Preparing and Developing Reps with Joe Eskenazi

Aug 10, 2025

Joe Eskenazi, the Chief Revenue Officer at Kong Inc., shares insights from his extensive sales career, emphasizing the transformative power of preparation. He discusses how being well-prepared reduces stress and fosters trust with clients. Authenticity emerges as a key theme, with Joe advocating for genuine conversations over mechanical responses. The conversation dives into effective coaching strategies and personal development, highlighting how thorough preparation can turn pressure into confidence, ultimately enhancing sales performance.

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ADVICE

Be Present, Not Mechanical

John Kaplan recommends being present and using intuition instead of following a script.
This reduces nerves and makes conversations more natural.

INSIGHT

Preparedness Converts Stress Into Pressure

John McMahon says preparedness turns unknown stress into familiar pressure.
He links skill knowledge to bringing character and curiosity into sales.

ADVICE

Own Your Performance Mindset

John McMahon urges sellers to 'participate in your own rescue' and do the work to improve.
Joe Eskenazi echoes setting higher personal standards and aspiring to learn.

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In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan delve into the importance of preparation and coaching with Joe Eskenazi, CRO at Kong Inc. They discuss how vital it is for salespeople to be prepared to reduce stress and build trust with clients. Joe shares personal experiences from his early sales career, emphasizing the need for genuine conversations over mechanical responses. He outlines various training exercises and strategies for developing a high-performing sales team, highlighting the fusion of preparation and development in achieving success. Listen for valuable insights on how preparation transforms pressure into confidence and effectiveness in sales.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:26] The Power of Preparation in Sales
[00:01:23] Embracing Authenticity Over Mechanics
[00:02:17] The Role of Preparedness in Reducing Stress
[00:02:57] The Importance of Self-Driven Development
[00:04:25] Coaching and Training for Sales Success
[00:05:41] The Impact of Exhaustive Preparation

QUOTES

[00:02:29] "The difference between stress and pressure is preparedness."
[00:02:49] "You bring the character, the courage, the art, the curiosity by applying your style to the skills and knowledge."
[00:03:40] "You gotta participate in your own rescue. You gotta put in the work."
[00:07:20] "There's no such thing really as closing. It's how openers are closers and opening the sales cycle is where all of your ground is laid."

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/developing-a-performance-mindset-in-b2b-sales-with-joe-eskenazi

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Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.

This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.

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