CONTENT INDEX
Who is SQUARE really, and how has it become this great multinational?
If you like to travel, are one of those who seek out specialty coffee shops, or simply go down for breakfast at your lifelong neighborhood bar, you have surely seen it at some point: a minimalist, designer POS terminal that has completely changed the aesthetics of the classic counter. Behind that device is Square, founded in San Francisco by Jack Dorsey (co-creator of Twitter) with the goal of making digital payments more accessible. The company is publicly traded today on the New York Stock Exchange under its parent company Block, Inc. More than a payment platform, it has become the global operating engine for millions of retail businesses and restaurants.
However, as you might well guess, landing in a new country is never as easy as translating a website or replicating a manual that has already worked in other countries. The fact is that when a large multinational tech company decides to disembark in the Spanish market, it runs into a very clear cultural reality: here, relationships are still built between people, processes have a different pace, and closeness or trust are not just ornaments of a value proposition; they are the master key. Impeccable technology is of little use if on the other end of the phone there isn’t someone who truly understands how coffee time, the daily rush, and the way of doing business in the Spanish market work.
The starting point: blend in with the big fish
Three years ago, we began our journey alongside Square, thanks to the alliance with our strategic partner Aexus. At first, the goal seemed simple: to become their local sales force in Spain, helping them generate meetings and carve out a niche in a highly competitive sector. But what started as a project to capture commercial opportunities ended up turning into something much bigger: a single integrated team that shares the same work culture, working hand in hand every day.
To achieve this, the first success was going straight to generating clients who would become true references, also applying a strategy by territories and verticals.
Furthermore, understanding what local businesses needed allowed us to pivot while designing a tailored message, providing immediate value to Square in the Spanish market.
Additionally, we act as strategic connectors within our own ecosystem. A clear example is the alliance we promoted by putting our other partner Yurest (an operational management and cost control platform for restaurants) in touch with Square, who are currently business partners.
Day to day on the streets: the challenge of the hospitality sector.
Building trust in the B2B sector requires perseverance. To scale the impact and successfully exceed the KPIs demanded by a multinational like Square, the project needed to have a solid team of top-tier professionals.
What happens when the market you are targeting barely has time to listen to you?
The restaurant industry was one of the sectors that demanded the most from the SDR team. Reaching the right contact was not easy: establishment managers work unpredictable hours, make decisions in the midst of daily operations, and often distrust solutions that imply changing a way of working that has been consolidated for years.
In this context, simply increasing the number of calls would not have worked. The team had to study each type of establishment, identify who had decision-making power, and adjust both the message and the timing of the contact.
Prospecting thus became a constant exercise in precision: reviewing segments, testing different time slots, adapting the pitch, and learning from every conversation. The goal was not to make more calls, but to find a way to open relevant conversations in one of the most difficult markets to tackle.
The difference lay in the discipline and follow-up with which each opportunity was worked on. That work, less visible but decisive, allowed Square to accelerate its entry into Spain, gain presence in the sector, and turn an especially complex prospecting effort into real commercial opportunities.
The result was the closing of accounts that, together, represented more than 7 million euros per quarter. A figure that not only reflects the volume achieved but also the team’s ability to break through in a difficult market and transform daily perseverance into measurable results.
From scheduling meetings to closing deals.
In the world of outsourced sales, there is usually a very clear boundary: some teams open opportunities and others are responsible for converting contracts. However, as the Square project progressed, that division began to lose its meaning.
The real turning point came when the relationship stopped responding to a traditional client-provider dynamic. Springboard35 went on to work as a fully integrated extension of Square’s commercial team, sharing goals, information, training, and responsibilities for results.
Once the flow of opportunities was validated and coordination between the two teams was consolidated, Springboard35 took over the full commercial cycle (end-to-end) in Spain, from identifying and qualifying accounts to managing proposals and advancing negotiations.
The change did not simply consist of expanding the scope of service. It meant taking on a higher level of responsibility and acting, in practice, as Square’s commercial arm in the Spanish market.
In terms of results, from the first quarter we doubled the number of accepted proposals compared to the previous period. This is how Santiago Torres Torija, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at Square, expresses it:
“The quality of the opportunities has been exceptional and has constantly evolved over time. What began as a lead generation initiative evolved into a complete end-to-end commercial operation.”
Springboard has become a true extension of our sales organization. Without them, we would not have been able to have the presence or the local expertise necessary to compete in Spain.”
But the team’s value wasn’t limited to commercial execution. In a new market, building credibility, interpreting local codes, and understanding how decisions are made can be just as important as having a good product.
When evaluating Springboard’s role in positioning Square against the competition, Santiago adds:
“When I think of Springboard, the first thing that comes to mind is a strategic partner, not a vendor. They have evolved with us through every change of direction, and their willingness to experiment and iterate stands out especially.
When we need to test new commercial dynamics, they get fully involved to discover alongside us what the market really needs.
Springboard’s role has been absolutely critical to our success in the Spanish market. In an environment where local knowledge and relationships carry enormous weight, they have brought us something that would have been very difficult to build internally: immediate credibility and a team that truly understands the country’s business culture.
They are not just supporting our growth here, they are driving it.”
Connection: Dublin – Valencia: lessons from a shared success model
Results explain a part of this story, but not all of it. After three years of working together, what has sustained the relationship between Square and Springboard has been the quality of the team and the trust built on a daily basis.
In the tech sector, where priorities change rapidly and each market demands different answers, a lasting collaboration needs more than shared goals. It requires transparency, constant communication, and the ability to make decisions as a single team.
The connection between the Dublin offices and the team in Spain was not built solely through reports or follow-up meetings. It was consolidated through a continuous exchange of information, visits between teams, and open conversations about how to adapt the strategy for the most relevant accounts.
Because a mature partnership is not about always agreeing. It is about being able to point out what is not working, review decisions without defensiveness, and find a better answer together. That way of working has allowed us to face every change with agility, learn from mistakes, and transform the challenges of the Spanish market into concrete results.
That is why, after a three-year trajectory, we want to thank the daily involvement of Gonzalo, Santiago, Gina, and every professional who has contributed their effort and talent along this path.
Working with this level of trust, transparency, and alignment is what has allowed us to continue opening the market and turning challenges into real results. Today we celebrate everything achieved together, but we know the best is yet to come.
Thank you, Square.