VRIFY Talent System

Org design, hiring, onboarding, enablement, and manager training that make proof‑first GTM run.

When I joined VRIFY, the GTM engine had potential but lacked an operating system for people: clear roles, decision rights, and a repeatable way to hire, onboard, coach, and manage around proof → demo → win ... so I built it: a Talent System that makes the motion run.

1) Objectives (why this exists)

1. Design an AI‑first GTM org across Sales, Marketing, and RevOps that reflects our category and motion.

2. Hire and ramp fast: fill critical roles and reduce time‑to‑productivity.

3. Enable proof‑first execution: every role knows how their work advances proof and ARR.

4. Create compounding learning: scorecards and coaching loops that raise quality each sprint.

2) Org Design (structure & decision rights)

• Sales: SDR (inbound & Tier‑1/2 outbound), AE (new ARR), Solutions Architect (proof delivery), Account Manager (post‑sale; assists proof setup).

• Marketing: Brand, ABM, Content, Digital Experience (site/AEO/GEO/SEO/CRO), Lifecycle, Events.

• RevOps: CRM architecture, scorecards, stage hygiene, forecasting, pricing & guardrails.

• Decision rights: Named DRIs per metric/play; stage gates with entry/exit criteria; macro loop is proof‑first; in‑cycle loop is proof → demo → win.

3) Hiring Plan & Bar (what we hired for)

• Bar: category learning agility; proof‑first instinct; stage & forecast discipline; data fluency (ARR, pipeline coverage, CAC payback/GSE); plainspoken communicator; owner mindset with ship→learn→ship pace.

• Process: structured scorecards plus role‑specific work samples & live exercises (SDR: 7‑touch Tier‑1 sequence + call opener; AE: discovery map + MAP draft + 5‑min demo narrative; Solutions/GeoSci: pilot plan with success criteria & dataset assessment; Content: message house → 1‑pager (DORA, Viz) + distribution plan; Digital Experience: CRO brief + speed audit + A/B test design; Lifecycle/HubSpot: role/tier journey + nurture snippets + governance; Growth/Paid: experiment design (hypothesis, metric, stop/scale rule); Manager: 30‑60‑90 + WBR/1:1 agenda & coaching scenario); bar‑raiser panel + back‑channel references; no “maybe” hires.

• Outcome: hired 10 critical roles across Sales, Marketing, and RevOps; created a hiring playbook so managers can repeat the process.

4) Onboarding System (30‑60‑90 + day‑by‑day)

Design principles: ship early, coach in‑line, measure weekly.

• Role charters: purpose, decisions, inputs/outputs, top 5 metrics.

• 30‑60‑90:

  • 30: learn the category, memorize the loop, ship one scoped improvement.

  • 60: own a play (e.g., Tier‑1 event warmups), hit baseline metric.

  • 90: run a weekly metric; propose stop/scale based on data.

• Day‑by‑day (first 10 days):
  1–2: narrative & message house;
  3–4: enablement (CEO & VP Exploration talk tracks);
  5–6: systems + templates (DORA/Viz one‑pagers, MAP, pilot/proof kit);
  7–8: shadow calls/demos;
  9–10: first deliverable + manager review.

• Readiness checks: role‑specific rubrics (e.g., SDR objection handling, AE discovery map, DX CRO checklist).

5) Enablement (make quality the default)

• Talk tracks: CEO and VP Exploration variants; objection handlers (data readiness, change cost, timeline).

• Demo scripts: 90‑second story → deep dive; DORA first, Viz second.

• Pilot/proof kit: Mutual Action Plan template, success criteria library, sample datasets, debrief template.

• Value tools: impact calculator, case cards, investor‑ready proof packs.

• Lifecycle: persona journeys and snippet library; governance and naming standards.

• DX standards: site/AEO/GEO/SEO/CRO checklists; role‑specific landers; social proof modules.

6) Operating Cadence (coaching & accountability)

• Weekly GTM scorecard: pick the single bottleneck limiting ARR (coverage, demo path, proof capacity, stage hygiene, or paper process); commit a 1–2 week fix with owner & metric.

