I joined Signeasy in Q2 2025. The team had 2 AEs and 1 BDR, led by a product marketing person filling in as a stand-in.
The goal was clear - 3X revenue. The base was low, and average ACVs in the Digital Signature market were not helping. The company wanted to bring back web product revenue, and that pressure landed on the sales team.
The trap every new Sales Manager falls into
When you step into a new role, your ego pushes you toward showing results fast. That instinct is not wrong - but it blurs your ability to see the truth clearly.
It delays one of the most important early decisions you will make: are the right people actually in the right seats?
Most managers avoid this question in the first month because it means confronting the CEO or questioning a past hiring decision. But here is what I have learned - more CEOs want to hear the uncomfortable truth than watch the ship go down quietly.
What I observed in month two
As I worked closely with both AEs, one pattern stood out - particularly with the AE covering our most critical market, the US.
Red flags I noticed:
- Too slow to respond to prospect emails
- Constant emergencies and unpredictable availability
- Follow-ups falling through the cracks
- No questions or engagement in team meetings
- When pushed on specific behaviors, nothing changed
The numbers were showing some growth. But I kept seeing missed opportunities. The nuance was that Signeasy had primarily been a PLG-led company - so the bar for what good sales execution looked like had never really been set.
The real conversation
When I sat down with this AE properly, the picture became clearer. He was in a role that did not play to his strengths. The product was not something he connected with deeply, and his goals were pulling him in a different direction. Completely fair. But I knew a change needed to happen, and I had to be honest about that.
The person I almost overlooked
In parallel, I had started paying close attention to the BDR.
He came across as more mature than I initially expected. No formal closing experience. But he was hungry in a way that stood out.
What I noticed:
- Was building Outbound entirely on his own, with no systems in place
- Had taught himself the product independently and deeply
- Understood customer problems without being coached
- Brought energy and accountability into every interaction
That level of self-driven initiative made me think - why not open the door for someone already knocking this hard?
Before I had even started the internal conversation about the team structure, I had my proposal ready: a fast-track path for this BDR to step into the AE role immediately.
Why this decision mattered
As a Sales Manager, you are accountable for the decisions you make about people. That means thinking carefully about team structure, matching the right skills to the right outcomes, and not letting urgency override judgment.
It would have been easy to say hire someone externally first, then deal with the fit problem later. But I was not willing to delay a call I already knew needed to be made.
What happened next
The results, in short:
- Closed 35+ logos in a single quarter - one of the best quarters anyone on the team had delivered
- Built 4X pipeline heading into the next quarter
- One of the most humble and collaborative AEs I have worked with - but not afraid to push back on internal teams when needed
- Knows when to go deep on a deal and when to treat it as an assist and move fast
I love going on calls with him. Not because he is perfect - but because he is coachable, genuinely liked by customers, and easy to work with. And he demands more from me, which I respect.
The lesson
People like this eventually win. Your job as a manager is to make sure they are winning with you for as long as possible.
What I took away:
- Take a step back before reacting to numbers
- Observe how the team is actually executing, not just what the dashboard shows
- Get in front of customers to see real execution
- You are only as good as the people around you
Motivating people is overrated. Bringing in people who are already motivated - and building systems that enable them - is where the real leverage is.