Make the Number with Matt Maloney
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." Listen to the full conversation through the link below. https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/blockchain-the-future-of-finance-with-matt-maloney-loysyntt Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0 Check out John McMahon’s book here: Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4 Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/