Those of you that know me know that I use the this phrase quite a bit as it relates to getting the right people in the right positions to take a new/innovative product or service to market.  There are many very capable sales and marketing types who can launch products, support go-to-market activities, and usher prospects through a sales cycle once product/market fit has been achieved and the patterns become repeatable, predictable and dependable.  If this is your company, congratulations as you have now moved beyond early stage and you are on the path to success.

Getting there is a whole different matter and takes a unique set of attributes for those on the team.  Intellectual investment means wanting to figure out how your product/service solves a problem for someone and going through the process of finding the problem(s), learning about it, adjusting features and messaging to fix that problem, and serving yourself up as a true adviser with subject matter expertise.

Bear in mind, people like this are hard to find and many (most) start-ups decide to ramp a large and expensive national direct sales team long before this process is complete.   Without achieving product/market fit prior to this scaling (assuming it is the right thing for your business) you need to surround yourself with folks that are curious and driven to "figure it out."

Large companies generally do not breed these types unless they are the cream of the crop, short timers, or have been part of something truly innovative and revolutionary.  Former management consultants (like yours truly) make good targets but make sure they have some operational perspective versus being pure spreadsheet or powerpoint jockeys.  There is no substitute for live fire exercises to firmly ground your assumptions and activities.  Anybody who has done it before or "already seen the movie" are prime targets as well.  Be cautious of those that were there as it happened versus truly involved.  There is definitely truth in the phrase "rising tides lift all boats."