EP 8 - Founding AE Playbook in HR Tech: Selling the UK & EU, Signal Led Prospecting & SDR

How do you break into an “unsexy” but massive category like HR—and win—when incumbents loom large? In this episode of The Founding AE, host Justin Dorfman sits down with Quentin Le Roy, Founding AE at Zelt, to unpack selling across the UK/EU & GCC, building the first repeatable playbook, and why People Ops is the real wedge into modern HR transformation.Quentin shares how he moved from SDR to AE to Founding AE, why London is the perfect European beachhead, how to spot buying signals (funding, M&A, new leaders) to time outreach, when to hire SDRs, and the art of qualifying out to protect focus. He closes with a rapid-fire set: his proudest outbound win (a 150-employee care group), a mistake he won’t repeat, and one piece of advice every first-time Founding AE needs to hear.What you’ll learnThe UK vs. US sales reality: product- & outcome-first buyers, slower adoption, and higher change resistanceUsing intent & trigger signals to open doors in saturated categoriesThe shift from “HR as cost center” to People Ops as efficiency engine (onboarding time, ramp, productivity)When and how to hire & ramp SDRs; dividing roles to scale with clarityBuilding confidence to qualify out and stay ruthlessly ICP-focusedCareer arcs for Founding AEs: leadership, PMM, or doing it again (and again)Chapters00:00 Intro00:36 Quentin’s path to Founding AE at Zelt02:12 London startup scene & hiring SDRs05:01 Selling HR tech in the UK/EU vs. US08:48 Markets & cultures: UK, EU, GCC11:01 HR to People Ops: the efficiency wedge16:32 Why now: hiring four SDRs & scaling the playbook18:48 Signals over spray & pray: timing your outreach20:22 Prescriptive sales & de-risking change22:22 Founding AE career paths24:08 Rapid fire: biggest win, mistake, advice27:42 Where to find QuentinConnect• Guest — Quentin Le Roy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leroy-quentin/• Host — Justin Dorfman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justindorfman87/Links & MentionsZelt — modern HR/IT/Payroll platform: https://zelt.app/Topics: People Operations, SDR Enablement, Buying Signals, ICP Focus, EU Go-to-MarketKey takeawaysFind the new role in the category (here: People Ops) and anchor on measurable outcomes.Stack buying signals to reach prospects at the exact moment change is possible.Scale with role clarity: SDRs generate; AEs measure close rate & cycle time.Protect focus: qualify out as aggressively as you qualify in.If this helped, hit Like, Subscribe, and drop your questions for Quentin in the comments. 🇬🇧🍻💪 Try FollowUp for FreeBack-to-back demos and follow-ups piling up? FollowUp by AssetMule instantly generates personalized Digital Sales Rooms from your sales calls—built for Founding AEs to move deals forward and enable champions to sell internally. Try it for free: https://www.gofollowup.ai/#FoundingAE #SalesPlaybook #HRTech #PeopleOps #GTM #SDR #UKStartups #SignalBasedProspecting #B2BSales #Zelt