SEARCH STRATEGY
PROPOSAL
Prepared for Vento Aviation
Prepared for
Frank Cohen, Chief Revenue Officer
Prepared by
Virginia Bowers, FounderBrett Mammel, Business Development
March 2026
Prepared for Vento Aviation
March 2026
About Sellers Hub
Sellers Hub is a recruiting firm focused exclusively on sales talent.
We help B2B companies hire revenue-driving professionals who can generate pipeline, manage complex sales cycles, build territory, and close business in demanding sales environments.
Our strongest alignment is with companies selling technical, niche, or operationally complex products where the right salesperson needs industry fluency, not just selling skills. This includes manufacturing, capital equipment, industrial distribution, insurance, and B2B technology.
Our approach is headhunting-first. Instead of relying on job postings, we map the market, identify candidates with the right experience and technical knowledge, and proactively engage top performers, including those who are not actively exploring new roles.
Our process typically identifies the top 100 relevant candidates, narrows the field to the best 3 to 5, and reaches shortlist stage within 4 to 6 weeks.
In 2025, 90% of our clients returned for a second search. We offer Retained Search, Contingent Placement, Multi-Hire Campaigns, and Global Talent solutions.
Our Specialties
We assess beyond resumes and interviews to identify candidates who can actually generate pipeline, manage complexity, execute consistently, and ramp into production.
We recruit sales talent for environments where product knowledge, compliance, and long sales cycles are the norm. Laser cutting equipment, packaging machinery, certified aerospace parts - the pattern is the same: niche product, technical buyer, invisible talent pool.
We recruit for companies where territory ownership, industry fluency, and the ability to sell complex products to sophisticated buyers are non-negotiable. Our deepest experience sits here.
We help companies build cost-efficient sales capacity across borders and time zones, especially for BDR, support, and growth-stage sales functions in multi-continent operations.
The Challenge
| Challenge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Niche talent pool | A sales manager who understands certified aftermarket aircraft parts, FAA traceability, MRO procurement cycles, and global distribution is not on Indeed. They are performing well at a competitor or adjacent company and not actively looking. |
| Management before scale | You have BDR candidates ready to deploy in Latin America and Europe, but need a manager in place first to run the team. This hire unblocks everything else. It needs to be right, not just fast. |
| First external search | Your team of 12-13 has been built entirely through personal networks, referrals, and Indeed. That approach works until it does not. A structured search gives you access to the passive candidates your network cannot reach. |
| Global complexity | Operations across the US, South America, and Europe mean the sales manager needs to coordinate across time zones, languages, and market dynamics. This narrows the field further. |
The aftermarket aviation parts market is a $35 billion industry growing at 7-8% annually. 25% of the aerospace workforce is over 55. The people who can sell certified helicopter and business jet parts are already employed, well-compensated, and invisible to job boards.
A targeted headhunting approach is the most reliable way to find and engage these candidates before they are recruited by someone else.
The Role
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Sales Manager |
| Reports To | Frank Cohen, Chief Revenue Officer |
| Scope | Manage and scale the global BDR team (US, Latin America, Europe). Player-coach potential. |
| Product | Certified aftermarket aircraft parts for helicopters and business jets (Bell, Airbus, Sikorsky, Leonardo) |
| Customers | Airlines, MROs (maintenance/repair/overhaul), aviation operators |
| Location | Domestic or overseas (flexible) |
| Timeline | As soon as possible - BDR scaling is blocked until this seat is filled |
Our Framework
We use our SELLER Framework to assess whether a candidate can perform in a real sales environment, not just interview well.
Demonstrated history of hitting targets and growing revenue. For a sales manager, we also assess their ability to build the systems and accountability that make a team perform consistently, not just their individual track record.
Understanding of aftermarket aviation parts distribution, MRO sales cycles, FAA compliance requirements, and the technical vocabulary required to be credible with both the team and the customer base. Candidates from adjacent technical distribution industries can also qualify if they demonstrate fast domain learning.
