Scaling SaaS with Gonzalo de Lomana | Ep6

In this riveting episode, we sit down with Gonzalo de Lomana, a sales strategy maestro with a passion for optimizing SaaS businesses. Inspired by a guest lecture in his entrepreneurship class, Gonzalo was captivated by the science of sales and the art of mapping out systematic, process-oriented strategies.

Gonzalo's firm specializes in empowering early-stage SaaS startups to build scalable, efficient sales engines. Through meticulously designed 3-4 month projects, his team establishes clear weekly metrics and helps the founders expand their sales squads. The culmination of this effort is a comprehensive "sales playbook," which acts as the sales team's tactical Bible.

As someone who has his finger on the pulse of common pitfalls in the sales world, Gonzalo sheds light on frequent missteps. He critiques the prevalent lack of a multi-touch, relationship-centric approach to prospects and warns against the perils of information overload in initial client interactions.

Going against the grain, Gonzalo firmly believes that sales is a core competency that should never be fully outsourced. While marketing can fuel the sales pipeline, a robust sales mechanism must be the primary engine of a SaaS business.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Gonzalo contrasts the startup cultures of Europe and America. He observes that while American startups tend to be more agile and data-centric, their European counterparts often cultivate a more familial, less competitive environment.

In a nutshell, Gonzalo de Lomana offers a masterclass on establishing scalable sales infrastructures, honing in on process optimization, and keeping sales operations in-house. Whether you're a startup founder, investor, or simply a fan of efficient systems, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won't want to miss.

🎧 Listen now:

• Spotify & Podcasts: https://buff.ly/3POMYUT

• YouTube: https://buff.ly/499MnGc

Key Takeaway:

- Gonzalo got into sales consulting after being inspired by a guest speaker in his entrepreneurship class who mapped out sales processes on the board. He was drawn to the systematic, process-oriented approach to sales.

- Gonzalo's company helps early stage SaaS companies build scalable sales processes, starting with the founders and extending through hiring the first salespeople. They implement systems over a 3-4 month project with clear metrics to hit each week.

- They focus on defining repeatable processes for each part of the sales funnel - identifying targets, outreach, meetings, closing. This is codified in a "sales playbook" that serves as the blueprint for the sales team.

- Common mistakes Gonzalo sees are lack of a multi-touch, relationship building approach with prospects, and providing too much info/decks upfront rather than building intrigue and curiosity.

- Gonzalo emphasizes that sales should never be fully outsourced, as it is a core competency of a SaaS business. Marketing acts as an accelerant for sales, but you need a solid sales engine first.

- He notes some cultural differences between European and American startups - Americans move faster and are more data driven, while Europeans may have a more familial, less cutthroat culture.

In summary, Gonzalo provides a systematic process for implementing scalable sales at early stage SaaS companies, focused on codifying effective workflows and bringing sales in-house.

What are your thoughts on this episode? We'd love to hear your feedback!