GTM 98: Going From IC to CRO at GitHub and Building a High-Performing Revenue Growth Engine with Elizabeth Pemmerl

Elizabeth Pemmerl currently serves as GitHub’s Chief Revenue Officer, where she oversees all facets of the company's go-to-market strategy and customer engagement, including sales, support, and operations. She joined GitHub in 2015 after a career in the public sector, and has since held leadership roles in nearly all aspects of GitHub’s enterprise business.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The journey from individual contributor to CRO and the lessons learned along the way.
• The impact of AI on GitHub's business and the future of software development.
• Strategies for pricing new products and cross-selling within an existing customer base.
• Insights on hiring, retention, and the power of promoting from within.

Highlights:
(9:13) Transitioning from IC to sales leadership and driving a forecast cadence.
(18:20) Navigating the acquisition of Semmle and lessons learned in M&A.
(25:58) Advice for startups on pricing strategy and identifying core buyer personas.
(30:58) The future of AI in business and the emergence of the Chief AI Officer role.
(42:08) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Elizabeth thinks is bull$***.
(44:07) One thing that is working for Elizabeth in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Elizabeth Pemmerl):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pemmerl-9172485/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsor:

• Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.
• Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.