Recruiting the perfect Chief Revenue Officer for Zefort

Background and business growth phase

Zefort, an internationally growing SaaS company specializing in contract management solutions, is an innovative leader in helping businesses manage their contracts securely and efficiently. With a global customer base spanning 11 countries and an ARR of 2M €, Zefort continues to scale its operations. The company recently secured 1M € in a funding round to support its ambitious growth plans.

Over 20% of their revenue already comes from international clients, and they aim to further scale in the Nordics and northern Europe while maintaining their strong footing in Finland.

To fuel this growth, Zefort needed a sales leader to join their team. This would be someone who could take charge of new customer acquisition, drive strategic sales processes, and spearhead their international expansion efforts. The role would also take significant responsibilities off the CEO’s plate, freeing him to focus on the company’s strategic direction.

The need was clear, but filling the position came with challenges. Zefort’s investors, who had high expectations for growth, pushed for urgency. Finding someone with the right skill set, cultural fit, and experience in scaling SaaS businesses internationally wasn’t going to be easy.

Zefort’s decision to work with a recruitment partner for the first time

Zefort’s new sales leader would have specific and demanding requirements. They needed a proven sales leader who could manage international markets – particularly Sweden and Benelux – while also ensuring strong, sustainable growth in Finland. This person had to align with Zefort’s results-driven yet collaborative culture – someone capable of driving tangible results without disrupting the team’s dynamic.

Their CEO, Jussi Karttila, highlighted the importance of cultural fit, saying, “The biggest risk was finding a high-performing sales leader whose way of working might poison the culture. It was crucial to hire for both skills and a cultural match.”

The stakes were high. Zefort needed a strategic recruitment partner who understood both their operational needs and company values deeply.

Exploring a recruitment solution

Zefort had never used a recruitment agency before, making the decision to engage one significant. After evaluating their options, they chose TalentBee because of a shared history and expertise in SaaS recruitment.

CEO Jussi noted, “We had been following TalentBee’s journey on LinkedIn, and their credibility as a recruitment expert in the SaaS space stood out. There was also an existing trust within our network, which made it feel like the right fit right from the beginning.”

Speed and precision were major expectations from a recruitment partner. Zefort needed a collaborative team that would focus heavily on understanding their unique culture and requirements.

The recruitment project in action & strategic pivot

First big decision: should we hire a CRO or Head of Sales?

At the start of the collaboration, TalentBee & Zefort’s leadership invested time in defining the ideal candidate profile. An important point of discussion early on was the role’s title and scope. Initially, it was called "Chief Revenue Officer" (CRO), but extensive conversations revolved around whether the role should be framed as CRO or Head of Sales.

The role was rooted in sales leadership, with ARR identified as the most important metric. The key focus areas included leading and coaching the existing sales team rather than engaging directly in sales. This required a candidate who could mentor and inspire the team to excel while also developing effective processes. Zefort emphasized the need to introduce best practices for formal process-building, recognizing that it was essential at this stage of growth. Strong leadership skills to drive new customer acquisition were crucial, as this was identified as the top priority for the role.

From a leadership perspective, the ideal candidate would take charge of a senior-level sales team, comprising members with mixed professional backgrounds and significant sales experience. This required a leader, as the company had reached a growth phase where such formal structures were becoming necessary.

Additionally, the role responsibilities would not include personal sales targets but would focus on achieving results through the team’s collective success. The candidate would take ownership of revenue-related functions, focusing on growing new business while ensuring existing customers remained loyal to Zefort.

The decision is made: starting to look for a Head of Sales

Ultimately, the conclusion was that Head of Sales would be the best fit for Zefort at this stage. The CRO role would be more appropriate only when additional teams beyond sales, such as customer success or marketing, were fully integrated under the position’s scope. Right now, appointing a Head of Sales allowed Zefort to focus sharply on scaling its sales efforts and achieving sustainable growth.

Once this decision was made, TalentBee and Zefort used a “comparison game” where potential talent profiles were evaluated side-by-side to refine expectations.

Initially, Zefort leaned toward hiring a more medium-level candidate regarding their experience in leading a sales organization. Still, the scope was to find someone who has delivered exceptional results and experienced a growth journey of a scaling SaaS company like Zefort.

