Revenue Builders (Force Management)

As we commemorate Memorial Day, we wanted to share some of the great lessons shared by some of our veteran guests. There’s no higher-stakes environment in which to learn about leadership, teamwork, and perseverance, and we in the sales world can learn a lot from their service.

Tune in as VMWare Chief Operating Officer Mike Hayes and TakingPoint Leadership CEO Brent Gleeson talk about the importance of taking the harder path versus easy decisions, key leadership traits, and adapting the right mindset to succeed. Learn all of this and more on this episode of Revenue Builders.

Here are some key sections to check out: 

02:24 Mike Hayes on high-performing people living in "two places at once".

08:34 Mike on taking the harder decisions and helping others do so as well

19:23 Brent Gleeson differentiating between the ones that excel and those that didn't make it

23:52 Brent on channeling pain pathways

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Mike Hayes: https://www.thisismikehayes.com/
• Get his book Never Enough: https://a.co/d/6sDG3NL
• Learn more about Brent Gleeson: http://www.brentgleesonspeaker.com/index.html
• Get his book Embrace the Suck: https://a.co/d/9JCAyBB

QUOTES

You're only excellent if you know you're never excellent enough - Mike: “Whatever ways we definite 'better', I think it has nothing to do with seniority, age, or where we are in our careers. You can be ninety-something years old and still be trying to get better at different things.”

Brent on having a passion for what you're trying to accomplish: “If you think about any lofty goal we've ever pursued in life whether it's sports, work, charitable organizations, or in relationships, no lofty goal is ever achieved without some stress, pain, and adversity.”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

The Shift Group works to place Veterans in sales roles. If you have open roles to fill, please contact them here: https://www.shiftgroup.io/companies-registration

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by veteran CFO Jim Kelliher, known for his leadership roles at companies like Drift and LogMeIn. The conversation dives into the critical importance of forecasting accuracy at the sales rep level and how it impacts broader organizational success. Jim shares insights into overcoming cultural challenges, improving seller education, and fostering accountability without fear. Learn how accurate forecasting strengthens relationships, enhances decision-making, and empowers teams to achieve consistent growth

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:49] The Problem with Sandbagging: Why forecasting low (or high) can harm the organization and how it’s often rooted in fear or lack of understanding.
[00:01:47] Educating Sellers on Forecasting Accuracy: How organizations can foster a positive forecasting culture that balances accountability with support.
[00:02:42] Forecasting and Leadership Intimacy: How forecasting accuracy reflects a leader’s connection to their team and customer accounts.
[00:03:28] Adjusting for Variances: Strategies for identifying and addressing forecasting shortfalls mid-quarter.

QUOTES

[00:01:20] "Forecasting low can be just as negative as forecasting high and missing."
[00:02:08] "Being 150% of your forecast three quarters in a row signals you're not doing a good job forecasting."
[00:02:42] "Accurate forecasting tells me how intimate you are with your people and the accounts they're calling on."
[00:03:28] "If you're intimate enough with your deals, you can figure out how to push one this quarter and make up the difference."

Listen to the full conversation with Jim Kelliher through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/a-peek-inside-the-mind-of-a-cfo-with-jim-kelliher

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we take a second look at some of our sales leader interviews over the past few months. This episode features lessons learned from three powerhouse revenue builders.

Hear from Veteran Sales Leader Carlos Delatorre on hiring while you scale. Founding CRO of Procore Dennis Lyandres talks about leadership lessons learned and the hard reality of letting people go. And, Tenable Chief Operating Officer Mark Thurmond talks about Command and Control leadership and removing friction for your sales teams.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:51] Carlos Delatorre shares a common mistake made by first-time sales managers.

[00:05:57] The importance of assessing the readiness of leaders.

[00:08:20] The challenges of scaling without the right leaders.

[00:15:22] Taking care of oneself is crucial for making good decisions.

[00:18:15] Importance of managing time and prioritizing tasks as a leader.

[00:19:21] Paying attention to small actions to understand people better.

[00:23:56] Dennis Lyandres discusses his journey in recruiting and training his team.

[00:25:26] The importance of taking ownership in hiring.

[00:26:44] The need to learn from failure in recruiting.

[00:39:29] Communication, work ethic, becoming an SME, mentors

[00:45:53] Mark's ability to simplify and remove obstacles for his team.

[00:46:31] Mark's approach to removing friction in the system.

[00:48:25] The importance of influential leadership over command and control leadership.

[00:52:27] The power of persuasive power over positional power.

[00:53:34] The importance of explaining the “why” to get people emotionally connected.

[00:54:49] The impact of the why on successful M&A integration.

[00:55:23] The focus on validating conviction over compliance in leadership.

Learn more about our guests through the links below:
Carlos Delatorre’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadelatorre/

Dennis Lyandres’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlyandres/

Mark Thurmond’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-thurmond-350a4628/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:

 https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive into the transformative potential of AI in sales with insights from James Underhill, Senior Director for Sales Innovation at MongoDB. The discussion covers how AI can enhance sales productivity across the funnel, from territory management to post-sale processes. James shares his experiences and strategies for using AI to help sales reps focus on what truly matters—building strong relationships and driving revenue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:19] The importance of reframing customer problems to build trust.
[00:01:54] AI's role in contextualizing top-of-the-funnel data.
[00:02:40] Middle-of-the-funnel AI applications: CRM and knowledge management.
[00:03:19] Bottom-of-the-funnel AI uses: Renewal, upsell, and customer usage insights.
[00:05:16] The distinction between what AI should be used for vs. what it can be used for.
[00:06:51] AI as a tool for sales reps and leaders, not a replacement.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:19] "When somebody helps to reframe a problem that I have in a way I hadn’t thought of, that’s when I know this is a great seller."
[00:05:16] "It’s important to have the tools to augment the information you have, but decisions should still be made by people."[00:06:51] "The value proposition for AI is what it can do for the reps and sales leaders, not to them."

Listen to the full episode through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-impact-of-ai-on-sales-with-james-underhill

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive deep into the essential elements of navigating job transitions from the perspective of a candidate. They discuss how to sharpen your focus, effectively network, and manage your energy to ensure success when hunting for your next sales or leadership role. With practical insights from industry leaders, this episode provides listeners with actionable advice on how to align personal energy with career goals, tackle interviews, and differentiate between position and opportunity.

Tune in and learn more on this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:32] Understanding the importance of doing your homework before pursuing job opportunities.
[00:02:09] The importance of expanding your network discreetly and strategically.
[00:02:28] Energy management over time management: Focus on roles that energize you.
[00:03:12] How to assess if an opportunity aligns with your energy and long-term goals.
[00:05:03] Why prioritizing opportunity over position is crucial for long-term career growth.
[00:07:32] The significance of being able to recruit talent when interviewing for leadership roles.
[00:10:37] Treating interviews like sales calls: Ask great discovery questions and be a problem solver.
[00:11:06] Demonstrating your ability to solve problems the company is facing as a candidate.
[00:12:53] How to stand out during the interview process: A memorable story about silence, confidence, and a wink.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:28] “People talk about time management. I don't believe time management exists. What I believe in is energy management.”
[00:03:12] “You have to be honest about the things that give you energy and those that drain you.”
[00:05:50] “90 percent of the time, people pick the position over the opportunity, and two years later, they call me back saying I was right.”
[00:07:11] “When recruiting sales leaders, it’s not just about selling or managing—it's about who they can bring with them.”
[00:10:37] “Prepare for an interview like a sales call: Ask discovery questions and be a problem solver.”
[00:12:53] “To stand out, sometimes silence and confidence say more than words.”

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we revisit the discussion with Parm Uppal, CRO at Benchling, to discuss the critical shift from measuring sales activities to tracking accomplishments. Parm shares insights on setting clear expectations for reps, training them for high-impact meetings, and aligning their daily actions with business outcomes. The conversation explores strategies for reaching economic buyers, adapting to shifting funding landscapes, and simplifying sales execution for maximum effectiveness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:26] The power of simplifying expectations for sales reps.
[00:01:19] Training reps for high-impact meetings to close deals.
[00:02:13] Why accomplishments matter more than activity metrics.
[00:03:16] Aligning rep performance with business goals using a proven framework.
[00:04:52] Adapting to shifts in funding and decision-making authority.
[00:05:45] Setting clear expectations: the three-to-four things reps must always know.
[00:07:07] Keeping sales execution simple and focusing on small wins.

QUOTES

[00:01:45] “If we know these are the toughest meetings, we have a duty as leaders to be training reps for them.”
[00:02:32] “If you got an EB meeting, chances are you already have a champion. To get a champion, you probably did proper discovery.”
[00:04:07] “Are you the chief problem officer, or are you just running deals? Your sales strategy depends on how well you define the problem.”
[00:05:45] “I want my reps to wake up and immediately know the three to four things I expect from them—without having to write them down.”
[00:07:24] “We keep it simple: What’s the biggest red flag in MEDDIC today, and who do we take the Three Whys to?”

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/data-driven-decision-making-with-parm-uppal

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, they engage in a dynamic discussion with Mark Thurmond, COO of Tenable, a veteran revenue builder. Mark shares insights on recruiting top talent using the concept of the "three H's" – head, heart, and hard work – emphasizing the significance of character attributes in addition to skills. The conversation delves into the crucial role of effective enablement in empowering sales teams and the necessity of removing friction within an organization to boost productivity.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:55] The Three H's of Recruitment: Mark simplifies recruitment by focusing on intellect (head), passion (heart), and work ethic (hard work) as essential attributes.
[00:04:15] The Vitality of Enablement: Enablement is a cornerstone for success, ensuring teams are not only technically competent but also equipped with essential skills.
[00:08:05] Frictionless Operations: Identifying and eliminating obstacles within an organization significantly enhances the productivity and effectiveness of the sales force.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:55] "I look for the head, which is obviously the intellect, the intelligence... the heart, the passion, the enthusiasm... and the last one is the hard work."
[00:04:15] "Enablement is maybe the most important function a company has... to train, enable, and ensure the most competent salespeople."
[00:08:05] M "Removing friction is about simplifying and removing obstacles for your team... it's on you to make sure there's no cholesterol building up in the organization."

Listen to the full episode with Mark Thurmond through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/hard-work-grit-and-removing-friction-for-your-teams

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In today’s episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan chat with COO of Tenable and veteran sales leader Mark Thurmond. Mark shares his experience with both the personal and professional actions that lead to success, and what he looks for when hiring to build a powerhouse team. He imparts valuable advice for both sellers and leaders on patience, persistence, and humility. His #1 piece of advice? Keep it simple - in sales, in leadership, and in strategy. Hear Mark explain why the basics, done well, can actually be the most powerful approach.

Additional Resources:

• Support families affected by cancer through the Ellie Fund: https://www.elliefund.org/
• Learn how to reduce cyber risk with Tenable: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tenableinc/
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-thurmond-350a4628/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Leading by influence rather than control
• 3 H’s of success: Head, heart, and hard work
• Leaders need to take personal control of enablement
• Data reduces drama
• Channel marketing
• Simplification and communication are key to great leadership

QUOTES

MARK: It’s all about messaging, positioning, metrics, and strategy

"The leaders that could actually truly impact and simplify messaging, positioning, metrics, and strategy. They're the ones that actually drove the most productive teams. So kind of early, my career communication was a massive big part of the kind of the foundation of building my career and the characters that I want it to fall throughout my career.

MARK: Hard work is the greatest equalizer, wherever it is

"My dad used this term all the time it’s hard work is the great equalizer, and I know it sounds corny, but it is stuck with me for my entire life, and it is truly proven both in athletics and in business. That hard work is the great equalizer.”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the challenging journey to achieving product market fit with Jeremy Burton, CEO of Observe. The conversation touches on the iterative nature of developing successful product features, the importance of humility and field feedback, and the dynamic process of identifying the ideal customer profile. Burton shares insights on adapting sales strategies for larger enterprises, the evolving demands of educated customers, and creating a culture where honest feedback is valued. A must-listen for sales leaders at startups navigating their own path to market fit.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:49] Defining a Great First Line Leader
[00:01:42] Common Mistakes of Second Line Leaders
[00:02:28] Transitioning from Tactical to Strategic Thinking
[00:04:14] Balancing Field Connection with Leadership Responsibilities
[00:06:24] Segregation of Duties Between First and Second Line Managers

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:49] "You're obviously driving results through leaders, right? And there's something different about that."
[00:01:42] "The mistake that I see a lot of second line make is... you rip the steering wheel out of their hands."
[00:02:28] "The further you move up the range, the lonelier it gets at the top."
[00:05:12] "It's their ultimate responsibility that every person on that team has an equal chance of success."
[00:06:24] "You have to actually outline segregation of duties between first line manager and second line manager."

Listen to the full episode with Jeremy Burton through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-startup-ceo-with-jeremy-burton

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this milestone 100th episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan reflect on their journey and share some of their most memorable takeaways from previous conversations. They discuss the importance of authentic leadership, the power of debriefing, and the value of leading with a vision. They also highlight the significance of balancing work and personal life, the impact of Navy SEAL principles on leadership, and the role of customer success in reducing churn. The hosts express their gratitude to the listeners and emphasize the importance of caring for the guests and their stories.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:00] Introduction to the 100th episode celebration
[00:01:08] Memorable episodes from previous guests
[00:11:41] Conclusion and final thoughts on the 100th episode celebration
[00:12:08] Sarah Dillegaard's story of staying calm in a crisis
[00:15:14] Chris Kin's rare journey from salesperson to CRO in a startup
[00:16:53] Cedric Pesce's insight on giving the team a vision to stay motivated
[00:19:28] Mark Roberge's strategies to reduce churn at HubSpot
[00:21:00] Leading authentically and the importance of caring for your team
[00:21:39] John Mosley's selfless leadership as a basketball coach
[00:23:06] Customer-centric approach with discovery and the significance of MEDDIC qualification criteria

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:04:40] "The podcast is about giving back and taking the experiences from our guests and letting them share those life lessons."
[00:10:23] "A good leader needs to give the team a vision that keeps their mind away from the monotony of everyday work.
[00:17:38] "If you wanna build a ship, don't drum up people to assign them tasks, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we dive into the complexities of scaling Product Led Growth (PLG) models with guest Oliver Jay, former Product Led Sales leader at Dropbox and CRO at Asana. In this insightful conversation, they explore the nuances of PLG, its effectiveness in different market landscapes, and the strategies required to navigate its scalability challenges. From understanding the dominance dynamics in PLG markets to dissecting the intricacies of selling to end-users versus enterprise buyers, this episode offers invaluable insights for companies looking to leverage PLG for accelerated sales performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:00] PLG dominance dynamics: In PLG markets, the winner typically garners 80% market share due to the model's viral nature.
[00:01:50] Challenges for non-leading PLG companies: Companies beyond the top two struggle to gain traction and should consider pivoting towards enterprise-focused strategies.
[00:02:49] PLG's compatibility with enterprise sales: While PLG excels with end-users, scaling to enterprise level introduces complexities due to the lack of traditional enterprise sales infrastructure.
[00:05:04] Hybrid approach for PLG scalability: Successful PLG companies often combine PLG with sales-led growth, using PLG to seed accounts and leveraging sales teams for enterprise deals.
[00:08:30] Layered nature of PLG scalability: Scaling PLG resembles building a multi-layered cake, with each layer representing different levels of customer engagement and sales complexity.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:26] "If you're like number three, four, five, six... the wind is not going to be behind your sails. Might as well tweak your product to be a bit more enterprise from day one."
[00:04:45] "A lot of companies... seed the account with end users, then back it up with sales-led growth... to get an enterprise purchase order."
[00:08:30] "Building a PLG company over time... you have a strawberry shortbread bottom, you have a chocolate middle, you have a tiramisu top. It just keeps going."

Listen to the full episode with Oliver Jay through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/product-led-growth-in-b2b-sales-with-oliver-jay

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4
Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan, sponsored by Force Management, delve into the crucial aspect of decision criteria in sales. Joined by Anne Gary, the team dissects the intricacies of aligning decision criteria with product differentiation to secure sales success. From handling competition to managing scope creep, they provide invaluable insights into navigating the sales landscape with precision.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:35] Understanding how competitors may adopt your terminology highlights the importance of clarifying distinctions in customer conversations.
[00:01:26] Identifying who within the company influences decision criteria sheds light on the political dynamics of the sales process.
[00:02:03] Aligning product differentiators with decision criteria ensures that customers are truly buying what you're selling.
[00:03:04] Formalizing and quantifying decision criteria is essential to avoid ambiguity and ensure accountability.
[00:04:38] Scope creep occurs when additional criteria are introduced, increasing the risk of losing the deal.
[00:06:43] Failing to define criteria rigorously can lead to irreversible setbacks, especially evident in failed Proof of Value (POV) scenarios.
[00:07:48] After a failed POV, complaining appears futile as it disregards agreed-upon rules and may damage credibility with the evaluation team and economic buyer.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:21] "If you're outside of the bullseye, they're not buying what you're selling."
[00:04:58] "It's a seller's job to get the criteria to be... in their bullseye."
[00:06:43] "If you execute the POV and you haven't locked all this down... it's nearly impossible to recover from a failed POV."
[00:07:48] "Even if you did it again... you'd wind up losing again."

Listen to the full episode with Anne Gary through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/decoding-decision-criteria-mastering-champions-blueprint-for-sales-success-with-anne-gary/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4
Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive into the critical role adaptability plays in career success. They explore why some professionals resist change, how coachability and curiosity shape growth, and what leaders should look for when hiring top talent. Through real-world examples and insights, they unpack the psychology behind adaptability, trust, and long-term potential in business and sales leadership.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:25] The Misconception About Adaptability – Many professionals mistakenly see adaptability as a weakness rather than a strength.
[00:01:28] The Evolution of Career Mobility – Job-hopping is no longer a red flag but an expectation in today's job market.
[00:02:39] Trust, Micromanagement, and Coaching Resistance – Leaders should examine the deeper reasons behind employee concerns about trust.
[00:03:44] The Fear of Change and Growth – Some individuals resist coaching because they fear exposing what they don’t know.
[00:04:07] The Link Between Coachability and Adaptability – Success depends on both being coachable and having the courage to act on feedback.
[00:04:58] The Ceiling Effect in Performance – Those who resist change often never reach their full potential.
[00:05:25] Curiosity as a Key to Growth – A lack of adaptability often correlates with a lack of curiosity.
[00:06:47] Recognizing and Managing Resistance in Employees – Leaders must understand when an employee’s resistance to change is really about their comfort zone.

QUOTES

[00:02:17] "It’s not a problem not to know, but it is a crime punishable by death not to do anything about it and not to ask."
[00:04:07] "Coachability and adaptability go together—you have to be coachable first, then courageous enough to change."
[00:04:58] "The best performers never protect their current level—they always push for what’s next."
[00:05:25] "Curiosity and adaptability are deeply connected—those unwilling to ask ‘what if’ often resist growth."
[00:06:09] "When employees pull the ‘trust card,’ it’s often their last resort to avoid change."

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-importance-of-recruiting-behavioral-traits-with-chaz-maclaughlin

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, growth executive Jim Baum, who has more than 25 years of experience in growing and managing cutting-edge tech businesses, shares his insights into what makes great leadership in the world of entrepreneurship and startup growth. The conversation delves into the significance of a leader's unwavering belief, perseverance, and the importance of market research. Jim's anecdotes and wisdom provide valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:02:13] - Leader's belief is crucial for early-stage company success.
[00:04:46] - Perseverance can turn setbacks into major victories.
[00:07:26] - Beware of blind belief; seek evidence and adapt.
[00:11:20] - Primary market research is vital for success.
[00:15:01] - Entrepreneurship demands perseverance, intelligence, and a touch of "craziness."

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:13] "The belief, the conviction, the strength of the founder or founders is just not to be underestimated as a force for building the company."
[00:04:46] "They just needed more time. The market wasn't quite ready. The messaging wasn't quite right. And their perseverance carried it through, turned into a great return for the investors, a great return for the founders, and a big win."
[00:07:26] "It's sometimes easy to get caught up in the belief. So you do have to look for evidence and you do have to look for what are we going to do differently to make things turn around here in cases where it's not going well."
[00:15:01] "It takes a pretty special kind of mindset to be successful as an entrepreneur. I think that mindset is one of perseverance, a deep belief, and maybe just enough of the craziness to make it happen."

