You Can’t Delegate What You Haven’t Built

The most expensive mistake I see agencies make: hiring a VP of Sales before building a system.

The logic seems sound.
"I need someone senior who can own sales and free me up."

Here's what actually happens:

They come in with their own methodology.
It doesn't fit your market.
Close rates drop.
You end up back on calls "just to help out." 

Six months later they're gone.
You're out $150K-$250K and right back where you started.

The problem isn't the hire.
The problem is the sequence.

You can't delegate what you haven't systematized. 

You can't train someone on a process that only exists in your head. 

You can't expect a new hire to replicate results that depend on your relationships and your reputation.

The sequence matters: Systematize first. Document second. Train third. Delegate fourth.

Most agencies skip straight to step four and wonder why it didn't work.