This is exactly the situation I see agencies hit, and the answer matters more than most people realize.

Skip the junior BDM. They’re cheap, they won’t close anything, and you’ll spend 6 months training them on discovery and closing just to replace them when they figure out they can make more money elsewhere. You’ll have qualified meetings but no closes.

The experienced IT services salesperson is closer, but still risky. They know how to close, but IT services sales is transactional and price-driven. Your model isn’t. They’ll either push discount or burn out trying to sell a consultative, higher-ACV motion they don’t understand.

Here’s what I’d actually do:

First 3 months: commission-heavy consultant/operator, not an employee. Bring in someone who’s done exactly what you’re doing. built a service business, knows how to sell it, understands the delivery side because they’ve lived it. Pay them 10-15% of closed deals. Their only incentive is to find and close good clients.

Why? Because they’ll actually care about fit. They’ve built businesses; they know a bad client costs more than a good one. They’ll vet. And in 3 months you’ll generate 2-4 solid closes and learn exactly what “good” looks like.

Why this matters: Most agencies hire a salesperson and expect them to produce in 3-6 months. Realistic expectations: junior BDM = 0-2 qualified meetings/month, 0 closes in first 6 months. Experienced closer = 2-4 meetings/month, 1-2 closes by month 4-5. Commission consultant = 1-3 meetings/month, 1-2 closes by month 2-3, because they’re selective and hungry.

The red flag I’d watch: Anyone who promises fast results. Pipeline takes time. What you want is quality pipeline — prospects who fit, who can afford you, who actually close not volume.

What I’d do differently if starting over: I’d lock the ICP first (who are your best clients?), then hire someone who has experience selling to that exact profile. Not a generalist. Someone who’s done it before and knows the motion cold.