Listen to the full episode with Jim Baum in this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-entrepreneurial-mindset-with-jim-baum

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

James Underhill is the Senior Director of Sales Operations and Strategy at MongoDB. He started his career as a pre-sales engineer at Videology and later spent two years at Twitter as a Revenue Operations Analyst. Since joining MongoDB, James has been promoted four times and now leads the Sales Innovation team.

In this episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by James Underhill to discuss the potential impact of AI on sales. They explore how AI can enhance sales productivity by automating time-consuming tasks and providing valuable insights. James breaks down the different stages of the sales process and explains how AI can be leveraged to improve territory management, discovery, preparation, coaching and forecasting. He emphasizes the importance of combining AI with human skills and highlights the need for curiosity, critical thinking, and a customer-centric approach in sales. The conversation also touches on the potential changes in the buying experience as AI becomes more prevalent in sales.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:04:42] Importance of combining IQ and EQ in leveraging AI tools
[00:08:11] The role of human elements and trust in the sales process
[00:11:15] Traditional territory management problem and the use of AI in contextualizing data
[00:12:42] AI can assist with knowledge procurement and enablement for new reps
[00:14:58] AI can aid in equitable territory management and hold managers accountable
[00:21:00] AI can automate the process of gathering foundational information, but reps still need curiosity and hunger to progress in the sales cycle
[00:22:21] AI will expose bottom reps and decrease ramp time
[00:25:01] AI enables instant coaching and on-demand knowledge
[00:34:08] AI can help transfer knowledge and boost productivity in sales
[00:46:09] Warm introductions becoming more meaningful in sales

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about James Underhill.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-underhill-ba22313b/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mongodbinc/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:54:42] "Are they planning a merger with another company and they're going to go bonkers? Are they launching a new product? Like it's hard to predict that. And so that's where the human element is really important."
[00:55:08] "And now I'm taking that information and then I can have, I can use an assistant of sorts or a tool to help me understand how that translates into what you're going to pay over time. But it's not going to tell me, Hey, James, they're going to bill this over this time period. That's unlikely." 

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we delve into the intricate world of sales negotiation with expert Tim Caito from Force Management. We explore the crucial aspects of negotiation, from preparing champions to dealing with procurement and the power of starting early in the sales process. Tim shares valuable insights and strategies to help organizations preserve value in the final deal and achieve successful negotiations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:07] Starting early in the sales process is crucial for successful negotiation.
[00:02:09] Begin the negotiation process before the other side believes you're negotiating.
[00:02:58] Having a better alternative gives leverage in negotiations.
[00:04:00] Making negotiations about the client's alternative rather than yours is a powerful tactic.
[00:05:51] Procurement's role and the importance of preparing champions for the negotiation process.
[00:08:23] The significance of creating a powerful cost justification to resist procurement pressure.
[00:10:46] The role of champions as the great equalizer in the negotiation process.
[00:12:17] Anticipating competitive tactics and preparing champions to handle external pressure.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:26] "Start the negotiation process before the other side believes we're negotiating."
[00:03:18] "If the rep doesn't have a solid alternative, it gives the power back to procurement."
[00:08:48] "You have to have done such a good cost justification that they feel like they're losing every day that goes by."
[00:10:27] "Champions are the great equalizer in a negotiation process."
[00:13:52] "We have to prep them because it is going to happen, and we have to role play and ask specifically, what are you going to say when they ask this question."

Listen to the full episode with Tim Caito through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-secrets-of-sales-negotiation-with-tim-caito

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan sit down with Doug May, Senior Vice President of Productivity at Harness, to explore the art of digging deep in discovery and aligning with your buyers. Doug shares invaluable insights from his extensive career, highlighting the importance of thorough pre-meeting research, understanding industry pressures, and developing a compelling viewpoint. This conversation is packed with practical tips for sales professionals looking to enhance their discovery process and effectively align their solutions with the strategic goals of their customers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:18] Importance of pre-discovery homework: Leveraging public information and industry insights.
[00:02:20] Crafting a compelling viewpoint: Demonstrating homework to gain customer trust.
[00:03:14] Industry to individual pressure: Building credibility by understanding hierarchical pressures.
[00:05:54] Financial condition and competitive position: Factors influencing customer strategy.
[00:07:22] Value pyramid framework: Aligning solutions with customer goals and strategies.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:18] "The richness of information that a seller can use pre-discovery is so powerful."
[00:02:20] "Customers don't really have the time to teach you their business."
[00:02:55] "When you do your homework and come in with a compelling viewpoint, even if it's a bit off, you're in the meat of a discussion."
[00:03:14] "You earn the right to talk about personal pressure by understanding industry, company, and departmental pressures."
[00:05:54] "The trajectory of a business will tell you a lot about that organization and help you find the right people to attach to."
[00:08:26] "When you can connect the dots from your product capability to the customer’s strategy, that's when the magic happens."

Listen to the full episode with Doug May through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/business-value-assessments-looking-at-opportunities-through-a-value-lens-with-doug-may

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Sahir Azam, Chief Product Officer of MongoDB. Sahir shares his insight gained working in the intersection of product and go-to-market teams. Sahir also touches on creating synergy between pre-sales and sales teams, and the need to balance innovation and solving actual customer problems. 

Additional Resources:

• Connect With Sahir Azam on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahirazam
• Donate to The Jed Foundation | https://jedfoundation.org/
• Quoted in this episode | https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-saas-marketing-is-different/ 
• More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDS
• Aligning Your Sales Engine With Product Development | https://forc.mx/3Hd1QYv
• Product-Led Growth: Driving Cross-Functional Support to Evolve Your Go-to-Market Strategy | https://forc.mx/3mE2iW8

HIGHLIGHTS

• The focus of a Chief Product Officer
• Aligning with your customer's buying behavior
• Encourage synergy between sales and pre-sales teams
• Sitting in the seat in the moment of the customer's pain
• How to balance innovation with solving a need
• Take the time to do a proper discovery call
• Selling internally can be harder than selling externally

QUOTES

Sahir: "Product marketing and product management, there's sort of a Venn diagram of overlap of skillset there and different organizations align slightly different on how those things are defined. But we think it's really important, regardless of how they report organizationally, but for those two functions to be paired up really closely to have a successful outcome." 

Sahir: "If you don't have a very seamless way for your end-customers to try and use a product, you're many times never gonna get in the door." 

Sahir: "Great product people can really articulate and translate that pain from the way that it's articulated by the customer, which isn't always like, here's my pain point, here's the business value but extracting that, qualifying that, documenting that in a way that's crisp and concise." 

Sahir: "The most cohesive team is where everyone knows the role, but there's a natural overlap of trust built here and everyone knows what you're solving for." 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to MW Components’ VP of Sales Kara Bosse about the current state of the manufacturing industry and how they are addressing the most recent challenges, including the backlogs caused by the supply chain issues. Kara emphasizes the need to be communicative, keep a healthy and deep pipeline, and be open to having challenging conversations to develop better relationships. 

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Kara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-bosse-93469320/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• Navigating a sea of black swans 
• The more severe the crisis, the more transparent you need to be 
• Companies are taking their manufacturing back in-shore
• Supply chain issues are changing business relationships
• Challenging conversations can help build deeper relationships
• You can't fight a bad pipeline
• Tips for managing relationships between sales and manufacturing 
• Current challenges and chokepoints in the manufacturing sector
• Knowing your walk-away point is an important part of negotiation 

QUOTES

Kara on being communicative to customers in times of uncertainty: "That's really all that you can do, right? Being proactive, have those transparent discussions. When we don’t get any information, we always tend to think the worst. With an absence of information, we create the worst possible scenario."

Kara on adapting to unexpected market changes: "Ultimately, you've got to be pretty wide and robust with your pipeline overall because you can't fight a bad pipeline. And it really ended up exposing the folks that weren't deep in their pipeline overall."

How Kara is improving the relationships between manufacturing and sales: "The structure that we have is really valuable to our customers and very well aligned with our value proposition. But at the end of the day, there are still some of these holes where we need to be able to pivot. So we've invested in product managers who work for the manufacturing site and work for the outside sales rep. They're kind of the conduit between the two, and they’ve helped us get through supply chain issues"

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Chris Reisig, Operating Partner for Jungle Ventures and 5-time CRO. Chris shares insights and wisdom he’s gained through his experience leading the scaling of multiple early-stage companies. From defining the ideal customer to hiring leaders and market expansion, Chris has done and seen it all. Leaders of all levels will appreciate this valuable advice on culture, talent, international sales, and product-led growth from a veteran start-up leader.

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisreisig/
• Check out Entrepreneurship for All: https://eforall.org/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Don't stop looking for the acute pain point and the ideal customer
• Scaling a business means teaching everyone how to close a deal
• Don't expand your market too much too early
• How early is too early when joining a startup 
• Never settle for less when it comes to recruiting candidates
• The artist vs the scientist: you need both sellers at different times 
• Expanding outside of your home country entails a lot of resources
• Learn how to be the same before trying to be different
• Tips for staying connected for leaders being sent to another country
• The most important skill for a founder to have
• Don't try to be the smartest person in the room

QUOTES

Chris on finding the acute pain point that your customer has: "If you cannot find pain that's acute in your customer, you have to keep looking. Because unless you have something that's painful enough for a customer to invest money and time in, it's interesting but not relevant. They're not gonna do anything."

Chris on what it takes to scale a business: "It's one thing if you and the founder can go out and do 10 deals as a team. But unless you can teach other people beyond the founder and the first sales leader to close a deal, to take a deal from first presentation to a PO, you don't have a scalable business."

The most important skill for a founder to have, says Chris: "Hiring great leadership is probably the single most important difference-maker between success and failure. If you are a sales leader that knows how to hire great leadership underneath you, your ability to scale an organization is amplified. Your ability to get into markets is amplified. Your ability to grow the company is amplified."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we engage in an insightful conversation with Hollie Castro, a seasoned Chief People Officer and business transformation leader. Hollie delves into the evolving landscape of loyalty in the workforce, dissecting changing career expectations, motivations behind career transitions, and the shifting definitions of loyalty across different life stages. Holly shares invaluable insights on redefining loyalty in the modern workplace, emphasizing the importance of mindset shifts and transparent conversations between leaders and their teams.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:52] Traditional career longevity is evolving; individuals are more inclined to pursue diverse career paths, influenced by factors like peer comparison, financial gains, and personal growth.
[00:01:44] Different life stages dictate varied motivations for career changes. Social media plays a pivotal role in shaping individuals' perceptions of success.
[00:03:01] Loyalty remains a fundamental concept, but the expression and expectations surrounding loyalty have transformed over time. Leaders must adapt to the changing dynamics of employee loyalty.
[00:04:49] A shift in mindset is crucial. Loyalty doesn't necessarily equate to lifelong commitment; it involves honest conversations and continuous re-recruitment efforts.
[00:06:28] How employees exit a company is as vital as their contributions while working there. Leaving transparently and with a positive plan benefits both the departing individual and the organization.
[00:08:25] The world is smaller than perceived; leaving a positive legacy matters, as personal reputations endure through professional connections and references.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:18] "Social media is a powerful force. So when they perceive their peer group to be, you know, making more money or having a bigger title, that has a huge influence on how they think about themselves."
[00:04:49] "Loyalty means something different... It's more about having an honest conversation. Somebody's going to leave. Who's going to leave? What do we need to do to re-recruit them?"
[00:06:54] "How you leave is more important than actually everything you did because it's the only thing people will remember about you."
[00:07:42] "At some point, you're going to quit a job. And when you do that, how you do it... are you going to be a pro or are you going to be a loser?"

Listen to the full episode with Hollie Castro through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/hiring-in-the-post-covid-19-era-with-hollie-castro

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon welcome Jake Zweig, a former Navy SEAL, college football coach, and leadership development expert. Jake shares his inspiring journey from his formative years in Washington State to his achievements at the U.S. Naval Academy and beyond. The discussion covers his unyielding drive to win, lessons in leadership, and the significance of mentorship. Jake also explains his approach to identifying and developing leaders, which involves a deep understanding of their capabilities and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Tune in to hear Jake's valuable insights and powerful, real-life anecdotes on resilience and leadership.

Tune in and learn more on this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Jake Zweig:
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakezweig/

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:03:36] Jake's Upbringing and Early Influences
[00:06:22] Academic Achievements and Early Leadership
[00:11:48] Journey to the Naval Academy
[00:20:41] Challenges and Lessons at the Naval Academy
[00:22:17] Transition to SEAL Training
[00:25:41] Athletic Pursuits and Wrestling at Navy
[00:30:49] Leadership Lessons from Bad Examples
[00:32:42] Current Endeavors and Leadership Philosophy
[00:35:22] The Importance of Hard Work and Dedication
[00:36:07] Developing Leadership Skills
[00:38:07] Characteristics of Successful Leaders
[00:40:22] Emotional Intelligence and Intuition
[00:41:53] The Role of Upbringing in Success
[00:45:08] The How: Teaching and Mentorship
[00:46:25] Real-Life Mentorship Success Stories
[00:52:57] The Blueprint to Success
[00:54:46] The Importance of Execution and Adaptability
 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:32:30] "I'm about leadership and results. My job is to make sure those freshmen get grounded, have a great foundation for the rest of the time at the Naval Academy, and they learn good leadership. Screaming at people is not good leadership. That's bad leadership."
[00:35:14] "They got to be a capable person. If you're not a capable person, I can't put you in charge. The next thing I look for is, do you want to be good? Because there's a lot of people out there that are super capable and they don't want to do the work to be great."
[00:40:22] "Yeah, all of the things you said play into EQ, right? Like your emotional intelligence, your ability to talk to somebody and understand where they came from and who they are and how you can relate to them."

As the Chief Revenue Officer at Skyflow, Tammy Sexton is responsible for driving revenue growth and scaling the go-to-market team for the company's innovative data privacy platform. With more than 20 years of experience in enterprise sales,Tammy has a proven track record of leading and developing high-performing sales teams, building strategic partnerships, and delivering value to customers across various industries and regions. She has successfully managed and grown sales organizations at early and mid-stage startups, such as LaunchDarkly, LogicHub, and Sumo Logic, as well as established companies, such as PagerDuty, EMC, and PTC.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Tammy discusses the importance of data privacy and how Skyflow's data vault as a service helps companies protect sensitive information. She shares insights on the impact of data breaches on brand reputation and revenue, as well as the role of data privacy in building customer trust. Tammy also reflects on her journey as a sales leader and provides valuable lessons on transitioning from an account executive to a manager, managing managers, and becoming a CRO.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:19] Tammy Sexton's background and role at Skyflow
[00:03:48] Examples of companies that use data vaults for privacy protection
[00:05:18] Skyflow's certification program and compliance benefits
[00:07:53] Tammy Sexton's experience and lessons learned in sales leadership
[00:10:22] Avoiding the mistake of becoming a "super rep" as a manager
[00:14:12] Coaching first line managers on recruitment and finding the right fit for the company
[00:20:17] Focusing on the basics and fundamentals as a second line manager to make a big difference
[00:27:48] Challenges of managing different groups as a CRO
[00:40:48] Key things to learn as a new CRO in a company
[01:06:44] Discovery and pain metrics drive urgency

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Tammy Sexton and about their company.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-sexton/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyflow/
Email: Tammy Sexton tammy@skyflow.com

Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders:
https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJ

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:50:55] "So it's not just about the data. It's not just about necessarily the numbers at the top, but the conversion numbers, the SC conversion from POV to win, the AE conversion at each stage. So if I can sit down with a manager that has six AEs and help that manager with data that says this AE always gets stuck at this part of the sales cycle. Why do they have a 20 percent POV win rate and technical win rate when all the other AEs have a 60 percent chance of moving to the next stage."
[01:06:26] "Nothing better than good discovery and good pain and good influence on decision criteria. And at the end of the day, the metric will drive the urgency. If you did it right. If you did it right, go back to the basics."

“The best sales leaders are actually business leaders.” Murray Demo joins John McMahon and John Kaplan on a new episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast. A six-time CFO and board director for Citrix, Easy Software, Centrify, Qualtrics, and Lacework, Murray joins us to discuss the importance of the big picture for sales leaders. He explores how leaders can start to zoom out from just sales success into constructing a full-scale business strategy, and shares advice for CFOs and CROs approaching economic downturn.

Everything is a trade-off when you’re making complex business decisions, but how can you be sure you’re making the best decision for the long-term health of your company? Murray suggests getting on the ground meeting people and staying informed on what’s happening at every level of the organization. Dig into even more advice for sales leaders in this episode of Revenue Builders.

Here are some key sections to check out: 

08:29 The key metrics to look for in sales performance

13:47 Balancing fiscal responsibility with agility

20:40 Compensation programs’ impact on company performance

29:37 Expectations of cost justification and commitment

42:38 Defining a good company

56:31 Defining a down round and how to handle it
 

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Murray Demo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-demo-59a31117/
• Visit the Lacework website: https://www.lacework.com/
• More resources for leaders facing economic change: https://forc.mx/3neLAR7

QUOTES

Murray - Where the best leaders come from: “What I have found, though, is the best sales leaders are actually business leaders, they made a transition from carrying the bag and trying to make their number and tunnel vision and closing business, which is what you have to do to start your career, but as you progress up, the ones that are the most successful, they turn into business leaders and trying to solve a problem more at a company level than just for a specific sales oriented activity.”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Snowflake’s Chief Revenue Officer, Chris Degnan. Chris talks about his experiences working in a raw startup environment, and why he chose to leave a relatively comfortable position to do so. Chris lives and breathes the art of the grind, and relishes the prospect of being challenged, showing his aptitude for adapting to different situations and coming up with creative solutions. Tune in to hear the story of how a startup like Snowflake stood up to the likes of Amazon and IBM in the cloud data warehouse, and how a smaller company can overturn the dominance of an established player. 

Additional Resources:

• Donate to help cure multiple myeloma: https://themmrf.org/
• Connect to Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-degnan-524470/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why Chris joined Snowflake in its raw startup phase
• Getting the first two contracts and building a 'real' product
• Standing up to giants in the cloud storage space
• Respect the competition, or get crushed
• Think of your job as a 90-day contract
• Don't put all of your eggs in the large enterprise baskets
• The benefits of the consumption model in SaaS

QUOTES

Chris on how they stood up to Amazon in the cloud data warehouse space: "I always say that I'm better lucky than good. There's a lot of luck that I kind of ran into in my career at Snowflake. The first set of things that were helpful was Amazon, while they were the first cloud data warehouse with Amazon Redshift, it was not a good product. We actually solved a lot of the problems. What I would do is I would actually build lists and focus on the people that were using Amazon."

Chris on why he continues to grind, everyday: "I'm always afraid that someone's going to take something from me, and I'm always going to do my best to grind and keep my job. And that's how I am as a human."

Chris on the benefits of the consumption model for the customer: "The benefit is in the customer, because the customer is saying that I have a business partner who actually is invested in making me successful, not just selling the idea and leaving."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Bob Ranaldi, a seasoned global sales executive with over 20 years of experience. Bob shares insights on optimizing CRO-CEO relationships, emphasizing high communication, aligned goals, and data-driven decision-making. The discussion explores how to create a strong board, the importance of sales efficiency, and the need for CROs to own their numbers and impact the forecast immediately. Bob and the hosts provide valuable advice for sales leaders, highlighting the significance of understanding the company's ideal candidate profile, fostering a winning mindset, and balancing growth with EBITDA. They also delve into the nuances of maintaining effective communication, especially in post-COVID, remote work environments, and the critical role of board members in supporting various company disciplines.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Bob Ranaldi:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-ranaldi-54a46514/

Download the CRO Strategy Checklist: https://hubs.li/Q03f8LmX0

Read Force Management’s Guide to Increasing Company Valuation: https://hubs.li/Q038n0jT0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:57] The Importance of CRO-CEO Relationship
[00:04:39] Effective Communication and Data-Driven Decisions
[00:07:40] Balancing Growth and Efficiency in Private Equity
[00:11:53] Sales Efficiency and Productivity Metrics
[00:16:33] Navigating Challenges in Sales Leadership
[00:29:10] The Role of Communication in Remote Work
[00:32:50] Leadership Language and Mindset
[00:33:28] Advice for First Board Meetings
[00:34:45] Owning the Forecas
[00:39:32] Building the Right Team
[00:46:12] Navigating CEO and CRO Dynamics
[00:51:06] Effective Board Member Selection

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"You have to see yourself on the same level as the CEO. You're paid to express your opinion on what you think."
"It's important to set the bar high, but it has to be an attainable goal to maintain team morale and drive performance."
"The interaction verbally is the place to start. The face-to-face communication helps resolve disagreements and builds relationships."
"Always put the company first. Your department and your role matter, but they come second to the company's success."
"Understanding the current state and helping the team win early builds momentum and fosters team cohesion."

