October 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
Getting Reps Productive Fast
Pump.co is one of the fastest growing YC companies. Partially thanks to an incredible sales team. Here’s how they get great sales talent up and running fast.
pascal's notes
Pump.co is amongst YC’s fastest growing companies, ever.
Their sales team is a big part of this with many reps regularly closing > $500K ARR a month (!) - only ~2 years into Pump launching!
[This is real ARR, not the kind some AI companies are reporting these days]
Here are 3 cornerstones of how Pump gets new team members up and running fast:
1) Get them on phones asap
The first days are all about keeping the setup light and getting new hires going asap.
On Day 1, new reps learn the tools + fundamentals, get a company + product” bootcamp (“Pump University”), and do a trivia to lock in key concepts.
Thereafter, they start calling.
Many on Day 1 already. All are on the phone latest by Day 2!
On top, reps (new and old) are all in the same room to learn from each other in real time (learning by osmosis). This is supplemented by group mock cold-calls and mock demos daily - even weeks into their tenure. Practice never stops at Pump.
Here’s why this process works so well:
Early, frequent reps compress the learning curve and surface the real objections you must solve far faster than slide decks ever will.
2) Coach hard, early
Reps are expected to get to visible traction in < 60 days.
If a new rep is behind after as little as 2 weeks, Pump intervenes immediately and gives them a structured improvement plan:
Name 2–3 specific gaps (e.g., opener, discovery depth, objection handling)
Daily practice: 1 mock cold‑call + 1 mock demo with feedback
Buddy shadowing in call rooms; same‑day notes and replay reviews
Tight loop: agree one focus for the next live block; review, repeat
Importantly, Pump always coaches to outcomes:
Anchor feedback to booked meetings and moved opportunities (not theory). Plus keep corrections short and frequent so reps can try the change in the next hour (not week).
3) Have a clear promotion ladder
People work harder when the promotion path is clear and written down.
At Pump, the ladder for new BDRs looks as following:
BDR1 → BDR2: 3 straight months of 20+ qualified demos and strong team behavior. Minimum 750 dials / day.
BDR2 → SMB AE: 5 spiffs tied to $100k closed‑won (sourced / influenced), consistent 20 qualified meetings / month, plus 3 self‑sourced wins.
SMB AE → Mid‑Market AE: >$500k closed in the trailing 6 months, 5 self‑sourced deals above the SMB band, clean CRM hygiene. Typically handles ~$15k–$75k set demos; can self‑source any size.
Mid Market AE → Enterprise AE: ~$1M/year, several $100k+ wins, visible leadership. AEs still prospect: ~250 dials/day.
Each candidates has regular promotion‑readiness reviews against these numbers so ambition stays productive.
On top, Pump puts a lot of effort into making sure the system remains fair - flat orgs get political unless criteria are explicit.
No wonder they built such a strong sales team.
Enjoyed reading this?
Then check out my conversation on the focal podcast with Paul Russo, employee #1 and sales leader at Pump.co that grew from 0 to eight-figure ARR while profitable in ~2 years.
Youtube | Apple Podcast | Spotify
Recently started a company or thinking about it?
At focal, we’re technical, AI native builders’ first choice for their first check.
We lead their first round at the very start with up to $1M. Often before they even write their first line of code.
