Use case
Scaling GTM teams without breaking burn
Last reviewed:
The short answer
Series B and C technology companies typically need to triple their AE, SDR and CSM headcount within 12 months of a raise. Contingency agency fees at around 20 to 25% of salary make that maths impossible, and inbound applications rarely surface proven quota carriers. An embedded headhunter on subscription replaces both: one predictable monthly cost, proactive outreach to passive candidates, and shortlists in under 10 days.
The situation
You have just raised. The board plan assumes revenue growth that requires doubling or tripling the go-to-market team: account executives, SDRs, customer success managers, perhaps a first sales leader in a new region. Every month a seat sits empty is pipeline that never gets built.
The obvious options both break. Contingency agencies charge 20 to 25% of salary per hire, so a 15-hire GTM build can cost more than one of the salaries it fills. Job boards and inbound applicants skew towards whoever is actively looking, which is rarely the rep currently overachieving at your competitor.
How Saiyō approaches it
- A senior headhunter embeds inside your team, your ATS and your Slack, working your roles as their day job rather than one of a dozen clients.
- Every search starts with a market map: who is hitting quota at the companies your buyers already know, and who is gettable.
- Outreach is calibrated and proactive. We approach people who are not looking, which is where proven GTM talent actually sits.
- First shortlists land in under 10 days, with a 45-day delivery guarantee on the roles we own.
- The subscription scales up as hiring grows and down when it slows, so cost tracks the plan rather than punishing it.
What it looks like in practice
RaaS clients building GTM teams see a 59% lower cost per hire than their previous agency spend and a 38-day average time to hire. Because the headhunter is embedded, hiring managers get one partner who learns the pitch, the ICP and the bar, rather than re-briefing a new agency on every role.
When this is not the right answer
- If you are hiring one or two GTM roles a year, a subscription is more than you need. A single retained search or a CVaaS sprint will fit better.
- If the roles are junior and the active market is deep, a well-run inbound process may be enough. We will tell you if that is the case.