Carl Froggett and Joe Lynch are back for the second part of their conversation on engaging the Economic Buyer. Before they were colleagues at Deep Instinct, Joe sold to Carl when he was a CIO at Citi.  Carl shares his extensive experience as an economic buyer in tech deals. The conversation is a valuable one for sellers who are trying to engage the economic buyer, particularly in the information security space. 

Don't miss Part 1 of the Epiosode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/behind-the-deal-a-perspective-from-an-economic-buyer/id1610203369?i=1000653572085

Tune in and learn more about this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:55] Revisiting Key Sales Insights with Carl Froggett and Joe Lynch
[00:01:46] Deep Dive: The Art of Selling to Economic Buyers
[00:06:14] Strategies for Effective Sales and Building Value
[00:13:21] Navigating Complex Sales Processes and Stakeholder Dynamic
[00:16:05] Leveraging Internal and External Champions in Sale
[00:28:35] The Critical Role of References and Final Decision Criteria
[00:38:32] Understanding the Collective Yes in B2B Sale
[00:41:30] Navigating Internal Dynamics and Stakeholder Influence
[00:42:35] The Impact of Technology Deployment on Internal Teams
[00:43:17] Strategies for Managing Internal Opposition and Building Support
[00:43:48] The Importance of End-User Experience in Technology Adoption
[00:45:02] Leveraging Partnerships and Advice for Navigating Corporate Politics
[00:48:05] Executing a Successful Pilot: Strategies and Outcomes
[00:52:51] The Decision-Making Process and Finalizing the Deal
[01:08:08] Insights on Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Strategy
[01:14:42] RSA Conference Takeaways and the Future of Cybersecurity

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1j

Connect and learn more about Carl Froggett.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggett/
https://www.deepinstinct.com/

Connect and learn more about Joe Lynch.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-lynch-6613745a/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:46:30] "Nobody thinks about the end user; nobody's thinking about network and identity. So I was able to see how internally, and I leveraged my boss at the time to get there. If you have someone who's not thinking like that, I hate to say it, but you probably need to find somebody different, right?"
[00:47:40] "Ultimately, it's about the business, right? We're not buying a Zscaler because it's cool. We're buying it because I've got X, Y, Z from a business strategy to sort out, and you need to add value to that, right? I hate to say it, but maybe you got the wrong person."
[00:51:30] "It's not about wasting our time; it's about committing resources to try to solve this problem together. You respect our people, we respect your people and our time. We're not here to waste anyone's time."

The best sales kickoffs are planned in a way that aligns with the company’s strategic goals and sets your revenue teams up to execute successfully. In this segment, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk through the importance of demonstrating the opportunity your company is providing your revenue teams and why committing their time to your organization is going to be worth it. 

Force Management’s Sales Kickoff Resources:
Five must-dos for leaders on SKO planning: https://hubs.li/Q02SpNpS0
Ultimate Sales Kickoff Resource Guide:  https://hubs.li/Q02Qr2B80

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive deep into the mechanics of closing high-stakes deals with industry experts Carl Froggatt and Joe Lynch. Drawing from their experience at Deep Instinct and Citibank, Carl and Joe discuss how leveraging expert knowledge—what Kaplan calls the "100-pound brains"—is crucial for aligning stakeholders, solving business problems, and ensuring successful deal outcomes. Learn how to strategically engage these experts early in the sales process and navigate complex client environments like Citibank. This episode offers actionable insights for anyone involved in enterprise sales, focusing on building strong internal and external champions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:02:09] The importance of understanding that companies like Citibank buy technology to solve business problems, not because it's "cool and flashy."
[00:03:21] Building strong internal champions is as vital as having external champions. Relationships and sweat equity matter.
[00:04:38] Similar-sized customers in the same vertical generally have the same needs, but their maturity levels can vary greatly.
[00:06:20] Collaboration with key stakeholders to prioritize and validate business goals is crucial for successful pilot outcomes.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:09] "Citi's not going to buy technology because it's cool and flashy; they're going to buy it to solve a business problem."
[00:03:21] "Internal champions are just as important as external champions—building that personal and professional relationship is key."
[00:06:20] "We just had so much data and due diligence, with champions like Carl helping us validate what really hits the nail on the head."

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

SHOW SUMMARY

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan in a deep dive with industry expert Anne Gary as they explore the essential steps in preparing for the Economic Buyer meeting. Ann shares valuable insights on how salespeople can differentiate themselves, become true business partners, and align their solutions with both corporate and individual objectives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:49] Research is Key: 8 out of 10 executives feel sales meetings are wasted time. Research company objectives, risks, and competition beforehand.
[00:01:46] Be a Partner: Differentiate by helping run their business. Provide insights into unconsidered business issues.
[00:02:56] Align for Success: Link solutions to corporate and individual performance, focusing on revenue growth, cost reduction, and risk mitigation.
[00:04:55] Articulate the Pain: Quantify the current situation, showcasing the full ramifications of the customer's process and connecting it to positive business outcomes.
[00:08:14] Differentiate Effectively: Identify required capabilities, differentiating based on unique strengths addressing specific pain points for winning the Proof of Value (POV).
[00:09:00] ROI Confidence: Develop a preliminary Return on Investment (ROI) confidently before entering Proof of Concept (POC) discussions.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:25] "Be a business partner, not a salesperson. Help them run their business, inform them about business issues they haven't considered."
[00:03:57] "The terms that resonate with your champion may not be the same terms that resonate with the economic buyer. Speak on their business terms."
[00:07:54] "Understand how these people are measured. Highlight the business outcome that aligns most with how they're evaluated."

Listen to the full episode with Anne Gary through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/getting-to-the-economic-buyer-with-anne-gary

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Veteran Sales Leader Keno Helmi talks with Revenue Builders about price. When do you give your pricing? How do you make sure your buyer sees the value before you present pricing? These few minutes are worth your time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:28] Establish Value Early: Prevent customers from arbitrarily assigning low value by anchoring them to the true worth of your solution.
[00:02:32] Discovery is Critical: A robust discovery process aligns your software to customer pain points and value creation.[00:02:59] Avoid Premature Pricing: Deflect pricing conversations until you've gathered sufficient requirements and context.
[00:05:25] Build Trust with Transparency: Acknowledge customer concerns about pricing while explaining the complexities involved.
[00:07:02] Broad Pricing Ranges: Use ranges and commercial terms to delay definitive pricing until later stages of the deal.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:28] "We’re peddling insulin here, not apples. That’s why we establish value right out of the gate."
[00:02:03] "Negotiate how your software’s value will be evaluated—this determines whether you’re seen as an apple or insulin."
[00:02:32] "A great discovery process sets the foundation for preserving margins later in the deal."
[00:05:25] "Trust can wobble if sellers shy away from addressing pricing concerns with authenticity."
[00:07:02] "Broad ranges tied to ROI are your Plan B when pressured for pricing early."

Listen to Keno’s Full Episode Here: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/mastering-negotiation-in-b2b-sales-with-keno-helmi/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:

https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 

https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Sprinklr’s Chief Revenue Officer Luca Lazzaron. Luca, who has held several sales leadership and general manager positions in multiple software organizations over the past 20 years, offers golden lessons in hiring exceptional talent, credible leadership, and effective revenue forecasting. As Sprinklr’s Chief Revenue Officer, Luca talks about the most challenging aspects of transitioning from a private to a public company, and the difference between having a committed versus a compliant team. 

Additional Resources:

• Donate to Istituto Serafico Di Assisi: https://www.serafico.org/come-sostenerci/?lang=en
• Connect with Luca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-lazzaron/
• 5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHh
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• The science and art of hiring salespeople
• How managers can be more credible leaders
• What it's like to be CRO running a public company
• How to do effective revenue forecasting
• Leaders need to have a disproportionate passion for coaching
• Being committed vs. Being compliant
• Always go back to your 'Why' 
• Sprinklr: the easiest way to know what's on your customer's mind 

GUEST BIO

Luca Lazzaron is the Chief Revenue Officer of Sprinklr, the only Unified-CXM platform purpose-built for enterprises, empowering the world's biggest companies to be human@scale across 30+ messaging, live chat, email and voice channels — and leveraging the industry's most sophisticated AI engine to bring Care, Research, Sales & Engagement, and Marketing & Advertising together like never before.

Luca has held sales leadership and general manager positions in multiple software organizations over the last 20 years. His experience includes both scaling rapid growth startups and IPO experience as well as overall operational management with large corporations globally. Meanwhile, his  experience in acquisition includes both Geotel and Bladelogic generating a combined value of >3B$. 

Luca is a strong and committed supporter for the Istituto Serafico in Assisi, a unique institute specialized in the rehabilitation and long term care for children with severe multiple disabilities.

QUOTES

Luca on why managers need to have real, on the ground experience: "People sometimes underestimate that if you want to lead a team, you have to be credible. You have to know what you are talking about in detail. Because otherwise, there's no way you can inspire the people and coach them on a daily basis on what their job is about and how to do it better."

Luca on what it takes to be a CRO of a public company: "Having the entire company able to actually make the customer happy and deliver value to the customer is the first thing. Because you can do all this new business that you want but if from the bucket you're going to continue to lose revenue, there's no way you can run a public company."

Luca on the difference between commitment and compliance: "People tend to be compliant when you tell them what to do, and you do not explain why and what difference it can make for them. People are committed when they buy into something and it becomes their own stuff." 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by John Care from Mastering Technical Sales to discuss the crucial role of Sales Engineers (SEs) in the sales process. They explore the dynamics between SEs and Account Executives (AEs), the importance of thorough discovery, and how SEs can leverage both pain and gain to drive successful sales outcomes. Tune in to learn how effective collaboration and a balanced approach to technical sales can transform your sales strategy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:28] The Role of Sales Engineers in Sales Dynamics: SEs often act as a counterbalance to AEs by slowing down the process to ensure thorough discovery and alignment with customer needs.
[00:01:15] Importance of Discovery in Sales: Effective discovery is crucial for understanding customer problems and setting the stage for successful demos and proof of concepts (POCs).
[00:02:02] The "Dash to Demo" Pitfall: Rushing to present demos without proper discovery can lead to generalized demonstrations and undefined criteria for success.
[00:03:00] Balancing Pain and Gain: While most deals are driven by pain points, understanding and leveraging potential gains can significantly differentiate your sales approach.
[00:05:36] The Power of Storytelling in Sales: Using before-and-after stories of other customers can effectively highlight the benefits of a solution and engage prospects emotionally.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:57] "The biggest point of friction between sales engineers and account execs is the speed of the transaction, particularly when it relates to discovery."
[00:02:09] "One of the most popular workshops that we deliver is called business value discovery, and it's really, we say, you have to paint the target before you can shoot at it."
[00:03:23] "Everybody in the world, every sales methodology, says find the pain, solve the pain, you'll get the deal. However, about 20 percent of deals are driven by gain."
[00:04:41] "The difference between a good SC and a world-class SC is that they can find the gain and that extra 20 percent of deals that they can put in pipeline to help the AE."
[00:07:18] "The best sales conversations include pain and gain. One without the other is not a very successful sales call."

Listen to the full episode with John Care through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-value-of-sales-engineers-in-the-sales-process-with-john-care/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Chaz MacLaughlin. Chaz shares his insights on effective recruiting and interviewing for B2B sales roles, emphasizing the importance of behavioral traits like hard work, curiosity, and teamwork in candidates. He advises on patience in the hiring process and the value of leading, managing, and listening as essential skills for sales professionals. The discussion also touches on the significance of continuous recruitment and an outside-in mentality, providing valuable advice for leaders, recruiters and jobseekers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Chaz MacLaughlin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chazmaclaughlin/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book, The Qualified Sales Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064/

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:31] The Importance of Behavioral Traits in Hiring
[00:10:01] Key Traits for Success: Hard Work, Curiosity, and Teamwork
[00:35:20] The Role of Patience and Cultural Fit in Hiring
[00:38:19] The Importance of Key Character Traits in Hiring
[00:40:29] Recruiting as a Never-Ending Process
[00:42:05] The Rule of Three in Recruitment
[00:43:07] Challenges and Strategies in Hiring
[00:50:40] Essential Skills for Enterprise Sales
[00:56:58] The Four Essential Questions for Sales Knowledge
[00:57:57] Top Skills for Enterprise Selling
[01:03:55] The Outside-In Mentality in Sales

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:15:47] "You are a walking audition for what it's going to be like if you're a salesperson and you're interviewing, you're a walking audition for what you're going to be like as a seller."
[00:40:39] "Recruiting is not an event. It’s a process, and it's a never-ending, constant process."
[00:40:56] "The best hires we've ever hired are the not in play players."
[00:58:28] "You've got to be an amazing listener and a fantastic questioner."
[01:01:56] "If it's important to the customer, it's important to me and it should be important to us."

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we dive into the intricacies of decision-making, the role of intuition versus data, and the importance of checking one's ego with special guest, Brian McCarthy, Chief Revenue Officer at Rubrik. Brian shares insightful perspectives on how to blend gut instincts with data-driven approaches, the significance of being secure in one's decisions, and the value of course correction when needed. Through candid discussions and personal anecdotes, listeners gain valuable insights into effective leadership strategies and sales performance optimization.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:29] Intuition in Decision-Making: Brian discusses the significance of listening to one's gut instincts alongside analyzing data when making critical decisions.
[00:02:11] Ego and Decision-Making: The importance of separating ego from decisions, being open to course correction based on new data, and avoiding ego-driven attachment to decisions.
[00:03:33] Integrating Data and Intuition: Brian highlights the importance of considering both data-driven insights and gut instincts, along with input from key individuals, to make informed decisions and drive organizational success.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:49] "They give me the data and I just, I hear them. Sounds like there's a logical solution, but my gut just is something in my stomach... I just don't feel like I want to make the decision now."
[00:02:30] "Get your ego out of the way and just change [the decision]... I've always found it's okay to make a decision based upon the data that you have."
[00:03:54] "If you're really listening, you're listening to what the data tells you, you're listening to what your eyes are telling you, what your gut tells you... and then quickly execute."

Listen to the full episode with Brian McCarthy through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/what-the-best-sales-leaders-do-with-brian-mccarthy

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon are joined by Bill Binch, a seasoned sales leader and Operating Partner at Battery Ventures. Together, they explore Bill's extensive career, beginning at major companies like Oracle and PeopleSoft, moving to startups such as Marketo, and eventually stepping into the VC world. Bill shares key lessons on effective sales management, transparent leadership, and strategic hiring. He also emphasizes the importance of consistent messaging, proactive problem-solving, and the integration of new technologies like AI in achieving revenue goals. This episode provides practical insights into growing within the sales domain, understanding the motivations behind career transitions, and the roles of anticipation and deliberate growth for CROs looking to evolve into advisory or operating positions within investment firms.

Tune in and learn more on this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Bill Binch:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-binch-302a4a2/

Listen to Bill's podcast:  

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sound-bites-with-bill-binch/id1732334718

Read Bill's Content:  

https://www.battery.com/blog-author/bill-binch/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:33] Lessons from Oracle and PeopleSoft
[00:04:32] Purposeful Career Moves and Sacrifices
[00:09:02] Navigating Career Challenges and Mentorship
[00:13:05] The Importance of Learning and Patience
[00:32:19] Transitioning to Smaller Companies
[00:45:57] Transparency and Community Building at Marketo
[00:47:13] Simplifying the Message: A CRO's Skill
[00:48:48] Recruitment Challenges and Strategies
[00:51:55] Building a High-Performance Sales Team
[00:52:37] The Importance of Employee Value Proposition
[00:55:47] Traits of Successful Sales Reps
[00:59:28] The Role of a CRO in a Startup
[01:01:07] Navigating the CRO-CEO Relationship
[01:05:25] Forecasting and Accountability
[01:09:48] Transitioning to an Operating Partner Role
[01:18:43] Advice for Aspiring CROs and Board Members

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:28] "People that raise their hands and say the word yes, opportunities open up for you when that happens." — Bill Binch
[00:10:50] "Learn, earn, and return. And you don't ever stop; as you grow, you acquire more of those stages." — Bill Binch
[00:11:00] "So it starts with learning your craft, learning your skill, getting good at something." — Bill Binch

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined once more by Doug Holladay, author of 'Rethinking Success,' to discuss the critical elements of building genuine relationships in a business and personal context. They explore the increasing loneliness in modern society, the importance of maintaining authentic connections, and the significant impact of leadership vulnerability. They also delve into practical insights on forming small supportive groups and the broader implications of creating meaningful friendships. The conversation highlights the value of showing up for others and the importance of embracing both strengths and vulnerabilities as a leader.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Doug Holladay:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougholladay/

Check out Doug’s book ‘Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life’:
https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Success-Essential-Practices-Finding/dp/0062897888

Listen to past episodes featuring Doug:
Leading Authentically: https://hubs.li/Q02_8bfg0
Rethinking Success: https://hubs.li/Q02_8bsL0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:42] Discussing 'Maintaining Genuine Relationships'
[00:01:15] The Decline of Communal Bonds
[00:02:23] Loneliness and Mental Health
[00:04:09] Cultural Differences in Family Dynamics
[00:07:49] The Importance of Vulnerability
[00:13:21] The Power of Presence and Listening
[00:18:09] Authenticity and Connection in Leadership
[00:29:03] The Role of Storytelling in Business
[00:34:36] The Power of Knowing People
[00:35:20] Contempt and Polarization
[00:37:08] Fear and the Pace of Change
[00:39:03] The Importance of Authentic Relationships
[00:40:40] Building Meaningful Connections
[00:41:54] Balancing Busy Lives and Friendships
[00:46:05] Parenting and Personal Growth
[00:53:53] The Value of Vulnerability

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:07:50] "Men don't have a language of the heart. So when they're hurting like this, they don't know how to really give voice to it."
[00:20:35] "Everyone has a story. The people that are hearing that story, they make space for that story. They make space for that. And they don't try to interject their story into anybody else's story."
[00:28:01] "People don't care about all that mumbo jumbo. They just want to know you care. Just be present." 
[00:43:46] "The best thing you can do for your kids is keep working on you. I want my boys to see that, wow, dad has real friendships. Everything's not a transaction. He shows up for people."
[00:53:03] "Allowing people space to tell their story with no judgment, no expectation, no agenda is way harder than you think it is."
[00:53:55] "People are more attracted to our broken parts. They just want to be heard."

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and sales leader Maury Rogow. Maury talks about using powerful storytelling techniques in the context of sales, and how marketing and sales teams should be working together seamlessly to attract and convert customers. 

Maury also takes us into the story of how he got into Hollywood and how he transformed himself from the kid who couldn’t raise his hands in school to a capable public speaker, and that one time he opened for comedian Joe Rogan. 

Additional Resources:

• Key Characteristics for CROs to Hone in Each Stage of Growth | https://forc.mx/3uUCM3Z
• Taking on a New VP of Sales Role? Key Resources: | https://forc.mx/3KTEism
• Donate to breast cancer research: https://drsusanloveresearch.org/
• Check out Maury's book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TB1FKLX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
• Connect with Maury on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauryrogow/
• More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDS

HIGHLIGHTS

• Many salespeople fail because they lack this basic skill
• Your customer is the hero of the story 
• Always know where you are in the buyer's journey
• Get the S-T-U-F-F in your stories to make them effective 
• Know your customer's learning style
• The messaging must be seamless from marketing to sales
• The shy kid who couldn't raise his hand in school
• Introducing the E-P-I-C story structure
• How Maury got into Hollywood and the lessons learned 
• Advice for connecting to people remotely

QUOTES

Maury: "Your brand will thrive or die based on the story you tell. That's for the sales people and it's for executives too. The reason I say that is it's all based on fact but I got to get it across fast. Salespeople are failing out there because they don't have the basic skills to grab attention and then be memorable." 

Maury: "Sure, you get plenty of sales without your story in there. They're probably low value, they're probably the cheap shots, you're probably making quota or getting to your quota. But the folks that are really good at this, the folks that really can tell a great story, can get somebody else to share, they're the ones bringing in the six, the seven, even eight-figure deals because they're building a relationship." 

