SOUND FAMILIAR?
You are not losing because the product is weak.
You are losing because your deal motion is leaky.
Calls end without a crisp next step.
Trials start without a definition of success.
Follow-up is inconsistent because you are juggling everything.
Buyers show up late, pricing comes up late, momentum dies
Then the standard advice kicks in: hire sales.
But early-stage sales is not "hire a person and hand it off." It is build the structure first.
And most teams learn that the expensive way:
68%
of first sales hires in Startups don't last 18 months
OPENVIEW
70%
of first VP Sales hires don't make it a year at early-stage startup
SAASTR
$250k
average AE OTE, before ramp, before onboarding, before the cost of starting over
INDUSTRY AVG.
You don't need a corporate sales org.
You need closing and architecture that matches your stage.
ABOUT
.Salt
Most startups do not have a sales problem. They have a stage-fit problem.
I help teams replace the default corporate playbook with something that actually fits: low headcount, high complexity, and a founder still close to the product.
That means clear deal control, tight follow-up, stakeholder strategy, trial design, and pricing confidence. Built fast, tailored to your buyers, and executed in the real pipeline.
I work directly inside your pipeline: discovery, trials, follow-up, stakeholder strategy, pricing, and closes. Then we turn what works into a repeatable motion your next hire can actually run.
HOW .Salt WORKS
Two ways to work together.
Both designed to build a repeatable close motion before you hire your first full-time rep.
Architecture
DURATION
One month, fixed scope
ENGAGEMENT
A closing system your next hire can actually run
A focused month to make your sales motion visible, deliberate, and repeatable.
We map what is actually happening inside your deals, define stages and exit criteria, tighten your discovery and trial flow, and build the closing sequence end to end. No generic playbooks. Built for your product, your buyers, and your deal reality.
Architecture + Closing
DURATION
Minimum 2 months
ENGAGEMENT
A closing system your next hire can actually run
Minimum two months. I join live deals and run the close with you.
I lead late-stage conversations, handle objections, protect pricing, and keep momentum tight between calls. You stay involved without carrying the entire load. The system gets built while revenue comes in.
WAITLIST OPEN
Fractional Sales Team
Architecture and closing support, plus sourcing and onboarding your first SDRs through a curated recruiting partnership.
You get a fractional team in place before you commit to full-time headcount. We test the motion, validate the roles, and hire based on real performance data, not assumptions.
Planning to build your first sales team in the next 6 to 12 months? This is worth a conversation.
WHY SEQUENCING MATTERS
Most founders skip straight to hiring.
Here's what that actually costs.
COST
Full-Time AE
$150k to $250k OTE + taxes, benefits, tooling
.Salt Fractional
Retainer + % of ARR closed
TIME TO IMPACT
3 to 6 months ramp before consistent output
Live deals supported by week 2
IF IT'S THE WRONG FIT
High sunk cost, plus restart and rehire
You can stop, and you keep the system
WHAT STAYS IN THE COMPANY
Institutional knowledge walks out the door
A documented, working closing motion
OTE varies by market and seniority. Ramp time assumes typical early-stage onboarding.
Fractional is the bridge. The goal is a full-time hire that actually sticks.
THE RIGHT FIT
.Salt works best when:
You have real demand, but deals stall between first call and signature
You are still founder-led in sales, and you want support without losing control
You have 3 to 15 active opportunities and need a reliable way to move them forward
You have raised seed (or have runway) and need revenue to follow
You have tried hiring for sales before, and it did not stick
You want a closing motion you can eventually hand to a hire
NOT A FIT IF:
You are pre-demand, need cold outbound from zero, or want to fully outsource sales and disappear.
Laura Mantilla Vargas
Hannah delivered a full sales strategy training, starting with a tailored audit of everything we were doing, what was working, and what we were missing.
She managed to pull us out of our day-to-day processes and show us opportunities we couldn’t see ourselves.
Bianca Bănică
Hannah has this amazing ability to blend big-picture strategy with guidance that actually works. She helped us structure our sales process, understand our customers, and approach outreach and closing with clarity and integrity.
Mona Herbach
Hannah's natural talent for sales shines through in every interaction. She has an extraordinary ability to connect authentically with clients, listen carefully to their needs, and tailor solutions that truly resonate.
Meet Hannah
The Founder of .Salt
I got good at reading people early. It came from learning the hard way that social dynamics matter, and that you can miss what is actually happening even when the words sound fine.
That is why .salt exists. Most technical founders do not need scripts. They need clarity on the human layer under the deal: decision friction, trust, stakeholder dynamics, and the moment where momentum disappears.
I run the human side of the deal with you, live, and build a closing motion you can repeat. Calm control, clean next steps, and buyers who feel safe to decide.
Close with clarity. Not tactics
