90-day replacement guarantee: how it actually works for sales hires

Performance or fit departures within 90 days of start trigger a replacement search with no second placement fee on the replacement mandate under the guarantee terms. For sales roles specifically, this includes AEs who cannot ramp to basic activity metrics or who are separated for cultural or methodological fit issues.

You remain on pay-on-start economics for any new start. Clarity in the MSA matters: define performance, fit, exclusions, and cooperation expectations before the search kicks off, not after a departure you did not anticipate.

It does not refund salary already paid, commissions drawn, equity already granted, or the pipeline that burned while a wrong AE worked your best inbound. For a founding AE hire, those invisible costs are often larger than the placement fee itself.

That is why mock-call vetting and structured pre-screens still matter before you make an offer. The guarantee aligns agency downside; it is not a substitute for diligence in the selection step. Stress-test sellers before you start them.

Agencies that disappear after placement transfer all mis-hire risk to you. For a founding AE or early sales seat, where the consequences of a bad hire include poisoned accounts, burned pipeline, and months of reset, a written 90-day guarantee is the minimum accountability bar.

Combine the guarantee with weekly pipeline updates and a single accountable recruiting owner so issues surface before day 90. Book a call to understand how our guarantee is structured and what cooperation we need from your side to make it work.