Maury: "The hero of the story is them. You're not the hero. Don't tell me you're here to make a bunch of money. Don't tell me your IPO is gonna put 10 million in your pot. Nobody wants to hear that. They want to hear how it helps them. And if you get served because of it, fantastic. But they're the hero of the story." 

Maury: "If you confuse, you will lose. Gotta keep it simple." 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Thank you for listening to Revenue Builders. Listen to this brief message from John Kaplan.

Don’t miss Force Management’s upcoming webinar: Your SKO: Common Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make. They’ll talk about how to get beyond the “event’ and use it to focus on year-long execution. 

Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/ndma6es7

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we revisit the discussion with Patrick Ball, CRO of Crux Informatics, to explore the power of a well-defined sales process. Patrick shares how aligning with the buyer’s journey improves win rates, eliminates wasted efforts, and sets the foundation for a strong business case. He also discusses key red flags to look for, the role of stakeholder engagement, and how to structure a sales motion that drives real value. If you're in B2B sales, you won't want to miss this deep dive into sales execution.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:37] 53% of buyers select a vendor based on the buying process, making structured engagement essential.
[00:02:05] How a clearly defined sales process builds trust and credibility with prospects.
[00:02:53] The importance of “go/no-go” checkpoints to prevent wasted time and stalled deals.
[00:04:15] Red flags that indicate you’re dealing with the wrong person in the buying process.
[00:05:09] Why business value assessments (BVA) are critical to securing executive buy-in.
[00:06:10] Understanding the complexity of selling a managed service vs. traditional SaaS.

QUOTES

[00:01:37] “53% of buyers choose a vendor based on the buying process. So why wouldn’t we want to control that in the best possible way?”
[00:02:53] “A well-structured sales process keeps both the vendor and the prospect in lockstep, ensuring we’re not wasting time on deals that won’t close.”
[00:04:15] “If a prospect resists engaging in a business value assessment, it’s often a sign you’re talking to the wrong person.”
[00:05:40] “Sales isn’t just about a single point of contact—it’s about engaging all the necessary stakeholders to drive a deal forward.”

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/complex-sales-critical-stages-in-a-customers-buying-process

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Pawan Deshpande is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, and a Head of Product & Growth at Linea. He has founded multiple successful companies, including Curata, a content marketing and analytics software company. Pawan has extensive experience in customer success and has implemented a critical care framework to improve customer retention and satisfaction.

Pawan shares his experience with customer success and introduces the concept of critical care, a proactive approach to customer support. He discusses the four distinct ways companies handle customer success: reactive support, onboarding, business reviews, and critical care. Pawan emphasizes the importance of a culture of ownership within the customer success team and the need for proactive monitoring of customer health. He also highlights the role of instrumentation and telemetry in detecting issues and setting appropriate thresholds. Pawan concludes by discussing the mindset shift required for effective customer success and the potential for upselling within the customer success role.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:05:11] Discussion of the challenges faced by Curata and the need for a culture change
[00:07:28] The importance of breaking down silos between customer success, sales, and product/engineering teams
[00:09:00] Creating collaboration between customer success and sales through pod structures
[00:10:36] Outcome-oriented goal setting for customer success teams
[00:11:01] Reactive support is like urgent care for customers
[00:16:58] Building instrumentation and telemetry into the product is important
[00:31:04] Importance of setting up thresholds for customer intervention
[00:38:21] Incentivizing customer success team through variable compensation
[00:41:42] Customer success is more important than sales for sustaining a business
[00:46:30] Client success should be involved in upsells, but may need partnership

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Pawan Deshpande: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawandeshpande/
How to Make QBRs Valuable for Your Customers: https://forc.mx/3s1Q3Jz
Become a Must-Have Solution for Customers in Any Economy: https://forc.mx/45ZRo1z

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:06:36] So what I did is I pulled my desk into the customer success room. And it was really eye-opening when I pulled up a desk in there and I would just work out of there and hear the conversations. What I really heard was a culture of futility. - Pawan Deshpande
[00:10:18] And that's like the impetus for critical care. That was one of the key instrumentations we had was detecting if someone hasn't used the product for 14 days, then we kind of swarmed the customer and tried to revive the account. - Pawan Deshpande
[00:22:37] And just on the usage, you know, that was particular to us and not all companies are like that. Our product is more like a gym membership. If you don't go to the gym every day, you're probably not going to show up ever again. - Pawan Deshpande

This short segment comes from our recent episode on Reasons Deals Don’t Close with Force Management’s Anne Gary. Today’s conversation focuses specifically on metrics - how to align them to your buyer and why reps often struggle with getting this critical information from the customer. 

Be sure to check out the full episode with Anne here: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/key-reasons-deals-dont-close

Don’t miss Force Management’s webinar on Building Consensus with Metrics. It’s geared towards reps and front-line managers. Share it with your teams. Here’s the link to sign up: https://hubs.la/Q02PG1Cf0

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Dan Barrett, Executive Vice President of Customers at MongoDB. Dan shares his journey of evolving MongoDB’s customer success strategy from a reactive to a proactive approach. He discusses the importance of hiring the right profiles, implementing disciplined processes, and understanding the nuanced root causes of customer churn. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone involved in customer success or looking to enhance their customer-centric strategies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:36] Transition from Reactive to Proactive Customer Success
[00:01:01] Implementing a Disciplined Process to Identify and Address Risks
[00:02:30] Balancing Skill and Will in Hiring and Developing Customer Success Teams
[00:04:47] Key Attributes for Successful Customer Success Managers (CSMs)
[00:06:21] Common Pitfalls in Customer Success Leadership
[00:08:24] The Complexity of Understanding and Addressing Customer Churn
[00:09:46] The Importance of Truly Listening to the Voice of the Customer

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:54] "The earlier you engage with the customer, the better chance you have of fixing their problems and getting them happy."
[00:02:54] "Part of it was a skill thing, but part of it was also a will thing. Do people actually want to be doing that kind of job?"
[00:05:34] "The biggest strength of a great CSM is that they just want to go above and beyond for their customers."
[00:07:31] "Customer success is not a silver bullet to a product that doesn’t work or doesn’t have product-market fit."
[00:08:43] "Most churn situations are much more complicated and nuanced than a single subcategory."
[00:10:33] "There is no substitute for actually talking to customers and understanding what really went wrong."

Listen to the full episode with Dan Barrett through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/an-outcome-mentality-the-right-way-to-approach-customer-success

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Sarah de Lagarde is a living miracle. Her story is one of resilience and is filled with lessons for all of us. Sarah is currently the Global Head of Communications at Janus Henderson in London, but last September her life changed forever when she was involved in a horrific accident that claimed her arm and leg. Somehow, throughout an ordeal that could have been fatal many times over, Sarah remained calm and refused to give up.

In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk with Sarah about her journey, adjusting to a new reality, and the power of gratitude. They explore how her background in crisis communication helped her on the tracks that night, and Sarah shares some expertise for founders and leaders on how to handle internal and external communications for their teams, particularly in times of crisis. 

Here are some key sections to check out: 

03:15 Sarah’s miracle story

06:09 Gratitude above all emotions after the accident

10:42 Pushing through the pain of an accident

16:38 Journey to recovery and raising money

21:38 Sarah’s background in crisis communication

32:26 Advice for companies that don’t have a corporate communications team

38:35 Resilience and living in the moment

44:06 The psychological immune system and living in the present

Additional Resources:

• Support Sarah’s GoFundMe campaign for a bionic arm: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarah-get-a-bionic-arm
• Connect with Sarah de Lagarde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-delagarde-comms/
• Visit the Janus Henderson Group website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/janus-henderson-group-plc/

QUOTES

Sarah - choosing gratitude every day: “It's a very conscious decision that I make every day when I wake up. When something like this happens, there's a whole range of emotions that you feel every day, and one overwhelming emotion is that of gratitude, and that is because I could have died so many times that night, and yet I didn't, I clung on to dear life, I made it. And now, everything I see is 10 times more beautiful than before, because I'm here, because I could have not seen it.”

Sarah - Take time, no shortcuts: “If you want to do this, right, you have to take your time, there are no shortcuts, you have to just go and accept it.”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan engage in a dynamic conversation with Leslie Venetz, an expert in outbound sales strategies. Leslie delves into the art of cold calling and objection handling, drawing from her extensive experience. She shares invaluable insights into common objections, the psychology behind them, and practical strategies for navigating them effectively. Discover how curiosity, conversation, and conclusion form the pillars of successful cold calls, and learn actionable techniques to empower your sales team.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:30]Common Objections: Leslie identifies 13 common objections encountered in sales cycles, emphasizing that objections are inevitable and must be anticipated. 
[00:03:09] Rooted in Fear: Many objections stem from a lack of trust and fear of making the wrong decision, especially in uncertain economic climates.
[00:04:48] The 3 C's Framework: Leslie introduces the 3 C's approach—Curiosity, Conversation, and Conclusion—as a paradigm shift from simply overcoming objections to fostering genuine dialogue and understanding with prospects.
[00:06:38] Curiosity is Key: Rather than immediately trying to counter objections, sales professionals should prioritize curiosity and seek to understand the underlying reasons behind objections.
[00:07:54] Personal Detachment: Separating oneself from the product or solution helps salespeople handle objections objectively and maintain genuine curiosity about the prospect's perspective.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:23] "If you're getting on a cold call with somebody, you're going to hear at least one objection. Full stop."
[00:06:15] "The number one most important thing that you can do when you hear an objection is just try to keep the conversation going."
[00:07:07] "Some of the best salespeople...are so curious as to why the customer has that opinion...they start to ask why and they don't understand, and it's very genuine because they really don't understand and they really are curious."

Listen to the full episode with Leslie Venetz through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-art-of-cold-calling-with-leslie-venetz/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Your existing customer base is a vital part of your future sales pipeline. Today’s conversation with Allison Pickens explores how to reduce churn and ensure that your retention revenue pipeline stays full. Allison is an experienced investor, board director, and customer success expert. She joins John Kaplan and John McMahon today to discuss the importance of viewing customer success not as a separate activity from sales, but as an integral part of the sales process and, ultimately, the value of your solution. Allison shares strategies for assessing customer health during economic uncertainty, harnessing the power of AI for customer success, and aligning customer success with your overall sales objectives.

Here are some key sections to check out: 

00:56 Introducing Allison Pickens: Investor, board director, and CS expert

01:48 Why has customer success become so important?

06:43 Why are companies slow to adopt customer success?

10:48 Importance of understanding the customer’s ROI

15:18 How do you monitor and manage customer health?

25:55 How do you measure customer success?

29:38 The importance of strong product documentation and user support

35:33 Understanding the root cause of churn

42:25 How can CEOs and founders learn from churn?

48:53 Injecting CS into the business

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Allison Pickens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-pickens/
• Get Allison’s book The Customer Success Economy: https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Obsessed-Company-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1119572762
• Make QBRs more valuable for your customers: https://forc.mx/3Ukt7Pb
• Taking care of customers in a down economy: https://forc.mx/43esCuc

QUOTES

Allison - You need to invest in supporting your customers: “The revenue model has shifted and because you can't just sell a customer and ignore them after the fact, you actually need to pay attention to them in order to generate revenue for them later. You now need to invest in actually supporting them. So I think that, you know, we go where the revenue goes.”

Allison - Not taking customer success seriously will cost you getting left behind: “Nowadays, I would say that we're in the late majority stage of the adoption curve of customer success that, actually, if a company hasn't really started taking customer success seriously, they will probably be left behind in pretty short order.”

Allison - Documentation is a product itself: “I think the best companies think of documentation as a type of product in itself where they release updates to documentation in a structured way. They think about the impact of a new release on past documentation and past documentation that was written and ensure that it's kept up to date.”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

On this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to veteran football coach JD Brookhart. JD has led an interesting life, working as a coach for the Denver Broncos and several college football teams. He coached the Akron Zips to their first MAC Championship Title in 2005 and brought the team to their first collegiate bowl as a Division One program. 

Beyond his life in football, JD also earned accolades as a salesperson during his time with Xerox and is now a managing partner at CJ&M Holdings. JD talks about the parallels between coaching football and managing sales teams, particularly in building a team, motivating them, and knowing how to lead them to success. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Parallels between sports coaching and sales work 
• You need to know what motivates you and what motivates your team
• Nobody cares about what you know until they know you care  
• Team chemistry can be just as important as individual talent
• Always work just a little bit harder to find success 
• Leverage your network and believe in the power of who 
• Accountability, Productivity, and Persistence 

QUOTES

JD: "You got to have three rules to hiring. Number one, you got to know how to hire, two, you got to know how to fire, and number three, you got to do number one so you don't have to do number two." 

JD: "The guys that I've seen that are really good coaches, many times have been walk-arounds trying to prove themselves. Guys that worked up the ranks, that came from smaller schools. Sometimes those guys that have been there, they understand what it takes to be good and the time that we have to put in to be great." 

JD: "It’s always great to be on a winning team, but we’ve all been in a situation when things aren’t going so well. Whether it be the revenue numbers or the Games in the win column – that’s when real leaders differentiate themselves."

JD: "I look back on it, and I don't know of a job that I got by myself. I had somebody helping me or somebody I met along the way, which just changed the course of my life. I've just been fortunate to be around the people I've met through the course of my career." 

Connect with JD via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-brookhart-ba647977/

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the pivotal role of champions in accelerating sales performance. John McMahon explains the necessity of earning trust, educating, and developing champions to effectively sell on your behalf. He emphasizes the importance of differentiating your product and preparing champions to handle objections in competitive scenarios. Additionally, the discussion highlights the distinctions between 'coaches' and 'champions' and the significance of understanding influence and authority within an organization. This episode is a comprehensive guide for sales professionals aiming to leverage internal champions to drive success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:22] The Role of Champions in Sales
[00:00:43] Building Trust and Educating Your Champion
[00:01:09] Preparing Champions for Objections
[00:01:55] Role-Playing Scenarios with Champions
[00:03:41] Defining Coaches vs. Champions
[00:04:03] Understanding Influence and Authority
[00:05:31] Real-World Example: Selling to the Right Person

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:48] "First, you got to earn trust and you have to help educate and develop your champion."
[00:01:09] "When that champion goes into a meeting to talk about you and your product, there's going to be a competitor's champion in that same room."
[00:00:48] "You have to almost make them an internal salesperson because when you're not there, they have to basically sell on your behalf."
[00:05:07] "Stay away from Nina and stay away from Annie. Nina is no influence and no authority and Annie is authority and no influence."
[00:05:26] "What’s the difference between an org chart and a power chart? Authority and influence."

Listen to the full episode through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/a-closer-look-at-champions/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
ttps://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Doug May is the Chief of Staff to the CRO at Datadog. He has extensive experience in sales leadership and has a deep understanding of driving business value for customers.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, Doug emphasizes the importance of quantifying value in the sales process. By aligning solutions with customer goals and strategies, sellers can show real business impact. Discovery is crucial for understanding customer challenges, and building trust is essential for successful sales engagements. Presenting the results of a business value assessment in a simple and compelling way is key to gaining customer buy-in.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:10:16] Distinguishing oneself as a salesperson through business value.
[00:11:57] Importance of how you sell and what you sell.
[00:18:07] Earning the right to discuss personal pressure.
[00:20:21] Using the value pyramid framework to align solutions.
[00:28:30] Collecting metrics and understanding the problem worth solving.
[00:31:36] Building trust through understanding and consultative approach.
[00:34:51] Story about differentiating through understanding customer challenges and providing a business case.
[00:38:59] Creating a customer version of the sales process to set expectations.
[00:45:24] Importance of message framework and story arc in sales.
[00:53:15] Lifecycle of a BVA and its ongoing measurement of value.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Doug May and about their company:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougmay/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/datadog/

Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders:

https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJ

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:55:00] "What metrics are we going to help them measure? And when you can integrate this pre-sale value experience into the post-sale value experience. Value is the red thread from the very beginning, from my first call to the customer through the closing of a deal, onboarding, and customer expansion. It's something that's just there all the time."
[00:56:18] "In the best scenarios, the champion will get on the phone, invite us to the call with procurement, and explain a couple of critical points."
[01:00:20] "I've made a slide that highlights that incident, it's the punch in the gut. Now you're the procurement person, you see the people you've met, the incident, the quotes, this real-world incident. You almost become scared, not wanting to be the one that said no to this vendor."

John Jahnke, CEO of Tackle.io, has 20 years of experience in executive leadership roles. John has worked with companies like Pivotal, Greenplum, EMC, and Cognizant.

Jake Simpson, CRO of Tackle.io, has led companies through substantial growth phases as the CRO of Anapsis and Catalan Technologies.

In this episode, John Jahnke and Jake Simpson, discuss the emergence of cloud marketplaces as a route to market for software companies. They explain how cloud marketplaces, such as AWS, Microsoft, and Google, provide an avenue for ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) to align their sales with cloud providers and tap into the growing cloud budget. The guests highlight the benefits of using cloud marketplaces, including easier access to cloud budget, seamless transaction execution, and the ability to leverage strategic relationships with cloud providers. They also emphasize the importance of understanding the cloud ecosystem and building a cloud go-to-market strategy to take advantage of this high-growth channel.

Tune in and learn more about this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:07:21] Using cloud credits to purchase software on the marketplace
[00:11:38] Marketplace becoming a common channel for software companies
[00:16:48] Tackle platform integration with Salesforce enables easy engagement with cloud providers.
[00:19:46] Cloud budget and B2B software budget colliding to create a 2 trillion mega budget.
[00:20:24] Benefits of using Tackle platform for sales reps.
[00:24:03] Tackle IO allows executing transactions without engaging with cloud sellers.
[00:26:39] Marketing budgets under pressure, aligning ABM campaigns with cloud.
[00:28:27] Tackle IO simplifies the integration of websites with the marketplace.
[00:29:37] The evolution of marketplace experience towards a console-based model.
[00:32:34] The opportunity for CROs to leverage cloud marketplaces for go-to-market strategies.
[00:36:18] Tackle's revenue model and pricing structure
[00:37:36] Importance of marketplace strategy for all companies
[00:43:25] Career opportunities in cloud co-selling
[00:49:46] Jake Simpson echoes John Jahnke's thoughts on designing a cloud go-to-market strategy based on company strategy and go-to-market system.
[00:50:15] Jake Simpson sees an opportunity for responsible growth with efficiencies through cloud go-to-market strategies.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about John Jahnke.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjahnke/
jj@tackle.io

Connect and learn more about Jake Simpson.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakewsimp/
jake.simpson@tackle.io

Their Marketing Contact.
Erika Childers: ec@tackle.io

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:19:46] "The cloud budget is growing faster than any other budget in technology, say 20 percent year over year. It's 600 billion today. It'll be a trillion dollars in a handful of years."

[00:32:34} "There's a tremendous opportunity for those that should be leaning in here. Everyone's trying to figure out right now how to get back to growth, and throwing headcount at it is a risky proposition."

[00:38:23] "I think this movement's reshaping the way that channel works. And I think it's not just like marketplace cloud or channel, it's cloud and it can actually be an easy path to initiate your channel strategy as a software."

Today’s episode features world-class insight on driving revenue growth from investors behind some of the most successful startups in recent history. We offer perspectives from both Venture Capital and Private Equity with our guests, Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner Battery Ventures, Dave Tiley, Senior Operating Partner Align Capital Partners, and Izhar Armony, General Partner CRV. 

Tune in for tips on what to look for when investing in early-stage companies, the attributes investors seek when making leadership hires, and the four key dimensions of investing: market, team, technology, and the deal itself. Learn all of this and more in this conversation with our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon. 

Here are some key sections to check out:

01:42 Successful versus unsuccessful start-ups

7:50 How CEO selection determines success 

16:47 The investor’s “Rule of 40”

21:47 Differences between VC and PE investors

29:47 Focus on growth or earnings?

35:10 Attributes to look for when hiring leaders

45:10 Common mistakes of early-stage companies

53:07 Product-market fit in early-stage companies 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Neeraj on looking for a strong sales mentality when hiring CEOs: “The art of sales is more important than it was a few years ago because there's scrutiny in every decision. Having somebody who can connect the dots between the business problem, the value property or product, ROI, dealing with CFO scrutiny… that's all gone from “nice-to-haves” to super important right now.”

