This is a really common problem (we have it, too, FWIW). Question: Which outstanding salesperson would join a startup that had a low base salary, no draw for

This is a really common problem (we have it, too, FWIW). Question: Which outstanding salesperson would join a startup that had a low base salary, no draw for salepeople, no proven sales model, minimal marketing material, a moving target for a product, inexperienced management, no sales peers, no leadgen team, no client base to sell into and reference from, an unproven compensation scheme, etc... From a sales point of view (selling the job to someone good), you have a pretty terrible product. :-) The only way to get around this is to pile on tons of equity, find a sales guy who is passionate about your product, or find one who is bored and thinks startups would be fun. Even then, it's a tremendous leap of faith and your startup has to feel like a likely home run. Salesfolks are financially motivated (usually) and you have an uphill battle here. The other alternative is to find a "diamond in the rough" - but obviously that's hard to do. I honestly think that's the only alternative if you can't afford the real deal-- because the best guys will run away screaming or laughing. A startup is a terrible financial bet for a salesperson.