Fractional Sales Director for AI & SaaS Companies

Senior sales leadership without a full-time hire. I step in part-time to own the revenue motion, coach your existing reps, fix the pipeline and forecast, and hand over a working system.

  • Part-time leadership, typically two to three days a week.
  • Own quota, forecast and pipeline reviews.
  • Hire, ramp and coach the existing BD team.
  • Clear exit plan: systems and playbooks stay with you.

In short

A fractional sales director is a senior sales leader who works part-time, usually 2 to 4 days a week, instead of a full-time VP Sales hire. Praveen Jha does this for AI and SaaS startups: building pipeline, closing lighthouse enterprise deals, hiring and coaching reps and setting up the playbook. Typical engagements run 3 to 6 months.

When a fractional sales director makes sense

  • Founder-led sales is hitting a ceiling: You closed the first customers yourself, but you can't sell, build and raise at the same time.
  • Pre-Series A or bootstrapped: You need senior sales leadership now, but a full-time VP Sales is too expensive or too early.
  • Selling into enterprise for the first time: Longer cycles, procurement and security reviews need a different process from SMB or self-serve.
  • Hiring your first reps: You want SDRs and AEs hired against a real playbook, not left to work it out themselves.

What's included

Pipeline and forecasting

A weekly operating rhythm so you always know what will close and why.

  • Weekly pipeline, forecast and deal-review cadence
  • Qualification framework (MEDDIC/MEDDPICC) applied to live deals
  • CRM, dashboards and reporting set up properly

Enterprise deals

Hands-on help on the deals that matter most this quarter.

  • Personally close 2–3 lighthouse enterprise deals per quarter
  • Deal strategy, stakeholder mapping and proposals
  • Founder coaching for the deals you still want to run yourself

Team building

The right first sales hires, onboarded against a playbook.

  • Hire, onboard and coach SDRs and AEs
  • Role scorecards, interview loops and ramp plans
  • Quota and compensation design

The sales playbook

Everything written down so the engine keeps running after the engagement.

  • ICP, messaging and objection handling
  • Outbound sequences and prospecting process
  • The playbook your next full-time VP inherits

The first 90 days

  1. Weeks 1–2: Diagnose: Review the pipeline, CRM, past wins and losses, pricing and ICP. Agree the targets and the operating cadence.
  2. Weeks 3–6: Build: Messaging, qualification, outbound sequences and the hiring plan. Start running weekly deal reviews.
  3. Weeks 7–12: Run and close: Work the lighthouse deals, coach the team, fix what the data shows is broken.
  4. Handover: A documented playbook, clean CRM and trained team, ready for a full-time leader or for you to run.

Typical engagements are 3–6 months, 2–4 days a week. Currently accepting 1–2 fractional clients at a time.

Sales leadership track record

  • 14+: Years in enterprise technology sales
  • 300+: Enterprise and SME clients
  • $1.5M: Revenue delivered in 2025
  • 30%: Year-on-year revenue growth
  • 98%: Client retention
  • $40K: Average deal size

Figures from Praveen's time as Director of Sales & Business Development at ORTEM Technologies (January 2021 – September 2026), leading a team of 6 BD professionals across the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and APAC.

Book a free call: calendly.com/pravinjha/30min · WhatsApp +91 96245 85067 · Contact form

FAQ

What is a fractional sales director?

A fractional sales director is an experienced sales leader who works part-time across a small number of companies. You get senior pipeline, deal and team leadership without the cost and commitment of a full-time VP Sales.

How many days a week do you work with each client?

Usually 2 to 4 days a week, depending on your stage and targets. Praveen takes on 1 to 2 fractional clients at a time so each one gets real attention.

How long does a fractional engagement last?

Typically 3 to 6 months. That is long enough to set up the process, hire and coach the first reps and close lighthouse deals, and short enough to hand over to a full-time leader.

How much does a fractional sales director cost?

It depends on the number of days a week and the scope. You get a clear proposal after a free call, once the targets and the team are understood.

Do you sell to customers yourself or only coach?

Both. Praveen personally works 2 to 3 lighthouse enterprise deals per quarter alongside coaching the founders and reps on the rest of the pipeline.

Can you work with companies outside India?

Yes. Praveen is based in Ahmedabad and has built pipeline across the USA, UK, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and APAC, working across time zones.

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