Dave on the mindset of going from good to great: “If we're not getting better each and every day in every phase of the business, and we think somebody else is, then we're not putting our best foot forward for our employees, shareholders and investors… You're just trying to optimize it and take it to the next level. Building companies to get to $20 million is one thing, but to get to $50 and then $100, you know, they're just different stages and steps; there's a different playbook for each.” 

Connect with our amazing guests in the links below:

• Neeraj Agrawal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajagrawal2000/
• Dave Tiley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetiley/
• Izar Armony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izhararmony/
  
   

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

HOST: John McMahon 

GUESTS: Neeraj Agrawal, Dave Tiley, and Izhar Armony

Revenue Builders Podcast

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, Snowflake's CRO Chris Degnan delves into the pivotal decisions and strategies that led Snowflake to its incredible growth. Chris shares insights into recognizing key moments and adapting to changing market dynamics. From selling to large enterprises to navigating the shift to the cloud, Chris provides valuable lessons on scaling a successful business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:53] The pivotal moment when Capital One became a game-changer for Snowflake's growth.
[00:02:21] Identifying an ideal customer profile and how it reshaped Snowflake's strategy.
[00:03:06] Mechanically expanding the addressable market and pursuing a larger customer base.
[00:06:40] Balancing the rapid expansion of the addressable market while maintaining focus and not overextending.
[00:08:40] Adapting to changes and reorganizing the sales team to effectively target large enterprises.
[00:10:32] The importance of adaptability, coachability, and a willingness to try new strategies.
[00:12:40] The significance of understanding your company's culture and capabilities before making major changes.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:19] "We got something, and it was a lot of work because they wanted us to do more engineering work than we originally planned."
[00:04:43] "You can't build a business on just the large enterprise. Getting new logos matters."
[00:05:53] "The competition can't help them vacate the data center; Snowflake can."
[00:07:28] "You can't sell to the large enterprise the same way you're selling to small and medium businesses."
[00:09:24] "What worked before doesn't mean it's going to work forever."
[00:10:50] "You gotta figure out, is this game-changing? How do you balance it and understand what you have in the kitchen before bringing something new?"
[00:12:40] "Before you decide to remodel, figure out what's in the kitchen first."

Listen to the full episode with Chris Degnan in this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/scaling-and-growth-with-chris-degnan

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk through their experiences with recruiting talent, and why many companies often stumble in this fundamental step. Your employees are the lifeblood of your business, and to be successful, you need to hire the right people. In this era of mass resignations and global hiring, business leaders and interviewers need to hone in on the characteristics, skill sets and knowledge of what will make sales talent successful in your company.

Additional Resources:

• Hiring Great Sales Talent: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/revenue-builders/id1610203369

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stop relying solely on the resume or LinkedIn profiles 
• Sales people are not created equal 
• Interviewers need to both qualify the candidate and sell the opportunity
• Look for qualified candidates, not friends
• Companies should equip their employees with skills and knowledge
• Don't sleep on the references 
• How candidates can prepare for the interview 

QUOTES

John MacMahon: "If I'm gonna be in a fast growing company, two of the most essential characteristics I have to have in a person is intelligence and drive. Because skills take a lot of time to develop. If somebody's really smart in a classroom, I can teach them stuff. On the job, I can teach them stuff pretty quickly. But it's the skillset that takes a really long time to develop." 

John Kaplan: "I found that some of the best interviewers have emotionally connected to what they do matters and why it matters and therefore, it comes across the interview process. I find people woefully prepared to really talk about why what they do matters." 

John MacMahon: "The mistake that a lot of first time leaders make is they are almost looking more for a friend than they are for a candidate that can really be successful int he role. Because of that they do some people a disservice because they truly don't have the knowledge or the skillset to be successful. But they like the person."

John Kaplan: "The knowledge and skills are the responsibility of the company to bring them the knowledge that they're going to need and to give them  the opportunity to enhance their skills, to develop the skills, to position that knowledge effectively. The responsibility of the individual is to bring their character to that equation."  

Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.com

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

What makes a winning strategy? According to today’s guest Chuck Bamford, PhD, author of The Strategy Mindset 2.0, strategy is about developing and aligning on a competitive advantage that actually moves the needle in your customer’s experience. It’s aligning on strategy from the top down that can often be a challenge for sales organization.

Chuck is the author of multiple strategy books used in MBA and Entrepreneurship courses around the country. He joins us today to talk common pitfalls, new realities, and winning implementation processes for strategy. Tune in for some truly golden insights shared in this conversation with our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon.
 

Here are some key sections to check out: 

03:47 Defining strategy and how not to complicate it

16:06 The two disconnects in business

25:04 The importance of aligning goals with compensation

33:13 Avoid knee-jerk reactions during slow economic times

43:30 Hygiene around the ideal customer profile

50:08 Company culture tied to strategy

53:59 Creating a differentiation strategy

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Chuck Bamford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-bamford-ph-d-67b9811/
• Get The Strategy Mindset 2.0: https://www.bamfordassociates.com/the-strategy-mindset-2-0
• How to Enable Sellers to Execute on Your Revenue Strategy During Economic Change: https://forc.mx/3OfBtGR
   

QUOTES

Chuck on converting KPIs:

“I think one of the big disconnects in business is that everything that leadership does is hypothesis. They believe that if we invest here, here and here, and our employees do this, this and this, that as we move forward, the number of customers will go up or returning customers or our EBITA, but they don't want to address what the activities are, or to convert it to activity metrics.

Chuck on aligning with employees: 

“I tell everybody that the entire game in alignment with all my employees, I'm trying to get as many employees as I can to buy into my strategy. And the entire game is that it fits with how they view the company in the world, and that they are compensated and rewarded for making that happen.”

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the critical intersection of sales and technical resources with seasoned IT and engineering professional Keith Textor. They explore the nuances of role delineation between sales and technical teams, the importance of a well-defined sales process, and strategies for shaping customer objectives and managing expectations. The conversation dives into the art of leveraging technical expertise to drive business outcomes, the challenges of Product Led Growth (PLG), and effective ways to recognize and reward technical contributions. With valuable insights and real-life examples from their experiences, they provide a comprehensive guide to enhancing collaboration between sales and technical teams for improved customer success.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Keith Textor:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithtextor/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:05] Role Delineation: Sales vs Technical Resourcess
[00:02:49] Understanding Customer Requirements
[00:06:33] Effective Demonstrations and Building Champions
[00:14:59] Navigating Remote Sales Dynamics
[00:27:22] The Importance of Sales Process and Qualification
[00:39:09] Navigating Company Dynamics
[00:39:49] Understanding the Right Audience
[00:40:19] Challenges in Selling CAD Software
[00:42:13] Driving Organizational Change
[00:46:47] The Role of Sales Engineers
[00:48:36] Aligning Sales Process with Customer Needs
[00:56:32] Recognizing Technical Contributions
[01:10:27] Leveraging Telemetry for Customer Success

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:26:13] "Your first job is to go sit down with your sellers, go introduce yourself, and get into as many meetings, as many demos, as many things you can."
[00:49:32] "If your process allows for things like that to happen, you're never going to scale."
[01:03:52] "There's a risk/reward difference in personalities."

Keno Helmi is a five-time CRO with a wealth of experience in the technology industry. He has held leadership positions at companies such as PTC, HP, Digby, Duetto, Platform 9, and Pegasus. Currently, he serves as the CRO at Espressive.

Keno discusses the importance of proof of value (POV) in the sales process. He explains that a POV is not just about validating the technology, but also about validating the business case. By setting clear success criteria and involving the economic buyer (EB) in the process, sales reps can increase the predictability of the outcome and improve their forecasting. Keno emphasizes the need for a champion to take the rep to the EB and highlights the importance of thorough qualification before engaging in a POV. He also shares best practices for running a successful POV, including defining objectives, setting clear success metrics, and involving the sales rep throughout the process. Keno concludes by discussing the importance of debriefing with the champion and presenting a comprehensive report or presentation to the EB after the POV.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:00] POC vs. POV: POC validates technology; POV validates both tech and business value.
[00:05:19] Meeting the Economic Buyer is critical for authority and budget.
[00:11:50] Don't do POCs too early; understand the customer's use case.
[00:14:11] Champions expedite sales by taking you to the Economic Buyer.
[00:18:17] POC should lead to a natural close, not put the customer in the market.
[00:25:11] The go, no-go meeting with the Economic Buyer is decisive.
[00:38:33] Share a comprehensive RFP or scoring template to guide the evaluation.
[00:41:45] Leverage serendipitous visits from stakeholders to build additional champions.
[00:43:29] Proactively bring in potential champions who may not be aware of the POV.
[00:46:13] Actively engage during the POV, troubleshoot discreetly, and showcase successes.
[00:48:16] Create a comprehensive report or presentation (Champion's Deck) summarizing technical and financial results.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:10:28] "You want to do a P.O.V. to increase the predictability of the outcome, improve your forecasting, and potentially grow the business value of the deal."
[00:13:25] "That person has earned the right to be called a champion and not a prospective champion. You do not have the right to call that person a champion until that person takes you to the economic buyer."
[00:15:11] "You want to ensure that your test plan is going to be the scoring mechanism by which all vendors are evaluated."

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Connect with Keno: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keno-helmi-74779329/
More on Espressive: https://www.espressive.com/ 
Engineer Your Strongest SKO Yet: https://forc.mx/46BipZB 

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan delve into the intricacies of recruitment and retention in B2B sales with Mike Earnest of Wiz. They discuss the critical importance of creating a strong recruitment culture, defining key traits for top recruits, and effective sourcing strategies. The conversation also covers how to manage and retain talent through authentic leadership, development opportunities, and consistent expectations. Earnest shares personal experiences and practical advice for sales leaders, making this episode a comprehensive guide for sustaining high-performing sales teams.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Mike Earnest:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-earnest-1a0a607/

Read Force Management’s Guide to Increasing Company Valuation: https://hubs.li/Q038n0jT0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:42] The Importance of Recruiting in Sales Leadership
[00:01:59] Three Rules of Recruiting
[00:03:08] Building a Culture of Promotion
[00:08:56] Traits to Look for in New Recruits
[00:15:57] Challenges and Strategies in Recruiting
[00:32:44] Sourcing Top Talent
[00:37:03] Defining the Ideal Candidate Profile
[00:38:10] Proactive Pipeline Generation Strategies
[00:39:23] Leveraging New Hires for Recruitment
[00:42:08] Creative Recruitment Tactics
[00:46:29] Retention Strategies for Top Talent
[00:51:17] Challenges of Leadership Transitions
[01:00:28] Supporting New Managers

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:10] "You have to create a culture of recruiting. It’s our pipeline generation as leaders."
[00:03:09] "You better have a culture of promotion."
[00:10:25] "It's doing the hard things when no one's watching." – Mike Earnest, defining grit.
[00:11:47] "What I hear so many people say is they got grit and you think they got grit, but you guys are talking past each other."?
[00:23:55] "A lot of times people say they want to do it, and then when they get up there and they don't have real persistence and determination to gain those new skills, everything kind of unravels."
[00:24:20] "I used to tell people that forced management: You're absolutely going to fall on your face here. I promise you."

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Anne Gary, Director at Force Management. With several sales management roles under her belt, Anne knows a thing or two about building and operating large complex sales organizations from scratch, resulting in closing multi-million dollar sales. Anne talks about her journey from engineer to sales leader, the value of understanding a company’s political landscape, and how to identify and cultivate potential in people. 

Additional Resources:

• Connect With Anne Gary on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gary-a054aa96/
• Donate to The Boys & Girls Clubs of America | https://www.bgca.org/
• More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDS
• Using MEDDICC to Drive Revenue Predictability | https://forc.mx/3mZ5r3i  
• How To Enable Your Sales Team To Execute At The Buyer Level | https://forc.mx/3QGXq0D  

HIGHLIGHTS

• From engineering to sales 
• Always look for a problem to solve 
• How to separate the great salespeople from the good ones
• Hiring for startups, then and now
• Go wide and deep on the buying organization's political landscape 
• Look out for an organization's champions
• If you're not constantly training, you're stagnating
• How to spot a great leader

QUOTES

Anne: "So many people, they keep trying to change things up all the time instead of just staying the course for a while. Pick something that you know needs to be done, implement it, stay the course and see what happens. Because we know from engineering, you don't change 10 or 12 variables and try to figure out what's working because you won't know." 

Anne: "Probably the biggest thing for me when I was interviewing was to ask a salesperson about a sale that they had been through recently, and I wanted to know about the political landscape. I would ask them to go up the board, draw the organization chart, and tell me who are the people that are the influencers in the situation and have them walk me through that." 

Anne: "I find that the best champions are the ones that are not just about themselves and a personal win for themselves but also about the organization win as well." 

McMahon: "I always say that you know you have a champion when the sales process has moved from unpredictable to predictable." 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Hubspot’s original senior vice president for sales and later Chief Revenue Officer, Mark Roberge. Mark talks about working at Hubspot since day one, building the sales department from the ground up, offering advice on prioritization, hiring, addressing retention and reducing churn. Mark also shares his present journey as a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School and Managing Director of the VC firm Stage 2 Capital. 

Additional Resources:

• Donate to Build.org: https://build.org/
• Buy Mark's book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• Titles generally do not mean anything 
• You need to learn prioritization as a sales leader 
• The best sales reps don't necessarily make the best sales managers 
• There is no such thing as a universal top sales hire profile
• Don't take coachability for granted in hiring 
• How Mark addressed employee retention at Hubspot 
• Foray into investing and the lessons learned 
• Is an economic winter coming? 
• Mark's beef with most MBAs 

QUOTES

Mark answers why promoting your best seller as manager isn't the best idea: "The job of salesperson and manager is so different. Salesperson is going out doing great discovery, moving people through a process, being good with your time. Sales management is all about picking people and empathy, understanding, connecting, and coaching and discipline."

Mark's advice for success in hiring: "Have the discipline every quarter to sit down and look back on your people that you hired six months ago so that you now know are they doing well or not. And reflect on why and what those attributes are and iterate on your scorecard. And have the discipline to sue your scorecard in your hiring process." 

Mark's three biggest lessons about retention: "Retention is probably your biggest number, even more than top line revenue growth. Okay, that's learning number one. Number two, the root of retention issues is in sales. It's not in product, usually. Sometimes in product but most of the time the root is in sales. And number three, the best way to fix it is through compensation."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

HIGHLIGHTS

• How a business travel company survived COVID-19 lockdowns 
• Achieving growth and pivoting in a time of crisis 
• Using content to drive brand recognition and revenue on a budget
• Discussions about Product-Led Growth
• Always try to find out how and why your customers are buying
• Biggest challenges over the last two years for a CMO
• We need to create second-line leaders 
• Look for problem solvers, not victims
• Donate to Ukraine

QUOTES

Kaplan: "Everybody's boat went down at the same time. Around the world, it's one of those rare times where everybody's boat in the harbor goes down, but not everybody's boat rose at the same time. And I was just really really impressed that the way your answer was, it's now time to get close to our customers." 

Meagen: "When there's no wind, you row." 

Meagen: "Back then, we were focused. We knew what we had to do. We had to create a sense of urgency. As I said, inbound dried up. Nobody was looking for travel solutions. In fact, the first thing was, are you kidding me we're in a pandemic why are you trying to sell this?" 

Meagen: "Originally we were targeting the travel manager, but they all got furloughed. So now we need to switch and which was the smarter thing to do, is target the CFO who manages travel under procurement typically, and finance and accounting." 

Meagen: "We need to switch, we need to redefine our ICP, the right customer profile to go after, and I needed product marketers. And I just thought I'm gonna go heavy on product marketer's content, we're gonna build academies. So when the travel manager gets their job back, there's gonna be a new world." 

Meagen: "You want the ability to self-serve and get the low end of the market, but you get big money in the mid-market and upper side of it. So don't leave that on the table. Either develop both, and it's going to be a lot easier to sell if it's an amazing product and has product market fit, and you're not going to get product led growth without product market fit."

McMahon: You can't be all things to all people, especially as we talked about how marketing has expanded so much in the last 10 years. You can't be an expert in every different disciplines. You need to hire great leaders underneath you. And that should be a lesson for any leader that's listening on the phone.” 

Connect with Meagen and her work with the links below: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meageneisenberg/
• Website: https://tripactions.com/ 

Additional Resources:

• Donate to Ukraine: https://tripactions.com/ukraine
• Making the Most of Every Lead: Key Questions to Help Sales and Marketing Alignment | https://forc.mx/3uPZSHF
• What CROs prioritize to drive PLG success | https://forc.mx/3K0HqCB

Connect with Mike with on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemcsally/

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive into when to focus on product-led growth. John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss product-led growth (PLG) with Alex Bilmes, the founder and CEO of Endgame. They explore the types of products that are well-suited for PLG and those that may not be a good fit. Alex explains that products that are easy to use, provide immediate value to the user, have a short time to value, and have a low price are ideal for PLG. However, more transformative products that require organizational change and have larger deal sizes may require a sales process to facilitate adoption. Alex also shares insights on how to determine if PLG is a good fit for a product and the questions to ask before implementing a PLG strategy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Transformative products that require organizational change and have larger deal sizes may not be a good fit for PLG.
• When considering PLG, it is important to assess the product's interface with different disciplines and other products, as well as its impact on user behavior.
• Endgame focuses on the sales side of PLG and helps companies integrate sales efforts with product data to accelerate revenue growth.
• Understanding the ideal customer profile (ICP) from a product-led perspective and using data to create behavioral-based ICPs are crucial for successful PLG implementation.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

• "Humans are tricky. Anything that requires interfacing with humans or interacting with people always adds a layer of complexity." - Alex Bilmes
• "If you don't know what harbor you're sailing for, no winds will get you there." - Alex Bilmes
• "A product-led sales orientation lets you validate what the company is doing using empirical data, meaning you can tell how people are already using your product." - Alex Bilmes

Listen to the full episode with Alex Bilmes through these links: 

• Leveraging Product-Led Sales for Growth with Alex Bilmes: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/leveraging-product-led-sales-for-growth-with-alex-bilmes/id1610203369?i=1000635042791

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by experienced tech executive Jim Baum. With a remarkable track record of leading companies like Netezza and Indeca to successful acquisitions, Jim reflects on his early career lessons and the journey from managing to leading. He shares insights into overcoming imposter syndrome, the art of hiring, and how to transition from a doer to a leader of leaders. Whether you're a first-time manager or a seasoned executive, this episode is packed with actionable advice for growing yourself and your team.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:02:03] Jim shares his first experience hiring someone older and more experienced, emphasizing the importance of understanding people's motivations.
[00:03:22] Key lesson: It's not about your age or experience; it's about the environment, relationships, and mission you offer.
[00:04:12] Moving from doing everything yourself to empowering managers is crucial for scaling as a leader.
[00:05:12] Leaders should focus on hiring people who are smarter and more skilled in their domains.
[00:07:09] Overcoming imposter syndrome involves trusting in your management and leadership abilities while empowering others to excel.

QUOTES

[00:03:05] "What motivates people to work in an environment isn’t about you—it’s about the relationships, the mission, and the team."
[00:05:12] "As a leader, your job is to hire the best people to fill leadership roles in the company and let them excel."
[00:07:26] "Respect for experience is important, but you have to recognize your own leadership abilities to take the organization where it needs to go."

Listen to the full conversation with Jim Baum through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-entrepreneurial-mindset-with-jim-baum

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to five-time (2 as player and 3 as coach) Super Bowl Champion Thomas “Pepper” Johnson. Pepper shares the good and the bad of the many leadership styles he encountered while playing and coaching alongside some of football’s greatest legends in the NFL. He stresses that talent does not equal success - focus, hard work, and a team-player attitude ultimately determine your fate. Pepper’s advice for leaders: find your own voice and be comfortable in your skin.

Additional Resources:

• America’s most trusted all-natural transdermal vitamin patch provider: https://buyb1.com/
• Learn how you can help reduce climate change and help rebuild the planet for future generations: https://www.breezypointenergy.com/
• Connect with Pepper on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/pepper-johnson-3a698312/
• Check out Pepper’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/pepj52/?hl=en
• Follow Pepper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pepj52?lang=en
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Focus on the game, not your pride
• Being a leader goes beyond the game
• Why Pepper never watched ESPN while playing in the NFL
• Leadership lessons from Harry Carson and George Martin
• Carry your own weight
• Make sure you're ready for your turn
• A strong culture is passed down from one generation to the next
• Never let distractions steer you away from your true potential
• One man is not bigger than the team
• Leadership styles learned from Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and Nick Saban
• Leaders need to find their own voice

QUOTES

Pepper on his legacy as an NFL player: "I really didn't realize the impact and the goals... and making my name in the league while I was playing. I really didn't see myself in that form. I was focused on doing my job and trying to win ball games as much as possible." 

