Strategic Sales Hiring: Andy Racic on Designing B2B Growth Roles That Work In this episode of the B2B Growth Blueprint Podcast, host Mark Osborne talks with Andy Racic, founder of Racic Recruiting and author of Your Definitive Sales Career Guide. With over a decade of experience in tech sales and recruiting, Andy shares how his journey—from physics major to AE to founder—shaped his expertise in helping companies hire the right salespeople for the right stage of growth.  Andy breaks down the myths surrounding sales hiring, especially in startup and early-stage environments where founders often assume they can just "hire another version of me." From defining sales roles clearly to understanding quota math, Andy reveals why a solid hiring process isn't just about finding top talent—it's about designing winnable roles for long-term success.  Key Takeaways:  Sales Hiring Copy-Paste of the Founder  Founders often assume their first AE will close deals just like they did—but trust, authority, and context don't transfer with the title. Andy emphasizes the need to design roles that reflect the realities of cold pipeline generation and external sales trust gaps.  Segment the Sales Process, Don't Search for Unicorns  Lead generation, nurturing, and closing are distinct skills. Building a sales team around clearly defined processes (instead of expecting one person to do it all) leads to more scalable and cost-effective growth.  Design Backward from Revenue Goals  Andy encourages leaders to use quota math, resource mapping, and job design frameworks. "Everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler," he says—quoting Einstein—to highlight the importance of thoughtful role construction.  Sales Process > Rolodex  Hiring for domain expertise or a "book of business" might seem appealing, but Andy argues sales systems, grit, and adaptability matter more. "A Rolodex runs out. A process doesn't."  Behavioral Interviews That Go Beyond the Resume  To avoid costly hiring mistakes, Andy recommends more profound interview questions that require candidates to share detailed stories they can't fake, moving beyond surface-level talk about quotas and job titles.    Quotes:  "Sales is not an event—it's a process. And the right hire depends on how well you've built that process."  "Just because someone's done it before doesn't mean they'll do it again. The fire goes out. Hire for craft, not comfort."  "If your rep leaves and your pipeline disappears, you didn't build a sales team—you built a dependency."  Conclusion:  Andy Racic isn't just helping companies fill sales roles—he's helping them rethink how to structure and scale sales in a way that's grounded, strategic, and sustainable. Whether you're a founder, a CRO, or a recruiter, this episode offers practical frameworks to stop unicorn-hunting and start building a high-performance sales function.    Connect with Andy Racic:  LinkedIn: Andy Racic  Website: Racic Recruiting 

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