Tech founders have to juggle many competing priorities in the early stages of launching their startups. Hiring marketing and sales staff is often one of the biggest challenges and the most common decisions that founders get wrong. Learn why tech founders face such an uphill battle when hiring marketing and sales staff, how to resource to support the digital buyer’s journey more realistically, and what getting the hiring wrong looks like so you don’t make the same mistakes.

1. WHAT
TECH FOUNDERS
GET WRONG
WHEN HIRING
MARKETING
AND SALES
@sphomerun

4. GTMFORTHE
DIGITALBUYER’S
JOURNEY
Most startups, scaleups, and small
businesses that struggle with their
go-to-market strategy for the digital
buyer’s journey have two big things in
common
sphomerun.com
@sphomerun

5. OVERINVESTING
Overinvesting in the final 20% to
40% of the buyer’s journey
(decision stage)
sphomerun.com
@sphomerun

6. UNDERINVESTING
Underinvesting in the first 60% to 80%
of the buyer’s journey (awareness and
consideration stages)
@sphomerun sphomerun.com

7. OVERINVESTING
INTHE
DECISIONSTAGE
Regardless of whether you look at
headcount or salaries plus variable
comp, if your company is like most, it
invests way more in the decision
stage than the awareness and
consideration stages combined.”
sphomerun.com
@sphomerun

8. AWARENESS
(50%OFBUYER’S
JOURNEY)
Lead just becoming aware of a goal to
achieve or a problem to solve.
1/2 Employee (Marketing Manager)
@sphomerun sphomerun.com

9. CONSIDERATION
(30%OFBUYER’S
JOURNEY)
Lead gives their goal or problem a
more specific name or category.
Lead begins to compare available
different approaches.
1/2 Employee (Marketing Manager)
sphomerun.com
@sphomerun

10. DECISION
(20%OFBUYER’S
JOURNEY)
Lead becomes a sales opportunity and
displays some interest in speaking with
a salesperson.
8 Employees (Sales Team)
@sphomerun sphomerun.com

11. POST-PURCHASE
(CUSTOMER
JOURNEY)
Lead becomes a customer, goes
through onboarding, and begins to
see value from their purchase.
3 Employees
(Customer Success Team)
sphomerun.com
@sphomerun

12. WHAT'SYOURPLAN?
How is your company resourcing to compete
in the digital buyer’s journey?
@sphomerun

15. Enroll in
Go-to-Market Strategy 101
(Free 7-Day eCourse)
www.gotomarket101.com