SaaStr Advises New VPs to Create 60-Day Plans Aligned With CEOs

Priority Misalignment as Common VP Hiring Issue

SaaStr states that after working with or investing in approximately 30 successful start-ups, the most common VP or CXO-level hire failure observed is the wrong VP of Sales or CRO. The second most frequent mistake, and often the top reason VPs lose their jobs, is priority dis-alignment between the new executive and the CEO. This issue appears most often with CMOs and VPs of Marketing due to the wide range of responsibilities in those roles.

Creating a Detailed First 60-Day Plan

According to SaaStr, a VP-to-be should prepare a detailed First 60 Day Plan before accepting the role. The plan should be created in Google Slides or PowerPoint format and include what to do first, who to hire, which consultants to use, what to fix, and what not to change. The first slide must present a force-ranked list of the Top 5 Priorities for the initial 60 days.

Aligning Top Priorities With the CEO

SaaStr recommends reviewing the Top 5 Priorities directly with the CEO to confirm 100 percent alignment. If the VP candidate and CEO cannot reach agreement on the top three or four priorities, the advice is not to take the job. The source notes that most CEOs have already performed VP-level functions for Sales, Marketing, Product, and Customer Success in the company's early stages and hold specific views on what has worked or failed with the first 100 customers.

Securing Formal Agreement on the Plan

The source advises obtaining the CEO's electronic signature on the finalized 60-day plan confirming the five priorities. This step aims to prevent later disagreements where the VP believes strong performance is occurring but the CEO does not share that assessment. SaaStr emphasizes that the plan should focus on improving existing processes rather than immediately replacing approaches that have already generated customers.

according to SaaStr.