Partnering with one of the top sales recruiting and executive search firms in San Francisco can be the difference between hitting your revenue targets or missing the mark. The right recruiter doesn’t just fill seats, they connect you with sales leaders who can open doors, build pipelines, and accelerate growth. So who are the top sales recruiters in San Francisco? And which executive search firms specialize in placing proven sales talent at high-growth companies? Here is our rankings of the best sales recruiters in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley area.
Ranking Criteria & Scoring System
- Key Sales Roles Placement Focus (33%) – Extent to which the firm specializes in placing high-impact sales leaders (CROs, VPs of Sales, Sales Directors, Account Executives, SDR/BDRs, Sales Engineers, etc.). Verified via firm websites.
- Client Benefits Index (33%) – Breadth and depth of tangible client advantages, such as speed-to-hire, candidate quality, retention guarantees, customized search processes, and additional consulting or talent planning services. Verified through firm websites, testimonials, and published client success stories.
- Client Reviews (24%) – Average rating and review volume across Google My Business.
- Regional Coverage (10%) – Geographic reach of the firm within the Bay Area and beyond, including whether the firm serves multiple industries across San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Oakland, and San Jose. Verified through office locations, firm websites, and LinkedIn company pages.
What are the top recruiters and sales executive search firms in San Francisco?
Rank | Firm Name | Key Sales Roles Placement Focus | Client Benefits Index | Client GMB Reviews | Regional Coverage | Total Score |
1 | Talentfoot Executive Search | 32 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 94 |
2 | Pursuit | 30 | 28 | 22 | 8 | 88 |
3 | Treeline Inc | 23 | 31 | 23 | 9 | 86 |
4 | The Lions | 32 | 29 | N/A* | 9 | 78 |
5 | Pareto | 23 | 27 | 18 | 8 | 76 |
6 | Robert Half San Francisco | 15 | 26 | 15 | 8 | 64 |
1. Talentfoot Executive Search
Talentfoot is a boutique recruitment and executive search firm that specializes in matching elite sales talent with growth-focused businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. From bootstrapped and series A-funded startups to private equity and venture capital firms, Talentfoot helps clients access pre-vetted and highly qualified sales professionals to build out their sales function. Their primary clients include companies with less than 250 employees who can’t afford to make a sales hiring mistake and who are focused on only hiring proven sales and sales leadership talent. Their talent network spans throughout Silicon Valley – from San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, to Palo Alto and Santa Clara. Visit and learn more about Talentfoot’s Sales Recruiting Practice here.
At a glance:
- Founded: 2010
- Locations Served: San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Santa Clara
- Company size: 30 employees
- Key roles they hire for: Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Chief Sales Officer (CSO), SVP Sales, VP Sales, Director Sales, Revenue Operations (RevOps), Channel Sales, Account Executives, Senior Sales Representatives, Go-To-Market Engineers (GTM Engineers)
- Client benefits:
- Unrivaled 98% success rate
- Specialized focus
- Structured and methodical process
- Consulting-first approach
- Complimentary psychometric testing and coaching sessions
- Deep and diverse talent network
- Talentfoot-certified candidates
- Customized pricing
- Flexible search and talent planning solutions
- Innovative functional and industry expertise
- Rapid candidate delivery
- Boutique firm commitment
- Reasons clients typically contact Talentfoot: Urgent executive search, scaling sales and go-to-market team, expanding sales team from Europe to the United States, post-funding growth, confidential replacements, and sales team refreshes.
- Google reviews: 4.7 average rating
- Glassdoor reviews: 4.0 average rating
- Press Features: Wall Street Journal | CIO.com | Forbes HR Council | Quartz Magazine
- Customer testimonial: “Talentfoot was able to generate great talent quickly for a critical role at Epsilon. I appreciated your proactive communication style and truly taking the time to understand the profile we were looking to hire, leading to strong candidate pipeline and a quick time to fill.” – Daryl Rappe, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition, Epsilon
- Score: 94/100
2. Pursuit
Pursuit Sales Solutions connects top-tier sales and marketing talent with technology companies in San Francisco. They recruit for roles including SDRs, account executives, sales engineers, sales leaders, customer success, sales operations, and marketing. Pursuit trains its recruiters as salespeople, digs into candidate motivations, and ensures only properly vetted talent reaches clients. With dedicated teams, a world-class private database, and a focus on long-term partnerships, Pursuit helps companies avoid hiring average talent and instead secure proven sales professionals.
At a glance:
- Founded: 2015
- Locations Served: San Francisco
- Company Size: 67
- Key roles they hire for: SDR, sales leader, Account Executive, Sales Engineer, Customer Success, Sales Operations, Marketing
- Client Benefits:
- Salespeople recruiting sales reps
- Dedicated teams fit to scale
- Properly vetted
- Your trusted partner
- World-class community
- Pursuit of excellence
- Google Reviews: 4.8 Average Rating
- Glassdoor Reviews: 4.2 Average Rating
- Score: 88/100
3. Treeline Inc.
Treeline, Inc. is a U.S.-based sales recruiting agency focused on helping Salesforce-SF companies in the San Francisco area find top Account Executive sales talent. They specialize in building high-performance sales teams by locating candidates with the right skills and experience needed for sales roles tied to Salesforce implementations.
