Table of Contents
Building a multi-billion dollar sales machine isn’t just about aggressive targets and cold calling; it is about building a scalable, first-principles culture. Shaunt Voskanian, Chief Revenue Officer at Figma, has helped scale the design platform's revenue to a staggering $1 billion ARR by defying industry norms. Instead of relying on traditional models like heavy CS teams or standard SDR structures, Figma focuses on prescriptive selling, deep product knowledge, and relentless focus. In this breakdown, we explore how Voskanian builds high-performing sales organizations that prioritize long-term value over short-term transactional gains.
Key Takeaways
- First-Principles Scaling: Figma intentionally avoids traditional "heavy" structures, such as dedicated customer success teams, by integrating education and expansion directly into the sales motion.
- The Shift from Reactive to Prescriptive: In a Product-Led Growth (PLG) environment, successful sales teams move beyond taking orders. They become trusted advisors who bring proactive insights to existing customers.
- Quality Over Volume in Quotas: Rather than setting "safe" quotas to cover an entire headcount, Figma uses higher, more aggressive quotas to attract and reward elite, strategic talent.
- Hiring for Growth Mindset: When vetting candidates, focus on grit, curiosity, and career arc. Avoid "mercenary" candidates who prioritize title and salary over long-term development.
- Behaviors Over Numbers: While quota is a lagging indicator, performance management should be rooted in repeatable competencies, such as effective discovery, pipeline management, and collaborative behavior.
The Modern PLG Sales Motion
Many founders struggle to balance the self-serve nature of Product-Led Growth with the need for enterprise-level sales. Figma’s success demonstrates that these two motions can coexist, provided you clearly define the job to be done at each segment level.
Is Sales Dead in PLG?
Critics often argue that if a product is truly intuitive, the sales team becomes an unnecessary friction point. Voskanian disagrees. While Figma’s initial growth was driven by self-serve credit card sign-ups, the complexity of enterprise organizations requires a human element to unlock the full potential of the platform. The sales role at Figma is not about finding new users; it is about finding new ways to add value to existing ones.
The best sellers are not the ones that are focused on feature comparisons. I think they are better at understanding where a company is trying to go and connecting the value to the overall solution.
Rethinking Quotas and Performance
The traditional sales wisdom suggests that you should set quotas low enough that even your average reps hit 80% of their goal, thereby de-risking the year. Voskanian views this as a "false sense of comfort" that leads to lazy leadership.
The Philosophy of Aggressive Quotas
Figma’s strategy is to set higher, more challenging quotas. By doing so, they attract reps who are looking for high rewards for high-stakes, strategic work. This approach filters out individuals looking for "order-taking" roles and brings in professionals capable of navigating complex, multi-stakeholder deals.
Performance Management Beyond Results
If you judge a rep solely on whether they hit their quota, you ignore the process. A rep might miss their number due to market conditions, while another hits it through sheer luck. Figma utilizes a framework built on three pillars:
- Results: The quantitative output (quota, pipeline generation).
- Competencies: The technical skills (discovery mastery, usage of frameworks like MEDDIC).
- Behaviors: The "soft" skills, such as collaboration, growth mindset, and how a rep treats their peers.
The Evolution of the Sales Team Structure
Figma does not employ a traditional Customer Success team. Instead, they treat their account managers and executives as "hunters" who are responsible for the entire lifecycle—from the initial upgrade to the complex enterprise expansion. This keeps the team focused and ensures that the rep who closes the deal is the same person who feels the weight of the long-term relationship.
Why Traditional SDR Roles Are Changing
The role of the Sales Development Representative (SDR) is undergoing a major shift. At Figma, Account Executives are expected to own their pipeline generation. Rather than relying on a separate layer of staff to "feed" them leads, AE-driven prospecting ensures that the person responsible for the sale is also the one building the foundation for it.
Hiring and Scaling with Intent
Scaling a sales team by hundreds of people is a risk. Hiring the wrong person is often more expensive than hiring no one at all. When vetting potential hires, look for evidence of endurance. Voskanian notes that he has a "visceral reaction" to candidates with highly fragmented resumes—12 months at one company, 18 months at another—as it often suggests a lack of grit.
The "Take-Home" Challenge
To test for true interest and ability, Figma uses a take-home assignment that requires candidates to research a mock customer and lead a discovery call. This does more than test sales skills; it tests whether the candidate is willing to do the "heavy lifting" required to succeed in a complex environment.
I do think you can create a process that forces perseverance. We always make people do a challenge or an exercise at the end that requires some heavy lifting.
Conclusion
Building a world-class sales organization at a scale like Figma requires the courage to dismantle traditional playbooks. By prioritizing curiosity over charisma and focusing on behaviors rather than just raw numbers, leaders can foster a high-performance culture that survives long after the initial hype. The goal for any sales leader should be to create an environment where the most capable people feel empowered to do the hard, strategic work that creates lasting customer value.
