How to Sell More: Tools and Techniques from Harvard Business Review

The Science of Building a Scalable Sales Team

By Mark Roberge

Mark Roberge is senior vice president of sales and services at HubSpot, a marketing software company.

When I came to HubSpot five years ago, I had never run a sales team, so I didn’t know the conventional techniques that sales managers use. Instead, I relied on my background as an MIT-trained engineer to create a system of hiring and development that relies on metrics and quantitative analysis.

Five years later, my team is now 200 employees strong. We’ve acquired 7,000 new customers for HubSpot, placing the company as the #33 Fastest Growing Company in America on the Inc. 500 List. It has been a fun, stressful, and fulfilling experience.

Early on in this role, I defined ...