The common trait that differentiated NFL League players from the rest, says Pepper: "Those were the guys that allowed distractions, whether it was on the football field, or it was off the football field, allowing them to not really perform the way that they should've been performing. [There were] some teammates that I've had going even back to high school that I thought really had the talent to go to college and could play in the league because I've seen guys in the league with lesser talent. But when I had a conversation with those guys that made it in the league, a little more dedication was there." 

Pepper's tips for leaders looking to find their own voice: "When you're trying to coach people, when you're trying to be your best, then you want to be comfortable. You don't want to feel like you have someone else's thoughts in your head. You have to make them your own."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

George Conrades, the Former CEO of Akamai Technologies and Current member of Oracle’s Board of Directors joins John Kaplan and John McMahon for a conversation on leadership. Conrades is the author of ‘On Being a Leader’ where he shares how to inspire and guide others toward a common purpose. 

He’s mentored countless leaders at all levels and across diverse industries, experiences and backgrounds. He shares his experience in this candid conversation. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about George Conrades:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeconrades/

Be sure to check out his book, On Being A Leader. All the proceeds go to the Akamai Foundation that supports STEM education in grades K-12.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DF6NVQ3V

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:06] Insights on Leadership from George's Book
[00:04:13] The Power of Effective Listening
[00:08:38] Inclusiveness and Team Building
[00:17:08] Navigating Change as a Leader
[00:20:05] Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership
[00:22:55] Balancing Management and Leadership
[00:24:28] Understanding Competence and Commitment
[00:28:09] The Importance of Being Present
[00:29:02] Leveraging Team Strengths
[00:33:54] Loving People: The Heart of Leadership
[00:37:16] Leadership Development Insights
[00:38:23] The Power of Authenticity
[00:39:03] Self-Awareness in Leadership
[00:39:36] The Impact of Words and Actions
[00:44:38] Recruiting the Right People
[00:50:55] Creating Clarity and Setting Goals
[00:52:53] Accountability and Team Dynamics
[01:00:04] Guiding Principles and Urgency
[01:01:35] The Importance of Humility

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:10] "Leadership is not about your title. Leadership is about your intention and actions."
[00:02:35] "Absorb uncertainty. Great teams, full of wonderful people, can't stand ambiguity."
[00:06:42] "To be present shows that you care, and that's a big emotion."
[00:34:19] "Your whole job as a leader is to inspire others to do their very best. The measure of your personal leadership success is leaving behind even better leaders."
[00:35:04] "You need to be vulnerable because you're going to ask questions that will expose you as a leader who doesn't know the answer."
[00:36:41] "Great leaders are made, not born."

In this inspiring episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to the Founder of Samaritan's Feet International, Manny Ohonme. Manny regales us with his life story of hope, faith, and selfless leadership that all started with a pair of shoes. Once a poor kid selling water and soda in Lagos, Nigeria, Manny worked hard to earn a basketball scholarship that became his ticket to the US. There, he devoted himself to his studies and eventually led a successful career in tech sales. Pursuing a search for greater purpose, Manny left his corporate career to establish a non-profit that would change the lives of millions around the world, one pair of shoes at a time. 

Additional Resources:

• Support Samaritan’s Feet: https://samaritansfeet.org/
• Connect with Manny on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mannyohonme/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• How basketball and a pair of shoes changed Manny's life 
• Arriving in America and succeeding despite every obstacle
• Divine intervention and answering the call to serve 
• Giving back to his community and its children with shoes 
• Over 1.5 billion people are infected by diseases transmitted through soil
• Giving shoes to children, veterans, and elderly all over the world
• How a missed PR opportunity led to 1.3 million pairs of shoes and more

QUOTES

Manny on servant leadership: "From CEOs to the president of companies to presidents of countries humble themselves to wash these people's feet. Let the greatest among you first be a servant. That's the power that Samaritan's Feet is all about."

How a pair of shoes can change someone's life, says Manny: "We are able to bring people together to invest and educate those kids and now you're going to help them rebuild their home and give them a new job opportunity all began from the gift of a pair of shoes."

Manny's message to people experiencing hardships: "Keep that dreaming part of you. Don't forget to keep dreaming. Because the situation gets so bad sometimes, they stop and forget to dream."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

The Chief Financial Officer is a critical, but often misunderstood role in growing companies. In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John MacMahon talk shop with four-time CFO Jim Kelliher about the intricacies of the CFO role. With vast experience under his belt, Jim talks about specific strategies that companies can use to scale effectively, and how CFOs can best guide their companies towards financial soundness. 

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Jim Kelliher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kelliher-8a3100/
• Donate to the Irish American Partnership | https://www.irishap.org/
• Drive Consistency in Your Sales Planning Process: https://forc.mx/3PuYNOa
• A CFO Perspective on Healthy Revenue Growth: https://forc.mx/3yIMhE6

HIGHLIGHTS

• What keeps CFOs up at night?
• Things to prepare before pitching to a CFO
• What is a frugal spend culture?
• All markets eventually bounce back
• What does a financially-sound company look like?
• Financial forecasting is a critical skill in business
• Cost-justification needs to come from an internal champion

QUOTES

Jim: "Our job is to control the business. We have to make sure we're not doing silly things with our cash, we're not doing things that don't make sense longer term. But our objective is really to grow the business." 

Jim: "When I say frugal, it's usually around an investment you're making in the company or in the infrastructure, or in a person that you expect to be paid back and have thought through. That's what I mean by frugal. Do it in the right way." 

Jim: "Let's do it a bit at a time, so that if it doesn't work, you haven't made  a big bet and you can kind of pull your foot off. If it doesn't work, you understand why it doesn't work and maybe you can self-correct in the middle of that process. That's what I mean by experimenting." 

Jim: "It will probably be volatile for a period of time. But longer term, good companies get the bulk of markets, good companies are successful, good companies are bought. So create a good company, create a good culture, create a scalable model, and you'll be just fine." 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Leslie Venetz is a corporate sales trainer and sales-led GTM consultant. She has made over 100,000 cold calls, was a 3x Head of Sales & is now the Founder of Sales Team Builder. Leslie uses her expertise to help teams talk WITH their prospects instead of AT them. She is an active content Creator with over 60,000 followers. She has posted daily on LinkedIn for over 1000 days & is a LinkedIn Top Voice. Leslie was also the first B2B sales creator on TikTok posting under @‌SalesTipsTok. ‌Leslie co-authored the book Heels to Deals: How Women are Dominating in B2B Sales. She is passionate about transforming sales into an inclusive, respected profession.

Leslie shares her expertise on cold calling. She emphasizes the importance of treating cold calling as a craft and using it as part of a multi-channel outreach strategy. Leslie provides tips on how to maximize success before making a cold call, including creating a segmented and niche list and conducting research on the prospect's business challenges. She also discusses the elements of a compelling cold call pitch and the importance of curiosity, conversation, and conclusion in handling objections. Leslie advises on the best practices for follow-up calls and offers insights on the ideal time to make cold calls.

Tune in and learn more in this episode of The Revenue Builders.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:03:24] Definition of cold calling and its relevance in sales
[00:07:25] Conducting research on ideal customers and their pain points
[00:13:14] Creating ways to make it easy for customers to get value
[00:24:59] Introduction to the topic of curiosity
[00:27:00] The value of keeping the conversation going
[00:30:10] Using curiosity to continue the conversation on cold calls
[00:39:19] Using a game-changing question to increase close rates
[00:46:06] Guidelines for follow-up calls and adding value
[00:51:58] Asking for referral if not the right person
[01:02:09] Conclusion

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Join Leslie at her Outbound Sales Masterclass in Tampa November 7th.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/outbound-sales-masterclass-with-leslie-venetz-nikki-ivey-tampa-nov-7-tickets-701193597927

Download her FREE Objection Deck for Cold Callers:
https://hubs.ly/Q01_NGRj0

Learn more about Leslie Venetz through this link.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz/

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:14:44] "The number one most important thing about cold calling is confidence."
[00:17:06] "The goal isn't to overcome the objection via email. The goal is to get curious and learn something."
[00:25:27] "The number one most important thing that you can do when you hear an objection is just try to keep the conversation going."
[00:49:27] "The reason for following up is never just to follow up and just to check in because that gives exactly no value to the person that we're speaking with."

If you’re trying to demonstrate value in a new category or sell a new solution like AI, then this podcast is for you. We pulled together three segments on the topic featuring:

Neeraj Agrawal - General Partner, Battery Ventures
Keno Helmi - CRO, Espressive
Chris Degnan - CRO, Snowflake

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For more information on Selling in a New Category, check out Force Management’s eBook: https://hubs.li/Q02GXNTZ0

Tune in and learn more about this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:28] Understanding market transitions and spotting opportunities.
[00:03:01] Challenges of new technologies as solutions looking for problems.
[00:04:29] Investing in new product areas and the importance of timing.
[00:05:07] The role of POVs in selling complex technologies.
[00:06:06] Different sales motions: Provoking interest vs. competing in an active market.
[00:07:52] Qualifying economic buyers before a POV.
[00:11:12] Realities of selling new technology at a startup.
[00:13:24] Strategies for targeting early customers and overcoming competition.
[00:15:14] Key customers that helped shape Snowflake's success.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:46] "Spotting these transitions and being there at the right point is a key component here."
[00:03:01] "New technologies as solutions looking for a problem must be the harder ones to guess."
[00:05:07] "Sharing a POV or a POC is critically important when you're selling a technology your customers may not understand."
[00:06:56] "If I have a brand new technology that customers may not understand, I can alleviate a lot of their concerns by doing a POV."
[00:11:32] "There's a misperception if you're a salesperson that you can go into an early stage startup and make a ton of money."[00:14:09] "Teradata was almost arrogant... They let the cloud sideswipe them."

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, Anne Gary, Managing Director at Force Management, dive into the crucial topic of identifying and understanding champions in the sales process. They explore the differences between business champions and technical champions, the significance of the power chart, and the role of coaches. Discover how to distinguish between these key players, the indicators to look for when meeting potential champions, and the importance of aligning with individuals who have both authority and influence within an organization.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:21] Start with an organization chart to understand the hierarchy, reporting structure, and positional authority within an organization.
[00:02:33] Identify not only positional authority but also influence within the organization, as influence plays a crucial role in decision-making.
[00:03:44] Just because someone holds a position in the organization doesn't guarantee their influence in the sales process, especially with the economic buyer.
[00:04:30] Look for change agents on the "power chart" who have a track record of making a positive impact on the organization.
[00:06:02] Influence and authority are independent of hierarchy; influential champions can be found at various organizational levels.
[00:07:23] Business champions focus on articulating positive business outcomes, while technical champions possess deep domain expertise.
[00:10:10] Champions provide access to the economic buyer's power, which is essential for controlling the decision process.
[00:12:26] Coaches offer valuable insights and guidance but may lack the authority and influence to access the economic buyer.
[00:13:40] Continuously test conversations to identify whether you're developing a technical champion or a champion with the necessary business acumen.
[00:15:11] Business champions address substantial business problems "above the noise" and speak in terms of business outcomes.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:03:44] "Just because somebody has positional authority in a company, we can't automatically conclude that they have power in the organization over a potential decision to buy our software."
[00:04:30] "Start by looking for change agents on the 'power chart,' individuals who have made a positive impact on the organization in the past."
[00:07:23] "Business champions focus on articulating positive business outcomes, while technical champions possess deep domain expertise."
[00:10:10] "You really know you're in control when you have a champion that's selling on your behalf, helping you control the decision criteria in terms of influence."
[00:15:11] "Business champions address substantial business problems 'above the noise' and speak in terms of business outcomes."

Listen to the full episode with Anne Gary in this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/finding-your-champion-with-anne-gary

Listen to the episode we did with Anne Gary on Economic Buyers here: 

https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/getting-to-the-economic-buyer-with-anne-gary

Check out John McMahon’s book here:

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender Platform: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

John McMahon and John Kaplan welcome Mike Hayes in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. In this conversation, Mike shares some of the lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL and how they have helped him in his current role as the Chief Operating Officer at VMware. He conveys the importance of collective accountability, humility, and purpose in leading any successful team. Mike’s book about his SEAL experiences, “Never Enough”, donates proceeds to his charity the 1162 Foundation, which helps families of fallen special operations heroes.

Additional Resources:

• Read “Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning” by Mike Hayes: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Enough-Commander-Excellence-Agility/dp/1250753376
• Support the 1162 Foundation: https://joingenerous.com/1162-foundation-inc-mrnn2my
• Visit VMware Website: https://www.vmware.com
• Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hayes-733688/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mike Hayes: A Navy Seal Commander on the Life of Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning
• Our Best is a Moving Target
• Lessons Learned from High-Performing Individuals and Organizations
• Taking the Path of Most Resistance
• Leadership in the Business World: Subordination, Decisions, and Confidence
• How to Be More Productive by Working Less
• Leadership in the Face of Adversity
• Making Decisions and Surrounding Yourself with Diverse Inputs
• The Importance of Confidence and Humility
• The Importance of Hiring Intrinsically Motivated Employees
• The Power of Focusing on What You Can Control
• The Importance of Capability in Leadership
• Leadership in the Face of Change

QUOTES

Mike - You already have the skill set to repeat your success: "What's really interesting is sure you can diagnose the winds and say what do we need to keep repeating, but by and large, you already have the skills that you need in order to keep repeating closing deals."

Mike - Diagnose your losses and learn from there: "What you want to do is think well, look at the deals that you lost in to diagnose the loss and say, What did I learn? And that feedback and that incorporation in a very open way, and having no ego and saying I could have done something better? What was it? That to me is the biggest ingredient."

Mike defines the true first decision: "The point that what I would say is the first decision in decision making is not the decision. The first decision in decision-making is when you need to make your decision."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Mark Roberge, co-founder at Stage 2 Capital and Harvard Business School lecturer. The discussion revolves around scaling sales and building a disciplined hiring process. Mark shares his insights into hiring for sales and highlights the importance of context in shaping the ideal sales team. He emphasizes the need to create a hiring scorecard with attributes like coachability, intelligence, and curiosity. Mark also explains the role of role-playing in interviews and the significance of continuous evolution in the hiring process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:52] Context matters in sales hiring, and there's no universal top sales hire profile.
[00:02:41] The Role of Context in Sales Hiring
[00:04:30] Creating a hiring scorecard with defined attributes is crucial for success.
[00:08:14] Role plays are critical in assessing candidates' abilities during sales interviews.
[00:11:37] The Ongoing Evolution of the Hiring Process

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:52] Context Matters in Sales Hiring - "I realized that there is no universal top sales, higher profile, but it's very contextual to your go to market context."
[00:04:30] The Importance of a Hiring Scorecard - "What I did was I sat back, and I, like the first thing I did... like a low score? So we have this rubric, right?"
[00:08:14] Role Plays in Sales Interviews - "I'll often like throw some curveball technical questions... they're uncomfortable."[00:11:37] Adaptability and Evolution in Hiring - "Your recruiting scorecard needs to evolve as your company evolves... and there's probably already a budget for your product."

Listen to the full episode with Mark Roberge in this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-blueprint-for-a-sales-dream-team-with-mark-roberge

Check out John McMahon’s book here:

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Chuck Bamford, renowned author and business strategist. Dr. Bamford sheds light on the critical issue of aligning corporate strategy throughout an organization, from top-level executives to frontline employees. Drawing from his extensive experience, he highlights the common pitfalls and challenges companies face in achieving this alignment and offers insightful strategies for overcoming them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:24] Alignment breakdown: Many employees, especially those closest to customers, often fail to see the relevance of corporate strategy to their daily tasks, leading to a disconnect between organizational goals and individual actions.
[00:01:39] Annual strategy setting: Corporate strategies are often formulated as a one-time event, lacking consistent follow-up, measurement, and adaptation throughout the year.
[00:02:23] Activity alignment: Bridging the gap between high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) and frontline activities is essential for ensuring organizational alignment and success.
[00:03:29] Misaligned incentives: Compensation structures and performance metrics for employees often do not align with the overarching corporate strategy, resulting in disengagement and inefficiencies.
[00:05:13] Alignment is key: Success in organizational strategy hinges on effectively communicating and aligning goals at all levels, ensuring that both strategic objectives and individual incentives are harmonized.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:45] "Everything that leadership does is a hypothesis... they don't want to address what the activities are or convert it to activity metrics."
[00:03:52] "I was so disconnected from those other levels... my measurements and compensation were completely misaligned with whatever the corporate strategy was."
[00:05:38] "The compensation needs to be based on the activities that you want those employees to do."
[00:07:00] "They're doing things that are destructive to the strategy... because they have to hit their KPI or they're out."

Listen to the full episode with Chuck Bamford through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/executing-a-winning-strategy-with-chuck-bamford/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4
Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon are joined by Devavrat Shah, CEO and co-founder of Ikigai Labs and MIT professor, to demystify the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. The conversation spans a wide array of crucial AI topics including the history and applications of AI, causal inference, explainability, and the integration of AI into sales and forecasting processes. Key highlights include the role of AI in consumption pricing, business model transformations, and job market impacts. Shah underscores the importance of governance, ethical use, and education in AI, offering valuable insights into AI tools from Ikigai Labs and their practical implementations in sectors like healthcare, supply chain, and BFSI. The discussion concludes with a focus on the explosive growth of AI, urging businesses to invest in internal education and to approach AI adoption with a 'proof of value' mindset for sustained success and global upskilling.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Devavrat Shah:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/devavrat-shah-63b59a2/

Learn more about AI through Ikagai Academy: https://www.ikigailabs.io/ai-academy

Check out Force Management’s guide on implementing AI for B2B Sales teams: https://hubs.li/Q02TG4tZ0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:03:02] History and Evolution of AI
[00:06:21] Understanding AI Terminology
[00:18:37] The Role of Explainability in AI
[00:26:45] AI in Consumption Pricing and Forecasting
[00:33:33] Future Possibilities and Implications of AI
[00:35:58] AI's Role in Healthcare and Decision Making
[00:37:08] Human-Machine Interaction and AI
[00:38:29] Embracing AI Tools in Daily Life
[00:40:33] Challenges and Governance in AI
[00:42:44] The Importance of AI Governance
[00:49:10] Introduction to IKIGAI Labs
[00:54:13] AI's Impact on Industries and Consumers
[01:01:18] The AI Revolution: Why Now?

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:03:15] "AI, statistics, machine learning, data science, for me, all of those terms have intimate relationships." – Devavret Shah
[00:04:32] "Humans primarily do two things really well: mind and muscle." – Devavret Shah
[01:00:27] "Don't just rush into AI because it's cool. Carefully choose where you go." – Devavret Shah
[01:00:51] "Have internal champions who should be educated in terms of how to use AI." – Devavret Shah
[01:04:13] "It's time to just upskill a little around AI so that we are not left behind." – Devavret Shah

Be sure to listen to a special message from John Kaplan on his conversation with Tom Deierlein, a former U.S. Army Major and combat wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet. He’s also a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient. 

Support Tom’s foundation: https://tdfoundation.org/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by sales veteran Tammy Sexton, currently CRO at Aerospike, discussing the crucial transition from being an account executive to a first-line manager. Tammy emphasizes the common pitfall of new managers acting as 'super reps' by trying to sell in their style rather than coaching their teams. She shares insights on empowering sales reps, recognizing individual strengths, and fostering lasting behavioral changes through effective coaching. The conversation highlights the importance of not overshadowing AEs in client interactions and allowing them to enjoy the critical negotiation phases. Tammy provides strategies to help new managers succeed in their roles and drive revenue goals without undermining their team's potential.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:45] Transitioning from AE to First Line Manager
[00:01:26] Avoiding the Super Rep Trap
[00:03:46] Effective Coaching Strategies
[00:04:11] Empowering Your Team

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:43] "Managers need to recognize when they're becoming super rep and when they're doing their AEs' job for them, as opposed to coaching them."
[00:01:59] "Sometimes letting them just fall off once is not a bad thing either."
[00:03:50] "Telling them what to do is never really effective. Asking them questions so that they figure out that they could be doing something differently themselves - that's when you're going to actually have a change that's going to be a lasting change in their behavior."
[00:04:21] "The most important person at the account is the rep and you're disrespecting the rep in front of the customer, you're not giving any power to the AE."
[00:05:09] "Taking that fun part away from them makes them not want to be on your team anymore."