Getting candidates to the pipeline

TalentBee launched a targeted inbound recruitment campaign aimed at attracting this talent segment, using a job ad, organic Linkedin promotion posts and hyper-specific messaging. This approach served as a quick test of the talent market and Zefort's employer brand attractiveness, providing valuable insights to refine the profile and strategy for finding the best possible match for Zefort's business needs.

This approach drove strong engagement:

• 150 visits to the job ad
• 33 high-quality applicants that matched the role’s initial scope

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Strategic pivot to a more senior profile

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However, these results provided an essential learning opportunity for the hiring team. They realized that a more senior candidate – a senior sales expert with a strong track record in scaling SaaS companies in the international markets – would bring more value.

"In SaaS recruitment, especially with new roles like this, there’s almost always a learning curve. It may sometimes feel like 'starting over' mid-process, but it’s not a misstep – it’s part of the process. How could we know something we haven’t yet learned? Through these insights, companies gain clarity on what they truly need, ensuring better hiring decisions," states Saara Kyllönen, SaaS recruitment expert at TalentBee who has worked with an extensive client base in the Nordic SaaS startup & scaleup space.

With this strategic pivot, TalentBee shifted gears. Saara from TalentBee led an intensive headhunting effort, directly reaching out to high-caliber candidates. The result was impressive:

• 80% response rate (far above industry benchmarks)
• 50% of contacted candidates expressed clear interest in the role

Throughout the process, TalentBee ensured seamless communication with Zefort’s leadership. Weekly meetings kept progress transparent, and interview agendas were prepared to streamline the hiring process.

CEO Jussi appreciated the hands-on support, saying, “It was a relief to have someone take care of candidate communications. Usually, I feel guilty when I can’t keep all candidates updated, but this time the process was smooth, and no one felt overlooked.”

Results and outcomes

The collaboration delivered exceptional results. Zefort successfully hired a senior-level sales leader in 2,5 months, who was, as Jussi put it, “better than we initially dared to hope for.”

This individual checked every box and was a perfect fit for Zefort’s team. The new hire came from a larger company, bringing the leadership experience and expertise Zefort needed to scale internationally.

Ending up choosing the CRO title for the newcomer

Jussi reflected on the project’s success, saying, “The whole process – from defining the role to recruiting the final candidate – was a huge learning experience for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

Even one of Zefort’s investors, Timo Larjomaa initially questioned the need for a public job ad but later admitted, “Looking back, it made perfect sense. We learned so much, and TalentBee did a fantastic job. We couldn’t be in a better position right now.”

When the perfect candidate was identified and the deal was finalized, the decision was made for them to join Zefort’s team as the CRO. This title better reflected the broader scope of responsibilities aligned with the seniority of the selected candidate.

CEO Jussi explained, “The change in title was a natural step. Once we decided on a more senior candidate, it made sense for their responsibilities to expand accordingly.”

The chosen candidate, Alex V. shared his thoughts on the recruitment process:

“The role and objectives were well documented right from the start, which gave me a clear understanding of expectations. I especially appreciated the personalized video message from TalentBee’s Saara, it was a thoughtful touch. Initially, I wasn’t interested, but the personalized message from the CEO convinced me to take the conversation forward. The entire process was well-structured, each stage was followed consistently, the timeline was communicated clearly, and it all moved quickly. Overall, it was an impressive experience.”

Project metrics and results in a nutshell

• 3603 organic impressions on Linkedin for recruitment marketing promotion posts
• 150 visits to the job ad
• 33 high-quality applicants that matched the role’s initial scope
• During the first round, Jussi interviewed 10 candidates and shortlisted 3 to meet the team.
• Strategic iteration and pivot for the scope of the role mid-process
• 80% response rate for the talent outreach (far above industry benchmarks in headhunting)
• 50% of contacted candidates expressed clear interest in the role
• In the second round, Jussi interviewed 3 candidates, all of whom progressed to team meetings.
• 1 top-tier candidate hired (found through headhunting)
• Time-to-hire 2,5 months

Conclusion

TalentBee’s collaboration with Zefort achieved its goal of finding a top-tier sales leader who will help scale the company’s sales operations and realize its ambitious growth plans. Zefort’s CEO Jussi Karttila summed it up, stating, “The process was easy, thorough, and left us with the best possible outcome. This was our first time using a recruitment agency – and we’re extremely happy we chose TalentBee.”

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