Unpacking Blueground’s 100%+ YoY Revenue Growth

Blueground Account Executive Olivia Abbatiello shares a first-hand perspective on how our organization has built a world-class sales team. Follow her on LinkedIn to learn even more about Blueground.

Blueground is a global PropTech company that is reinventing the way people live with its curated network of thousands of quality, turnkey homes in sought-after neighborhoods around the globe, available for stays of a month or longer.

What’s the key to our success and 100% YoY revenue growth? All of this can be attested to the hiring, development and retainment of top sales talent. We are dedicated to robust onboarding and continuous training, organizational upward mobility and supported — but autonomous — growth.

Both the hiring process and the journey after becoming an official BeeGee (as we affectionately call our employees) involve constant collaboration, overcoming challenges, providing honest feedback and offering transparency. Here’s an inside look at how Blueground has sourced, hired and trained one of the best sales teams in the world.

Hiring and developing “A” players for sales success
Rather than using the term “interview” at Blueground, we call the process a “recruitment dialogue.” This creates a relaxed environment where both parties can be transparent and form a relationship with one another.

We believe candidates are more than the bullet points on their resumes and therefore implement a holistic approach to determining who will be the right fit. Hiring teams and upper-level sales management emphasize candidates’ personal goals and their growth potential, while also envisioning their path to success at Blueground.

Applicants are given constant information and reiteration of the job role and are introduced to sales team leaders early in the process. We also offer a candidate pack before the process, consisting of information about Blueground, our values and the company culture. There are no surprises to be had once onboarding is completed, which is vital to retaining employees.

Andie Waugh, a newly appointed account executive on the US inbound sales team, spoke about the benefits of an open and transparent recruitment process.

“During my recruitment dialogue process, I met with a variety of people from different teams and levels,” she said. “I not only felt comfortable asking them questions but was able to see my role from different views and what would make me most successful. It was a perfect stepping stone to the job and duties.”

World-class onboarding and high-quality training
Once sales team applicants accept an offer, they are quickly thrust into a comprehensive, collaborative and streamlined 30-day onboarding process. Blueground’s high effort but achievable goals engage and empower individuals while focusing on the wellness of employees by balancing challenges.

See some highlights of our integrative onboarding process include:

• Training is broken down into a schedule of dedicated training on sales processes, day-to-day responsibilities and Blueground platforms.
• A consistently evolving sales training manual is presented to trainees and is considered an encapsulation of all responsibilities, systems and processes for sales roles.
• Supporting materials, such as video tutorials, offer a live visual of how to handle a variety of responsibilities covered in the sales manual. These videos also serve as proof of our dedication to feedback as they were created after ample comments from new employees.
• After going through the training manual, assigned tasks and shadow sessions allow new hires to see first-hand what a day in the life of a Blueground sales employee looks like.

This broad but meticulous process aims to instill confidence early on, giving new hires the solidity they need to perform. It also offers new team members the opportunity to see a clear correlation between their work and the company’s achievement of its higher-level goals.

“Failure is simply a stepping stone to success,“ Joshua Hezghia, Vice President of Global Sales, said. “Support from team players is vital to sticking by values as an organization. This creates a safe place for honest and clear communication among all levels.”

Looking ahead: a collaborative approach to optimizing sales efficiency
At Blueground, feedback is not only a cornerstone of success but critical to our growth. Sales team members are the perfect inside source for implementing improvements to the daily workflow.

“Identifying and resolving individual hurdles that sellers are encountering in their day-to-day can be cumbersome, but those small improvements lead to exponential gains,” Joanna Kwartler, Head of Global Sales Operations, said. “Feedback from our sales team is encouraged, celebrated and taken seriously by upper management.”

Aside from the day-to-day, Blueground sales employees continue to receive training long after the onboarding process is complete. Our dedication to internal hiring for senior sales positions has allowed (and encouraged!) BeeGees to explore and grow in different areas of the company.

• A senior account executive on the US Inbound Sales team started with Blueground as a guest relations associate. They are also now working in our London market, which was made possible by our very own employee mobility program Blueground Nomads.
• High-performing sales representatives who started as account executives have grown into sales managers for the entire east and west coasts of the US.

The sales team also organizes fun but challenging gamifications — encouraging some healthy competition amongst the team — which has cultivated an organic and connected atmosphere.

Our sales employee retention rate of 95% serves as a quantitative representation of the quality of Blueground’s recruitment, training and onboarding. The solid foundation provided results in confident and enthusiastic members of the sales team who are ready to sell day one.

“Blueground’s constant growth and position as a leading organization in the PropTech field are fueled by our unified global sales team, with the support and effort from all of our teams,” Joshua said. “We work together with a defined focus to accomplish company-wide goals.”

What’s next from Blueground?
Be sure to stay tuned to the Blueground LinkedIn page for future articles.

Looking to learn more about Blueground opportunities? Find out how to join the Blueground team! Here you can read more about our values, culture, and employee benefits as well as browse up-to-date job openings across our departments.