Navigating Data Awareness in Sales Leadership

To explain why portfolio operations are increasingly the secret weapon in private equity, CJ interviews Paul Stansik. Paul is the writer of the Hello Operator Substack and Operating Partner at ParkerGale. He shares hands-on insights into how his team helps portfolio companies scale by transforming sales data into decisions, navigating post-acquisition go-to-market challenges, and driving the shift from being merely data-aware to fully data-driven. He also discusses sales teams, from hiring the right sales leader for each stage of growth to whether or not having a great playbook is important. With insights on the dangers of unspoken problems (“you can’t fix a secret”), how "templates build trust”, and how repeatable processes can unlock real commercial traction, this episode is packed with practical advice for CFOs, finance leaders, and operating partners.

—

LINKS:

Paul Stansik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulstansik

ParkerGale:

https://www.parkergale.com

Hello Operator:

CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222

Mostly metrics:

http://mostlymetrics.com

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:52) Sponsor – Tabs | Rippling Spend | Pulley | Tropic

(09:18) What ParkerGale Capital Does

(11:35) Revenue Operations: Being the Keeper of the Standard

(17:05) Sponsor – NetSuite | MUFG | Planful

(20:34) Why Go-to-Market Teams Struggle To Provide More Data

(24:29) Data-Aware Versus Data-Driven

(26:54) Streamlining and Automating the Right Data

(29:56) Why Everything Being Okay Is a Signal That Something Is Wrong

(34:03) Defining Metrics and Why You Track Them

(40:18) The Qualities of Great Sales Leaders

(43:00) Why CEOs Often Pick the Wrong Sales Leader

(47:58) The Importance of Hiring Someone With a Good Playbook

(54:40) You Can’t Fix a Secret

(56:13) The Right Cadence for Reviewing Performance

(58:34) What Good Quota Attainment Looks Like

(01:01:02) The Lack of Training for Sales Teams

(01:03:54) The Urge To Promote the Best Sales Rep to People Manager

(01:07:10) Wrap

#PortfolioOperations #PrivateEquity #GoToMarketStrategy #DataDrivenDecisions #SalesLeadership

—

SPONSORS:

Tabs is a platform that brings all of your revenue-facing data and workflows - billing, AR, payments, rev rec, and reporting - onto a single system so you can automate and be more flexible. Find out more at: tabs.inc/metrics.

Rippling Spend is a spend management software that gives you complete visibility and automated policy controls across every type of spend, saving you time and money. Get a demo to see how much time your org would save at rippling.com/metrics.

Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: pulley.com/mostlymetrics.

Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. Take control of your spend with intelligent spend management at tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics.

NetSuite is an AI-powered business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM, and ecommerce for more than 41,000 customers. If you're looking for an ERP, head to https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.

MUFG is a global banking powerhouse that provides comprehensive banking services for VC-backed, PE-backed, and public companies with revenues starting at $40M. Accelerate your growth trajectory. Contact group head Bob Blee at bblee@us.mufg.jp to find out more.

Planful’s financial planning software can transform your FP&A function. Built for speed, accuracy, and confidence, you’ll be planning your way to success and have time left over to actually put it to work. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.