In Sales Leaders Talk we bring you an interview with Zuzana Zamborská, co-founder at LUMUS Investment Collective. She sees business as a collaboration – she and her client sit “on the same side of the table” when finding solutions, and together they put what makes sense for both of them. She believes in listening, patience and good timing, which often makes the deal close naturally. In the interview, she reveals why her CRM has been nicknamed “Minimalist with a Mission,” what movie characters she would cast on a sales team, and why she would rather replace meetings about forecasts with creative “deal design sessions.”
If you had to name your business style after a startup, what would it be and why?
“Figma sales” – business as cooperation. Instead of the classic persuasion, I create a space where the client “designs” the solution together with me. We’re on the same side of the table, connecting ideas and gradually piecing together what makes sense for both of us. In this way, the deal stops being a transaction and becomes a co-creation.
Do you remember the moment when you first said: “Now I’m a really good salesman”? What happened then?
When a partner on a big project said: “What you have built materialized exactly what we couldn’t name.” I realized that yes the numbers in the store are important, but mostly it’s about fitting someone like the last piece of a puzzle.
If you had to give your CRM a nickname based on how you treat it, what would it sound like?
“Minimalist with a mission” – no uselessness, just purpose and forward movement. Every entry has a purpose and is never left hanging – there is always a next step, even if it’s only a few days away. CRM is an action tool for me, not an archive of memories.
If we opened your inbox, what sentence appears most often in your outgoing mail?
Most often you will find the phrase: “Let’s find a common solution.” I see business as dialogue, not persuasion. I want the client to feel that we are finding a way together
What was the most unexpected thing that ever helped you close a deal?
It wasn’t one big coincidence, rather a recurring moment: the client had just matured to the solution we had. Mostly I just listened well, took the signals and didn’t offer prematurely. When the time was right, all it took was a little – and the deal almost closed itself.
What do you think clients think of you after the first call – and what do you hope they think?
They think: “This is a slightly different approach to what we are used to.” I hope they feel confident that what we’re creating isn’t just to sell something, but because we want to find a solution that really fits them.
If you were to assemble a sales team from well-known movie characters, who would do lead gen, who would do closing, and who would do retention?
Lead gen: Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls series) – spontaneous, curious and chatty to the point that people want to listen to her. She can make a connection in a matter of minutes – even with someone who is “not looking for anything”.
Closing: Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro’s The Intern) – calm, wise and thoughtful. He doesn’t try to sell, but to understand – and it’s because of this that he creates a trust on which the collaboration closes almost naturally.
Retention: Minerva McGonagall – consistent, loyal and always stands behind her people. Clients feel that someone is watching over their values – and that’s why they stay with her.
Which metric do you think looks great on a slide but is actually pretty irrelevant to the business?
The number of companies contacted or emails sent often looks good on a slide – but realistically says nothing. Without the context of interest, relevance and conversion rate, it’s just digital noise. In marketing, the goal isn’t to spam – the goal is to reach the right people in the right way.
If you could replace one classic “sales ritual” with something more effective or fun – what would you suggest?
I would replace the Forecast meeting with a “deal design session”. The team would work together to think creatively about how to approach the deal in a non-traditional way and what could really excite the client – not just report on the status quo.
What’s something you’ve learned from a client and not from books or training?
I’ve learned that sometimes a client doesn’t need an answer right away – they need space to find it for themselves. In business, this has taught me to be more silent and less likely to try to “save the day.” Trust is often built in those moments when you let the client think and don’t rush to a solution.