Listen to the full episode through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/showing-value-as-a-sales-leader-with-tammy-sexton/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Veteran sales leader Carlos Delatorre joins Revenue Builders for a conversation into pipeline generation and the essential skills and metrics that sales leaders should monitor. Carlos shares his experience in building a sophisticated pipeline generation machine at MongoDB, highlighting the complexity of open source software sales. He emphasizes the importance of conducting thorough research on target accounts and tailoring messages to different personas. The discussion also covers key metrics such as net new meetings and visible opportunities, with Carlos providing insights into what constitutes a visible opportunity. Throughout the conversation, the importance of unambiguous exit criteria for each sales stage is emphasized as a crucial element of successful pipeline management.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:08] Pipeline Generation Is Crucial
[00:02:02] Building a Sophisticated Pipeline Recipe
[00:03:14] The Secret Sauce: PG Recipe
[00:03:33] Managing a Large Pipeline
[00:04:17] Key Metrics for Monitoring Sales
[00:08:15] Importance of Clear Exit Criteria

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:08] Pipeline Generation's Crucial Role - "I would say that I guess the thing that comes to mind the most is, um, pipeline generation." 
[00:03:14] The Secret Sauce of MongoDB's Success - "Over time, the PG recipe became a big part of the secret sauce for why that company was growing so quickly."
[00:04:49] The Significance of Visible Opportunities - "The second really important metric is visible opportunities or scope stage opportunities."
[00:08:40] The Power of Unambiguous Exit Criteria - "For each stage, you have unambiguous exit criteria."

The full episode with Carlos Delatorre in this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/driving-a-sales-discipline-with-carlos-delatorre

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Afghan freedom fighter, poet, and diplomat, Ambassador Massoud Khalili.

By all counts, Masood has lived a life in service of his people and country. In this episode, Masood talks about his experiences of war and its aftermath. He also shares the many lessons that he learned from his time in the resistance against the Soviets and the Taliban, specifically those he learned his father, the great Persian poet and diplomat Ustad Khalilullah Khalili and from his friend, the late Ahmad Shah Massod, also known as the Lion of Panjshir. 

Additional Resources:

• Get Masood's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-War-Freedom-Fighters-Invasion/dp/9386062771
• Website: https://www.masoodkhalili.com/
• Improve Forecasting by Helping Your Salespeople Prioritize the Right Opportunities: https://forc.mx/3QDTn4v
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• How Masood Khalili became a freedom fighter for his country
• Meeting the Lion of Panjshir and fighting for love of country
• If you win the war but lose peace, you lose both
• Remembering Ahmad Shah Massod and the assassination
• How 'Whispers of War' came to be

GUEST BIO

Massod Khalili is the son of the famous Dari language and Afghan poet laureate, Ustad Khalilullah Khalili. 

He studied BA and MA in Political Science in New Delhi University at Kirorimal University, India. 

In the war against the Soviets from 1980 to 1990, he was the political head of the Jamiat-i-Islami Party of Afghanistan and close advisor to Commander Ahmad Shah Masood. 

In the internal conflict that followed, he chose to be the Special Envoy in Pakistan to President Burhannudin Rabbani. Deported from the same country for his high rank in the Northern Alliance, he went to New Delhi in 1996 as the Ambassador of the Afghanistan (Anti-Taliban) where he stayed for many years. He was non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Nepal at the same time. 

On September 9th, 2001, Ambassador Khalili was sitting next to the hero of Afghanistan, Commander Massoud, when two men posing as journlists set off a bomb placed in their camera. Commander Massoud was assasinated and Ambassador Khalili survived. Two days later, Al Qaeda Attacked America. 

After his recovery, he was made the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Turkey and he is currently the first Afghan Ambassador to Spain. 

QUOTES

Masood's conversation with his father at the start of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: "He said, 'Go to Afghanistan, son. The war has started.' And I said, 'What about my PhD?' He said, 'Take your PhD from the mountains of your country, from the university of your people who are fighting for their freedom.'"

Masood on why you need vision to retain peace after war: "When we were fighting against the Soviets, we did not have the vision to see when we reached Kabul what we would do and what would happen. We reached Kabul and we won the war. People applauded, people appreciated. People were happy. But we lost peace. And until now, we have lost that peace."

Masood on the need for international solidarity: "We are all one body. If a part of the body is painful, the other parts feel it too. I'm in California but I think of Kabul. I think of Africa."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Jeremy Burton is the CEO of Observe and a board member of Snowflake. He has a background in product management and marketing, with experience at companies like Oracle, Symantec, and Dell.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, Jeremy Burton, CEO of Observe, shares insights from his transition from working at large companies to leading a startup. He emphasizes the importance of introspection and humility, building a culture of open feedback and discussion, and understanding the continuous process of product-market fit. He also discusses the potential of AI to transform industries and increase productivity, while acknowledging its limitations.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:09:01] Importance of optimism and comfort with the unknown in a startup
[00:10:53] Importance of being prepared to make mistakes and learn
[00:13:11] Pride is detrimental, need to readjust and reassess decisions
[00:19:42] Look for a startup that could become a big company
[00:21:50] Importance of humility and listening to customer feedback
[00:26:01] Building for larger enterprises can have a stronger value proposition
[00:29:30] Focusing on solving customer problems rather than cool features
[00:40:31] Skill sets of sellers and understanding users and enterprise
[00:47:38] Generative AI can automate troubleshooting tasks and improve efficiency
[01:00:00] Marketing's role in making sales successful

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Jeremy Burton and about their company:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jburton0/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/observe-inc/

Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders:
https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJ

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:54:33] "And I think all of those kinds of industries where a domain expert is required to explain, they're sort of the gatekeeper and you've got to pay them a lot of money. I think that interface is changing. It's going to be blown wide open. And so, if your value is in doing this translation from complicated domain specific language to layman's, you find somewhere else to add value because that's not going to be it."
[00:55:52] "But the number of people that can then interact with that is going to be an order of magnitude greater. And so you better make sure your system can scale because more people are probably going to engage. There's a whole bunch of sort of caveats that I think almost every software company is going to have to think through, which is why, if you don't have someone really important in your company working on this, then you're making a mistake."

Work/life balance is often something we strive for, but have difficulty achieving. This week’s guest Marcy Stoudt, CEO and co-founder of Revel Coach, helps leaders avoid burnout and become their best selves. Marcy offers advice for all leaders to avoid burnout and achieve work-life balance without sacrificing success in either area. She also discusses how diversity and new generations are changing the corporate landscape, diving into how both women and their teams can ensure success throughout and after the maternity leave process. Tune in for actionable items on leading, and rising the ranks within, a modern sales workforce in this latest episode of Revenue Builders.

Additional Resources:

• Shop Unique Products that Support Rehabilitation of Human Trafficking Survivors at Rethreaded: https://rethreaded.com/
• Visit Revel Coach’s Website: https://www.revelcoach.com/
• Connect with Marcy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcy-stoudt-59469a2/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• What is Revel Coach and why does it exist?
• Exploring Challenges Faced by Working Moms
• Balancing Work, Home, and Self
• Ego, Affirmation, and Burnout
• Living above the line vs. living below the line
• Addressing Work Addictions
• Generational Judgment vs. Growth Mindset
• Cross-Generational Leadership and Cultural Confusion
• Executive Burnout and Micromanagement
• Women in Sales, Abundance Mindset, and Modern Maternity Programs
• Identifying who you are today and what serves you now
• The importance of understanding the other person’s perspective
• Living Life with No Regrets
   

QUOTES

Marcy - What Revel Coach is all about: "Specifically, we serve that time-starved working mom whose vision of success includes a very successful career, but without the sacrifice of personal wellness or quality time at home."

Marcy - Leading beyond generational judgment: “The best leaders see the strength and people's unique style, and basically you want to flourish that mute, get that person to flourish…”

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Jim Pouliopoulos, known to all as “Pouli” is a storyteller, professional speaker, author, and Senior Lecturer and Director of the Professional Sales Program at Bentley University. In July of 2020, his book, “How to be a WELL BEING: Unofficial Rules to LIVE Every Day”, was published by Wiley Publishing. It shares Pouli’s insights on bringing a happiness-first approach to business, education, and life. In his three TEDx Talks, he explores similar concepts and the question of what drives inner motivation and professional success. He is also a certified trainer for “The Art of Brilliance,” a UK-based firm that specializes in training and development to increase workplace wellbeing and personal positivity. He is a currently a Facilitator at Force Management.

He is a self-proclaimed "recovering engineer." After earning two engineering degrees and an MBA, he left the corporate world behind and found true happiness and success as an educator, speaker, facilitator, and author.

Pouli holds an MBA in Marketing from Bentley University, a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from RPI, and a Bachelor’s degree in EE from WPI.

In this conversation with John McMahon, Pouli discusses the importance of happiness in business and life. He explains that happiness is not dependent on external circumstances but rather on our mindset and daily habits. Pouli emphasizes the need to focus on the process rather than the outcome and shares insights on how to minimize the impact of negativity bias. He also introduces the career satisfaction matrix and highlights the importance of finding enjoyment in our work.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:03:23] The gap between expectations and reality affects happiness
[00:09:53] External circumstances should not determine happiness
[00:13:39] Many people dwell on regrets and don't learn from them
[00:17:13] Recognizing when negativity bias impacts our viewpoint
[00:21:33] Importance of empathy and trust in sales conversations
[00:26:01] Burnout from doing something well but not enjoying it
[00:39:21] Gaining knowledge quickly vs. developing skills through practice
[00:49:56] The importance of getting enough sleep
[00:50:58] Focusing on daily actions rather than the end goal
[00:53:39] Solution to many problems

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:13:39] "Regret has always sort of been this early warning system that you're doing something against what you truly care about." - Jim "Pouli" Pouliopoulos
[00:20:47] "If you just focus on things that are positive on a daily basis, you will be happier." - Jim "Pouli" Pouliopoulos
[00:25:42] "If you do something well, but you don't enjoy doing it, it becomes drudgery." - Jim "Pouli" Pouliopoulos
[00:32:32] "Mastery never means you stop learning." - Jim "Pouli" Pouliopoulos

Learn more about Jim "Pouli" Pouliopoulos through this link.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pouli/

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast as they dive into the intricate world of churn with special guest Allison Pickens. Former COO of Gainsight, Allison shares her insights into scaling a company and understanding the nuanced reasons behind customer departures. From measuring churn metrics to the importance of responding to external factors, this episode provides valuable lessons for businesses aiming to enhance customer success and retention.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:54] Superficial Understanding of Churn Causes: Alison discusses how some companies may view churn too superficially, attributing it to external factors like a change in company leadership or losing to a competitor.
[00:01:44] Strategic Response to Churn: Emphasizing the importance of responding appropriately to churn events and considering them as opportunities rather than inevitable losses.
[00:02:48] Honest Evaluation: Encouraging companies to be honest about what aspects of their operations can be improved and aligning strategies with company goals.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:54] "One way in which they might think about it too superficially is they might note things, root causes that are outside of their control."
[00:01:44] "When your customer gets acquired by another company, that is not an obvious churn or like an inevitable churn reason. It might be an opportunity to expand your deployment to the larger company."
[00:02:48] "What's important is just being honest with yourself about what you can improve and what you can based on the strategy of your company at the time."

Listen to the full episode with Allison Pickens through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/mastering-the-art-of-customer-success-with-allison-pickens

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Thank you for being part of the Revenue Builders community! We’re grateful for your support and feedback, which helps us deliver the content you love. If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review—it truly makes a difference. Here’s to finishing the year strong!

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: 
https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

A guide for sales messaging: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Sunil Dhaliwal, a seasoned venture capitalist and founding partner of Amplify Partners. The discussion dives deep into the challenges and skills required for startup sales leaders, emphasizing the importance of accuracy, adaptability, and honest communication. They explore the different growth stages of a company and how the role of a sales leader evolves with them. They also touch on recruiting, retaining talent, and preparing for board presentations. Dhaliwal shares his journey from Battery Ventures to founding Amplify Partners and provides insights into emerging trends and the impact of AI on various industries.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Sunil Dhaliwal.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunildhaliwal/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book, The Qualified Sales Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064/

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:52] The Challenges of Startup Sales Leadership
[00:02:49] The Importance of Accuracy in Sales Leadership
[00:04:03] Finding the Right Sales Leader for Startups
[00:05:47] Navigating the Maze of Early-Stage Sales
[00:08:23] Communicating with the Board: Honesty and Accuracy
[00:11:29] Key Competencies for Startup Sales Leaders
[00:19:14] Presenting to the Board: Best Practices
[00:24:26] Establishing an Effective Operating Rhythm
[00:30:43] Seeking Advice from Experienced Leaders
[00:31:36] Key Metrics for Young Companies
[00:32:07] Importance of New Logo Growth
[00:33:58] Retention and Sales Productivity
[00:34:32] Challenges in Scaling Sales Teams
[00:42:51] Stages of Company Growth
[00:46:32] The Role of a CRO
[00:50:27] Energy Management in Leadership
[00:56:33] Founding Amplify Partners
[01:00:03] Identifying Emerging Trends
[01:02:52] The Future of AI in Business

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:03:19] "Their job is accurately conveying what's happening out there. Where are we good? Where are we bad?"
[00:12:03] "At different stage companies, if the product's not working, I can complain about it in a startup company. The product is not going to work the way everybody wants it to work."
[00:13:32] "Early stage companies, the mission for a CRO is more about discovery and asking questions rather than simply closing deals."
[00:17:39] "Your biggest problem is somewhere between your CEO and founder, your board, there is stuff that they believe that isn't true."

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner at Battery Ventures, joins our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon to discuss the nitty gritty of doing business in today’s markets. Neeraj sits on more than a dozen boards and has invested in several companies that have gone on to stage IPOs. As a serial investor with a long list of companies in his portfolio, Neeraj knows a thing or two about helping startups turn an idea into a full-fledged company. Tune in to hear actionable tips on leadership, growth, and revenue from the man himself, including how he chooses the companies he works with as an investor. 

Additional Resources:

• Donate to Hack Diversity: https://www.hackdiversity.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajagrawal2000/
• 5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHh
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• 4 key dimensions that determine the success of companies 
• Timing is more predictive of success than market size
• Great product and sales processes are crucial for sustainable growth
• Lessons learned from successful and failed investments 
• Technical founders aren't necessarily the best CEOs 
• The bull market is on its way out, what about it?
• Your company reputation is everything
• How Neeraj chooses the companies that he works with

GUEST BIO

Neeraj joined Battery in 2000 and invests in SaaS and internet companies across all stages. He has invested in several companies that have gone on to stage IPOs, including Bazaarvoice (NASDAQ: BV); Coupa (NASDAQ: COUP); Guidewire Software (NYSE: GWRE); Marketo (NASDAQ: MKTO, acquired by Vista Equity Partners); Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX); Omniture (NASDAQ: OMTR, acquired by Adobe); RealPage (NASDAQ: RP); and Wayfair (NYSE: W).

He also invested in several companies that have experienced M&A events, such as A Place for Mom (acquired by Warburg Pincus); AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco); Brightree (acquired by ResMed); Chef (acquired by Progress); Glassdoor (acquired by Recruit Holdings); Internet Brands (acquired by Hellman & Friedman); Kustomer (acquired by Meta); OpsGenie (acquired by Atlassian); Stella Connect (acquired by Medallia, Inc.); and VSS Monitoring (acquired by Danaher). Neeraj also played a key role in several other Battery investments including Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN); ITA Software (acquired by Google); and Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR).

Neeraj is currently on the boards of Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE), Compt, Catchpoint, Dataiku, Level AI, LogRocket, Pendo, Reify Health, Repeat, Scopely, Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse), Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM), Tealium, Wunderkind (formerly BounceX), Workato and Yesware. He is a board observer for InVision and Mattermost. Neeraj has also made seed investments in companies including 8fig, Dooly, PayStand, Proton, Reibus International and UserGems since 2020.

QUOTES

Neeraj on the challenge of timing your investment: "The challenge often is if you invest too early, you've got a good idea but you run out of money before the inflection point happens. And if you invest too late, somebody else captures the market. Having a sense of the timing is really important and like most things in life, luck has a lot to do with it."

Neeraj on why both product and sales are crucial for success: "Ultimately, great companies are built on great products and great sales. You can kind of fake it for a while now on the sales side, but the longer you wait to put in the fundamentals, the harder it is to do later." 

Neeraj on how he chooses the companies that he backs: "Life's too short. If this isn't a person that I want to back from beginning to exit, they don't have the right coachability and skill to read my mind, it's probably time to move on and look at other investments."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon, John Kaplan and Sunil Dhaliwal, founder and general partner at Amplify Partners, explore the board’s perspective on sales leadership. Sunil shares critical insights on selling in the early stages of a startup, knowing when to walk away from a deal, and the importance of transparency in sales forecasting. The conversation dives into the competencies that separate exceptional sales leaders from the rest—honesty, market assessment, and adaptability. If you’re leading sales at a high-growth company or thinking about joining a startup, this episode is packed with must-know strategies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:47] The Pressure of Startup Sales – Why every deal feels like life or death
[00:01:27] The "Man on an Island" Feeling – The loneliness of sales leadership in startups
[00:02:29] The Risk of Overpromising – How inaccurate forecasts hurt the whole company
[00:03:16] The Cost of Poor Sales Leadership – When inaccurate reporting sets a company back quarters
[00:04:09] The Most Critical Competency – Why great sales leaders must accurately assess the battlefield
[00:05:38] Market Awareness & Adaptability – Understanding product fit vs. chasing deals
[00:06:02] The Power of Asking the Right Questions – Why startups need more than just "closing" skills
[00:08:00] Honest Forecasting – How sales leaders should communicate realistic expectations

QUOTES

[00:00:47] "A lot of people have a hard time backing away from a deal, but sometimes the right move is to walk away."
[00:01:27] "Good sales leaders in startups embrace that lonely moment and are honest about what's going on."
[00:03:16] "The worst thing you can do is overpromise. You're not just hurting yourself—you’re setting the company back quarters."
[00:04:09] "Great sales leaders must be able to accurately orient themselves on the battlefield and communicate what’s happening."
[00:05:01] "At a startup, the product won’t work the way you want it to. It’s not us vs. them—it’s about understanding what the product can and should do."
[00:06:36] "Startup sales isn’t just about closing—it’s about figuring out whether you should even be in this deal at all."

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/a-board-members-perspective-on-sales-leadership-with-sunildhaliwal

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

John McMahon and John Kaplan as they express gratitude to their dedicated audience while reflecting on the impactful moments of 2023. In this festive episode, the duo discusses the diverse array of esteemed guests, key takeaways, and listener engagement that shaped the Revenue Builders Podcast. From top-tier executives to specific sales strategies, the hosts invite feedback and suggestions for future episodes. They also share exciting plans for 2024 and offer a heartfelt holiday message to their listeners

Check out John McMahon’s book here:

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 

https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Brian Halligan, former CEO, and co-founder and executive chairperson of HubSpot, is a visionary leader who revolutionized marketing with the concept of "inbound marketing." His tenure as CEO, until 2021, was marked by consistent recognition on Glassdoor's and Comparably's lists of best CEOs. Brian's influence extends beyond HubSpot; he is an esteemed educator, teaching MIT's Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures class for over a decade and receiving the Monosson Prize for his mentorship in entrepreneurship. In addition to his educational endeavors, he directs a $100 million climate tech venture fund at Propeller Ventures, serves on the boards of Navier and Aquatic Labs, and is deeply involved in preserving the legacy of the Grateful Dead. Brian's journey began with a BSEE from the University of Vermont, leading him to executive roles at PTC and Groove Networks, which later merged with Microsoft. 

