Tag: sales roles

Working from Home – Do People Just Always Want What They Can’t Have?

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It’s been over four years since makeshift desks and Zoom fatigue became the norm. Yet in a plot twist few expected, it’s Gen Z, the digital natives, and TikTok generation, who are leading the charge back to the office.

For executive search firms, fintech employers, and high-performing sales teams, this shift isn’t just a generational quirk. It’s redefining what makes a role appealing and high performing.

From Zoom Back to the Boardroom

In the wake of COVID-19, working from home was a golden promise offering flexibility, autonomy, and the end of commuting. But fast-forward to 2025, and the tide is shifting. A Financial Times piece recently highlighted a growing trend: Gen Z professionals increasingly want to work in an office. They’re not being dragged back, they’re opting in.

Why? For starters, many younger professionals simply don’t have the space or quiet to work effectively from home. With flat shares, studio apartments, and noisy roommates, a corporate office offers something their personal environment doesn’t: focus and structure.

Then there’s the social factor. Work is about more than just output, it’s also where connections, learning, and mentorship happen. And in sales and fintech especially, those conversations and spontaneous brainstorms can make all the difference between a decent performer and a top-tier hire.

The Salesperson’s Perspective

In sales, presence is power. There’s a reason so many elite sales professionals have welcomed a return to the office, the sales floor is hard to replicate in isolation.

Being physically present with colleagues, hearing how others handle objections, or watching a manager’s body language during negotiation coaching builds confidence and capability. These are things Zoom rarely delivers.

For those early in their careers, especially in fast-moving fintech startups or scaleups, visibility can drive velocity. It’s how you get noticed, promoted, and ultimately how you accelerate earnings.

What This Means for Hiring (and Retention)

From a recruitment perspective, this shift matters. Office flexibility has long been seen as a talent magnet, but what if it’s becoming a repellent for some candidates?

We’ve seen roles fall apart at offer stage because of rigid WFH policies and seen candidates walk away from hybrid roles because they don’t want the commute. The point? There’s no one-size-fits-all. But the tide is turning, and leaders need to read the room.

For fintech employers competing for top sales talent, the message is clear: create environments that support both collaboration and performance. This might mean:

  • Offering flexible, office-first environments with structured in-office days

  • Building culture that rewards presence, not just performance

  • Investing in mentorship and training programs that happen in real life

Full Circle

Gen Z’s return to the office is simply a reminder of how cyclical workplace preferences can be. The grass is always greener, until it isn’t.

Ultimately, the best workplaces will be the ones that can offer choice and clarity, meeting the needs of both seasoned sales pros who thrive in autonomy, and ambitious Gen Zers looking for structure and community.

Are you seeing office expectations become a sticking point in your sales hiring process? We are, and we’re helping fintech leaders navigate it every day. Reach out today to stay ahead of the curve and build the right talent strategy for your organisation.

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How to Find and Recruit Top Sales Talent in the Era of AI-Driven Startups

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The fintech landscape is undergoing a historic shift. Highlighting the surge in AI-focused startups, nearly one in four new startups is now AI-driven. Artificial intelligence is no longer a niche innovation but a cornerstone of modern business strategy. The explosion of AI-focused startups reflects not only the increasing adoption of advanced technologies but also a growing demand for highly specialized talent—particularly in sales.

The Explosion of AI Startups

The expansion of AI-focused startups has transformed the fintech ecosystem. From machine learning algorithms that assess credit risk to AI-driven chatbots revolutionizing customer service, the possibilities are endless. However, with this surge comes the phenomenon of “AI washing,” where startups tout artificial intelligence in their branding to attract funding and attention—even when their AI capabilities are minimal.

This trend impacts investors and complicates the recruitment landscape. Companies competing for top sales talent must differentiate their offerings and prove they’re genuine leaders in the AI space. Candidates themselves, especially seasoned sales leaders, are keenly aware of this distinction and prefer to align with organizations delivering real value, not just buzzwords.

Challenges for Investors and Startups

While AI is the future, the skills to navigate this future are still catching up. Consider this: tools like ChatGPT only became mainstream at the end of 2022. This means that even the most forward-thinking sales professionals are still mastering how to sell AI-driven products effectively. For startups, the challenge lies in finding sales leaders who:

  • Understand the nuances of AI technologies and their application in fintech.
  • Can communicate the tangible benefits of AI to potential clients.
  • Possess the adaptability to thrive in an ever-changing, tech-first environment.

Sales professionals with this unique blend of skills are in high demand but in short supply. For startups, sourcing the right talent often feels like finding a needle in a haystack—a task best left to experts like Finiti.

Why Sales Talent is Key in an AI-Driven World

AI may be revolutionizing fintech, but it’s the sales teams that bring these innovations to life for clients. A cutting-edge AI product is only as good as a sales professional who can effectively communicate its value proposition. Skilled sales professionals play a pivotal role in:

  • Differentiating a company’s offering in a crowded market.
  • Building trust with clients by demystifying AI and focusing on real-world applications.
  • Driving revenue and enabling startups to scale.

