GDS positions itself as a strategic B2B “partnership matchmaker” that connects “project holders” with “solution partners,” but in reality it functions almost entirely as an events company. There are very few checks into whether the digital transformation projects being discussed are real or qualified, which leads to sponsors spending $50K+ for meetings that often produce little to no ROI.
All offices prioritize call volume over meaningful conversations, with KPIs that are unrealistic and disconnected from any proven path to success. Micromanagement is embedded deeply into the culture. Every employee is required to follow the exact same rigid daily schedule, printed on cards and monitored closely throughout the day — down to the timing of 15-minute breaks:
• 8:30–9:00 – Email
• 9:00–10:00 – Cold Calls
• 10:00–10:15 – Break
• 10:15–12:00 – Email & LinkedIn Outreach
• 12:00–1:00 – Lunch
• 1:00–2:00 – Training or Cold Calls
• 2:00–3:00 – Cold Calls
• 3:00–3:15 – Break
• 3:15–4:00 – Email & LinkedIn Outreach
• 4:00–5:00 – Prospecting
Leadership frequently changes direction abruptly and then reverts back to old habits, making new initiatives inconsistent and short-lived. One of the most surprising operational issues is the lack of meaningful Salesforce adoption. Despite having the CRM, the organization barely uses it. Reps are required to manage prospect lists, email outreach, LinkedIn campaigns, and call tracking through manually created Excel spreadsheets instead of using Salesforce for list building, sequencing, or reporting. This outdated workflow creates confusion, slows productivity, and often results in the same prospect being contacted multiple times in a single day by different reps.
Turnover is extremely high, and many new hires last only a few months. The KPIs are unrealistic, the product is difficult to sell, and the outreach messaging often feels misleading, which contributes to the company’s poor market reputation. Commission structures are unclear, and success relies more on luck than on repeatable sales processes. Morale is low, job security is always uncertain, and leadership shows very little interest in investing in genuine professional development or modernizing how the sales organization operates. Overall, the environment feels more like a call center running on a school-style timetable than a modern sales team.
