Hiring a sales leader is a pivotal milestone for any scaling startup, and it's a role that can make or break your growth trajectory. As the founder of multiple startups, including Vimaan, I’ve gone through the process of hiring and onboarding sales leaders more than once. In this post, we'll explore the critical characteristics of a successful sales leader, and how to approach the hiring and onboarding process to set up your startup for long-term success.Take your time and make the right hireFinding the right sales leader is a journey that requires patience. Don’t rush the process.  As you interview, you’ll need to get a comprehensive understanding of how the candidate meshes not only with the leadership team but with the entire organization and its ethos. To get a rounded perspective of the candidate, incorporate all your departments into the interviewing process to get a 360-degree view. Engineering, operations and even investors should interview each candidate, to ensure compatibility with the wider team. Each interview serves as a critical data point. Observe how the candidate adapts their responses and strategies across interviews —- it gives you a window into their analytical skills, agility in thinking, and ability to gather and apply insights progressively through the hiring process.Evaluate the sales leader’s passion and willingness to learnLook for candidates who have a passion for your industry and an earnest desire to immerse themselves in your company's vision. One of the best qualities in a sales leader is a willingness to acknowledge what they don’t know, and an ability to ask questions to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Your new sales leader needs to be a sponge for new information, and have an openness to learning. This reflects humility and a genuine interest in growing alongside the company — and it’s preferable to someone with a know-it-all attitude. The quality of the questions a candidate asks during their interview can also be incredibly revealing. Their questions are a window into their mindset and priorities, and your conversations offer clues about their ability to think critically and engage deeply with your business's core objectives and challenges.Conduct backdoor reference checksIn the hiring process for a sales leader, I place a high emphasis on conducting backdoor checks (informal reference checks beyond the candidate's formal reference list).The references that candidates provide can often be misleading, and could paint an inaccurate picture of the candidate’s suitability for your role.After all, someone who is a top performer in one situation might not be a good fit for your team. Success in one context doesn't guarantee effectiveness in another. The level of enthusiasm in feedback from backdoor checks is a crucial barometer for me. Anything less than outright excitement or strong positive sentiment from these unofficial references is a red flag. Lukewarm responses suggest the candidate might not be the right fit or fully on board with what your startup needs and stands for.An efficient approach to successful onboardingOnce you’ve hired the right person, the onus will primarily be on you, as the founder, to onboard them. It's essential to give your new hire a comprehensive understanding of your product, what the customer’s primary problems are and how you solve those issues.Here’s a streamlined approach to onboarding: Extended ramp time: Whenever possible, provide a long runway for the sales leader to get up to speed. This period should involve deep immersion in the product specs and customer applications. Shadowing phase: Initially, you should work closely with the sales leader during an orientation period. You’ll start by leading each sales interaction, and gradually transition to a supporting role as your sales leader learns the ropes. Give real-time feedback during this phase. Team support: Rally the company around the new leader as much as possible. Make sure your new hire has access to necessary resources like sales decks, demos and analyses to enable successful sales. Autonomy around processes: Allow the sales leader the freedom to adapt and refine the sales process based on their insights and experiences. Give them the leeway to convert lessons into processes — don’t pigeonhole them. The onboarding strategy should be a blend of structured learning and flexibility, so your sales leader can bring their expertise to the game while aligning with your company’s mission and goals.