Marty Bauer, Director of Sales & Partnerships at Omnisend: “People want to work with those they trust, not a faceless bot”

If you’re of a certain vintage, you may remember the marketing slogan “I liked the shaver so much I bought the company”. That’s Victor Kiam, who decided to buy Remington on the back of his admiration. While Marty Bauer, Director of Sales & Partnerships at Omnisend, didn’t have the financial backing to buy Omnisend, he did decide to take a pay cut to join.

“[Before] I joined Omnisend, I was the VP of Sales at another company,” he told us. “But I was so interested in what Omnisend was doing, and so drawn to their vision and the tool itself, that I took the only available role at the time – an Account Executive position.”

Now that’s commitment, and he clearly has an eye for success as Omnisend – an ecommerce and email/SMS marketing platform – has since been named one of Europe’s top 500 fastest-growing companies by the Financial Times.

You might think that this means it’s bet the farm on AI, but not so. While he agrees that AI has “transformed sales”, Marty believes that it isn’t always the right answer. “One example that stands out is the use of automated AI-driven BDR outreach,” he said. “Frankly, I find it overwhelming and often counterproductive.

“While automation can streamline repetitive tasks, over-relying on AI for outreach can have the opposite effect of what’s intended. Sales is ultimately a relationship-driven profession, people want to work with those they trust, not a faceless bot.”

And one last thing before you dive fully into the interview. In the final question, Marty explains the service he couldn’t live without. Don’t expect glamour. Do expect something so ubiquitous that you probably don’t even notice you’re using it yourself.

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Can you name a startup in the sales tech space that has caught your attention (and why)?

RevenueHero has been a game-changer for our team. At first glance, it may not seem groundbreaking in the sales tech space, but the real value lies in its dependability and ease of use, which makes it a “just works” solution.

It started as a trial with a single team, but we quickly saw how efficient it was in managing and automating our lead follow-ups and since then have expanded its use across three teams.

A standout benefit has been their customer support, which has exceeded our expectations. When we needed a tweak or ran into questions, they responded with a hands-on approach and solutions that ensured we were getting the maximum value from the tool. In general, customer support can make or break a tool’s adoption and RevenueHero has been stellar in this regard, which contributed massively to our productivity.

Can you give an example of a complex problem in sales that you – or your company – have been involved in tackling with technology?

We ended up building our own Smart Signal tool. As a Product-Led Growth (PLG) organisation, it’s essential to stay aware of what our non-paying users are doing on the platform. Once they reach certain milestones, we want to make sure the right person on our team gets alerted to reach out directly. We looked at and tested a few tools on the market that claimed to help convert free users to paid customers by offering insights into user behaviour, but none of them lived up to our expectations. They either missed key milestones that mattered to us or didn’t have the flexibility we needed for real-time alerts.

At the same time, our engineering team was fully booked with other projects, so we didn’t have the resources to build a full-featured tool from scratch. Given this, our team wound up building our own version of Smart Signals using tools we already had – like HubSpot for CRM insights, Slack for team communication and some data enrichment tools. This setup has been a game-changer for us. Not only did we manage to create a reliable alert system tailored to our needs, but we did it without using up our engineering team’s precious time.

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In your view, how has the role of CRM software evolved over the last decade or so? What major breakthroughs stand out for you?

We run on HubSpot and honestly cannot fathom the day we would need to move off the tool. That alone speaks volumes about HubSpot’s ability to build and continuously evolve a platform that meets the needs of growing teams like ours. Demands shift quickly, so tools that don’t adapt inevitably face significant churn as they struggle to keep up with the evolving expectations of their users. HubSpot, however, has consistently avoided this fate by staying responsive and proactive.

One of the most impressive aspects of HubSpot is that every time we need to adapt or expand how we use our CRM, there’s already a playbook ready for us. Whether it’s implementing new automation, customising workflows or data insights, HubSpot provides step-by-step guidance that enables us to optimise the platform with minimal hassle. This ability to support teams through change and help them get the most out of their CRM setup feels like a breakthrough in itself. HubSpot is essentially a constantly evolving resource that has become an irreplaceable part of our tech stack.

What advice do you have for those wanting to start a career in sales?

Just take the leap and try it. Don’t get too caught up in what your title is or what level you start at. The most important thing, especially early on, is to find a product or team you’re genuinely excited about and would enjoy working with for 8+ hours a day. Seek out a company whose vision aligns with yours and a team that makes you feel energised.

For instance, before I joined Omnisend, I was the VP of Sales at another company. But I was so interested in what Omnisend was doing, and so drawn to their vision and the tool itself, that I took the only available role at the time – an Account Executive position. It wasn’t the senior title I’d held before, but my interest in the company and product made the choice feel right. Now, nearly five years later, I can say without a doubt that it was one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made.

Sales today is not like sales of the past – some of the smartest and most driven people I know are in technology sales today. If you are able to learn, adapt and be a great teammate – and you work with a great product – you can be incredibly successful and earn a great living while you do it.

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What are some examples of AI being used in sales that stand out to you?

AI has undeniably transformed sales, but not all applications feel beneficial. One example that stands out is the use of automated AI-driven BDR outreach. Frankly, I find it overwhelming and often counterproductive. While automation can streamline repetitive tasks, over-relying on AI for outreach can have the opposite effect of what’s intended. Sales is ultimately a relationship-driven profession, people want to work with those they trust, not a faceless bot.

Many companies invest in AI for speed and scalability, but this often sacrifices personalization, leading to an outreach that feels hollow. AI has a promising role to play in areas like supporting reps in more strategic areas such as lead scoring, but I think actual communication has to be left to human reps. Striking the right balance with AI is key – too much AI can erode trust, while too little can impact efficiency.

What is one sales tool you or your team can’t live without? And why is it so important?

Google Workspace is, without a doubt, the most intuitive and essential technology in our stack. Its functionality makes it indispensable to our daily operations, and it’s hard to imagine a day without it. While we use a range of tools, all designed to make us more efficient, the reality is that most of them could be replaced, or, if they weren’t available, we’d find ways to work around it. But not Google Workspace.

Beyond just the basic features, the integration across apps within Google Workspace makes it even more powerful. Calendar syncs meetings, Meet enables seamless video calls, and everything ties back to Drive, where we can quickly access any needed files. This integration saves time, reduces friction and makes daily workflows simpler and faster. If taken away it would completely derail our workflow