Brian Halligan shares his journey of building HubSpot and the evolution of the inbound marketing methodology. He emphasizes the importance of international expansion and the challenges of scaling a company. Brian also discusses the concept of "grinding it out" and the need for continuous improvement. In addition, he talks about his new venture, Propeller, a fund that invests in companies working on climate and ocean-related solutions.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:41] Brian Halligan shares the story of how he came up with the idea of inbound.
[00:05:27] Sales experience at PTC helped in building HubSpot.
[00:09:45] Grinding it out and no magic moments in company growth.
[00:10:23] Setbacks and unforced errors on the road to success.
[00:11:12] The creation of the "pothole report" to avoid future mistakes.
[00:14:28] Decision to go long and not sell HubSpot.
[00:19:05] Changes made in marketing, sales, service, and product organizations.
[00:21:28] The importance of constantly refining the ideal customer profile.
[00:26:40] Maturity level and skillset needed for different stages of the company.
[00:32:10] Don't hire too far ahead in their career.
[00:46:12] The importance of having a good co-founder
[00:53:51] Starting Propeller VC with a focus on climate change

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:09:45]  "Every time we put in a new system, let's say a new HR system. I start my watch the day we make the decision on whatever system or process we put in because within three years, it's going to break."
[00:52:55] "And if you're wrong on a couple in a row, that's the problem. You know, being right is underrated and people talk a lot in the startup world about failing fast and all that being right is really underrated."

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Brian Halligan through this link.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan/

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

This episode features an insightful conversation on selling to the economic buyer with guests Carl Froggett, CIO at Deep Instinct, and Joe Lynch, Sales Director for the East at Deep Instinct. Before they were colleagues, Joe sold to Carl. Carl shares his extensive experience as an economic buyer in tech deals, highlighting the importance of account executives not wasting his time with generic pitches or vendor bashing, and instead focusing on understanding his business needs. Joe discusses his approach to selling to Carl at Citi, emphasizing the value of doing thorough research, building trust, and creating a tailored value proposition. The discussion also covers strategies for forming genuine partnerships with clients, the challenges of navigating sales processes within large global banks, and the innovative threat prevention technology offered by Deep Instinct. The conversation provides valuable insights for B2B sales professionals on effectively engaging with economic buyers and fostering long-term partnerships.

Tune in and learn more about this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:45] Diving Deep: Selling to the Economic Buyer
[00:01:43] Insider's Take: Carl Froggett on Vendor Engagement
[00:07:20] Joe's Approach: Research and Value-Based Selling
[00:14:40] Building Trust and Partnership in Sales
[00:26:28] The Art of Prioritization and Flexibility in Tech Solutions
[00:33:44] Building Trust and Overcoming Challenges in Sales
[00:34:13] Innovative Solutions to Business Disruption
[00:35:51] Strategic Partnerships and Economic Decisions
[00:37:55] Navigating Internal Company Dynamics for Sales Success
[00:57:20] Deep Instinct: A New Frontier in Cybersecurity

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about Carl Froggett.?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggett/
https://www.deepinstinct.com/

Connect and learn more about Joe Lynch.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-lynch-6613745a/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:38:48] “There needs to be transparency internally at a company about how a large global bank operates. Our product is fantastic, but they do have their procedures and their policies for how they evaluate new tech and onboard new tech and understanding what those timelines realistically look like.”
[00:54:05]  “I will always pivot back to where's the value prop for my business and my company ultimately.  And like I say, timing is part of it.”

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, Doug Holladay joins our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon to discuss the importance of purpose as a leader. Doug has found meaning in his long and successful career spanning from Goldman Sachs to international government and now, higher education as an executive-in-residence at Georgetown University. In their conversation, you’ll hear many of the lessons Doug shares in his MBA class on the importance of authenticity, purpose, and vulnerability in becoming a truly impactful leader - and feeling fulfilled while doing it.

Additional Resources:

• Donate to Morehouse College: https://www.giving.morehouse.edu/s/
• Get Doug's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Success-Essential-Practices-Finding/dp/0062897888
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougholladay/
• Website: https://www.dougholladay.com/
• 5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHh

Listen to More Revenue Builders: 

https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od

HIGHLIGHTS

• Know your purpose and where you can add value
• Why business leaders are lonely at the top
• Our point of connection is our brokenness
• Eulogy virtues vs Resume virtues
• The difference between happiness and meaning
• Life changes when we bother knowing other people's stories
• The neuroscience behind gratitude

GUEST BIO

The career trajectory of Doug Holladay has been unique and varied with its blend of public service, finance and business, non-profit work, and more recently, teaching and journalism.

J. Douglas Holladay is a co-founder of Park Avenue Equity Partners, L.P. with offices in New York, a private equity fund which makes equity investments in middle market operating companies. He is a co-founder and general partner in Elgin Capital Partners LP, a private equity partnership focused on domestic energy development. While Mr. Holladay continues as an active investor, the main focus of his time is on several not-for-profit efforts, including PathNorth, which helps business owners and CEOs define success more broadly, and ABC2 (Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure), working to find a cure for brain cancer. Additionally, he holds the Heinz Christian Prechter Executive in Residence position at Georgetown University where he teaches MBA students.

QUOTES

Doug on why many executives are lonely at the top: "The unintended consequences of success can be loneliness and disconnection. You can be the principal of a middle school or sheriff of a police force in a small town, and the same phenomenon is true there. Particularly with men; we're not taught. We don't have a language of the heart."

Doug on the difference between happiness and meaning: "Happiness is correlated with externalities. I have a girlfriend. My son got into a good college. I did this, I did that. And that comes and goes. Sometimes we're happy about these things. Sometimes we're not. But meaning is what you want to go for. Meaning, you can be in the most god-awful situations and still find meaning."

Doug on understanding people through their stories: "Everybody is what they're like because of the sum total of all the craziness and goodness that they've experienced in life. Once you understand that, it's powerful."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan delve into the essential characteristics of successful hiring companies, joined by J.R. Butler, founder of the Shift Group. Together, they explore the key elements that make a company excel in recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent, particularly athletes and veterans transitioning into sales roles.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:49] Characteristics of A-Players: A-Players are hungry to learn, self-starters with a no-victim mentality, and persistent learners from their mistakes.
[00:01:23] Key Considerations for Hiring Companies: Sell the opportunity and potential outcomes. Foster a culture of excellence, growth, and development. Establish clearly defined goals to drive performance.
[00:02:30] Culture Beyond Surface: True culture goes beyond superficial elements like themed Zoom days. It's about what people do when nobody's looking, emphasizing structure, practice, and rewarding the right behaviors.
[00:05:08] Intimate Leadership: Leaders must understand the nuances of individuals, whether athletes or military veterans, to guide their growth effectively.
[00:06:44] Work Preferences of Athletes and Veterans: Consider the unique situations of career transitioners, and understand their willingness to relocate or work remotely.
[00:08:35] The Art of Selling the Opportunity: Companies should be adept at not only selling the job but also articulating why the candidate should choose them over other opportunities.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:08] "As a hiring company, you need to sell the opportunity and the potential outcome. But you also have to have a culture of excellence, growth, and development."
[00:02:09] "Culture is what people do when nobody's looking. To create a culture where people do the right things, you've got to have that type of structure where they can practice and are rewarded for practice."
[00:07:34] "Why would somebody want to work for this company? Why would somebody want to work for you? It's a really good exercise. So important."

Listen to the full episode with JR Butler through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/assembling-a-top-sales-team-with-jr-butler/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Mark Roberge shares some thoughts on AI and how to think about using it to innovate business, rather than automating isolated tasks. It’s part of a larger episode with John Kaplan and John McMahon. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:25] How AI Disrupts Legacy Thinking: Relying on established systems and resources will lead to failure; companies must rethink from scratch.
[00:01:41] Big Companies Resist Disruption: Internal power dynamics often prevent large companies from embracing necessary innovation.[00:03:13] AI's Shortcomings in Sales: Many companies focus on automating tasks rather than considering the full customer experience.
[00:05:09] AI Co-pilot Concept: Current AI tools are overly iterative, with most companies simply aiming to boost productivity, not revolutionize.
[00:05:57] Future of Work with AI: The potential for billion-dollar companies with minimal employees raises questions about capitalism and job creation.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:46] Mark Roberge on Innovation: "The minute you say, ‘How can we leverage what we already have?’—game over."
[00:01:41] John McMahon on Company Resistance: "The people in power won’t give in easily to disruptions that challenge their status."
[00:03:57] Mark Roberge on AI's Shortcomings: "Co-pilot is the pets.com of this era. It’s iterative. It’s not revolutionary."
[00:05:57] Mark Roberge on Future Jobs: "AI will lead to the first billion-dollar company with two employees."

Listen to Mark’s Full Episode Here: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/innovation-growth-and-failure

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast as they sit down with Terry Tripp, the Chief Revenue Officer at Tynes. In this insightful episode, Terry shares his experiences and key strategies for navigating the critical first steps as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). From understanding the team and connecting with customers to identifying early opportunities, Terry provides valuable insights for both new and seasoned CROs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:31] Understand the team: Prioritize one-on-one conversations with each team member to grasp goals and perspectives.
[00:02:56] Explore customer insights: Delve into how customers use the solution, identify problems, and collect valuable feedback.
[00:03:19] Seek early wins: Listen for blockers to tackle and discover near-term growth opportunities for quick successes.
[00:08:40] Importance of sales process: Establish a common language, facilitate scalability, and ensure consistency for training and forecasting.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:31] "The first thing for me is really getting to understand the people... one-on-one conversations with every single person in my organization."
[00:02:36] "I really wanted to get into the shoes of our customers and understand really what's driving them to tackle this problem and choosing to tackle it with us."
[00:06:00] "You've gotta get everybody speaking the same language... important part of a well-defined process is everybody understands what it means when a deal is at a certain stage."
[00:06:57] "If you don't have a well-defined sales process, you can't really see any patterns."
[00:07:28] "It's a great way to kind of bring those two together and look for those enablement opportunities that probably aren't isolated."

Listen to the full episode with Terry Tripp through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/perfecting-the-process-with-terry-tripp

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Nominate us for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards. Select Revenue Builders from the Business Category (after you fill out a short form - to prevent ballot stuffing!)

https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup

Thank you!

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we engage in a riveting conversation with Alan Chhabra, the Executive Vice President of Worldwide Partners at MongoDB. Alan delves into the intricacies of establishing, nurturing, and enhancing partnerships within the realm of sales and channel organizations. Alan shares insights into prioritizing partnerships, aligning them with customer needs, enhancing sales productivity, and turbocharging relationships with various types of partners.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:12] Importance of partnering strategy for selling software at scale.
[00:02:15] Assessing partnerships through a customer-centric lens: relevance, ecosystem enhancement, and simplifying procurement.
[00:03:55] Focusing on crucial partners: cloud providers, system integrators, ISVs, and resellers.
[00:08:49] Convincing partners by highlighting the additional value MongoDB brings to drive their sales.
[00:10:40] Establishing trust and momentum through successful mutual deals, leading to a long-term relationship.
[00:11:57] Factors that can potentially disrupt partnerships: compensation model changes, competitive products, lack of focus, or overextension.
[00:13:44] Turbocharging partnerships with system integrators by offering certification programs aligned with high-margin, strategic projects like cloud migration.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:33] "You really need people around the product set to be able to sell at scale."
[00:05:37] "It was a nice agreement at the top, but there's no underlying relationship at let's call it the street level."
[00:09:44] "That's when trust is established, and then you can build and maintain a long-term relationship."
[00:11:06] "Partnerships at the central level, they can be struck quickly, but they also can be destroyed quickly."
[00:14:26] "There's ways that companies like MongoDB can get big with SIs if we help them with the cloud migration journey."

Listen to the full episode with Alan Chhabra through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-ideal-partnership-with-alan-chhabra

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast hosted by John McMahon and John Kaplan, Kelly Connery delved into the nuances of transitioning into leadership roles, specifically focusing on the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) position. Kelly shares invaluable insights from his extensive experience in various leadership positions, offering crucial advice on leadership, team alignment, and global perspectives crucial for success in the CRO role.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:10] Transitioning to Leadership: Moving from a singular contributor to a manager requires a shift from a selfish mindset to a selfless one, focusing on team success over individual achievements.
[00:02:33] Embracing Coaching: Finding fulfillment in guiding and coaching the team often marks a natural progression for effective leadership.
[00:03:51] Emphasis on Fundamentals: Emotional connection to the fundamentals is a key indicator of an individual's potential to excel as a coach or leader.
[00:04:30] Realities of the CRO Role: Moving into a CRO position involves seeking alignment with the board, understanding growth objectives, leveraging technology, and comprehending global perspectives.
[00:07:33] Decision-Making and Managing Influences: Handling situations where multiple stakeholders offer conflicting advice and ultimately making decisions as a CRO.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:28] "It's not about certain individuals. It's all about the team."
[00:03:51] "If they're emotionally connected to fundamentals, they're typically going to be a really good coach."
[00:05:59] "Look for alignment. Challenges will come, but without alignment, it's going to be difficult."
[00:07:33] "You have to make a decision. Get all these people whispering in your ear, and the buck stops with you."

Listen to the full episode with Kelly Connery through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-art-of-selfless-leadership-with-kelly-connery

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Dan Barrett is the Senior Vice President of Customer Success at MongoDB. With a background in sales, Dan has held various leadership roles in the technology industry. He started his career at IBM before moving on to Q Associates, Symantec, and ServiceNow. Dan joined MongoDB as a Regional Director for the UK and Ireland and has since been promoted to Vice President of Northern Europe and then to his current role as Senior Vice President of Customer Success.

In this episode, Dan discusses his transition from sales to customer success and the importance of aligning sales and customer success teams. Dan shares insights on reducing churn, proactive customer success strategies, and the changing expectations of customers in a consumption-driven world. He emphasizes the need for measuring and demonstrating the impact of customer success and the role of customer success in driving business outcomes. Dan also highlights the significance of cultivating advocates and engaging economic buyers throughout the customer journey.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:40] Dan's initial thoughts on transitioning from sales to customer success
[00:06:41] Organization structure: customer success, product-led sales, account management, and renewal
[00:09:19] Challenges of silos and lack of alignment between teams
[00:12:18] Building skills, trust, and impact in customer success
[00:15:14] Reviewing and addressing risks on a weekly basis
[00:17:48] Promoting internal talent and maintaining company culture
[00:19:59] Challenges in selecting and developing customer success leaders
[00:22:10] Understanding the complex root causes of churn
[00:26:00] Moving to a consumption-based model is the ultimate test of value
[00:29:47] Customer success is often the first to be cut due to lack of impact measurement
[00:32:00] A good customer success team should be able to pay for itself
[00:36:24] The importance of a positive customer experience and the potential impact on future projects
[00:39:00] Economic buyer engagement and the changing dynamics of the sales process
[00:47:09] The importance of aligning the customer journey with the software development lifecycle
[00:51:53] Being data-driven and analytical

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: 
https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Learn more about Dan Barrett and about their company.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/newbusinesssales/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mongodbinc/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:54:26] "If I can't self-identify on how that makes me feel, I call it the indignity of the close. If I'm not understanding what that means, that the sale really begins with probably an objection or a no or somewhere, and I'm not comfortable with that, then I'm probably not gonna do so well in that sales career."
[00:55:41] "I wanna understand someone's character more so than anything. So I think those, As part of our structured interview framework, we're trying to focus more in the early stages of that process of identifying what are the aspects of someone's character and capability that we're looking for."
[01:01:41] "I think if the sales reps need to remember where they came from and help invest in that SDR 'cause it's gonna lead to success for them if they make those investments."

Join hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan in a profound exploration of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and its seamless integration with traditional sales strategies. Guest expert Alex Bilmes, CEO of Endgame, shares practical insights and strategies for revenue leaders aiming to leverage product data to supercharge their sales efforts. Discover how PLG, far from being a threat to sales, serves as a force multiplier when intelligently integrated. Gain valuable perspectives on aligning product signals with conversion and expansion, making sales teams more efficient, and navigating the evolving landscape of modern go-to-market strategies.

Tune in and learn more in this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:04:10] Understanding PLG Spectrum
[00:05:54] Product Suitability for PLG
[00:09:38] PLG Implementation Questions
[00:13:28] Sales Integration with PLG
[00:22:32] Ownership of PLG
[00:35:11] Implementing PLG
[00:43:42] Endgame's Role
[00:46:39] Implementation Process
[00:49:06] Standard Product Signals
[00:55:30] Navigating Uncertain Economies

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Alex Bilmes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilmes/
Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders: https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJ

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:24] "The definition of PLG is effectively that the product is the primary driver of your go-to-market."
[00:06:19] "Calendly is a prototypical, very easy-to-get-started-with PLG example. The product would be so great that people could just come in and use it."
[00:10:59] "We see a huge opportunity for a PLG company who's done some amount of that work already. How do you better tie in the sales efforts to accelerate the sales process using a lot of that product data?"
[00:24:20] "In a PLG motion, everybody's interfacing on the same product data. So that entire team is operating against that shared source of truth, which makes it more multi-threaded, maybe a little bit more complex, but also easier for the customer to understand."

The buyer champion is a crucial part of any deal, but especially important in a challenging sales environment. In this episode, Richard Rivera, Founder of GENNOW Sales Consulting, joins the show to discuss his book The Champion Sell and his insights on what makes a great buyer champion.

In his conversation with John Kaplan and John McMahon, Richard shares his view on the different archetypes of champions, along with the risks and benefits of each. The episode contains advice for sellers and leaders on how to incorporate stronger champion practices into their sales rhythm. Don’t forget to tune in next week to catch Part 2 of Richard Rivera on Revenue Builders.

Here are some key sections to check out: 

03:01 Why Richard decided to write The Champion Sell 

06:44 The three common selling habits for reps

10:49 Criteria for defining a champion

18:25 Sales in the information age

26:19 The four champion tendencies

34:19 Working with someone that blows past the buying process

Additional Resources:

• Connect with Richard Rivera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-rivera-44532b1/
• Read The Champion Sell by Richard Rivera: https://www.thechampionsell.com/
• Resources to Help Your Salespeople Enable Champions: https://forc.mx/41wD9zC

QUOTES

Differentiating the power and influence of a champion: “Typically power is a trait of strength. I can move something, I can make something happen. So power is really about authority whereas influence is about people. So I may have an enormous amount of authority but I can't influence people.”

Find evidence that they're doing the work: “The third part of the definition that they have the willingness to sell for you when you're not there or sell on your behalf. That means that you have evidence that they're taking action for you. Then I started relating to my experiences. Regardless of what I'm doing, there's a certain people that don't have a tendency to take action as much as we'd like.” 

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan sit down with John Donnelly to discuss the critical intersection of value, technical expertise, and business outcomes in enterprise sales. They explore why many sales professionals struggle with discovery, how to shift from feature-based selling to value-based selling, and the role of champion building in complex deals. If you're in B2B sales or SaaS, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you close bigger deals and drive long-term customer success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:52] The importance of active listening in sales conversations.
[00:01:24] Why enterprise sales still leans on feature-selling despite the focus on value.
[00:02:57] Answering the fundamental customer question: "Why do I care?"
[00:04:07] The most common mistake salespeople make in the discovery phase.
[00:06:08] The power of balancing technical expertise with business outcomes.

QUOTES

[00:00:52] "If the person you're speaking with doesn’t feel heard, you're not going to get very far."
[00:02:57] "Customers don’t care about your features unless they understand how it affects them."
[00:04:07] "Sales is not a box-checking process. Rushing through discovery leads to missed opportunities."
[00:06:08] "The best salespeople stand at the intersection of technical expertise and business outcomes." – John McMahon

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/no-shortcuts-accelerate-your-sales-process-with-john-donnelly

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Carl Cross, the CRO of Alchemy Technology, to delve into the complexities of second line leadership. The discussion centers around the critical skills required to train and lead first line leaders, the common pitfalls second line managers face, and strategies to ensure that leadership at every level is effective and empowering. This episode offers valuable insights for those looking to elevate their leadership capabilities and drive better results through their teams.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:49] Defining a Great First Line Leader
[00:01:42] Common Mistakes of Second Line Leaders
[00:02:28] Transitioning from Tactical to Strategic Thinking
[00:04:14] Balancing Field Connection with Leadership Responsibilities[00:06:24] Segregation of Duties Between First and Second Line Managers

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:00:49] "You're obviously driving results through leaders, right? And there's something different about that."
[00:01:42] "The mistake that I see a lot of second line make is... you rip the steering wheel out of their hands."
[00:02:28] "The further you move up the range, the lonelier it gets at the top."
[00:05:12] "It's their ultimate responsibility that every person on that team has an equal chance of success."
[00:06:24] "You have to actually outline segregation of duties between first line manager and second line manager."

Listen to the full episode with Carl Cross through this link: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-path-to-sales-leadership-lessons-learned-at-each-management-level-with-carl-cross

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook:
 https://www.forcemanagement.com/front-line-managers