Summary of guest talk by Mat Paciga from Shopify. Author is Cameron Sucharda from COMM434 Fall 2017.

1. SUMMARY PAPER
Introduction
Today, Mat Paciga, Head of Inbound Sales at Shopify, joined us in COMM 434 – Sales Management to
discuss the challenges facing the broader sales industry, innovation at Shopify, and potential career as well
as development opportunities within the firm.
Shopify as a Company
Shopify is a cloud-based commerce platform that was originally designed for small and medium sized
businesses. Since inception, the company has grown tremendously and now manages relationships with
over 500,000 merchandisers of all sizes, from all over the world. The platform allows merchants to sell,
customize, manage, and promote their products independently. A major component of the company’s
value proposition is the easy-to-analyze data tools that it provides its merchants. Used to manage products
and inventory, process orders and payments, shop orders, build customer relationships, and leverage
analytics and reporting from one integrated back office, the company utilizes its rich data bank to support
both their own decisions as well as those of their merchants. At large, Shopify is in the business of
simplifying e-commerce for the masses.
Sales as an Industry
During his presentation, Mat shared with us the good, the bad and the ugly of a career in sales. In fairness,
however, the former was significantly more prevalent than the latter. Despite this, at the onset of one’s
career, there is a certain amount of grunt work to be expected – and an entry-level job in sales certainly is
no exception. Specifically, Mat reflected on his experience conducting prospecting efforts. Mat retold
stories of scouring through phone books, working late into the evening, and making countless phone calls
only to face the inevitable rejection that awaited on the other end of the line. Needless to say, this was a
low point. However, it was also valuable experience and contributed to Mat’s development as a sales
professional. Now as a manager, Mat is able to use this process to separate top performers from merely
average sales representatives. In communicating this, Mat left us with what was perhaps one of the most
valuable messages that he made throughout his presentation: in sales, the separation between those who
excel and those destined for mediocracy was determined, in large part, by effort.
Shopify: Emerging on the Global Stage – And Here to Stay
More than Just a Feel-Good, Canadian Growth Story
October 13th, 2017
Cameron Sucharda

2. SUMMARY PAPER
This concept of effort direct impacting success parlays nicely into this next section: the good. In his
presentation, Mat made it very clear that a career in sales was undoubtedly an opportunity to place
yourself in control of your own destiny. A legitimate meritocracy, the sales industry presents professionals
with the ability to cultivate relationships and leverage insights gathered through them to better serve
customers, and in turn, generate additional revenue. Mat spoke to the opportunity he had to work on
interesting projects that greatly impacted the success of not only his own business, but those he served as
well. As he prepared himself for various interactions with potential customers, Mat learned the art of
persuasion – while getting paid to do it. Mat began to develop skills that would allow him to prompt
customers to identify active pain points in their organizations, and then realize themselves that Shopify was
their solution – sometimes within the short time frame of a phone call. At first glance, this may seem like
magic, but, in fact, it was a science driven by careful, meticulous research. A thorough understanding of
human psychology was key. Prior to a sales call, Mat’s research would allow him to discover critical
information that he could use to lead the potential customer towards making a purchase decision. At that
point, the discussion became a game of chess whereby he knew his opponent’s next move before they did.
In summary, for Mat, like many other sales processionals, it was his ability to work hard and work smart
that allowed him to thrive in this industry – and he has been rewarded as a result.
Insight into Shopify’s Success
At the core of Shopify’s success has been a solid customer experience, The firm focuses its efforts on
providing a seamless, comfortable customer experience. At Shopify, a customer will work with one Shopify
representative, rather than two or three individuals, each with segmented capabilities, therefore ensuring
that the customers’ concerns are swiftly addressed – effectively eliminating redundancies as well as
headaches that the customer would face otherwise.
Furthermore, much of the company’s competitive advantage can be attributed to its comprehensive data
bank, however, the lens in which this data is analysed so often proves to be the most critical factor for
company’s success. To ensure that Shopify develops the appropriate insights from this data, the firm
invests heavily into its personnel. The company prides itself on maintaining a learning-oriented culture
where it boasts a variety of development initiatives for junior sales professionals. Rather than evoking strict
quotas, the company gradually integrates members into the team and provides new employees with the
structure and support necessary to develop at their own pace. Recently, the company launched a new
initiative, Shopify Academy – an opportunity to learn under some of the brightest minds in e-commerce
without the overwhelming pressure associated with sales quotas. During this paid, six-month program,
recent university graduates work alongside the Shopify team to acquire relevant, hands-on experience
within the sales industry. Moreover, those who successfully complete the program receive a certificate,
letter of referral, and may even be considered for a full-time opportunity at the firm.
Conclusion
Mat left us with a lot to digest today. But, if there was one message that stood out above all else, it was
that those at Shopify sure know how to sell! And, for anyone still on the fence, Shopify is more than just a
feel-good, Canadian growth story; it’s emerging on the global stage and it is here to stay.
October 13th, 2017
Cameron Sucharda