SaaStock Replay: Scaling from €1M to €30M ARR through Outbound - The Secrets of Partoo

Inside Partoo — How Thibault Renouf and Vincent Built a €30M ARR Company Through a 100% Outbound Sales Culture

At SaaStock Paris, Thibault Renouf (CEO) and Vincent, Chief Revenue Officer at Partoo, shared how they grew the company from zero to €30 million ARR by relying almost entirely on outbound sales — no marketing until €5M ARR, and a sales organization built on discipline, curiosity, and operational rigor.

1. Bootstrapped and Patient Growth

Founded in 2014, Partoo took four years to reach its first €1M ARR.

“Today, most companies raise money and reach €1M in a year. For us, it took four.”

The company remained bootstrapped up to €3M ARR, choosing sustainable growth over speed.

“We were founded around the same time as PayFit and Alan, but our path was very different.”

Upfront payments became their way to self-fund hiring and expansion.

“Our goal was simple: build a sales engine that financed itself.”

2. Building a Sales Machine First

From just €500K ARR, the team structured itself around commercial discipline.

“We didn’t have a marketing team until €4 or €5 million ARR. Everything came from outbound.”

Partoo’s model was clear:

• BDRs to generate M1s (first meetings),
• AEs focused on discovery and closing,
• Customer Success and later Solution Consultants for larger deals.

“As soon as a deal went over €20K, we sold in pairs — one led, the other had the ‘golden word’.”

This two-person deal approach became central to training, feedback, and performance consistency.

3. The Discipline of Outbound

At Partoo, cold calling remains the top-performing channel.

“Cold calling is hard, but it’s where we create the most value.”

BDRs and AEs are measured on both pipeline velocity and conversion rates. Opportunities are filtered with strict qualification criteria to avoid “fake pipeline.”

“When there are too many opportunities, we raise the bar for what counts as one.”

Prospection is a non-negotiable part of the sales culture:

“Sales must always prospect. If you stop, your pipeline dies.”

4. From Prospecting to Community — The Outbound-to-Inbound Model

Partoo eventually shifted to a more hybrid approach called “Outbound to Inbound”.

“We organize events and webinars where sales invite their prospects. The goal is to give before you ask.”

Marketing content became an enabler, not a lead factory.

“We stopped measuring the ROI of everything. 80% of marketing exists to improve, 20% to measure.”

This strategy built an audience ecosystem that now sustains inbound interest while strengthening the brand and employer visibility.

5. Global Process, Local Approach

International expansion at Partoo follows one principle:

“Global process, local approach.”

Sales methodologies are unified globally — qualification, discovery, deal management — but all materials are localized (presentations, contracts, messaging).

“The slides, the PowerPoints, everything must look local.”

Teams are managed from Paris, with regional hubs like Barcelona.

“If you put one country manager alone in a market, when they leave, all knowledge leaves with them.”

6. Selling Through Simplicity — The “Natural Selling” Approach

After several years of process-driven selling, Thibault advocates for a more natural, human approach:

“Buyers know all the sales techniques — they’re tired of them. It’s time to go back to real conversations.”

This “Natural Selling” mindset rests on three pillars:

• ask open questions,
• bring market insight,
• and don’t rush to close.

“Discovery isn’t a checklist — it’s a conversation.”

7. Expanding Internationally — Hunting, Not Waiting

Partoo’s expansion is driven by existing client networks.

“When we signed Adecco in France, we used that relationship to open Spain, Italy, and Mexico.”

Each regional team attacks subsidiaries simultaneously, deal by deal, to avoid dependence on a single global contract.

“Big American companies sign global deals but don’t deploy locally. We win one country at a time.”

8. From Enterprise to SMB — Managing Different Rhythms

After scaling in Enterprise, Partoo built a dedicated SMB team.

“It’s a completely different job — shorter cycles, bigger volume, 100% KPI-driven.”

Led by Romain, Head of Sales SMB, the team of 50 people generates €6M ARR with ultra-short sales cycles.

“Some deals close in an hour, sometimes in a single call.”

The target: an NRR above 100%, driven by cross-sell and product upgrades.

9. Building a Sales School

Thibault and Vincent emphasize that the real goal isn’t just growth, but transmission.

“Our goal isn’t just to sell — it’s to build a real sales school.”

Each new role (BDR, AE, CAM, Solution Consultant) was added progressively, matching the company’s maturity.

“Copying the org chart of a 400-person sales team when you have 20 reps is a mistake.”

Partoo has built a rigorous, teaching-oriented sales culture, combining process excellence with long-term coaching.

10. Key Takeaways

• Outbound still works, but only if it’s cultural, not tactical.
• Formalize without freezing — structure should evolve with people.
• “Global process, local approach” enables consistent scaling.
• Prospection never stops, even at €30M ARR.
• And most importantly:

“We’ve never stopped learning — every process, every country, every mistake made us stronger.”