VP of Sales
In short
A VP of Sales is the senior leader responsible for a company sales team and its revenue results. They set the sales strategy, build and manage the team, and are accountable for hitting the sales number.
The role usually sits between front-line sales managers and the chief revenue officer or CEO. In smaller companies the VP of Sales is often the top sales leader and may be a hands-on seller too.
What a VP of Sales does
- Revenue ownership: Sets targets and forecasts, and is accountable for hitting them.
- Team building: Hires, coaches, and develops sales managers and reps.
- Process and methodology: Defines how deals are qualified, worked, and forecast.
- Territory and compensation: Designs territories, quotas, and incentive plans with finance and RevOps.
- Cross-team work: Aligns with marketing, product, and customer success on pipeline and customer needs.
VP of Sales vs. related roles
A sales manager leads a single team of reps. A VP of Sales leads managers and the overall function. A chief revenue officer typically oversees sales plus marketing and customer success, while a VP of Sales focuses on the sales organization.
Why the VP of Sales matters to GTM tools and vendors
This person often sponsors decisions on sales tooling, data, and process, and cares about quota attainment, pipeline coverage, and ramp time. Outreach that speaks to those concerns tends to be more relevant than feature talk.
Example: selling to a VP of Sales
Say a vendor wants to reach a VP of Sales at a growing software company. A relevant message might reference the team recent hiring, a likely ramp-time challenge, and offer a short conversation about how peers handle it. It focuses on their goals rather than a product description.
Common mistakes when approaching one
- Generic pitch: This person receives many cold messages, so relevance matters.
- Skipping their priorities: Lead with pipeline, ramp, or forecast accuracy.
- Only targeting them: Also involve RevOps, sales managers, and users who will adopt the tool.
VP of Sales FAQs
What does a VP of Sales do?
A VP of Sales leads the sales organization. They set sales strategy, own revenue targets and forecasts, hire and coach managers and reps, define the sales process, and work with marketing, product, and customer success on shared goals.
What is the difference between a VP of Sales and a sales manager?
A sales manager leads a team of reps and handles day-to-day coaching and pipeline. A VP of Sales leads multiple managers, owns the overall sales strategy and revenue target, and works across departments at the executive level.
Does a VP of Sales report to the CEO or CRO?
It depends on the company. In smaller firms the VP of Sales often reports to the CEO. In larger organizations with a chief revenue officer, the VP of Sales typically reports to the CRO.
What are the main priorities of a VP of Sales?
Common priorities include hitting the revenue target, building pipeline coverage, improving forecast accuracy, hiring and ramping reps quickly, raising quota attainment, and keeping sales process and tools consistent across the team.
