v1.2.0 to v1.2.0

---

name: gtm-recruiting

description: >-

GTM recruiting playbook — active sourcing, passive candidate outreach, offer

negotiation, recruiter partnerships (Betts, It's Destiny Recruiting), and

inclusive hiring without tokenization. Use when recruiting SDR/AE/CS/leaders,

closing candidates, negotiating OTE/equity, or building diverse GTM benches.

Triggers on: "recruit salesperson", "negotiate offer", "close candidate",

"Betts recruiting", "diversity hiring sales", "passive candidate outreach",

"sales offer negotiation", "contingency recruiter", "Destiny recruiting".

license: MIT

metadata:

version: "1.2.0"

author: LeadMagic

category: founder-led

tags: [recruiting, sourcing, offer-negotiation, betts, diversity, gtm-hiring, passive-candidates]

related_skills: [founder-comp-playbook, gtm-role-descriptions, executive-compensation, job-posting-strategy, hiring-by-role, gtm-leadership, sales-team-building, employment-compliance, hiring-agencies]

frameworks:

- "Betts Recruiting — GTM search, Comp Engine, unicorn seller offers"

- "It's Destiny Recruiting — Inclusive GTM hiring, diversity of thought"

- "Bridge Group — Quota attainment and comp benchmarks for offers"

- "RepVue — Candidate-side comp transparency"

- "Mark Roberge — Trait-based hiring and structured evaluation"

- "Google re:Work — Structured interviewing reduces bias"

---

# GTM Recruiting

## Overview

Posting a job is 20% of recruiting. **Sourcing, closing, and negotiating** are

the other 80%. Top GTM talent is passive — employed, comp-aware (RepVue), and

comparing your offer to three others. The mistake: generic LinkedIn blast with

hidden OTE, then surprise when the candidate ghosts after verbal yes.

This skill is the **recruiting execution layer**: active outreach, recruiter

partners, offer construction, negotiation scripts, and inclusive hiring that

builds diversity of thought — not token hires. JDs and comp math →

`gtm-role-descriptions`. Interviews → `hiring-by-role`. Posting channels →

`job-posting-strategy`.

## When to Use

- "How do I recruit passive AEs?"

- "Negotiate offer with sales candidate"

- "Work with Betts / contingency recruiter"

- "Close candidate who's comparing offers"

- "Diversity hiring for sales team"

- "Outreach template for SDR recruit"

- "What to include in sales offer letter"

- "Candidate wants higher OTE"

Do not use for legal offer letter compliance alone — `employment-compliance`.

Do not use for firing/PIP — `gtm-leadership`.

## Authoritative Foundations

- **Betts Recruiting.** GTM-only search firm. **Comp Engine** (real-time GTM

comp data). Rules: unicorn/first AE may need **+20%** above target band;

match or beat employed candidate's current comp when poaching. Retained or

contingency (~20–30% first-year base). Source: bettsrecruiting.com

- **It's Destiny Recruiting (Destiny Brandt).** Boutique GTM headhunter

(pre-seed–Series B). **Diversity of thought** — standardized scorecards and

talent matrix; works with leaders who run **inclusive culture**, not

tokenization by race/gender. Video-led passive outreach. Source:

itsdestinyrecruiting.com

- **Bridge Group / RepVue.** Candidates benchmark your OTE against attainment

data. Offers below market or with unreachable quota lose on accept rate.

- **Roberge + re:Work.** Same structured scorecard for every candidate;

backchannel refs; work sample — reduces bias and improves hit rate.

