DiscoverThe Cyber Go-To-Market podcast for cybersecurity sales and marketing teams. Save Cybr Donut!Why Your First VP of Sales Will Fail (And What To Do Instead) – Eyal Worthalter, Multi-Time VP of Sales, Cybersecurity Startups
Why Your First VP of Sales Will Fail (And What To Do Instead) – Eyal Worthalter, Multi-Time VP of Sales, Cybersecurity Startups

Why Your First VP of Sales Will Fail (And What To Do Instead) – Eyal Worthalter, Multi-Time VP of Sales, Cybersecurity Startups

Update: 2025-11-18
Share

Description

Send me a text (I will personally respond)

Are you grappling with when, and who, to hire as your first sales leader in your cybersecurity startup? Wondering why sales leadership churn is so high, or if founders should keep selling longer? If you’ve debated hiring account executives versus a VP of Sales, and wrestled with investor pressure on scaling your sales team, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, we discuss: 

👉 The crucial distinction between sellers and sales leaders at different company stages
👉 Why timing, founder credibility, and expectations can make or break your first sales hire
👉 The importance of trust and alignment at the C-suite level for long-term go-to-market success

About our guest:
Eyal Worthalter, a multi-time cybersecurity sales leader, shares hard-won lessons from the frontline; including insights from his widely-read article on why most first VP of Sales hires fail. He’s contributed to Ross Haliliuk’s Venture In Security blog and works closely with founders and sales teams to help improve their approach to building go-to-market strategy.

Summary:
Listen in as Eyal Worthalter and Andrew Monaghan dig into the messy reality behind hiring the first sales leader, founder-led selling, investor pressure, and practical frameworks for scaling sales teams. If you want to avoid costly mistakes and build your sales org the right way, this episode will challenge your assumptions—don’t miss it!

Connect and Learn More:
Find Eyal Worthalter on LinkedIn

Ready to discuss your own sales challenges? Book time with Andrew Monaghan for a strategy session.

----------
If you are a sales leader, you are probably under pressure right now to use your headcount on quota-carrying positions BUT you intuitively know you need to invest in the team to help them succeed. Unstoppable.do gives you the capabilities of a world-class enablement team without having to use precious headcount AND with a pricing model that makes sense for startups.  If this is intriguing, get in touch at andrew@unstoppable.do

Support the show

Follow me on LinkedIn for regular posts about growing your cybersecurity startup

Want to grow your revenue faster? Check out my consulting and training

Need ideas about how to grow your pipeline? Sign up for my newsletter.

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Why Your First VP of Sales Will Fail (And What To Do Instead) – Eyal Worthalter, Multi-Time VP of Sales, Cybersecurity Startups

Why Your First VP of Sales Will Fail (And What To Do Instead) – Eyal Worthalter, Multi-Time VP of Sales, Cybersecurity Startups

Andrew Monaghan