Dive into the world of sales leadership as Matt Maloney shares pivotal lessons for hitting sales targets. Discover why focusing on a few key use cases can lead to greater success than spreading resources too thin. Explore the importance of aligning sales strategies with the product’s true market fit and the dangers of misclassifying team roles. With insights on collaborating with technical founders and the significance of knowing your ideal customer profile, this discussion is a treasure trove for sales leaders and founders.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Focus on Hitting the Number
The top priority for a sales leader is to figure out how to hit the number, not just build teams.
Build the right sales team aligned to the number, or the responsibility will shift elsewhere.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Balance Market Focus Strategically
Balance resources to protect dominant markets while investing wisely in emerging markets.
Prioritize markets that align with product suitability to ensure you hit your sales number reliably.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Learning Product-Market Fit
Matt Maloney realized too late that their product was better suited for mid-market and government rather than enterprise.
Shifting focus to the correct market segment was pivotal for his success at Fireblocks.
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In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we revisit the discussion with Matt Maloney, SVP of Global Sales at Fireblocks, to dissect a critical lesson in sales leadership: the unwavering focus on hitting the number. Maloney recounts a pivotal mentoring moment at CloudLock that reshaped his approach to sales strategy, team structure, and market calibration. The episode also explores common missteps in early-stage startups—like trying to pursue too many use cases or building teams misaligned with the product’s true market fit. It’s a candid and practical masterclass for CROs, sales leaders, and founders navigating go-to-market chaos.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:01:52] The #1 job of a sales leader isn't building teams—it's figuring out how to hit the number. [00:02:41] Calibration of resources is critical: Balance dominance in core markets with smart expansion into emerging ones. [00:03:41] A hard lesson: Building the wrong sales team for the product’s actual market fit can derail everything. [00:04:24] Why focusing on 3-4 key use cases is more effective than spreading thin across many [00:05:50] Avoid copying old playbooks—be objective about your current product and ICP [00:06:35] Collaborate with technical founders: Align sales goals, use data, and define outlier strategies together. [00:07:24] Operating without a clear ICP is dangerous—know how to scale, train, and forecast from it.
QUOTES
[00:02:15] "Your job is not to build an enterprise sales team or an SMB team—it's to build the right team to hit the number. [00:03:41] "I was convinced our guiding light was to build an enterprise team. What I didn’t realize was that our product was really suited for mid-market." [00:05:08] "You can’t build world-class products, marketing, or sales training for 13 use cases. Focus is everything. [00:07:00] "Outliers are okay, but you need a plan for them. Don’t pretend they’re your core ICP." [00:07:47] "If you can't identify your ICP and scale from it, you're operating in dangerous water."
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