Hand over the judgement behind the pitch
A founder can change direction halfway through a call without noticing. They recognise a weak fit, pick up a technical concern or decide that a prospect needs proof before another explanation. A new salesperson gets the slides. Much of the useful bit is still in the founder's head.
Start the handover by reviewing a few calls together, with permission to record where needed. Pause at the moments where the founder changed approach. What did they hear? What did they infer? What would have made them walk away? Include conversations that went nowhere. A library of wins can leave out the judgement that saves time.
Give the salesperson a clear starting point
Choose a buyer type and a problem the company understands well. Agree what a qualified opportunity looks like, which evidence supports the claims, and when specialist help is needed. Asking someone to discover the market, invent the pitch and hit a number at once is quite a welcome pack.
Let the salesperson lead a defined part of the next call. The founder can support technical depth or credibility without taking over at the first awkward pause. Debrief afterwards: what did the buyer say, what remains uncertain, and what should happen next? Offer specific feedback rather than a full replay of how you would have said it.
Check whether the sales handover is working
Look for progress the buyer participates in: sharing the current process, bringing in another stakeholder or agreeing how to evaluate the product. Call volume alone will not tell you whether the handover is working. Neither will a single lost deal.
If progress repeatedly depends on the founder returning, identify why. It might be missing knowledge, unclear authority, product uncertainty or trust attached to the founder personally. Each needs a different response. Keep the founder involved where they add value, while deliberately teaching what can be transferred. The aim is a sales conversation someone else can own with sound judgement.