## Recruiting Stack (Load Order)

```

1. gtm-role-descriptions — JD + comp template + org placement

2. gtm-recruiting (this skill) — source, close, negotiate

3. hiring-by-role — interview + scorecard

4. employment-compliance — offer letter, classification

5. gtm-leadership — onboarding expectations, manager readiness

```

## Step-by-Step: Active Recruiting

### Phase 1 — Define the Search

| Input | Source |

|---|---|

| Role + stage context | `gtm-role-descriptions` |

| Unicorn vs solid performer | Betts: specialist +20%; generalist at/below band |

| Comp range (published) | **gtm-role-descriptions** comp-benchmarks + Betts Comp Engine |

| Scorecard | `hiring-by-role` + `templates/inclusive-interview-scorecard.md` |

| Interviewer questions | `hiring-by-role` → interviewer-questions-gtm |

| Candidate questions | `hiring-by-role` → candidate-questions-to-ask |

**Search brief (1 page):** motion (SMB/enterprise), ACV band, attainment

floor (e.g. ≥100% 2 of last 4Q), culture non-negotiables, comp range, why now.

### Phase 2 — Sourcing Mix

| Channel | Best For | Tactic |

|---|---|---|

| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | All GTM IC + manager | Filter: title, company stage, 1–2 stages ahead |

| Investor / founder network | VP+ | Warm intro only |

| Betts Recruiting | VP Sales, CRO, unicorn AE | Retained search or Connect platform |

| It's Destiny Recruiting | Founding GTM, diverse bench | Contingency; DEI-aligned leaders |

| Pavilion | Senior AE, directors | Member referrals |

| RevGenius / SaaStr | SDR, AE | Community participation before posting |

| RepVue | Research only | See how candidates view your comp |

**Passive outreach:** `templates/sourcing-outreach.md` — personalized, short,

one clear ask (15-min call). Never attach JD wall of text in DM #1.

### Phase 3 — Recruiter Partnership Models

| Partner | Model | When |

|---|---|---|

| **Betts** | Contingency / retained; Comp Engine | Scale-stage GTM; VP+; comp-heavy markets |

| **It's Destiny** | Contingency ~25% base; 60-day performance lens | Pre-seed–B; founding sales; inclusive bench |

| **Internal** | Founder/manager sourced | First 2–3 hires if network is strong |

Full comparison: `references/recruiter-partners.md`.

**Agency rules:** Exclusive vs non-exclusive in writing; fee trigger (hire date);

replacement guarantee; who owns candidate experience.

### Phase 4 — Interview → Close Pipeline

```

Outreach → Screen (numbers) → Work sample → Panel scorecard → References (backchannel) → Offer

```

- **Screen:** "Last 4 quarters: quota, attainment %, deal size" — non-negotiable for sales

- **Close window:** 48–72h from verbal yes to written offer — slow lose rate

- **References:** 1 manager + 2 direct reports/peers for leaders (`gtm-leadership`)

### Phase 5 — Offer Construction

Use role template from `gtm-role-descriptions/templates/comp-plan-*.md`.

**Offer package must include in writing** (`templates/offer-package-checklist.md`):

| Element | Required |

|---|---|

| Base + variable (OTE) | Yes |

| Quota number + ramp % | Yes |

| Commission accelerators + clawback | Yes |

| Equity grant + vest | Yes |

| Benefits summary | Yes |

| Start date + contingencies | Yes |

| At-will / employment terms | `employment-compliance` |

**Betts rules for competitive offers:**

- First AE / unicorn: budget **+10–20%** above target band

- Poaching employed rep: understand **current OTE** — lateral moves need story (equity, role, growth)

- Geo: remote bands documented — no bait-and-switch

### Phase 6 — Negotiation

**Founders:** Load `founder-comp-playbook` first — payroll % ARR check, offer

walkthrough template, negotiation scripts when cash is constrained.

**Employer side** — `references/offer-negotiation.md`:

| Candidate Ask | Response Lever |

|---|---|

| Higher base | Trade within OTE band; or equity/signing bonus |

| Higher OTE | Show quota math; adjust quota if OTE rises (5:1) |

| Lower quota | Only with proportional OTE reduction |

| Signing bonus | Bridge forfeited commission from prior role |

| Equity | Refresh grant; explain FD% and dilution honestly |

| Territory | Named accounts / ICP tier — non-cash lever |

**Candidate side script:** `templates/candidate-negotiation-script.md` — data-anchored, total package focus, never ultimatum first message.