Vento is in build mode. The sales manager will be creating process, not following it. The right candidate absorbs ambiguity, builds structure, and does not wait for a playbook to be handed to them.
Managing a globally distributed team across the US, Latin America, and Europe requires clear communication, cultural awareness, and the ability to coach people who are not in the same room. We assess for hands-on leadership style, not just title-based management experience.
No babysitting. The CRO needs someone who will own the team, own the pipeline, and drive results without being micromanaged. We assess for self-direction, follow-through, and comfort operating in a fast-moving growth environment.
The ideal candidate sees this as a career-defining move: the chance to build a global sales organization at a growing company in a specialized market. We assess whether this represents genuine career alignment and long-term commitment, not a lateral move or a stepping stone.
Proof of Concept
The searches below are the closest analogues to the Vento Aviation challenge: roles requiring a blend of sales leadership and specialized technical knowledge, in niche industries where candidates are passive and hard to find.
Laser Cutting & Sheet Metal Equipment - Sales Engineering and Key Account Hires
Bystronic is a global manufacturer of laser cutting and sheet metal processing equipment with 3,500 employees and operations worldwide. They needed to fill multiple sales-side roles including sales engineering and a key account director. The talent they needed understood complex capital equipment, could speak to engineering buyers, and could navigate long procurement cycles. They had been running job postings for months with no success - the candidates responding lacked the technical depth and industry relationships the roles required.
Sellers Hub mapped the laser cutting, CNC, and precision machining ecosystem to identify candidates already selling similar high-value capital equipment into manufacturing environments. We targeted people at competitors and adjacent equipment manufacturers who already had the technical fluency and customer relationships. These were passive candidates - performing well in their current roles and not responding to job boards.
Bystronic hired multiple candidates from our search, including a key account director and sales engineering roles. The client has returned for additional searches, validating the quality and fit of the placements.
Packaging Machinery - 10-Year Client Partnership, Multiple Placements
Paxiom Group, now part of the ATS Corporation packaging and food technology division, has been a Sellers Hub client for over 10 years. This is one of our longest-standing partnerships and the best example of what happens when a recruiting relationship is built for the long term. Over the course of a decade, we have placed multiple sales professionals across the Paxiom family of brands as their team has evolved and grown.
Most recently, Paxiom engaged us to recruit a regional sales development representative. The role required someone who could sell complex packaging machinery into food, pharmaceutical, and industrial manufacturing environments, with the technical knowledge to spec solutions and the sales skills to manage territory independently. We searched across packaging equipment, industrial automation, and adjacent capital equipment companies to find candidates with demonstrated territory ownership and technical selling experience.
Paxiom hired a regional sales development representative from our candidate slate. This placement was the latest in a decade of successful searches - a track record that speaks for itself.
Investment
Dedicated search for a Sales Manager to lead Vento Aviation's global BDR team.
of year-one guaranteed compensation (base salary)
Replacement guarantee: 100% replacement at 120 days, 25% credit at one year, 10% credit at two years.
As Vento scales, we offer volume-based pricing for BDR and additional sales hires across your global operations. Let us know when you are ready to discuss team buildout beyond the sales manager.
For Latin America and European BDR hires, we offer flexible placement and staffing models designed for cost-efficient global sales capacity. We can discuss these options once the management layer is in place.
Who We Work With
Trusted by growth-oriented companies hiring sales talent in specialized and high-performance environments.
How We Work
Our process is rigorous, transparent, and built to find candidates who would never surface through job postings or LinkedIn InMail.
A detailed session to define the role: competencies, must-haves, target companies, compensation, and the employee value proposition. We want to understand Vento's culture, growth plan, and what makes this role compelling to a top candidate.
We systematically map aftermarket aviation parts distributors, MRO sales teams, OEM channel organizations, and adjacent technical distribution companies to identify every viable candidate for the role.
