Process Before Headcount: Why Growing Sales Teams Too Fast Kills Growth - EP 95 | Classics with Benedikt Meuthen

As we navigate today's capital-efficient growth environment, this
conversation from August 2023 is more relevant than ever. Back
then, I spoke with Benedikt Meuthen (former VP of Sales at
deskbird), who scaled his sales team from 0 to 15 reps in just
one year – and made the same mistake countless founders and sales
leaders STILL make today.





What to expect:


Why data collection is significantly more important than most
sales leaders realize, and how to get your team to embrace it

The critical mistake of scaling headcount before perfecting
your sales process with a smaller team

A counterintuitive approach to sales enablement that starts
everyone at the same level regardless of prior experience

How people management in a remote environment takes up to 30%
of a sales leader's time—far more than most anticipate






My highlights:


Ben's candid admission about how ego drove his desire to
build a massive team before the processes were ready

His practical approach to lost deal analysis using a
combination of dropdown menus and free text fields in HubSpot

The real-world example of how proper data collection directly
influenced product roadmap decisions and increased win rates

His refreshing honesty about falling into the same traps he
once criticized his former leaders for creating






About the guest:


Benedikt Meuthen is a sales leader who faced the challenge
of rapidly scaling a B2B sales team in a remote environment. With
prior experience at companies like Showpad and Asana, he brought
valuable lessons to his role, but still discovered new insights
while building his team. His willingness to openly share
successes and missteps provides a valuable learning opportunity
for other sales leaders facing similar growth challenges.





Who should definitely listen to this episode:


Sales leaders preparing to scale their teams beyond 5-10
people

Founders who are transitioning from founder-led sales to
building a sales organization

RevOps professionals looking to implement effective data
collection processes

Anyone managing remote sales teams across different locations
and time zones



The success formula? Build a solid data foundation from
the start, perfect your sales process with a small team before
scaling headcount, implement consistent enablement regardless of
experience levels, and allocate significantly more time for
people management than you think you'll need.





Editor's note: This episode was originally published on
August 14, 2023. However, its lessons about scaling without
proper processes are even more relevant today as companies face
pressure to be more capital-efficient while maintaining growth.





Editor's call to action: Who should I invite to my podcast
show next?



Song by StockTune


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