Ilkka Vertanen
Sales Leader in CPaaS | Founder of GTM Club
My name is Ilkka Vertanen.
It's a pleasure to meet you!
With a robust background in B2B technology sales, I am dedicated to helping businesses achieve their growth targets. Welcome to my corner of the internet!
Briefly About Me.
More than 15 years ago, I had an idea: I should set up an online store. I did just that, starting my journey to digital commerce. Since then, my interest in e-commerce has evolved into a passion for developing B2B technology sales.
At university, I learned a thing or two about marketing, but I wanted to learn to sell. So, I leveraged my experience with e-commerce and got a sales position at a live chat company with a more sales-focused approach to live chat (compared to a traditional customer service approach). I learned two things there. Businesses like to invest in sales. As a result, I spent years turning live chat operations into lean, mean sales machines in Finland and abroad. Secondly and most importantly, I learned that I love sales. This set me on the path I am today.
I learned that I love sales. This set me on the path I am today.
My next role was the head of sales at a chatbot company, GetJenny. In my previous role, I sold companies a live chat and then, at GetJenny, I sold them a way to automate live chat. Pretty clever, right? Starting as the first person doing sales in the company and growing the sales team to 7 people is where I learned to lead and develop technology sales. We grew the company to 20 employees before exiting. LeadDesk acquired GetJenny in 2021. I stayed on board for nearly a year and participated in integrating sales teams and sales stack. Being a part of a start-up from almost the beginning to a successful exit is quite a ride!
Being a part of a start-up from almost the beginning to a successful exit is quite a ride!
Now, I lead LINK Mobility's business in Finland and the Baltics. In 2023, we made about 12M€ in revenue and are on a growth trajectory for 2024 and 2025. My team helps over 800 customers converse with their audiences through channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and email. My role involves a holistic approach to managing our business unit, focusing on strategic growth initiatives to expand our customer base and market share. In 2024, we successfully executed a go-to-market for SMS SenderID Protection and will soon achieve the same with RCS.
I focus on leading strategic growth initiatives to expand our customer base and market share.
My first years of entrepreneurship gave me an edge in e-commerce. I ran the aforementioned online store for some years as a side hustle. Since then, my entrepreneurial spirit has given birth to a sales consultancy and booking agency and my latest venture, GTM Club (more on below). I have learned that I enjoy advising and consulting B2B sales. GTM Club is my current channel for doing it in scale, but I hope to get into the nitty gritty as a board member of a growing technology company.
Scroll down to learn more about what I'm working on.
GTM Club
GTM Club is here to create a place where Go-To-Market Leaders and Doers unite to help each other accelerate growth, scale effectively, and conquer their respective markets.
With a rich background in driving sales initiatives, from penetrating new markets to launching new products and services, I've garnered invaluable insights. These experiences have honed my skills and fueled my desire to uplift others in sales.
As the founder and author of GTM Club, I aim to share what I have learned about increasing sales and creating winning sales-led GTM strategies.
Join GTM Club by subscribing to our GTM Club Newsletter.
GTM Club welcomes everyone, from seasoned professionals to newcomers in the GTM field. Regardless of your role and title, our doors are open to you.
LINK Mobility
As a sales and marketing director at LINK Mobility, I help you meet modern customers' expectations. I'm leading our GTM efforts in Finland and the Baltics.
So what do we do then? We help you to connect with your customers. They want service and information through SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp. Our mobile messaging services enable you to meet your customers in their preferred channels.
LINK Mobility's Finnish website, pop in to see what we are up to!
LINK Mobility is a CPaaS provider headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. We are one of Europe's leading providers of mobile communications services, specialising in mobile messaging. LINK’s 50,000 customers worldwide sent 17 billion messages in 2023. We continue to experience strong organic growth with a high recurring revenue. Group revenue was NOK 6.3 billion in 2023.
Personal Blog & Newsletter
This is my blog, where I delve into my experiences across various sales roles and other interests. Here, you'll find insights and content that doesn't quite fit with GTM Club or LINK Mobility but is hopefully equally intriguing.
Contact Details
Ilkka Vertanen
Find my LinkedIn profile here. It's the best way to connect with me.
I'm also active on Threads as @ilkka.rocks. I'm giving the new social channel a chance, so feel free to initiate a discussion there!