In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to established sales leader and current President of Lacework, Andy Byron. Andy gives actionable advice for scaling sales organizations, especially in defining your ideal customer profile.

HIGHLIGHTS

The prerequisites of scaling a sales organization
How to define your ideal customer profile
Are geographic territories still relevant?
Challenges of the Chief Revenue Officer role
Founding CEOs aren't always the best leaders
Don't rely solely on advice from venture capitalists
Be open to evolution
Scaling strategies can be repeatable
Common mistakes that companies make when trying to scale up
Don't try to change how customers want to buy your product
Team players are essential in scalability
Master the playbook and improve it
Advice for new sales leaders
Your actions as a leader impact other people

QUOTES

Andy: "When you think about the CRO's role, it's so hard because you're navigating a market of sales teams scaling the company, hitting the number. But then also part of the job a lot of people don't talk about and you both know this really well, is you also have to set expectations and navigate with your constituents in the executive team, the board, the CEO."

Andy: "When you have an executive team that's aligned and has patience and frankly has the ability to evolve over time and just kind of say 'alright, what's working and what's not', and it's an open line of communication, and that strategy doesn't change, that's when you see companies that win."

Andy: "For the first time leader, it's not about you, and what value are you gonna impart to the team? And the third thing, how are you gonna create a winning culture? Because people are gonna want to come work for you, people are gonna want to generate pipeline. People are gonna want to really inspect the forecast. If you're gonna create a winning culture, they're gonna want to do those things. I think, as a first time leader, any leader, but definitely a first-time leader, how are you gonna inspire people to go in?"

Andy: "It takes some really hard times to really reflect back and say 'well, am I really giving everything I can to not just work but to myself and to others that support me?' And when you have those three things really working for you, that brings out the best in you, which by definition brings out the best in everybody else. When one of those is lacking, everybody can see."

Connect with Andy with the link below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-byron-417a429/

Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.com

Taking on a New VP of Sales Role? Key Resources: | https://forc.mx/3KTEism
More about Force Management | www.forcemanagement.com
Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

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