Don’t Build the Human out of the System

When you’ve spent 25 years building revenue systems, you’ve seen a lot of change. 

But as Kirko Papajanis shared with me on Episode 20 of Driving Growth, the fundamentals haven’t shifted as much as you might think. 

Whether he’s scaling telecom, healthcare, or technology companies, the pattern holds: sustainable growth doesn’t come from flashy tools or aggressive targets. It comes from building the right teams, setting clear expectations, listening to customers, and using B2B sales automation to support, not replace, the human side of selling. 

This is how Kirko scales revenue teams while keeping people at the center of the system. 

1. Hire for humility, not history 

When I asked Kirko what he looks for in a new hire, his answer wasn’t about titles or credentials. 

It was about mindset. 

“I like to think that pedigree and experience aren’t as important as humility, a thirst for knowledge, and desire.” 

That’s what he screens for. And when he finds someone who has those traits? 

“They may require some polish, and they may require some attention, but they’re going to be great in the end.” 

This mindset shows up in how he leads, too. He doesn’t just hand someone a task list. He gives them the structure and space to grow, and the clarity to understand what success looks like. 

2. Ditch the job description. Define the outcome. 

Kirko doesn’t use traditional job descriptions. 

He writes what he calls a Position Results Description, a document that defines the outcomes a role is responsible for delivering. 

“You have to set expectations. Not just what someone does, but what results they’re responsible for.” 

This shift does two things: 

• It gives people ownership of their work 
• It creates alignment across the team 

He brings the same principle to client work. Before any campaign starts, Kirko’s team defines the outcomes they’re accountable for. That alignment builds trust, and makes performance measurable. 

If you want teams to be accountable, start by making success visible. 

3. Research your market like a strategist 

Before Kirko launches any go-to-market motion, he and his team do the research first. 

He described a strategy that’s worked well for enterprise clients with a narrow market: a research-first, account-based marketing approach. 

“We start by mapping the total addressable market, narrowing it to what’s actually obtainable, and then launching a research campaign.” 

Instead of jumping straight into sales, his team interviews people in that segment. They gather insights on what matters to them, what KPIs they’re measured on, and what changes are happening in their business. 

They combine those interviews with AI-powered research to create what Kirko calls company dossiers, and sometimes even build 1:1 content assets based on what they learn. 

“It’s very low commitment for the people we reach out to, because they’re just sharing experiences. But it gives us everything we need to build meaningful outreach, sales plays, and content.” 

This kind of targeted research strengthens B2B sales strategies, and makes your entire go-to-market system more effective. 

4. Audit the customer journey before you do anything else 

When Kirko steps into a new CRO role or consulting engagement, he doesn’t start by rewriting the sales playbook. 

He starts with the customer journey. 

“How does a customer interact with the company? How do they move from suspect to prospect to customer? You have to understand that before you change a thing.” 

This is about more than just marketing and sales alignment. It’s about understanding how handoffs happen across the entire lifecycle, and where the friction lives. 

Only once that journey is mapped and understood does Kirko move on to refining the system, defining results, and aligning teams. 

If you skip this step, you risk optimizing the wrong things. 

5. Use AI to support the human connection 

We spent a good portion of our conversation talking about AI, because like me, Kirko uses it every day. 

His team has used platforms like Apollo and Aomni to combine buyer intent, contact data, and recent activity, helping reps craft more relevant outreach faster. These tools help reps craft better outreach, faster, and strike when the timing is right. 

But Kirko doesn’t believe AI should take over the whole sales process. 

“I think what AI is going to allow us to do is to save the true relationship building for the humans… and allow us to be almost a refuge from technology.” 

That idea, a refuge from technology, has stayed with me. 

In a time where automation is everywhere, the most valuable part of your B2B sales process might be the moment when a real human shows up, listens, and understands. 

That’s the kind of company people want to buy from. And it’s the kind of company great people want to work for. 

Final thought: Great systems don’t replace people. They enable them. 

If you’re building a go-to-market system that can scale, these are the fundamentals to come back to: 

• Hire for humility, thirst for knowledge, and desire 
• Define success, and make it visible 
• Start with research, not assumptions 
• Let AI handle the busy work, not the relationship 
• Build systems that help people thrive, not just perform 

Because in the end, the system should serve the people. And the people are what make it work. 

Listen to the full conversation with Kirko Papajanis

On the podcast.