The Hidden Cost of an Unfilled Role

A Tech Sales Reality Check

Unfilled tech sales roles are not just a hiring issue, but they are a significant cost burden on a company. Each year unfilled tech sales roles are costing companies millions each year with studies showing empty roles are potentially reducing revenue by 5% or more and costing an average of $4,129 per unfilled position over 42 days, with revenue-generating roles potentially costing $7,000-$10,000 per month. This blog will cover productivity loss, team morale, lost opportunities, and how to fix it.

North Starr is a specialist Tech Sales recruiter that partners with high-growth technology companies to solve their most critical hiring challenges. With a deep understanding of the Technology Sales recruitment landscape, North Starr connects ambitious businesses with top-tier sales talent across sectors including SaaS, FinTech, Cybersecurity, and Data. Their expert team of Tech Sales recruiters brings market insight, speed, and precision to every search—ensuring that roles are filled quickly with candidates who don’t just meet the brief but elevate performance. Whether you’re scaling a sales team or hiring your first go-to-market leader, North Starr provides strategic recruitment support to fuel long-term growth.

Counting the Cost: What an Unfilled Tech Sales Roles Really Means

When a technology sales role sits vacant, the true cost goes far beyond a delayed hire. According to SHRM, each unfilled position costs companies an average of $4,129 over a 42-day vacancy period and for revenue-generating roles, the cost can skyrocket to as high as $7,000-$10,000 per month. Multiplied together, these numbers mean that a vacant position, on average costs $22,000. That is without factoring in decreased team productivity, and increased strain on existing staff. For high-growth sectors like SaaS and Cybersecurity, the stakes are even higher.

For example, a Cybersecurity SaaS company where the average Account Executive has a quarterly quota of £250,000. If that role remains unfilled for a full quarter, the company doesn’t just miss the £250k target, but it also risks damaging the future pipeline, as outbound prospecting and client engagement flatline. Leaving key sales roles vacant can reduce company revenue by 5% or more according to Northwestern University.

Moreover, surrounding team members are forced to take on extra workload, which often results in burnout or decreased morale. These hidden operational costs are rarely tracked but have a compounding effect on long-term performance. In a competitive hiring environment, delays in filling Technology Sales Jobs could cost your business far more than a recruiter’s fee and they could stall your growth altogether.

The Unseen Revenue Drain: How Vacancies in Tech Sales Hurt Growth

Vacancies can lead to lost deals and stagnant sales pipelines which can affect a Tech Sales business by hindering revenue growth, damaging forecast accuracy and potentially leading to a decline in overall sales performance throughout the team. Empty chairs in offices can lead to higher pressure on remaining employees, as a result leading to lower team morale, thus creating a ripple effect across the business and therefore a higher staff turnover, which then starts the cycle again.

In SaaS organisations, where revenue models rely on consistent pipeline generation, even a short-term vacancy can stall momentum. For example, a B2B SaaS company offering CRM software with a sales cycle of 90 days may lose entire quarters of growth if a Sales Development Representative or Account Executive position is vacant. Without a full team executing outreach and demos, lead nurturing slows, and customer acquisition targets are missed.

In the realm of Cybersecurity Tech Sales Jobs, the stakes are often even higher. Companies can expect to find that vacancies in their sales team can lead to the loss of contracts and there may be a lack of dedicated sales reps to engage with clients during critical decision-making windows. This can lead to product adoption delays followed, putting their roadmap behind by nearly six months.

Unfilled roles represent the potential for stalled growth for businesses, filling empty seats in offices for high-growth industries such as SaaS and Cybersecurity Sales with dedicated and long-term talent is critical to a business’s long- and short-term success and investment.

The Ripple Effect: How One Unfilled Role Disrupts Your Entire Tech Sales Team

There are times where employees leaving companies are out of anyone’s control, but what is in the business’s control is how quickly they fill that role. An unfilled sales role doesn’t just affect revenue, but it affects an entire teams dynamic. When a key salesperson leaves and isn’t quickly replaced, their workload doesn’t disappear; it gets redistributed. This leads to high performers being stretched thing, while juggling additional accounts where their expertise and client relationships don’t usually stray to. Over time, this leads to burnout, rising stress levels, and a noticeable dip in morale.

Team motivation also begins to decline. When remaining employees see that hiring isn’t being prioritised, it can signal a lack of strategic direction or investment in growth. Internal friction builds as support functions and product teams become frustrated with delayed sales responses or missed opportunities. Ultimately, this culture of overwork and under-resourcing starts to impact staff retention, turning one unfilled role into several as others leave.

