2021 has been one of the most dynamic periods in the history of our company’s development. The rebranding we carried out at the beginning of the year concluded the process of transformation in our organization and introduced new directions to our development strategy. The rebranding enabled our brand image to reflect what we are best at – supporting our clients in the development of their businesses by means of reliable and modern software solutions and the support of expert development teams.
In 2021, we took the plunge and entered new industries such as automotive, gaming, cryptocurrencies, and sports software. The number of new projects we cooperated on exceeded 20. We have started new projects both on the Polish market and internationally – in countries such as Switzerland, UK, Finland, and the United States.
In the interview below, Marcin Stanisławski, Head of Sales Poland, answers a few questions about what the year 2021 brought for Scalo and how the global changes related to the pandemic influenced the projects we implement, as well as about the interesting trends and plans for the coming year.
Let’s begin with the company’s success. What is the biggest success for the sales team on the Polish market?
First of all, it is our new clients, who have expanded the Scalo portfolio. They are mainly large, recognizable corporate brands. In total, we have signed over 20 contracts with organizations operating in almost all industries: automotive, banking, fintech, gaming, the media, e‑commerce, and cryptocurrencies.
Another great success has been the change in our cooperation model. Our clients expected us to offer them entire project teams that are much more independent and whose members have a number of complementary competencies. One of the elements of our new development strategy is projects of this very type. It is also something that developers expect nowadays – they prefer to work in full teams.
What difficult challenges did you face in 2021? What caused you the greatest difficulties?
I think the biggest challenges – not only for Scalo, but for the entire industry – were issues related to the shortage of specialists and specific competencies. Another issue was, and still is, the need to manage and integrate distributed teams. In the era of remote working, restrictions and the epidemiological situation changing almost overnight, this is quite a challenge indeed. Fortunately, we – the sales department – have been able to overcome that, as we managed to expand our department by hiring new and experienced people.
What are the most interesting projects you have managed to take on?
The first project that comes to mind is one for an Austrian unicorn, whose product is a platform for exchanging cryptocurrencies. The second one is undoubtedly a project with one of the largest gaming companies in Poland.
We have also started to cooperate with other clients such as a global automotive company and one of the most popular news portals in Poland. In 2021, we have substantially diversified our client portfolio, which to date had mainly been based on the banking sector.
What new sales trends were noticeable this year, and what will be the most promising ones in 2022?
As I mentioned earlier – the change in our clients’ expectations regarding the cooperation model. The most highly sought after are now entire teams of specialists who can take pride in their shared experience gained from implementing projects, as well as their references. We can provide our clients with effective support in this area by having such teams on board and by continuously strengthening our project management competencies. At the same time, we are constantly expanding our technological domains, and the process is supervised by Grzegorz Wilczura, our Head of Technology.
How do you assess the condition of the software and IT industry in Poland?
The IT industry in Poland continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors. This goes hand in hand with the global trend. Many companies that were previously absent from the digital world now have to adapt to the reality of the pandemic and the market. Today, companies that fail to digitalize their businesses simply destroy their competitiveness and their ability to meet customer expectations.
In March 2021, the company underwent a major rebranding. The company’s business strategy has changed, thus rounding off the transformation of the organization. How did the rebranding influence the work of the sales team?
New strength and energy appeared, which turned into great sales success not only in Poland, but also in foreign markets where we are active – like Switzerland, the UK, Germany, or the USA. We have invested in new tools and methodologies to support sales. The entire Sales Department has been invited to undergo certified training in the Sandler sales methodology.
The sales team today are open-minded and proactive people who want to develop their sales and leadership competencies. Scalo has created such opportunities for them, and I am proud to be able to support a team of such professionals this way.
We are approaching the end of the year. What are the most important goals and plans for the sales team for 2022?
First of all, to maintain the trends of 2021 and not to slow down. We have ambitious plans to build new interdisciplinary teams in the sectors we currently work in, and we are focused on acquiring attractive projects using the latest technologies. Interesting projects and working as part of a close-knit team is what our specialists and technical experts expect today.
We must not rest on our laurels, for the IT industry involves not only opportunities and growth, but also the motivation of constant competition, which is enormous in this market. Finally, we want to be even closer to our clients, and that is why, as a company, we are planning to open new sites – not only in Poland, but also abroad.