**Walk-away signals:** Won't share attainment data; demands 2× market with no proof; misaligned motion (enterprise rep for SMB PLG).

## Inclusive GTM Recruiting (It's Destiny Model)

**Not tokenization** — hiring by race/gender checkbox without culture and

scorecard rigor. **Diversity of thought:** varied backgrounds, experiences,

and perspectives with **same performance bar**.

| Practice | Implementation |

|---|---|

| Standardized scorecard | Same questions every candidate (`hiring-by-role`) |

| Diverse panel | ≥2 interviewers; not homogeneous team |

| Work sample | Skills-based, not "culture fit" beer test |

| Inclusive JD | No gendered language; outcomes not years (`job-posting-strategy`) |

| Published comp range | Reduces adverse impact from negotiation gap |

| Talent matrix | Track pipeline diversity vs. pass-through by stage — fix funnel, not bar |

Full guide: `references/inclusive-recruiting.md`. Template:

`templates/inclusive-interview-scorecard.md`.

**Partner filter (Destiny):** Only work with sales leaders committed to

inclusive culture + structured process — aligns with Roberge traits and

re:Work structured interviews.

## Output Format

| Request | Deliverable |

|---|---|

| Recruit passive AE | Search brief + 3 outreach variants |

| Close candidate | Offer package checklist + timeline |

| Negotiate | Counter-offer matrix + script |

| Diversity program | Inclusive scorecard + funnel metrics |

| Betts/Destiny RFP | Recruiter brief from `references/recruiter-partners.md` |

Run `scripts/check-output.py` on recruiting plans.

## Quality Check

- [ ] Comp range published before heavy sourcing

- [ ] Structured scorecard used for every finalist

- [ ] Full comp plan in writing before candidate decides

- [ ] Quota:OTE ratio shown (~5:1)

- [ ] Backchannel references for leaders

- [ ] Inclusive practices — scorecard not "gut feel"

- [ ] 48–72h offer turnaround after verbal yes

- [ ] employment-compliance on offer letter

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Post and pray.** Zero outbound. Fix: 70% sourcing / 30% inbound.

2. **Hidden comp.** Candidate discovers gap on RepVue. Fix: publish range in JD.

3. **Negotiate base only.** Ignore quota reachability. Fix: total package math.

4. **Token diversity hire.** Lower bar. Fix: same scorecard; diversity of thought.

5. **Slow offer.** Candidate takes competing offer. Fix: pre-draft comp before finals.

6. **Recruiter misalignment.** No exclusive terms. Fix: written fee + guarantee.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — Framework index and authority routing

- `templates/output-template.md` — Primary deliverable shell

- `scripts/check-output.py` — Validates recruiting deliverables

- `references/recruiter-partners.md` — Betts, It's Destiny, when to use each

- `references/offer-negotiation.md` — Employer + candidate negotiation playbook

- `references/inclusive-recruiting.md` — Destiny model + re:Work alignment

- `templates/sourcing-outreach.md` — Passive candidate messages

- `templates/offer-package-checklist.md` — Written offer requirements

- `templates/candidate-negotiation-script.md` — Candidate-side negotiation

- `templates/inclusive-interview-scorecard.md` — Bias-resistant scorecard

- `hiring-by-role` → interviewer-questions-gtm, candidate-questions-to-ask, interview-experts

- `revenue-team-onboarding` → onboarding-questions (post-hire)

- `gtm-leadership` → resignation-playbook (attrition learnings)

## Related Skills

- `gtm-role-descriptions` — JDs, comp templates, benchmarks

- `job-posting-strategy` — Where to post and distribute

- `hiring-by-role` — Interview design and role scorecards

- `gtm-leadership` — Hire decision, manager readiness

- `sales-team-building` — Hire sequence by ARR

- `employment-compliance` — Offer letters, legal

- `hiring-agencies` — Outbound agencies (not headhunters)