Building a Sales Team That Scales: Who to Hire at Every Stage of Growth

A business doing $1 million in revenue looks very different from one doing $20 million. Nowhere is that more true than in sales. The team that got a company off the ground probably won’t be the same one that scales it to its next stage of growth.

But too many businesses hire the wrong person at the wrong time. They bring in a senior VP when they need scrappy BDRs. They hand sales off to a generalist when they need specialists. Or worse, they delay hiring altogether and expect an overworked founder or a tiny team to keep carrying the load.

Sales hiring should be deliberate, staged, and matched to the company’s needs at each level of growth. Let’s walk through what a scalable sales team looks like at different revenue milestones and how to avoid the most common hiring mistakes.

The $1M Sales Team: Founder-Led and Scrappy

At $1 million in revenue, the founder is usually the primary salesperson. They know the product inside and out, they have industry connections, and they can sell based on vision and passion alone.

But this approach has limits. Founders can only do so much, and without a repeatable process, revenue remains inconsistent. The key hire at this stage is someone who can generate pipeline and handle the early sales workload.

Key Roles at This Stage

• Business Development Representative (BDR) – A junior hire focused on outbound prospecting, cold calls, and setting up meetings for the founder

• Sales Operations Consultant (Optional) – If deals are being tracked on spreadsheets, it may be time to bring in help setting up a CRM and basic automation

Common Mistakes

• Hiring a VP of Sales too early – At this stage, there’s not enough process in place for a senior leader to optimize

• Expecting a junior rep to close deals alone – BDRs generate leads, but they’re not closers yet

• Failing to set up a structured sales process – Without a CRM and defined outreach cadence, deals fall through the cracks

The $3M–$5M Sales Team: Expanding Beyond the Founder

At this stage, the founder needs to step back from direct selling. The company has product-market fit, inbound leads are increasing, and it’s time to build a structured team.

Key Roles at This Stage

• Account Executive (AE) – A closer who handles qualified leads and manages deals through the full sales cycle

• Sales Development Representative (SDR) – Handles outbound prospecting and lead qualification, passing opportunities to the AE

• Sales Manager (Optional) – If there are multiple AEs, a manager may be needed to provide coaching and accountability

Common Mistakes

• Hiring too many closers without lead generation support – AEs need a pipeline to work with

• Neglecting onboarding and training – Hiring good salespeople is only half the battle, they need the right process to succeed

• Holding onto founder-led sales too long – Founders should transition into a coaching and strategic role rather than day-to-day selling

The $10M Sales Team: Specialization and Scale

At $10M, the company has multiple sales reps, a defined pipeline, and a CRM that actually gets used. The next challenge is scaling the team efficiently.

Key Roles at This Stage

• Sales Manager or Director of Sales – Manages the AE and SDR teams, ensuring quota attainment and sales consistency

• More AEs and SDRs – Expanding the team to match increased demand

• Customer Success Manager (CSM) – Ensures smooth onboarding and retention for high-value customers

• RevOps Leader – Helps optimize sales processes, reporting, and automation

Common Mistakes

• Promoting a great AE to Sales Manager without leadership training – Managing is a different skill set than selling

• Letting sales and marketing operate in silos – This stage requires strong coordination between lead generation and sales execution

• Failing to invest in customer retention – At this size, renewals and upsells become just as important as new sales

The $20M+ Sales Team: Building an Enterprise-Level Revenue Engine

At $20M, sales must be fully scalable and predictable. The team is too large for individual deal-making to drive success. This is where systems, leadership, and analytics become just as important as sales talent.

Key Roles at This Stage

• VP of Sales or Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) – Owns the entire revenue function, including sales, customer success, and sometimes marketing

• Sales Enablement Manager – Ensures reps are trained, equipped, and continuously improving

• Enterprise AEs and SDRs – Handling larger accounts with longer sales cycles

• Dedicated RevOps Team – Handles forecasting, CRM optimization, and sales efficiency

Common Mistakes

• Hiring a CRO too early – A CRO is most valuable when the company already has a well-functioning sales organization

• Not focusing on sales efficiency – Scaling isn’t just about adding more reps, it’s about making every rep more productive

• Failing to adapt the sales strategy – The approach that worked at $5M may not work at $20M, and leadership must be willing to adjust

B2B vs. Other Types of Sales Teams

Not all businesses require the same type of sales team. B2B companies, especially those selling high-ticket services or enterprise software, need structured processes, multiple sales roles, and a long-term focus on pipeline health.

• B2B Enterprise Sales – Requires SDRs, AEs, CSMs, and RevOps to handle longer, more complex sales cycles

• Transactional B2B Sales – Focuses more on volume and conversion speed rather than deep relationship-building

• E-commerce or Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) – Often relies more on marketing automation and inbound sales rather than a traditional outbound sales team

• Professional Services – May involve fewer dedicated sales reps, with partners or executives leading relationship-based sales

A business growing from $1M to $20M must consider the complexity of its sales cycle and the type of customers it serves when building its team. Hiring for the wrong type of sales approach can create inefficiencies and slow growth.

The Right Hire at the Right Time

A company that hires too aggressively too early ends up with high costs and underutilized sales talent. A company that waits too long to hire leaves millions on the table. The key is hiring for the current stage of growth while preparing for the next one.

Key Takeaways for Growing a Sales Team

1. At $1M, the founder is still selling but should hire a BDR for lead generation

2. At $3M–$5M, the team should add AEs to close deals and SDRs to build pipeline

3. At $10M, a Sales Manager, CSMs, and RevOps support become critical

4. At $20M, leadership shifts to CRO-level strategy and enterprise sales efficiency

A company that grows from $1M to $20M without scaling its sales team correctly will struggle with bottlenecks, missed opportunities, and unpredictable revenue. The businesses that scale best are the ones that hire deliberately, systemize their sales process, and adapt their team structure at each stage.