At Deepgram, we're proud to have earned a 94/100 RepVue score, placing us in the top 5% of companies across critical factors like product-market fit, performance-based compensation, training, leadership culture, and diversity and inclusion. This achievement didn't happen by accident—it's the result of seven core beliefs that shape how we build and nurture our sales organization.
As VP of Sales, I've learned that exceptional sales performance isn't just about hiring great talent or having the right tools. It's about creating an environment where everyone—from SDRs to senior AEs—has what they need to succeed. Here are the principles that have driven our success.
1. Product-Market Fit Is Non-Negotiable
Let's start with the foundation: if you don't have strong product-market fit, your sales team will struggle to hit quota no matter how talented they are. At Deepgram, we're fortunate to have built AI-powered voice technology that solves real problems for our customers.
Yes, we're competing against well-known brands with more market awareness. But once we get prospects into our funnel, we perform strongly and build lasting customer relationships. Our technology speaks for itself when prospects see it in action. This gives our sales team confidence—they're not trying to convince people they need something they don't want; they're showing how we solve problems better than the alternatives.
Without this foundation, even the best sales practices won't save you. Make sure your product truly serves a market need before you optimize everything else.
2. SDRs Are the Lifeblood of Your Sales Organization
SDRs aren't just pipeline generators—they're future account executives and the foundation of your entire sales engine. At Deepgram, we invest heavily in our SDRs through comprehensive training, fair compensation, and clear advancement opportunities.
When SDRs understand our technology and market deeply, their outreach becomes consultative rather than transactional. Many of our top-performing AEs started as SDRs, and they consistently outperform external hires because they understand our process, our customers, and our culture from day one.
Treat your SDRs right, and they'll generate quality pipeline while developing into your next generation of sales leaders. Treat them poorly, and you'll face constant turnover and weak pipeline quality.
3. Clear, Fair, Uncapped Compensation Plans Drive Performance
Compensation clarity eliminates confusion and drives the right behaviors. Our comp plans are transparent, achievable, and uncapped with accelerators for overattainment. When salespeople understand exactly how their efforts translate to earnings, they're motivated to excel.
More importantly, our plans are fair. We don't design impossible quotas or cap earnings when reps are performing well. If someone is crushing their number and delivering value to the business, we want them earning accordingly. This approach attracts top talent and keeps our best performers engaged and motivated.
4. Pipeline Coverage Is Critical—Give AEs a Fair Shot
This might be the most overlooked principle in sales organizations: your AEs need sufficient pipeline coverage to have a realistic chance of hitting their numbers every quarter. Too many companies set ambitious quotas without ensuring adequate lead flow.
We're obsessive about pipeline coverage ratios and leading indicators. If an AE doesn't have enough qualified opportunities entering their funnel, that's partially an organizational problem, and likely also partially an individual AE pipeline generation performance issue. We work closely with marketing and our SDR team to ensure every AE has enough at-bats to succeed.
When AEs have sufficient pipeline coverage, they can be selective about opportunities and focus on deals they're most likely to close. This improves win rates and creates a positive cycle of success.
5. Listen to Your Team and Advocate Internally
No company is perfect, and pretending otherwise destroys trust. We actively listen to our team's concerns and advocate for the right solutions internally. Whether it's process improvements, product feedback, or resource needs, we take feedback seriously.
This doesn't mean saying yes to everything, but it does mean being transparent about challenges and working together on solutions. When salespeople feel heard and supported by their leadership, they're more likely to stay engaged during tough quarters and more willing to provide the honest feedback that drives continuous improvement.
6. Create Clear Career Progression Paths
Ambiguity kills motivation. Every person on our sales team knows exactly what it takes to advance to the next level, whether that's SDR to AE, AE to Senior AE, or into sales leadership roles.
We document the skills, metrics, and behaviors required for advancement, and we regularly discuss career development with team members. This clarity helps people focus their development efforts and creates internal mobility that strengthens our entire organization.
When people see a future at your company, they invest more deeply in its success. Our internal promotion rate is something we're proud of, and it's a key factor in maintaining our strong culture as we scale.
7. Be Massively Customer Obsessed While Doing Right by Deepgram
The best salespeople understand that customer obsession and company advocacy aren't opposing forces—they're complementary strategies that drive long-term success. At Deepgram, we're massively focused on our customers' outcomes, which means sometimes saying no to deals that aren't the right fit.
This customer-first approach shows up in several ways: we'll recommend a smaller package if that's what truly serves the customer's needs, even if it means less revenue in the short term. We'll be honest about our product's limitations and work with customers to find solutions rather than overselling capabilities we don't have.
But being customer obsessed doesn't mean giving everything away or accepting deals that don't make business sense. We advocate for our customers while also doing right by Deepgram. This means pricing fairly but not undervaluing our technology, structuring deals that work for both parties, and being transparent about what success looks like from both sides.
This balanced approach has resulted in strong customer relationships and healthy business metrics. Our customers trust us because we've proven we'll prioritize their success, and they're willing to invest in solutions that deliver real value. Meanwhile, these relationships drive sustainable growth for Deepgram through expansions, renewals, and referrals.
The Bottom Line
Our 94/100 RepVue score reflects these seven beliefs in action. It's proof that when you focus on the fundamentals—strong product-market fit, investing in your people, fair compensation, adequate pipeline coverage, responsive leadership, clear career paths, and genuine customer obsession—the results speak for themselves.
Building a top-performing sales organization isn't about finding silver bullets or copying what works elsewhere. It's about consistently applying principles that create an environment where talented people can do their best work, grow their careers, and deliver exceptional value to customers.
These seven beliefs have served us well as we've scaled Deepgram's sales organization, and I'm confident they'll continue to drive our success as we grow.
Chris Dyer is VP of Sales at Deepgram, where they lead a team focused on bringing AI-powered speech recognition to developers and enterprises worldwide. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn to discuss Deepgram, sales leadership and team development.