• Weekly team reviews: SDR/AE/ABM stand‑up; proof pipeline review with Solutions/GeoSci; content/DX/Lifecycle backlog.

• Event windows: daily war‑room cadence; same‑day follow‑ups; exec sponsor on Tier‑1 proofs.

• Rituals: “notes or it didn’t happen,” 24h follow‑up SLA on Tier‑1.

7) Manager Training Program (force multiplier)

VRIFY’s Leadership Development Program is a four-week curriculum designed to equip managers with the mindsets and tools necessary to lead effectively in a high-velocity, AI-driven environment. The program blends proven leadership frameworks with VRIFY’s unique strategy, ensuring that managers not only absorb theory but also apply it directly to their teams and daily execution.

Delivered in 45‑minute live Zoom sessions (with recordings for async replay), each session follows a structured flow: pre‑read to prime thinking, overview of why the topic matters for VRIFY, clear learning objectives, core content, an interactive exercise, key takeaways, post‑work assignment, and success metrics. The rhythm builds progressively—starting with self‑leadership, then team culture, strategy alignment, and finally innovation in ambiguity—so participants graduate with a complete leadership toolkit.

The program emphasized:

1. Week 1: Active Self‑Management — reclaiming time, leading from the front, and embedding AI into workflows.

2. Week 2: Trust + Accountability — cultivating psychological safety while holding a high bar through coaching and micro‑interest.

3. Week 3: Strategic Alignment — connecting daily execution to VRIFY’s “Playing to Win” pillars using OKRs and disciplined trade‑offs.

4. Week 4: AI‑First Innovation — reframing uncertainty, running rapid experiments, and spreading lessons through open rituals.

Behaviour Shifts Observed

1. Active Leadership (Session 01)

   • Managers reclaimed ~2–3 hrs/week by pruning low-ROI work.

   • Visible uptake of AI-assist prompts in drafting, summarising, and decision-prep.

2. Psychological Safety & Coaching (Session 02)

   • ≥80% managers reported using SOON/Coaching-Habit questions in 1:1s.

   • Safety pulse survey ↑ 12 pts; more dissent and idea-surfacing in cross-team stand-ups.

3. Strategic Alignment & OKRs (Session 03)

   • 100% of teams published a one-page 3×3 OKR memo.

   • “Above/Below the line” discipline adopted—fewer ad-hoc requests pulling focus.

   • Rollover tasks decreased by ~22% quarter-over-quarter.

4. AI-First Innovation (Session 04)

   • 87% of managers posted an AI win/fail Loom in the first cycle.

   • Micro-experiment cadence (2-week sprints) now embedded in 70% of product + GTM pods.

Business Impact

• Productivity & Focus: measurable increase in Rev-per-FTE and reduced cycle times on GTM projects.

• Innovation Velocity: validated experiment count per team up 30% vs last quarter.

• Cultural Markers: higher employee engagement scores on “manager supports innovation” and “team holds high standards.”

8) Comp & Policies (aligned with the motion)

• Pay for ARR with accelerators; SPIFFs for Tier‑1 meetings that progress to qualified proofs; kicker on proof→win.

• Quality guardrails: stage reversion reduces credit; discounting outside bands requires approval; quota currency in USD, base in CAD (per comp docs).

9) Culture & Norms (how we work)

• Plainspoken, numbered lists, zero fluff.

• Psych safety + stretch: fast feedback, high bar, celebrate shipping.

• Shared language: category → proof → demo → win;.

10) Metrics & Outcomes (validated)

• Team build: 10 critical hires.

• Ramp: new‑hire time‑to‑productivity ↓ 40%.

• Momentum: largest first‑month sales increase in company history (July, Q3 M1).

• ABM contribution: 20% of new pipeline sourced by ABM.

• Event impact: PDAC launch drove demo requests +65%.

Additional targets (to finalize from scorecards): hiring lead time, offer acceptance rate, enablement completion rates, time‑to‑first‑meeting for new AEs/SDRs.