At a glance:
- Founded: 2001
- Locations Served: San Francisco and Bay Area
- Company Size: 72 members
- Key roles they hire for: Account executives
- Client Benefits:
- Access to a large network of sales industry contacts and top Account Executive candidates
- Recruiting services tailored to different budgets and needs
- Customized recruiting strategies built around each client’s goals
- Ongoing support and expert advice throughout the process
- No upfront fees: payment only after a successful hire
- Curated pool of industry-specific, pre-vetted sales professionals
- Expertise in understanding nuances of sales roles, from prospecting to closing
- Time and resource savings by managing the full recruitment process
- Stronger cultural fit through targeted candidate matching
- Enhanced salesforce performance, driving revenue growth in competitive markets
- Google Reviews: 4.9 Average Rating
- Glassdoor Reviews: 4.7 Average Rating
- Score: 86/100
4. The Lions
TheLIONS is a U.S.-based tech sales talent agency focused on connecting “Profit Talent” with faster-growing companies. Since 2010, they’ve built deep trust with top VCs and CEOs, helping clients hire roles like Account Executives, Heads of Sales, Sales Engineers, Customer Success, and more. They cover many product verticals (SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, API, Cloud, Security, etc.) and operate across multiple U.S. geographies including San Francisco, Silicon Valley, LA, Seattle, New York, and beyond. Their model aligns incentives: clients only see talent that their 1-on-1 expert approves; the team earns more when you hire better; and their process is designed to be fast, efficient, and highly tailored.
At a glance:
- Founded: 2010
- Locations Served: San Francisco and Bay Area
- Company Size: 18 members
- Key roles they hire for: VP Sales, Head of Sales, Enterprise Sales, Account Executive, Sales Development, Customer Success, Account Manager, Sales Engineer
- Client Benefits:
- Access to a trusted network of elite tech sales and marketing professionals
- Expanded talent pool: tripling the number of qualified candidates you can reach
- Strong relationships with top VCs and CEOs that enhance candidate credibility
- Highly selective process with candidates vetted by a dedicated 1-on-1 expert
- Faster, more efficient hiring process designed to save time and resources
- Incentives aligned with your success: TheLIONS wins when you hire better
- Proven ROI, delivering measurable impact with claims of 800%+ return
- Nationwide reach across major U.S. markets and remote-ready candidates
- Google Reviews: N/A* (Review ranking replaced with reviews on site)
- Glassdoor Reviews: 5.0 Average Rating
- Score: 78/100
5. Pareto
Pareto USA offers California-based sales recruitment solutions delivering both graduate-level and executive sales talent to companies in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and beyond. With decades of experience, they source, assess, and place skilled sales professionals at entry and senior levels. Their recruiter specialists work with companies of all sizes and across many sectors, tailoring to specific role requirements, whether hiring a single senior salesperson or building a full team. Pareto’s “Pareto Effect” model focuses on finding the top 20% of candidates who will drive 80% of your sales performance.
At a glance:
- Founded: N/A
- Locations Served: San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Company Size: 333 members
- Key roles they hire for: Graduate and Executive Sales Talent
- Client Benefits:
- Access to both graduate-level and executive sales talent across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and all of California
- Over 20 years of recruitment experience providing proven, tangible business results
- The “Pareto Effect” – finding the top 20% of candidates who will deliver 80% of impact
- Expertise in sourcing, assessing, and placing thousands of sales professionals into diverse industries
- Recruiters who tailor candidate search to match specific role requirements, company size, and sector needs
- Reduced ramp times and improved retention through integrated training, onboarding, and support
- A structured model (Assess-Place-Train) that helps you identify, deploy, and upskill talent so they hit the ground running
- Google Reviews: N/A
- Glassdoor Reviews: 5.0 Average Rating
- Score: 76/100
6. Robert Half San Francisco
Robert Half is a staffing and recruiting agency with a San Francisco office that provides remote and on-site workforce solutions. They work across a wide range of functions including Finance & Accounting, Technology, Marketing & Creative, Legal, and Administrative & Customer Support. Their strengths include matching candidates with in-demand skills for various roles (from junior to senior levels), managing the full hiring process, and serving both permanent and contract talent needs.
At a glance:
- Founded: 1948
- Locations Served: San Francisco
- Company Size: 29,564
- Key roles they hire for: Accountants, controllers, financial analysts, payroll specialists, IT support, developers, systems administrators, data analysts, digital marketing managers, content creators, designers, paralegals, legal assistants, compliance staff, attorneys, executive assistants, office managers, receptionists, customer service representatives
- Client Benefits:
- Remote and on-site staffing options for flexibility
- Decades of experience connecting job seekers with employers
- Access to specialized recruiters for Finance & Accounting, Technology, Marketing & Creative, Legal, and Administrative & Customer Support
- Support filling both permanent and contract roles
- Ability to bring in top candidates with in-demand skills and experience for each discipline
- Help managing the full hiring process for you
- Local expertise through a San Francisco-based office
- Rapid response: “We’ll give you a call within one business day” for qualified client inquiries
- Google Reviews: 2.4 Average Rating
- Glassdoor Reviews: 3.7 Average Rating
- Score: 64/100
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This ranking of the top sales recruiters and sales executive search firms in San Francisco is based on publicly available data and independent research. It is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional recruitment advice.