When Jan Zeman was hired as a sales development representative in the early 2000s, he had a unique background in management consulting and venture capital. 

Jan has since risen through the sales ranks, having helped his previous company, Responsys, grow from $25 million in ARR to $200 million, among other successes. Now, he serves as SVP Sales, America at Iterable, a company creating a cross-channel marketing platform.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Jan talk about Jan’s career working at Responsys, how Jan determines his personal and professional priorities, and tips for identifying successful sales talent.

In this episode, we cover:

• From venture capital to cold-calling: How Jan started his sales career. (2:17)
• Jan's nine-year run working in sales and sales leadership at Responsys — and why he never chose to leave. (5:37)
• The personal and organizational challenges Jan faced while working at Responsys — and why Jan wanted to become a sales leader. (10:23)
• 'I was very open-minded': How Oracle's purchase of Responsys helped Jan learn how to lead larger teams. (14:05)
• How Jan's current company, Iterable, uses data to personalize communications between a company and a customer. (16:35)
• 'Lean into the change': The importance of learning new business and life skills. (18:50)
• The importance of finding balance between work and life — and how Jan uses weekly journaling to help determine his personal and professional priorities. (24:22)
• How Jan evaluates curiosity in job candidates. (31:32)
• The value of listening, collaboration, and recruiting known and undiscovered talent as a sales leader. (36:43)
• The three segments of Iterable's business and how the company goes to market. (40:30)
• The benefits of having a product with a unique and changing differentiation — as well as how Jan teaches enablement to his team. (42:27)
• What the word grit means to Jan. (46:16)

Guest: Jan Zeman, SVP Sales, America at Iterable

Links:

• Connect with Jan
  • LinkedIn
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins