Sales Directors, VPs and Country Managers for technology vendors in DACH, the Nordics and Europe
The wrong sales leader costs more than a missed quarter. The team follows the leader, and so does the pipeline. I run confidential searches for Sales Directors, Heads of Sales, Regional VPs, VPs of Sales and Country Managers at cybersecurity, AI, software and infrastructure vendors, in DACH, the Nordics and the rest of Europe.
I have done the job myself. For five US tech vendors in their startup phase I was the first employee in Europe or DACH and built the go-to-market, and I led EMEA sales teams of up to 140 people. My first retained search as a headhunter was a Managing Director and a VP for a Japanese enterprise storage vendor in Germany.
“Jan handled the whole engagement with discretion, and the outreach was tailored from the start. The hiring process was clearly communicated, with guidance at every step so I always felt informed and confident about what came next. I'd recommend him without hesitation.”
Country Manager / General Manager DACH
Often the first senior hire in the region, responsible for revenue and for building the local team.
Sales Director / Head of Sales
Leads a team of Account Executives and owns the number for a country or segment.
Regional VP / VP Sales EMEA
Leads several countries, Central Europe or all of EMEA, often from a base in DACH, and works closely with headquarters.
Head of Presales / Sales Engineering
Leads the technical sales team.
A track record in a comparable sales motion
Deal size, sales cycle and growth stage close to yours. Success at a market leader does not always carry over to a scale-up, and the same is true the other way round.
Hiring and team building
Who they hired, who they let go, and how many of their people followed them to the next company.
Forecast and pipeline discipline
How they build a forecast, review pipeline with their team and defend the number in front of headquarters.
References from their teams
I speak with people who worked for them as well as with their former managers.
The first 90 days
How they would approach your market in the first 90 days, and whether that plan fits your stage.
Fit with your company and headquarters
Above all for US and other international vendors: how the candidate works with a remote headquarters and local customers at the same time.
Briefing
We define the role, the mandate from headquarters and what success looks like after twelve months.
Direct approach
I approach proven leaders confidentially, without naming your company until you agree.
Assessment
I interview every candidate myself and look at the track record behind the numbers before you see a name.
Shortlist and interviews
You meet a small number of leaders who fit. I prepare both sides for every interview, including meetings with headquarters.
Offer and start
I support the offer, the negotiation and the resignation up to the start date. Every placement carries a written 6-month replacement guarantee.
01Can the search stay confidential while our current leader is still in place?
Yes. I approach candidates without naming your company until there is mutual interest and you agree. Confidential direct outreach is how I run every search.
02How do you assess sales leaders?
Against the job they will actually do, not the CV. I look at the teams they have built and how those teams performed, their forecast and pipeline discipline, how they hire, and how they would approach the first 90 days in your market. References come from people who worked for them as well as from their former managers.
03Should our first hire in DACH be a Country Manager or a senior Account Executive?
In most market entries a senior, hands-on seller who can build the team later is the better first hire. A manager without a team to manage slows you down. The exception is market entry by acquisition or at scale. The First Sales Hire in DACH page covers this in detail.
04Do you recruit sales leaders outside DACH as well?
Yes. Besides Germany, Austria and Switzerland I cover Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, and I have run searches in the UK, France and Luxembourg, among them the first two sales hires in Europe for an AI start-up. I grew up in Sweden and have lived in Munich since 1986.
05What happens if the new leader leaves early?
Every placement carries a written 6-month replacement guarantee. In 19 years I have needed six replacements across more than 280 placements.
06How is the search fee structured?
Retained, with a fee agreed in writing before the search starts. The details are on the Engagement Models page.
First leader in the region
Market entry in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or the Nordics.
Building Europe beyond DACH
First hires and leaders in the UK, France, Benelux or the Nordics, next to an existing DACH team.
Replacing a leader confidentially
The search runs discreetly while the current leader is still in place.
Scaling the team
From a handful of sellers to an organisation with first-line managers.