enterprise accounts.\r\n* Use a simple and clear compensation model. McCracken recommends a 50% base and 50 % commission plan for most roles.\r\n* Sales comp accelerators should drive performance. Design them to increase earnings when a rep crosses 100% of quota and again at 125%.\r\n* High-performing salespeople often have an athletic mindset. They embrace competition, handle rejection, and stay focused through highs and lows.\r\n* Address underperformance early. After two missed quarters, assess pipeline viability. If there is no path to recovery, help the rep transition out with dignity.\r\n",{"componentModel":15,"instance":29},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":30},"## Building a Sales Org from Early Stage to Scale\r\n\r\n**What is the right sales org structure?**\r\n\r\nIt depends on your stage. Early companies benefit from a pod-based or collaborative model, where reps share ownership of accounts. As you scale, layers of management and specialized roles like SDRs, AEs, and customer success become more necessary.\r\nMcCracken emphasized staying flexible. Do not over-engineer the structure too early, but make sure there is clarity in roles and accountability.\r\n\r\n**How should compensation evolve?**\r\n\r\nStart with a simple plan: 50% base and 50% variable. This keeps things understandable for reps and scalable for leadership.\r\nAdd accelerators to reward overperformance. Reps from larger companies often expect to earn 8 to 10 % on deals after quota. Use the 125% benchmark as the next unlock tier to reach 10 to 20 % on commission.\r\n\r\n**Who makes a great sales hire?**\r\n\r\nLook for people with competitive drive. McCracken mentioned that former athletes are often successful because they have learned to win, lose, and bounce back quickly.\r\n\r\nAlso important attributes to look for are:\r\n\r\n* Strong communication skills\r\n* Curiosity about the product and customer\r\n* Accountability and personal discipline\r\n* A track record of performance in previous roles\r\n",{"componentModel":15,"instance":32},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":33},"## Managing Performance on Sales Teams\r\n\r\n**When should you intervene?**\r\n\r\nIf a rep misses quota two quarters in a row, it is time for a serious conversation. Review their pipeline. \r\n\r\nAre deals stuck? Are targets realistic? \r\n\r\nIf recovery seems unlikely, support them in finding their next role. Avoid surprises and give people time to land elsewhere with respect.",{"componentModel":15,"instance":35},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":36},"## Considering Growth Equity Capital?\r\n\r\nReady to scale your go-to-market motion or hire a world-class sales team?\r\n\r\nWe would love to connect. Lead Edge Capital partners with founder-led businesses and supports scale through hands-on operating expertise and global executive networks.\r\n\r\n[Contact our team](https://leadedge.com/contact/)",{"componentModel":15,"instance":38},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":39},"## About John McCracken\r\n\r\nJohn McCracken led high-performing sales organizations at Castlight Health, Jive Software, and other major tech firms. His insights on sales team structure, comp planning, and performance management are based on real experience scaling enterprise sales teams from the ground up.",{"componentModel":15,"instance":41},{"styleAsFeaturedContent":8,"body":42},"## FAQ: Sales Team Structure and Compensation\r\n\r\n**How do you build a sales team from the ground up?**\r\n\r\nStart by hiring inside and outside reps with complementary strengths. Create a clear comp plan, shared goals, and early collaboration across the team.\r\n\r\n**What is the best comp structure for sales reps?**\r\n\r\nUse a 50 % base and 50 % commission. Add accelerators at 100 % and 125 % of quota to reward top performers.\r\n\r\n**How do you structure a sales team at an early-stage startup?**\r\n\r\nUse a team-based or pod model with shared accountability. Avoid unnecessary layers early on and adapt as the team grows.\r\n\r\n**What makes a good sales hire?**\r\n\r\nLook for competitive drive, communication skills, and curiosity. Former athletes or candidates with a history of overachievement often perform well.\r\n\r\n**When should you replace a sales rep?**\r\n\r\nAfter two missed quarters and a weak pipeline, evaluate the path forward. If there is no shot at recovery, help them transition professionally.",[44,61,77],{"title":45,"slug":46,"author":47,"isEditorial":8,"tileImage":48,"heroImage":57,"resourceCategory":59},"On Working with Acquirers","on-working-with-acquirers","Stan Mckee - Former CFO, Electronic Arts",{"id":49,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":50,"assetUrlXs":51,"assetUrlSm":52,"assetUrlMd":53,"assetUrlLg":54,"assetUrlXl":55,"assetUrlXxl":56},"1789","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/xs_working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/sm_working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/md_working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/lg_working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/xl_working_with_acquirers.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1789/xxl_working_with_acquirers.png",{"id":58,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":10,"assetUrlXs":10,"assetUrlSm":10,"assetUrlMd":10,"assetUrlLg":10,"assetUrlXl":10,"assetUrlXxl":10},"2140",{"name":60},"Leadership Video Series",{"title":62,"slug":63,"author":64,"isEditorial":8,"tileImage":65,"heroImage":74,"resourceCategory":76},"On Getting Acquired","on-getting-acquired","Russell Fradin - CEO, Dynamic Signal",{"id":66,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":67,"assetUrlXs":68,"assetUrlSm":69,"assetUrlMd":70,"assetUrlLg":71,"assetUrlXl":72,"assetUrlXxl":73},"1787","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/xs_getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/sm_getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/md_getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/lg_getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/xl_getting_acquired_signal.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1787/xxl_getting_acquired_signal.png",{"id":75,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":10,"assetUrlXs":10,"assetUrlSm":10,"assetUrlMd":10,"assetUrlLg":10,"assetUrlXl":10,"assetUrlXxl":10},"2141",{"name":60},{"title":78,"slug":79,"author":80,"isEditorial":8,"tileImage":81,"heroImage":90,"resourceCategory":92},"On Managing Pipelines","on-managing-pipelines","Michael Osborne - Former CRO, Bazaarvoice",{"id":82,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":83,"assetUrlXs":84,"assetUrlSm":85,"assetUrlMd":86,"assetUrlLg":87,"assetUrlXl":88,"assetUrlXxl":89},"1785","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/xs_managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/sm_managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/md_managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/lg_managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/xl_managing_pipelines.png","https://leadedge.com/system/uploads/fae/image/asset/1785/xxl_managing_pipelines.png",{"id":91,"alt":9,"caption":10,"assetUrl":10,"assetUrlXs":10,"assetUrlSm":10,"assetUrlMd":10,"assetUrlLg":10,"assetUrlXl":10,"assetUrlXxl":10},"2142",{"name":60},"How to Build a Sales Team from the Ground Up | Hiring Strategy","How to build a sales team from the ground up. Improve sales performance with proven hiring, compensation, and structure strategies that drive results...",1775769691074]