Hire for Domain, Train for Sales [21]

Show notes

An SE leader scaling from five to twenty SEs stopped hiring from the presales talent pool. His last six hires were former controllers and accountants from his customers' world — and they got into customer meetings independently in three months instead of four.

What Nate and Ava discuss

• Why domain credibility in a vertical product can't be faked or taught quickly
• The 80/20 enablement flip — minimal product training, heavy investment in sales skills and roleplay
• The retention edge: domain hires aren't comparing your SE role to another SE role at a competitor

The move

If you're in a vertical product company struggling to find SE talent, look at your customer's org chart. Rewrite the job description around the domain ("deep understanding of financial close processes") instead of years of presales experience — then redirect the budget you save on product training into structured sales skills development.

🔗 Resources & Links: paths.to/presales

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