Approaching each candidate intelligently and discreetly. These are passive candidates - currently employed and not responding to job postings. Our outreach is personalized and industry-informed.
Using our SELLER Framework, we conduct in-depth assessments against the specific requirements of this role: leadership ability, technical knowledge, global team management, and cultural fit.
We present 3-5 thoroughly vetted candidates with detailed profiles, assessment notes, and our recommendation. You will see the full search activity: everyone identified, approached, assessed, and the outcomes.
Complete transparency throughout. Weekly check-ins to share progress, adjust targeting, and ensure alignment. You will never be left wondering where things stand.
Full coordination of interviews, candidate feedback, and process management. We keep both sides informed and moving forward at every stage.
We present the offer, support negotiation, and stay in contact with both parties through acceptance and start date. Our job is not done until the candidate is onboarded.
Timeline
A typical search reaches shortlist stage within 4 to 6 weeks, depending on role complexity, market conditions, and interview speed. Given the specialized nature of the aviation aftermarket, we would target a shortlist delivery within 5 weeks of kickoff.
| Phase | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing | |||||||
| Market Mapping | |||||||
| Candidate Outreach | |||||||
| Shortlisting | |||||||
| Interviews | |||||||
| Offer & Close |
Candidate notice periods (typically two weeks) are not included in the timeline above but are standard once an offer is accepted.
Who We Would Target
Based on our conversation, here are three candidate archetypes mapped to the talent pools we would target for the Sales Manager role. Each represents a different path to the same outcome: someone who can lead your global sales team, manage BDRs across geographies, and operate with minimal oversight in a compliance-driven market.
8-12 years in aftermarket aviation parts distribution, currently managing a team of 3-6 sales reps or account managers at a mid-size distributor. Deep knowledge of helicopter and fixed-wing parts sourcing, MRO customer relationships, and FAA documentation requirements. Has built or expanded a territory from scratch and is looking for a bigger scope. Likely working at a company like Helimart, Rotorlink, Sterling Helicopter, ASAP Aerospace, or a regional distributor. Knows the parts, knows the customers, knows the compliance. The challenge is recruiting them away from a stable position - they are not looking, but they would move for the right opportunity at a growing company with a CRO who has a proven scaling track record.
10+ years selling maintenance, repair, and overhaul services to airlines and operators. Currently leads a small sales team at an MRO facility or services company and understands the customer base Vento serves from the buy side. Knows what procurement teams at airlines and operators need, how they evaluate parts suppliers, and what makes a distributor relationship sticky. This person transitions from selling services to selling parts - a lateral move within the same ecosystem. Their MRO relationships and customer knowledge become Vento's competitive advantage. They bring the Rolodex and the industry credibility; Vento provides the platform and inventory to sell against.
10+ years in technical distribution - aerospace components, defense parts, or industrial equipment - with 2-4 years of people management. Has built or managed a sales team in a compliance-heavy, documentation-intensive environment (ITAR, CAGE-coded, AS9120 certified). May not have direct aftermarket aviation parts experience, but understands the rhythm of distribution sales: inventory knowledge, quoting speed, customer relationships, and the operational complexity of selling certified products globally. This person brings the management discipline and process-building skills that a fast-growing team needs, combined with enough technical distribution experience to learn the aviation-specific nuances quickly.
The People Behind the Search
Founded by an industry veteran with 18 years of experience, including 17 years specifically focused on sales and leadership recruitment, Sellers Hub has honed a deep expertise in finding and placing top talent. Since our establishment in 2017, our team has grown to include an Account Director, four direct Account Managers, a Business Development Manager, a Marketing Specialist, and an Operations Assistant.
Our approach is built for organizations that need more than resumes. We combine specialized market insight, direct search execution, and structured sales evaluation to help clients make stronger hires with less guesswork.
Get Started
We'd love to dig into the Sales Manager search with you, Frank. Whenever you're ready, let's get a Zoom on the calendar to define the role, map out target companies, and get moving.