For top sales talent, AI-driven startups represent an exciting frontier. This is where future Sales Directors and Chief Revenue Officers want to build their careers—at companies pushing the boundaries of fintech innovation.

The Role of Recruitment Firms in Finding Talent

Navigating the crowded and complex landscape of AI-driven fintech requires more than just a keen eye for talent. It demands deep industry knowledge and a strategic approach. That’s where Finiti comes in. As a niche recruitment firm specializing in fintech sales, Finiti has a proven track record of:

  • Identifying candidates who not only understand AI’s potential but also prioritize client needs and real value.
  • Sourcing sales professionals with the adaptability to succeed in fast-paced, innovative environments.
  • Helping companies build teams that align with their strategic goals.

By partnering with Finiti, AI startups gain access to a curated pool of sales talent equipped to thrive in this space’s unique challenges and opportunities.

How Finiti Helps AI Startups Scale Strategically

Startups often face a dual challenge: scale quickly while maintaining quality. This is particularly true in the AI space, where speed to market can make or break a company’s success. Finiti bridges this gap by:

  • Understanding the specific needs of AI-focused fintech startups.
  • Helping companies secure top sales professionals who can hit the ground running and drive revenue.
  • Offering a tailored approach that ensures each hire aligns with long-term business objectives.

With Finiti’s expertise, startups can focus on their core mission while we handle the heavy lifting of finding the right talent to fuel their growth.

Partner with Finiti for Sales Talent That Drives Growth

In the era of AI-driven startups, recruiting top sales talent isn’t just about filling roles; it’s about securing a competitive advantage. At Finiti, we specialize in connecting fintech companies with the sales leaders who will shape their success. Whether you’re a startup looking to scale or a candidate seeking your next opportunity, Finiti is here to help you navigate the future of fintech.

Ready to find the talent and take your AI-driven fintech company to the next level? Contact Finiti today.

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Secrets to a Successful Sales Recruitment Process

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On paper, most recruitment processes look pretty similar: create a job description, attract candidates, go through a series of interviews to figure out who’s the best fit. 

But what seems like a simple process, can easily go wrong. Underestimating the recruitment process can lead to a bad hire, high turnover, and a lot of wasted time and money. 

Here’s how to go beyond the fundamentals of the sales recruitment process to boost your chances of finding the perfect new hire.  

Thinking time

The most important part of the hiring process starts before you’ve even written a job description. 

As well as defining the role and recruitment process in detail, invest time thinking about skills gaps and perspectives you’re missing in your team. 

Think about the types of challenges and ways of working that your new team member will need to enjoy, as well as any shared values you want to see. 

Having that clarity before you start the process will enable you to recognise the perfect person when you meet them, leading to faster, better decision making. 

Research the market 

Before going live with your vacancy, spend time understanding how your role, salary, and job title compare to the rest of the market. 

Not only is it a useful sense check, it will also help you understand how you can present and differentiate your organisation in order to attract top talent. 

Job ads that emphasise work-life balance, for example, have increased by 65%, with vacancies that mention culture, flexibility, and wellbeing receiving three times more views and twice as many applications, according to data from LinkedIn. 

Set aside enough time 

Recruitment is time consuming, and HR Directors spend about a month (27.59 days) recruiting for open positions. 

From reviewing CVs to arranging convenient interview times, make sure you and any other key stakeholders set aside enough time to manage the recruitment process successfully.

If that’s not possible, look for a trusted recruitment partner with expertise in your sector to ensure you can focus only on the most promising people and that candidates have a positive experience that protects your employer brand. 

Target passive candidates

If you’re relying on exactly the right person finding your job listing at exactly the right time for them, you’re going to be severely limiting the pool of potential candidates and missing out on talking to people who could be a great fit. 

Across the workforce, passive candidates make up 37% of the US job market, rising to 45% in the UK. Engaging passive candidates is especially important when you’re hiring for senior roles where there’s less turnover. 

Reaching out to passive candidates is time intensive, so allow extra time in the recruitment process for outreach and work with employees and specialist recruiters to tap into existing networks. 

Be prepared to act quickly

Top candidates will quickly find themselves in multiple recruitment processes, and leaving too long between rounds or taking a long time to make a decision risks losing out to competing firms. 

Half of all candidates have turned down a job offer because the recruitment process was too long, with as many as two-thirds of employers saying they missed out on their top candidate because they moved too slowly. 

If you talk to someone that ticks all the boxes and you’re already imagining them in your next team meeting, make that offer quickly to avoid missing out. 

Though the stages of the recruitment process are simple, getting it right can be hard and a bad hire is a serious drain on energy, time, and budgets. 

From defining who you’re looking for to reaching out to passive candidates, you’ll need to ring fence enough time throughout the recruitment process to give you the best chance of finding your ideal candidate. 

We’ve invested 20 years in understanding the market and building a network of top Fintech talent, getting to know the people behind the CVs and the culture behind the companies. Then we find the perfect match. 

Fintech sales hiring is what we do, what we know, and what we love. Find out more about how we create efficient, successful recruitment processes that help your business grow. 

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