Sales vs Engineering Organization
Why a Clear North Star Matters
One of the most frequent clashes in any startup happens between the engineering team and the sales team. Engineers want to refine and polish every feature to perfection; sales want to get the product out the door and into the hands of paying customers.
Who is right then? Both sides are valid. Both are pressing.
Asking who is right is not the right question to be asked here. You need to ask yourself what is your North Star Metric.
Because without a clearly defined North Star metric, you’ll often find yourself stretched between these two forces, struggling to make progress on either front.
Defining Your North Star
A North Star metric serves as the guiding principle for your entire company. It might be product-focused (e.g., enhancing the quality of your AI generation) or revenue-oriented. There’s no universal “right” or “wrong” choice—it depends on your product’s stage and the company’s broader goals.
In the early days of a venture, if the product isn’t robust enough, focus on building and refining until it’s truly ready. Once that milestone is reached, shift gears and let revenue (or another sales-oriented metric) take the lead.
For instance, at RoomMate, we started with a product-centric North Star because we knew the product needed solidifying. We broke down this vision into key features—once we nailed those, we moved on to a sales-driven North Star: revenue. This pivot was seamless only because everyone on the team understood the current priority.
NSM & Leadership
When your North Star is crystal clear, it’s not just a rallying cry—it’s a compass for daily decisions. It provides direction and, most importantly, consistency.
This means that the culture remains intact even when the CEO or founding team isn’t in the room, and the decisions are taken accordingly.
Remember: what you do is who you are.
You can tell a lot about a company’s leadership and culture by what happens when the founder or top management isn’t around. Does the team still operate in line with your values and goals? If so, that’s a sign your North Star is well-defined.
Balancing Demands from Engineering and Sales
As a founder or CEO, you’ll face competing demands every day. Engineering might pull you in to provide feedback on new implementations, run discovery, or help with QA. Sales might request your presence in demos, ask for negotiation tips, or want sign-off on pitches.
Without a clear North Star metric, you’ll likely end up to try to do both, which will result in overcommitting and underdelivering, on both.
By sticking to a single focus (focus is a singular word, meaning that there needs to be just one!), you not only avoid burnout but also empower your teams.
Whenever requests arise, weigh them against the North Star. If they are in line with the NSM, you say yes. If not, you say no—knowing that doing so helps keep the company on track.
Final Thoughts
North Star Metric is more than a buzzword.
It’s a practical tool that keeps you from getting lost in the daily shuffle between engineering perfection and sales targets.
Embrace it, communicate it, and let it steer every choice your team makes. Over time, you’ll see how much more efficiently and confidently you can guide your venture toward real, tangible success.
