How to Hire a CRO Who Can Take You from $10M to $100M ARR

The right Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) is the bridge between your $10M success story and your $100M future.
They align strategy, process, and people across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to turn predictable revenue into sustained growth.
Hiring one requires precision—understanding not only what to look for but when to make the move.

The Evolution from VP of Sales to CRO

At early stages, many SaaS companies rely on a VP of Sales to drive top-line revenue.
But as the company scales, the challenge shifts from selling more to scaling smarter.
That’s where a CRO steps in—aligning every revenue-generating function under one strategy.

A VP of Sales typically focuses on pipeline management, deal execution, and sales team performance.
A CRO goes further, owning the end-to-end revenue journey including:

• Marketing-to-sales handoff
• Post-sale retention and expansion
• Revenue forecasting and efficiency metrics

According to SaaS Capital’s 2024 Growth Benchmark, companies that introduced a CRO role after reaching $10M ARR grew an average of 42% faster over the next two years than those that did not.

When to Hire Your First CRO

Hiring too early can create redundancy; hiring too late can cost millions in lost opportunity.
The right time is when your sales engine works but your revenue motion does not scale predictably.

Indicators include:

• Fragmented alignment between GTM teams
• Overreliance on founder-led deals
• Inconsistent forecasting accuracy
• Difficulty maintaining growth rates across regions

At this stage, you need a CRO who can design a scalable revenue architecture that brings structure to what was once entrepreneurial hustle.

What to Look for in a CRO

Not every high-performing VP of Sales will make a strong CRO.
The best candidates share three core traits:

1. Strategic vision grounded in data – The ability to build cross-functional frameworks for predictable revenue.
2. Operational maturity – Experience in integrating global GTM functions, process automation, and compensation models.
3. Leadership at scale – Proven success leading teams through multi-region expansion and complex stakeholder management.

Saiyo’s Executive Search methodology includes deep market mapping, structured competency interviews, and evidence-based referencing to identify CROs capable of leading at scale.

Case Study: BlueRidge

In the BlueRidge case study (view here), Saiyo partnered with the leadership team to identify a CRO with global SaaS experience who could unify regional sales structures and improve conversion efficiency.
Within nine months, BlueRidge increased net revenue retention by 18% and reduced ramp time for new AE hires by 22%.

The success illustrates the ROI of hiring leadership aligned to both vision and execution.

How Executive Search Reduces Risk

Appointing a CRO is one of the most critical hires in a company’s lifecycle.
The wrong decision can lead to revenue misalignment, cultural friction, and stalled growth.
Executive Search mitigates this risk by providing a structured, research-led process that ensures every candidate is benchmarked across competency, market context, and leadership alignment.

Saiyo’s transparent search process provides full visibility into long-list and short-list development, ensuring that every decision is backed by data, not instinct.

Ready to take your leadership team to the next level?