You’ve built a great product, found product-market fit, and now the demand is picking up. Turning this momentum into long-term success requires scaling your sales team. This is a moment that will shape your startup’s ability to grow.
Scaling too soon or hiring the wrong type of salespeople can cost valuable time and money. This guide breaks down the key steps in scaling a sales team – so you can grow faster, smarter, and more sustainably.
Understanding How Your Target Market Expects to Be 'Sold To'
Before you can think about how to scale a sales team, you need to understand your audience. One of the most important questions to ask yourself now is: how does your target market like to be sold to? When determining your buyers’ expectations, think about the following:
How does my target market prefer to be approached – online, in-person, or both?
Do my buyers typically make fast decisions, or is the sales cycle long and complex?
Are product demos a critical part of the sales process?
Take SaaS companies, for example. Today’s SaaS buyers often want to experience the product before speaking to a salesperson. Many users expect to see self-serve demo videos, free product trials, or live virtual walk-throughs. In this case, a sales team should be trained in consultative sales, focusing more on the customer's challenges and goals instead of selling the product's features in a traditional way.
Enterprise buyers, however, may expect in-person meetings, detailed request for proposal (RFP) responses, and a longer lead nurturing process. B2B hardware or industrial clients might require site visits, demos on location, and multi-stakeholder presentations. Tailoring your sales strategy to the expectations of your buyers sets the stage for scaling in the right direction.
What Type of Salespeople Do You Need?
Not all sales teams are created equal. To determine how to scale a sales team that fits your business model, you need to have a clear vision of the roles you’re hiring for. Be sure to consider these points:
Geography and Coverage: Are your prospects spread across multiple regions or concentrated in one area?
Product or Service Complexity: Is my product straightforward, or does it require technical knowledge and explanation?
Sales Motions and Funnels: Consider whether your sales are mostly inbound or outbound. This will help you determine if you need hunters (cold outreach and lead generation) or farmers (account managers and nurturers). Also think about whether you need specialists for different stages of the sales funnel (SDRs, AEs, Customer Success, etc.)
Scalability and Growth: Is your current sales model scalable with more reps, or does it need to evolve? As you enter new markets or industries, your selling approaches may have to adapt.
Sales Skills and Culture Fit: Think about your most successful salespeople currently. What skills and personality traits do they have? This can help you determine which competencies to focus on when hiring to scale.
How to Tell If You Need Virtual Salespeople
If your product is digital-first and your buyers are located across many regions or countries, virtual sales is likely the way to go. These indicators point toward prioritizing virtual salespeople:
Your customers prefer Zoom or phone calls over in-person meetings.
Sales cycles are fast and volume based.
Your product or service can be demoed online.
Your marketing engine already brings in warm inbound leads.
Virtual salespeople are often best for SaaS platforms, subscription services, and B2B offerings where scale and speed matter more than face-to-face interactions.
When Your Sales Team Needs to Meet Prospects In-Person
On the other hand, if you sell high-ticket items, complex services, or operate in a region where business is built on personal trust, in-person sales can be essential. Here are signs you need to invest in an on-the-ground team:
Deals involve multiple stakeholders or decision makers.
Your clients are based in one or only a few geographic hubs.
Face-to-face demos or walkthroughs are a key part of the sales process.
Your buyers come from industries where relationships are crucial, such as manufacturing, government, or enterprise software.
A hybrid model is also an option. You can start with virtual outreach and then transition to in-person as prospects move down the funnel.
Understanding the Sales Skills You Need
Once you’ve determined the type of salesperson that fits your product and market, the next step is to identify the specific skills you need. Scaling a sales team often requires balancing generalist sellers with specialists who can handle unique sales stages or verticals.
Key skills to consider:
Lead Qualification: Can this salesperson quickly assess whether a lead is worth pursuing?
Technical Understanding: This is especially important for SaaS or complex products.
Consultative Selling: Is the rep able to guide a conversation instead of pitching aggressively?
Adaptability: Can they sell across channels such as email, phone, video, and in-person?
CRM Proficiency: Are they already comfortable using your Customer Relationship Management tools?
A strong team dynamic becomes increasingly important as you grow, so you’ll also want to look for cultural fit and team collaboration skills.
A Hiring Process That Appeals to the Natural Drive of Salespeople
Now comes the most critical part of how to scale a sales team: attracting top talent. Salespeople tend to be goal-oriented and thrive in environments that reward performance, autonomy, and financial growth. Your hiring process should reflect this mindset.
Finding the Right Recruiters
Partnering with recruiters who understand sales culture is essential. They should be able to screen for more than just sales quota history. A great sales recruiter knows how to:
Identify key sales traits such as resilience, drive and adaptability.
Spot red flags like job-hopping or inconsistent results.
Understand nuances between sales roles including SDRs, AEs, account managers, and field reps.
Internal HR teams can also support this by aligning hiring strategies with sales leadership and understanding the competitive landscape.
Focusing on Their Financial and Personal Development
Top-performing salespeople are drawn to opportunities where they can grow their income and skills. Your job postings, interviews, and onboarding should highlight:
Clear commission structures and performance incentives.
Career growth paths such as moving from SDR to AE to Sales Manager.
Training programs that allow them to learn new sales methods or tech stacks.
Company culture that celebrates wins, supports team learning, and rewards innovation.
Many sales candidates will be comparing your compensation package, lead quality, and internal tools with other companies’ offerings. To stand out as you scale your sales team, be transparent and communicate how your company invests in sales enablement.
As your company grows, continue to revisit these principles. Markets will evolve, sales motions shift, and team dynamics change. A strategic approach to scaling your sales team can drive consistent revenue growth and become one of your company’s most powerful assets.
