Developing a Performance Mindset in B2B Sales with Joe Eskenazi

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Jul 3, 2025

Joe Eskenazi, Chief Revenue Officer at Kong, dives into the crucial shift from a knowledge mindset to a performance mindset in B2B sales. He emphasizes goal-oriented strategies like role-playing and navigating objections to enhance sales effectiveness. Joe shares personal anecdotes on the power of intuition in sales conversations and the importance of genuine engagement with clients. He also discusses fostering a high-performance culture at Kong, leveraging AI for API management, and the balance between collaboration and individual empowerment.

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INSIGHT

Performance Mindset Defined

A performance mindset focuses on outcomes and achieving goals rather than just accumulating knowledge.
Sales mastery is the art and science of converting new business despite obstacles.

ADVICE

Prepare for Objections

Focus on what could go wrong in a sales meeting and prepare responses for these issues.
Practicing objection handling in advance builds confidence and conviction for real sales situations.

ADVICE

Align Pitch to Customer Goals

Before pitching, deeply understand what the customer is trying to achieve and their business outcomes.
Align your agenda to their goals and tailor your message accordingly to avoid wasting effort or appearing out of touch.

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In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Joe Eskenazi, Chief Revenue Officer at Kong. Joe discusses the importance of developing a performance mindset over a knowledge mindset in sales, emphasizing the focus on outcomes and achieving goals. He shares insights into training and development practices that enhance sales performance, including preparation, role-playing, and handling objections. The discussion also explores the role of intuition, human behavior, and the application of AI in optimizing API management. Joe highlights how these practices have cultivated a high-performing, collaborative culture at Kong and underscores the company's hiring objectives.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Joe Eskenazi:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeeskenazi/

Read Force Management’s Guide to Embedding AI In Your B2B Sales Organization: https://hubs.li/Q03ldrzD0

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

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

[00:01:45] Performance Mindset vs. Knowledge Mindset
[00:02:31] The Art and Science of Sales Mastery
[00:05:38] Training and Developing Sales Skills
[00:07:21] Handling Objections and Building Confidence
[00:17:19] The Importance of Intuition and Experience in Sales
[00:30:27] Slowing Down the Conversation
[00:31:18] The Importance of Experience in Sales
[00:33:04] Preparedness Reduces Stress
[00:35:12] The Role of Development in Sales
[00:40:19] The Power of Role-Playing and Team Exercises
[00:48:56] Empowering Your Team to Solve Problems
[00:50:14] The Impact of a Performance Mindset
[00:54:37] Kong's Role in the API Revolution

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"The best leaders focus on the how in sales."

"Our development often focuses on what could go right; the real bar is how you handle things when they don’t."

"Skills need to be done hundreds of times, if not thousands, to be performed flawlessly."

"Openers are closers; the groundwork you lay in the beginning determines your success."

"You empower people by recognizing and rewarding the behavior you want to see."

"You have to give them the way. But make it simple."