GTM 149: How to Scale International Sales Teams with Rick Kelley

Rick Kelley is the former SVP of Gaming & App Monetization Solutions at Meta and Managing Director of Meta Ireland, where he led a $1B+ revenue organization & played a pivotal role in building out Meta’s go-to-market teams across North America & EMEA. Over his 15-year career at Meta, Rick was instrumental in driving international expansion, especially across Europe, the Middle East, & Africa—helping to localize strategy, scale high-performing sales teams, & bring new ad products to market. Today, he advises founders on global GTM execution, sales hiring, & how AI is reshaping the future of commercial organizations.Discussed in this Episode:The operational playbooks that scaled Meta’s ad salesWhy AI will shift how sales orgs think about headcount & human capitalThe three traits Rick looks for in great sales leaders—& how to spot them earlyWhy early-stage companies should prioritize hiring builders, not closersHow to segment go-to-market motions by customer journey, not just ACVWhy “coachable, humble, gritty” still wins—even in an AI-powered GTM worldHighlights:6:30 How Meta scaled repeatable playbooks across SMB, Mid-Market, & Enterprise10:00 The role of humility & coachability in building scalable teams13:00 Why top sales leaders are systems thinkers—not just great closers16:00 AI’s impact on headcount & how to scale without over-hiring21:00 Making your first 5 sales hires count25:30 Early-stage mistake: over-complicating GTM before validating demand30:30 Why product & GTM must be tied at the hip—especially in AI-first companies34:00 From Facebook to Meta: what changed & what didn’t in sales strategy37:00 Final thoughts: GTM myths, leadership advice, & staying groundedGuest Speaker Links (Rick Kelley):LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rickkelleyHost Speaker Links (Sophie Buonassisi):LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisiNewsletter: substack.com/@sophiebuonassisiWhere to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):Website: gtmnow.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/gtmnowTwitter/X: x.com/GTMnow_YouTube: /@gtm_nowSponsors: UserEvidenceUserEvidence is the CustThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.