From Revenue to Repeatability: Hiring Leaders Who Build Systems

From Revenue to Repeatability: Hiring Leaders Who Build Systems

Some commercial leaders drive revenue.
Others build the system that drives revenue.

That’s the difference between a rep who leads — and a true executive.

One Drives Growth. The Other Builds a Growth Engine.

It’s easy to get caught up in performance metrics:
• Did they hit their number?
• Did they close the big deals?
• Are they good in front of customers?

That matters. But it’s not enough.

Because once you’re scaling, you don’t just need someone who can sell.
You need someone who can:

• Design a scalable sales process
• Build a comp plan that drives the right behaviors
• Set up a CRM like Salesforce to actually support forecasting and coaching
• Partner with Marketing to build a real demand generation system — not just MQLs
• Use HubSpot or other tools to measure campaign ROI
• Leverage AI-enabled CRM features to improve targeting, routing, and follow-up
• Create dashboards that expose issues early
• Coach managers, not just reps
• Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team
• Hire the right talent — and know when to upgrade it (move em' up or out)

This is what separates consistent growth from lucky quarters.

These system-builders share consistent traits — here’s what to look for.

How to Spot a System-Builder

Ask:

• What infrastructure did they build in their last role?
• What would have broken if they left?
• How did they coach their team to execute without them?
• How did they adjust process or structure when growth plateaued?
• What technology platforms have they implemented and optimized?

System-builders talk about process, tools, frameworks, hiring, comp, and cross-functional input.
Pure sellers talk about deals.

What We’ve Learned

At Alder Brooks, we help CEOs and Investors recruit commercial leaders who don’t just “hit the number” — they build what hits the number.

Because in Life Sciences, scale comes from systems too— not just superheroes.

And the best way to find them is to benchmark for the traits and capabilities that drive scale.

‍