# Plan your first commercial hire

A working template for a B2B founder preparing to transfer sales or business-development responsibilities.

Use current customer and opportunity evidence. Complete the review with the person who will manage the hire. The 90-day sections organize onboarding; they do not promise a sale, a completed hire, or a fully independent team by a fixed date.

**Company:** ____________________  
**Prepared by:** ____________________  
**Review date:** ____________________  
**Current commercial team:** ____________________  
**Role being considered:** ____________________

## 1. What work needs an owner?

List the work that consumes founder time or repeatedly waits for attention. Describe tasks a person can take responsibility for.

| Task | Current owner | Frequency or volume | What happens when it waits? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |

**The most important responsibility to transfer:**  
____________________________________________________________

**Evidence that this responsibility needs a dedicated person:**  
____________________________________________________________

## 2. What is established about the customer and sale?

Identify what a new hire can learn from actual opportunities.

**The buyer and use case with the strongest evidence:**  
____________________________________________________________

**Recent customers, pilots, wins, or losses to study:**  
____________________________________________________________

**Why customers bought, in their own terms:**  
____________________________________________________________

**The part of the sale that still needs testing:**  
____________________________________________________________

For each answer, record where the evidence lives: CRM record, call note, customer message, proposal, or another approved source.

## 3. What should this role own?

Choose the primary responsibility before adding secondary tasks. Examples include prospecting, progressing qualified deals, developing partners, or maintaining revenue operations.

**Primary responsibility:** ____________________  
**Supporting responsibilities:** ____________________  
**Responsibilities excluded from this role:** ____________________  
**Manager and weekly review owner:** ____________________

| Responsibility | Decision the hire can make | When to involve the founder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |

## 4. What must remain with the founder or another owner?

Decide who owns product commitments, pricing exceptions, final agreements, delivery promises, hiring decisions, and important customer learning.

**Founder responsibilities during onboarding:**  
____________________________________________________________

**Product or delivery owner:** ____________________  
**Commercial approval owner:** ____________________  
**Expected founder availability each week:** ____________________

## 5. What evidence should a candidate demonstrate?

Define the work evidence before reviewing candidates. Weight the criteria according to the role.

| Criterion | Evidence to request | Importance | Interview owner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Relevant customer understanding | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Judgment about an account or deal | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Clear written and spoken communication | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Follow-through and operating discipline | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Role-specific experience | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |

**A concern that would change the hiring decision:**  
____________________________________________________________

## 6. What practical exercise will help you evaluate the role?

Use a fictional or appropriately authorized example. Keep the exercise focused and proportionate. Tell candidates what you will assess.

**Exercise:** ____________________  
**Information provided:** ____________________  
**Expected output:** ____________________  
**Time allowed:** ____________________  
**Evaluation criteria:** ____________________

Possible exercises include preparing discovery questions, assessing an account, outlining a partner proposition, or organizing next steps for a sample opportunity. Choose the exercise that reflects the actual job.

## 7. What must be ready before the person starts?

| Material or access | Ready? | Owner | Completion date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Customer profile and disqualification criteria | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Product introduction and demo materials | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Approved claims, proof, and customer references | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Discovery questions and proposal examples | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| CRM stages, fields, and ownership rules | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Active opportunity context and commitments | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Required tools and authorized access | ______ | ______ | ______ |

**The gap most likely to slow onboarding:**  
____________________________________________________________

## 8. How will responsibility expand during the first 90 days?

Choose milestones based on the role, starting point, and sales cycle. Review readiness before transferring more responsibility.

| Period | Work to learn or own | Evidence of readiness | Support required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Days 1 to 30 | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Days 31 to 60 | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| Days 61 to 90 | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |

**First task the hire can own independently:** ____________________  
**First review date:** ____________________  
**How customer feedback will be captured:** ____________________

## 9. How will you judge progress?

Choose measures that fit the responsibility. Distinguish preparation and activity from customer progress and revenue.

| Measure | Starting point | Intended change | Source | Review date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |
| ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ |

**What would prompt additional coaching or a scope change?**  
____________________________________________________________

## 10. What is the next hiring decision?

**Decision:** Hire now / prepare the role first / use scoped support / revisit later  
**Reason:** ____________________  
**Approved budget and employment arrangements:** ____________________  
**Decision owner:** ____________________  
**Next action and date:** ____________________

## Discuss the operating plan

Rebar CRO helps founders define the role, prepare the commercial materials, support evaluation and onboarding, and transfer agreed responsibilities. Candidate sourcing is a separate scope decision.

[Request a 20-minute CRO call](https://wearerebar.com/cro/contact/). Bring this worksheet and the responsibility you most need to transfer.