This is where Tech Sales Recruiters like North Starr prove invaluable. With deep sector expertise and access to hard-to-reach candidates, North Starr accelerates time-to-hire and ensures cultural fit. Their consultative approach means businesses avoid prolonged vacancies and the costly team-wide effects that follow. By acting fast, strategically, and with market insight, North Starr helps protect not just your revenue—but your people too.

Why Unfilled Roles Are So Common in Tech Sales Recruitment

Demand for high-performing sales talent is as high as it have ever been, however the supply for this talent is falling short. As companies across SaaS, FinTech, and Cybersecurity race to scale their go-to-market teams, the market for experienced sales professionals has become fiercely competitive. According to LinkedIn data, sales roles are consistently among the top five most in-demand positions globally, with Technology Sales Jobs leading the charge in high-growth markets like London and New York.

As candidate expectations evolve, salaries are not always everyone’s priority. Top performers want flexibility, purpose, equity and strong career progression opportunities. Companies are underestimating how much their Employee Value Proposition must align with the new mindsets candidates have adopted. Combine that with outdated recruitment strategies, slow interview processes, and unclear role definitions, and it’s no surprise that many businesses are struggling to fill critical sales roles.

This is where North Starr comes in. As a specialist in Tech Sales Recruitment, North Starr not only understands the complexities of today’s market but also works proactively to attract, engage, and deliver top-tier talent. Their expert recruiters offer real-time market insight, refined shortlists, and an agile approach that helps clients stay ahead ensuring they don’t miss out on the talent their competitors are also chasing.

Startups and Scaleups: The Cost of Waiting in SaaS and Tech Sales Hiring

More critically, for startups and scaleups, the hidden cost of an unfilled sales role can be the difference between growth accelerating or halting. Every hire in a Tech Sales Startup is mission-critical, particularly as the role are revenue-generating. When key positions like Account Executives or Business Development Representatives remain vacant, pipeline development slows, go-to-market execution falters, and customer acquisition targets are missed.

Missed targets and falling revenue can affect investor perception of a business, particularly a new one. Investor perception in startups or scaleups are critical, especially when trying to raise funds, but Delays in hiring can signal poor operational readiness or misalignment between product and sales, which can reduce investor confidence and slow funding momentum.

With deep expertise in SaaS Sales Recruitment, North Starr helps startups build high-impact sales teams quickly. By delivering top talent with speed and precision, they help emerging businesses protect growth, win market share, and maintain the confidence of both customers and investors.

North Starr: Your Expert Tech Sales Recruiter to Eliminate Hidden Hiring Costs 

When it comes to eliminating the hidden costs of unfilled roles, North Starr stands out as a trusted partner in Tech Sales Recruitment. Specialising in placing top-tier talent across Technology Sales, SaaS, and Cybersecurity, North Starr understands that time is money, particularly when revenue-critical roles are sitting vacant.

What sets North Starr apart is its focused, market-driven approach. Their dedicated Tech Sales recruiters work closely with clients to understand business goals, sales structures, and the qualities needed for top performance—not just a job spec. With an extensive network of pre-qualified, high-impact candidates, they dramatically reduce time-to-hire, ensuring businesses don’t lose momentum, market share, or morale.

Whether you’re a global enterprise or a scaling Tech Sales startup, North Starr delivers the speed, precision, and insight required to compete in today’s hiring landscape. Their team doesn’t just fill vacancies—they futureproof sales teams, boost long-term retention, and help you stay ahead in fiercely competitive markets.

In short, North Starr turns hiring from a cost centre into a growth engine—connecting the right talent to the right roles, exactly when it matters most. If you’re ready to eliminate the hidden costs of delayed hiring, North Starr is ready to deliver.

Case Study: How North Starr Helped a SaaS Business Recover from Lost Sales

“North Starr have been excellent in finding sales, sales engineering and sales leadership talent in the UK and US. The quality of candidates and speed of delivery have been outstanding, and they have been an important partner in growing our sales organisations.”

Stop the Cost Spiral: Why Now is the Time to Fill That Tech Sales Role

Every day that a tech sales role remains unfilled, the cost to your business quietly compounds—lost deals, overworked teams, missed targets, and frustrated stakeholders. In high-growth environments, particularly across SaaS Sales Recruitment and Cybersecurity Tech Sales Jobs, time-to-hire is directly linked to market success. Waiting too long can stall your momentum and open the door for competitors to seize your customers and your edge.

By partnering with a specialist like North Starr, you gain access to a pipeline of elite talent, industry insight, and recruitment strategies designed to act fast without compromising on quality. North Starr helps businesses stop the spiral before it starts—filling critical Technology Sales Jobs with the right candidates, at the right time.

Don’t let hiring delays dictate your growth. Contact North Starr today and fill that role before it costs you more than you think.