Strategy and Growth | Ruben Sanchez Souza
Ruben Sanchez Souza’s wealth of industry exposure and experience was recently brought to a fascinating episode of Tech Salescraft. Joining James for an insightful episode on strategy and growth, Ruben gave us an exclusive look at his multi-faceted professional past that is brimming with insights we can all adopt as we propel our businesses further forward.
Product market fit is a critical consideration and stress point for many firms when first breaking into an industry. The vast majority of firms will establish ambitious product development timelines, but reality will swiftly alter one’s outlook as creation often brings new questions and issues that need addressing. Ruben stresses the importance of having patience in this entire process and ensuring your product tackles the most simplistic pain points; creating a strong foundation upon which you can commence strategic innovation as your firm organically grows. If you have an authentic appreciation of the product market fit, it will be “validated” by subsequent funding rounds that will catalyse development.
“The sales engine has to be budgeted as the best validator of product market fit.”
Ruben’s discussion on the role sales plays in one’s understanding of product market fit is highly revealing. If one fails to hit sales targets after launching, it should prompt one to question why this is the case. Is your product not yet at the required level of delivery? Is the client not yet comfortable using it? Does the sales cycle need adjusting? Do your salespeople lack true investment in the product? Ruben highlights the latter question as being a central consideration as it prompts conversations around company culture and EVP. Invest in your sales team- the sales engine driving growth- to ensure they are passionate about your product; and bring in a team that have the talent and foundations to excel.
“The Series B funding was not necessarily founded upon the ambition of increasing the speed of what led us there, but rather the plan to deploy the next product.”
Conversations around suitability for funding remain highly multi-faceted, and Ruben stresses the importance of understanding and capitalising on the complex process that leads to a successful funding round. Whilst this may appear to be an overwhelming task, having a talented team (as previously highlighted) and collating metrics other than those simply like ARR will give firms a competitive edge. The latter factors will allow you to predict and work towards growth, rather than being stuck in a stagnant phase of unsustainable rapid growth.
Ruben has undoubtedly had a career steeped in successes and invaluable learns. Yet, what makes this episode so revealing and reflective, is that Ruben doesn’t shy away from the challenges he has also faced. Ruben’s conversation with James truly captures the importance of adaption and strategic patience in business. Having an appreciation for the greater, industry-wide context, and having a team that also possesses such conscientious values, is critical to sustained growth. Thank you Ruben for bringing your actionable insights to Tech Salescraft, it was a pleasure to have you on the show!
Process, Product Market Fit and Strategic Growth