Stefan Bader is Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Shore, the Munich-based startup for digital appointment and customer management. Bader is responsible for sales, marketing, customer success, growth, and partnerships. He explains which apps he highly values, why sales isn't an art to him, and his absolute productivity killer.
Munich Startup: What is your morning routine?
Stefan Bader, Shore: I start every morning with a nine-minute snooze, which has become a kind of ritual. Before I shower with music on, I read one or two articles on Google News in bed to catch up on the latest news from the US. For breakfast, I usually just have an oat milk coffee and a small snack. I especially enjoy the ten-minute walk to work; it helps me clear my head and start the workday off right. When I get to the office, the first thing I do is prioritize my tasks before I get started.
Why Google Maps is indispensable for Stefan Bader
Munich Startup: What is your favorite work tool?
Stefan Bader, Shore: For me, it's a neck-and-neck race between Slack and Notion, but ultimately, Slack wins. Why? Firstly, communication is still proven to have by far the greatest impact on team success. Secondly, Slack has become an "app hub" into which other applications can be integrated and processes automated. GIFs, of course, also play a certain role, but more to create a positive atmosphere in the team.
Munich Startup: Which three apps are indispensable?
Stefan Bader, Shore: Since I unfortunately have a terribly poor sense of direction, Google Maps is indispensable for me. And since I'm a huge podcast fan, Spotify has also become one of my personal must-haves. Of course, WhatsApp is also an indispensable part of my everyday life.
Munich Startup: Which Munich event is a must?
Stefan Bader, Shore: Clearly the Bits & PretzelsThe combination of internationally renowned speakers and the Oktoberfest atmosphere is hard to beat.
Sales as a data-driven science
Munich Startup: Which book do you recommend?
Stefan Bader, Shore: I highly recommend "The Sales Acceleration Formula" by former Hubspot CRO Mark Roberge. It demonstrates that sales is not an art, but rather a data-driven science. I'm a rather rational person myself and therefore prefer to rely on data when decisions need to be made. Data has always been a central part of my daily work.
Munich Startup: What is your favorite type of meeting?
Stefan Bader, Shore: I'm a big fan of in-person meetings. For internal meetings, it's important to me that there's a clear agenda so that each participant can keep their presentation as brief as possible and knows exactly what's required. However, interaction shouldn't be neglected. For external meetings, for example, with partners, things can be a bit more informal over a meal, coffee, or beer. For me, the focus here is on the personal relationship, which I consider absolutely essential.
Munich Startup: What is your biggest stumbling block in your daily business?
Stefan Bader, Shore: The productivity killer of every team is poorly prepared, poorly structured, and excessively long meetings. To counteract this, if necessary, I always keep an eye on the meeting structure, for example, by ensuring good preparation.
Productivity killer: meetings that are too long
Munich Startup: What is your motivation booster in your everyday work life?
Stefan Bader, Shore: My team and I develop growth hypotheses and experiments where we don't know whether or how well the whole thing will actually work. An example of such a hypothesis: Customers will accept a price increase for a particular product or service and won't disproportionately abandon its use, for example, of a SaaS solution.
Such testing phases are, of course, very systematic: First, a concept and project plan are developed, success criteria are defined, tested, and finally, data-based analysis is carried out to determine whether everything has performed as expected. That's also the beauty of my work: results can be directly read in the relevant key performance indicators and are therefore measurable. Or as Hannibal Smith would say: "I love it when a plan works."
Munich Startup: How do you end your working day?
Stefan Bader, Shore: I like a tidy desk. That's why I organize things at the end of the day before I head home with electronic music blasting—it's the best way for me to unwind. Another goal—one that unfortunately often goes unmet—is to empty my email inbox. Unfortunately, I still manage that too rarely.
