CRO Stories: Navigating Change and Category Creation with Walnut CRO Catie Ivey

In this episode of GTM Science, Union Square Consulting Marketing Manager Rachael Bueckert sits down with Catie Ivey , the Chief Revenue Officer at Walnut.io, to dive into the journey and lessons learned throughout Catie’s career in B2B SaaS. Catie shares her unconventional entry into sales leadership and provides a look back at her tenures with well-known companies like Meltwater, Salesforce, Marketo, Demandbase, and Pendo. The conversation highlights significant moments, including her experience navigating Marketo’s acquisition by Vista Equity Partners and the operational changes that came with private equity ownership.

The episode centers on the challenges and opportunities of building go-to-market functions, particularly in ambiguous or new product categories. Catie emphasizes the value of frameworks over rigid playbooks, noting that while every company is unique, a strong foundation in process, alignment, and clear metrics is universally applicable. She recounts her transition into her first CRO role at Walnut.io, addressing the steep learning curve of coming into a high-growth startup where both the product category and targets were still evolving. The discussion covers how Catie and her team identified inefficiencies, developed scalable sales motions, and prioritized cross-functional alignment between product, sales, marketing, and customer success.

To wrap up, the conversation offers candid advice for new leaders taking on significant challenges. Catie stresses the importance of being patient with oneself during periods of intense learning and iteration, recognizing that progress is often incremental and sometimes nonlinear. She also underscores the necessity of maintaining a customer-centric approach—particularly in new categories—by continually seeking feedback, iterating on processes, and fostering collaboration across all departments. The episode closes with an invitation to connect with Catie on LinkedIn and learn more about Walnut.io for those interested in interactive demos for go-to-market teams.

00:00 Accidental Path to Sales Leadership

05:36 Managing Chaos in Strategic Change

06:30 Strategies for Maximizing Sales Efficiency

11:31 Diverse Experiences in Career Growth

13:44 Comparing Demandbase, Marketo, and Pendo

17:32 Optimizing Customer Targeting Strategies

21:33 Future of Interactive Demo Platforms

22:31 Innovative Applications for Product Use

27:23 Volume vs. Velocity Sales Strategy

31:16 RevOps Streamlining and Success Metrics

32:38 Navigating Progress and Positive Feedback

36:11 Core Business Positioning Revamp

39:45 Navigating First-Time Leadership Challenges

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