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Offices & Reach
Australia & APAC Region
Executive Sales & Sales Leadership Recruitment
Executive Sales Recruitment
CROs, VPs of Sales, Sales Directors and National Sales Managers. We headhunt sales leaders directly through confidential search, not from applications, and we back the appointment with a written replacement assurance rather than an opinion.
Sales leadership talent, explained
Executive Search for Sales Leadership
Executive sales recruitment for the roles that carry the number
Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Commercial Officer, VP of Sales, Sales Director, National Sales Manager. These appointments set the revenue plan, build the team and own the forecast, so a miss costs a year rather than a quarter.
The sales leaders worth hiring are not applying. They are performing, under contract, and reachable only by someone who already knows them.
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Headhunted, not advertisedEvery search starts with a named target list drawn from your market and your competitors. Confidential when the incumbent is still in the seat.
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Evidence, not narrativeQuota carried and achieved, team size, revenue owned, and what they actually built. Referenced with the people who reported to them as well as the people they reported to.
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Sales is all we doOver 9,000 placements since 2004 in one discipline. Every consultant recruits salespeople and sales leaders, so the benchmark we hold candidates to is a real one.
Roles We Search
Sales leadership roles we recruit every week
From the executive team down to the first line of sales management, including Key Account Directors and sales enablement leaders. If the role owns a number, a team or a channel, it sits on our desk.
Chief Revenue Officer
Owns the whole revenue engine. Sales, marketing alignment, pricing and forecast accuracy under one accountability.
Chief Commercial Officer
Commercial strategy, margin and market expansion, usually with product, pricing and partnerships in scope.
VP of Sales and Sales Director
Builds and leads the team that carries the number. The appointment most often made under time pressure and most often got wrong.
National Sales Manager
National coverage, channel mix and field discipline. Strong operators who can still sell when the deal needs it.
Regional and State Sales Manager
First line leadership across a territory. Where most sales careers are made or stalled, so selection matters.
Head of Business Development
New logo leadership. Builds the hunting motion rather than managing an inherited account base.
Head of Channel and Partnerships
Indirect revenue through resellers, distributors and alliances, with the commercial skill to keep partners productive.
Head of Customer Success
Retention, expansion and net revenue retention. Increasingly the second most important revenue hire after the sales leader.
Sales leadership search by sector
Leadership credibility is sector specific. A CRO who has scaled SaaS revenue is not automatically the right VP of Sales for a building products business. Our consultants work the sectors below.
The Search
How we run an executive sales search
Six stages, run confidentially, with market coverage visible to you at every one of them.
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01
Calibrate the mandate
Revenue plan, the team being inherited, the board's expectations and the real pay range. We agree what a successful appointment looks like at twelve months before we go near the market.
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02
Map the market
A named target list built from your sector, your competitors and the businesses that build leaders well. You see the list, so you can see who is in scope and who has been ruled out.
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03
Approach directly
Every name on the list is contacted personally, not advertised to. Searches can run under confidentiality where an incumbent is still in the seat or the appointment is market sensitive.
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04
Test the evidence
Quota carried and hit, team built and retained, forecast accuracy, pricing discipline and what they personally changed. Structured against the scorecard, not against how well they interview.
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05
Shortlist with proof
Three to five leaders, each with a written case covering evidence, motivation, risk and pay expectation. Referenced upward and downward before you meet them, not after you make an offer.
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06
Land and hold the hire
Offer strategy, counter offer management and structured check ins through the first ninety days. Backed by a written replacement assurance of up to twelve months rather than an opinion.
1,500+
Leadership placements
Sales leadership appointments made across Australia since 2004.
78%
Repeat engagement
Clients who brief us again for their next leadership appointment.
89%
Still in seat at two years
The measure that matters at this level, because a leadership miss costs a year.
37 days
Average time to appointment
From calibration to written acceptance across executive sales searches.
Commercial Clarity
Know the commitment before you brief the market
Standard Search
- Shortlist in 10 business days
- Inside a 30 day committed campaign
- 3 month replacement assurance
Priority Search
- Shortlist in 15 business days
- Inside a 45 day committed campaign
- 6 month replacement assurance
Most executive roles
Executive Search
- Milestones agreed at calibration
- Scoped to appointment complexity
- 12 month replacement assurance
A fixed professional fee is agreed before work begins, not a percentage of salary. Fees are invoiced on the appointee's written acceptance of the offer, on 14 day terms. Replacement assurance is available where the fee was paid within terms.
Questions hiring boards ask
What is the difference between executive sales recruitment and a contingent agency search
Coverage. A contingent search sends you whoever is already looking and available, because the recruiter is only paid on placement and has to spread effort across many roles. An executive search is a committed campaign against a named market map, so the leaders who are performing and not looking are approached as well. You see who was contacted, who declined and why.
Will you approach sales leaders working for our competitors
Yes, unless you tell us a business is off limits. Direct competitors are usually where the most relevant leaders sit, because the buying cycle, the channel and the price point already match. We agree the off limits list with you at calibration, and we honour our own off limits commitments to current clients.
Can a search run confidentially while the incumbent is still in the seat
Yes, and a meaningful share of our leadership work is run that way. Your name is disclosed only at a point you agree, candidates are briefed under confidentiality, and no role is advertised. Nothing appears on a job board, on our website or on social channels.
How do you assess a sales leader beyond the interview
We test the evidence behind the story. Quota carried and achieved, team size built and retained, forecast accuracy, margin and pricing discipline, and which results were inherited rather than created. References are taken upward and downward, because how a leader is regarded by the people who reported to them is the better predictor of whether your team will stay.
How long does an executive sales appointment take
Our average across executive sales searches is 37 days from calibration to written acceptance. Milestones are agreed up front and scoped to the complexity of the appointment, so a confidential CRO search in a narrow market will run longer than a State Sales Manager appointment in a deep one.
Which sectors do you recruit sales leaders for
Technology and SaaS, financial services, medical and pharmaceutical, FMCG and consumer goods, professional services, manufacturing and industrial, construction and building products, and transport and logistics. Each sector is worked by consultants who recruit in it continuously rather than occasionally.
Book a hiring consultation
Your next sales leadership hire starts here
Thirty minutes with a senior partner. Pick a time that suits you, no form to fill in first.
- What the role really needs, and what the market will actually pay for it
- Who is available now, named, before you commit to anything
- Which search model fits the risk, and what it costs
Prefer to talk now? Call 1300 774 900 or email enquiry@salesrecruit.com.au
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