Hiring Sales Leaders for Growth Stages

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.

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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

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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

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