The Goats of Growth How a CRO/Operating Partner Helps Portfolio Companies Drive Growth and Increase Commercial Value with Sherri Sklar
In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I had the pleasure of speaking with Sherri Sklar, a seasoned tech growth strategist and Chief Revenue Officer, while also an Operating Partner at Edison Partners, which a growth equity firm. Sherri partners with Boards, CEOs, and executive leaders to help them build, scale and optimize their sales, marketing and customer success teams.
In this episode we discuss:
- Strategies for effectively aligning sales and marketing efforts.
- How she first added Operating Partner to her CRO title
- The significant role her network track record of success has played
- The value of assessing talent and recruitng the best
- There sponsibilities of a CRO/Operating Partner
- Key metrics for gauging and optimizing success.
- Valuable insights into fostering a robust sales culture.
- All that and more.
Tune in and enjoy the episode.
Sherri Sklar's expertise (00:01:02) Overview of Sherri Sklar's expertise and career in tech growth strategy and revenue leadership.
Defining the role of an operating partner (00:02:07) Explanation of the role and purpose of an operating partner at a private equity firm.
Operating partner expertise areas (00:04:10) Discussion of the different function areas besides go-to-market that operating partners may focus on.
Transition to operating partner role (00:09:24) Sherri Sklar's transition from Chief Revenue Officer to operating partner and the circumstances leading to it.
Networking and career opportunities (00:10:56) The role of networking and relationships in career opportunities and job referrals.
Impact on a portfolio company (00:13:29) Sherris impact on a portfolio company's growth and success.
Strategic decision-making (00:16:31) The process of making strategic decisions and conducting assessments for growth strategies.
Identifying common growth challenges (00:19:49) Common challenges and areas for improvement in scaling companies, particularly related to identifying ideal customer profiles and aligning sales and marketing.
Transitioning from fractional CRO to operating partner (00:25:01) The path from being a fractional CRO to becoming an operating partner at a private equity firm and the necessary qualifications.
The role of an operating partner (00:32:12) The responsibilities and involvement of an operating partner in a private equity firm, including due diligence, creating plans, and being an advocate for portfolio companies.
Measuring success and impact on portfolio companies (00:34:52) Evaluating success and impact in terms of enterprise value, growth, bookings, and retention, and the key levers to impact results positively.
Evaluating sales talent for portfolio companies (00:38:14) The qualities and skills to look for in evaluating sales talent and the impact of getting the right talent on the commercial value of the company.
Coaching and leadership (00:51:15) Sherri discusses the importance of coaching and leadership in developing both talented and struggling team members.
Building a great sales culture (00:54:33) Sherri suggests a meaty question for the next guest about building a great sales culture and its impact on organizational success.