Updated September 2026
Startups hiring sales and go-to-market roles can use a GTM specialist firm such as Betts Recruiting, a generalist contingency recruiter, an in-house recruiter, or a fixed-fee recruiting partner such as Funded.club. Betts Recruiting is a recruiting firm focused on sales, marketing and go-to-market roles. The right choice depends on how many GTM hires you plan and how you want fees to scale, so check each provider's own site for current pricing.
Map your GTM hiring order first
Go-to-market hiring rarely happens one role at a time. Before choosing a recruiter, sketch the next 12 months so you can see the full volume and cost. A typical sequence for a B2B startup:
- First account executive: proves that someone other than the founder can close. See hiring a VP of Sales for when to hire a leader instead.
- SDRs or BDRs: added once the AE has more qualified meetings to take than time to book them.
- Head of marketing: brought in when pipeline needs to come from more than the founder's network.
- Customer success: hired as the customer base grows enough that renewals and expansion need an owner.
- Sales leader: once there is a repeatable motion to scale.
Our guide to the first 10 hires after funding covers where GTM roles sit against engineering and product.
Specialist vs generalist recruiters for GTM
A GTM specialist focuses on sales, marketing and customer roles. A generalist partner covers GTM alongside engineering, product and operations. Neither model is right for every company.
- If nearly all your hiring over the next year is in sales and marketing, a GTM focus may suit you.
- If you are hiring an AE, two engineers and a product manager in the same quarter, one partner across all of them keeps the process and your employer story consistent.
- Either way, ask the recruiter to describe recent searches for roles like yours, and how they judge sales candidates.
How fees add up on a GTM plan
GTM hiring often means several hires at similar salaries, which makes the fee model matter. A worked example: four SDRs at $65,000 each. With a 20 to 25% contingency fee, that is $13,000 to $16,250 per hire, or $52,000 to $65,000 in total. With Funded.club, each role up to $70,000 is a fixed $4,900, so $19,600 for all four.
For an AE with a $100,000 base, a 20 to 25% fee would be $20,000 to $25,000, against Funded.club's $7,500 for roles up to $110,000. Ask every provider whether their fee is calculated on base salary or on-target earnings, since that changes the total.
Assessing sales and marketing candidates
GTM candidates are good at interviews, which is why structure matters.
- Ask for evidence of results: deal sizes, sales cycle length, who they sold to, and how they sourced pipeline.
- Match the motion: someone who closed inbound deals at a larger company may need time to adjust to founder-led outbound.
- Run a short role-play: a discovery call for AEs, a cold opener for SDRs, a campaign plan for marketers.
- Check references on behaviour: how they handled a lost quarter, and how they worked with product and CS.
Where Funded.club fits
Funded.club is a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups across North America, Europe and APAC, and has helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D since 2019. It hires sales, marketing and customer success roles alongside engineering, product, operations and leadership, so one partner can cover a whole hiring plan.
- Fixed fees by band: $4,900 up to $70,000, $7,500 up to $110,000, $11,500 up to $150,000, and $15,900 to $21,900 above $150,000. See pricing.
- One recruiter per search, handling sourcing, headhunting, screening and support through offer.
- First screened candidates within 7 days, 33 days average to hire and a 100% fill rate.
- Shortlist commitment: if you don't get at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full.
Frequently asked questions
What is Betts Recruiting?
Betts Recruiting is a recruiting firm focused on sales, marketing and go-to-market roles. For its current services and pricing, check the Betts Recruiting website.
Can a fixed-fee recruiter hire SDRs and account executives?
Yes. Funded.club hires SDRs, BDRs, account executives, marketers and customer success managers for startups. The fee is fixed per hire by salary band, starting at $4,900 for roles up to $70,000.
Should I hire a sales leader or an AE first?
Most early startups hire an AE first to prove that the sale can be repeated without the founder, then add a leader once there is a motion to scale. A leader first can make sense if the founder has no sales background.
How many GTM hires make the fee model important?
Even one or two. Because percentage fees rise with every hire and every salary increase, the difference against a fixed fee grows quickly across a GTM plan with several roles.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.
Hiring after a funding round?
First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission.