Fixed compensation for a first Head of Sales hire at Series B has moved less than people expect this year. The bigger shift is in the variable structure and the equity conversation, not the base number.
Founders are asking for steeper ramps tied to specific revenue milestones instead of flat OTE splits, and strong candidates are pushing back harder on vesting cliffs than they did eighteen months ago.
The number that actually predicts whether an offer gets accepted isn't the base. It's how quickly the equity conversation happens relative to the offer. Delay it past the verbal offer, and acceptance rates drop noticeably.