Hiring the wrong senior commercial leader isn’t just a setback—it’s a six-figure mistake with downstream consequences. Mis-hires in GTM leadership often cost companies hundreds of thousands in salary, lost revenue, and team churn.
The Hidden Costs of a Mis-Hire
- Lost revenue: A weak CRO or CMO can tank pipeline growth, sales velocity, and marketing ROI.
- Team churn: Poor leadership leads to misaligned teams and high attrition—especially in sales.
- Strategic drift: When a leader can’t align GTM functions, your strategy fragments.
Why Mis-Hires Happen
- Rushed hiring under pressure: Speed kills when there’s no time for alignment.
- Over-indexing on resumes: Past success in one context doesn’t predict performance in another.
- Poor onboarding: Even great hires fail without a plan.
How to Avoid It
- Define success upfront: Align internally on what “success” looks like—in outcomes, not just experience.
- Use predictive assessment: Test for traits like strategic agility, collaboration, and data orientation.
- Integrate early: Support the leader before Day 1 with context, coaching, and clarity.
Bad hires are expensive. Great ones are transformative. Get the process right, and the ROI follows.
