The Pitfalls of Hiring a Hybrid Sales Leader

Why Mixing Sales and Management in One Role Can Hurt Your Team's Performance

It is New Years Eve and if you are working or reading this on your time off, you might be reflecting over 2024 and/or looking ahead at 2025. 

Although the hiring market still looks tough, I have spoken to many companies who are looking to grow and hire in 2025. If you are looking to hire for your sales department;  Keep reading! Are you looking to promote someone or hire someone as a hybrid sales leader—a person tasked with both selling and managing the team. While it might seem like a cost-effective solution, my experience is that it this often creates more problems than it solves.

The Problem with Hybrid Roles

The concept of a hybrid sales leader looks logical on the surface. Why not have someone closing deals while also coaching and overseeing the team? However, this setup often leads to three key issues:

1. Split Focus Sales and management are two demanding, very different roles. Selling requires intense focus on prospecting, building relationships and closing deals. Managing, on the other hand, is about coaching, strategising, and creating an environment where the team can thrive. Expecting one person to excel at both often backfires.
2. Conflict of Interest Imagine a hybrid manager coaching their team while competing for the same deals. This situation can lead to tension and mistrust within the team. Reps may feel they are being set up to fail or that their manager is taking the "best" opportunities for themselves. This dynamic can erode team morale and create a toxic culture that’s hard to recover from.
3. Diluted Leadership A manager’s job is to serve their team. They need to focus on removing barriers, providing strategic direction, and developing talent. When they are also trying to close deals, their availability and effectiveness as a leader diminish. The team ends up without the strong leadership they need to succeed.

As businesses grow, the temptation to cut corners on leadership can be strong—especially in startups where budgets are tight. But saving costs in the short term by combining sales and management roles can result in higher turnover, lower morale, and missed revenue opportunities in the long term.

A Better Approach

1. Separate the Roles Hire dedicated sales managers who can focus on coaching and team development. Allow your individual contributors to focus solely on selling.
2. Leverage Fractional Leaders If your budget is tight and/or your team is not big enough (yet) look at hiring a fractional sales leader. They can set up processes, coach the team and build a foundation for success—without the cost of a full-time hire.

As we head into 2025, I want to thank all my customers for this year. I wish you all a very successful New Year!

Thank you for following along in 2024. I’ll see you next year with more insights on leadership, growth, and sales success.

Happy New Year! 🎉

#Leadership #Sales #Management #Startups #Fractional