Sound Bites with Bill Binch

Description:  In this episode of Sound Bites, host Bill Binch from Battery Ventures talks with Matt Peloso, Head of Global Revenue at TheyDo, about how his team used journey mining, AI-enriched call and CRM data and improved qualification to dramatically shorten sales cycles, increase deal sizes and elevate overall rep productivity.Key Takeaways/Key Moments: (00:00) Identifying Deal Stage Bottlenecks Through Journey MiningMatt explains how TheyDo analyzed Gong calls, Salesforce notes and internal insights to map their sales journey and uncover stage-level weaknesses slowing down deal progression.(03:09) Using AI to Spot Qualification Gaps and Surface Deeper PainBy aggregating and enriching data inside TheyDo, the team identified where reps weren't digging deep enough into business-level pain, leading to better qualification and earlier “qualify out” decisions.(03:38) Coaching Reps on True Pain vs. Surface PainAI-driven insights revealed when reps were dealing with coaches rather than champions, enabling targeted coaching on follow-up questioning and linking technical pain to executive-level business outcomes.(05:40) Major Impact: Deal Cycles Cut in Half While Deal Sizes Increase by 3xNegotiation-to-close shrank from 101 days to 54 days, overall deal cycles dropped from 5.5 months to 71 days and average deal size jumped from ~20K to ~65K.(08:55) Why the Inspection Started: A Need for Scalable, Productive GrowthMatt shares that TheyDo’s shift from PLG to sales-led growth, and board pressure to scale efficiently, prompted a deep inspection into productivity models, exposing wasted cycles and long-stalled deals.Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-c... 

Gaurav Agarwal, an AI and product leader at ClickUp, shares insights on how AI is transforming RevOps and go-to-market strategies. He emphasizes the shift from merely adopting tools to actively building AI-powered systems. The discussion covers ClickUp's innovative AI builder model, the dangers of 'AI slop,' and the need for effective governance. Gaurav also outlines a three-layer structure for organizations adapting to an AI-first landscape, while urging a customer-centric approach in developing AI-native products. Curiosity and adaptive mindsets are key!

In this episode of Sound Bites, host Bill Binch from Battery Ventures talks with Tim Geisenheimer, CRO of Hatch, about how the team used agentic AI and alternative data to refine their ICP, focus on higher-value service businesses and significantly increase ACV.Key Takeaways/Key Moments:(01:03) Narrowing a Massive TAM into a Precise ICPHatch realized that the 600,000-business services market required tighter segmentation, prompting the team to focus on the top 25,000 high-value targets.(02:06) Building an AI-Powered ICP Scoring Model Using ClayTim explains how Hatch used Clay to scrape websites, analyze service trades, verify association memberships and gather Google review data to create a reliable ICP scoring model.(03:22) Better Targeting Leads to Higher ACVFocusing outreach on higher-fit accounts significantly increased ACV, illustrating the ROI of accurate ICP modeling.(03:57) Where the AI Initiative Started & Who Owned ItTim details how he initially owned Clay usage before transitioning it to an agency and eventually a dedicated growth engineer.(05:37) The Rise of the GTM Engineer RoleBill and Tim discuss the emerging GTM engineer role—part RevOps, part AI builder—and how demand for this skillset is rapidly increasing.Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions, and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-c…

In this episode of Sound Bites, host Bill Binch from Battery Ventures talks with Brad Van Leeuwen, COO and Co-Founder of Cledara, about how his team built an AI-driven trigger detection engine that surfaces real-time buying signals faster than third-party data providers resulting in higher conversion rates, more pipeline and a culture of experimentation across the sales org.Key Takeaways/Key Moments: (01:10) The Challenge: Cutting Through AI-Fueled Outbound NoiseBrad explains that outbound has become saturated due to AI-generated emails, pushing Cledara to find a more differentiated “why now” trigger to break through.(02:14) Building an In-House Trigger Engine Using n8n + AIA rep built a workflow that scraped RSS feeds from 20 industry publications, detected positive ICP-relevant news, researched the account and generated call openers, summaries and talking points in Slack.(04:00) First-Mover Advantage: Acting Before the Inbox FloodThe goal was to surface triggers faster than traditional aggregators—allowing reps to reach prospects before their inboxes filled with identical outreach from competitors.(04:52) Tangible Impact: 11,000 Signals and 30% Higher ConversionThe system produced 11,000 unique signals in two months, and cold calls based on these triggers converted to second conversations 30% more often than general cold calls.(06:17) A Culture of Experimentation at CledaraBrad describes how bottom-up innovation, empowerment to experiment and “AI or die” as a cultural mantra encourages reps and RevOps to build tools that meaningfully impact revenue.Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions, and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-c…

In this episode of Sound Bites, host Bill Binch from Battery Ventures talks with Chris Calkin, CRO of Census, about how the company leverages AI models like OpenAI and Anthropic through their “AI Columns” feature to turn vast data sets into actionable insights for sales and marketing. By automating lead scoring, churn detection and attribution, Census boosted their sales pipeline by 15%, cut churn to near zero and reduced ad spend by 34% all with a lean team.Key Takeaways/Key Moments:(00:00) Making Sales Data ActionableCensus had rich data across tools but needed a way to turn it into clear, usable insights to drive growth and reduce churn.(03:57) AI Columns IntegrationBy linking OpenAI and Anthropic models to their data warehouse through AI Columns, Census automated lead scoring, churn detection and pipeline attribution.(06:22) Strong Results with Nimble Sales TeamThe sales team boosted pipeline by 15%, cut churn to nearly zero and reduced ad spend by 34%, all with a small, agile team.(08:44) Simplicity Wins Leads to Wider Internal AdoptionA simple, intuitive interface encouraged reps to use the AI tools and provide feedback, making the system stronger over time.(10:14) End – Integrate Your Stack SeamlesslyCalkin urged teams to prioritize tools that integrate smoothly with their data warehouse and workflows to avoid costly silos.Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/

In this episode of Sound Bites, host Bill Binch from Battery Ventures talks with Scott Edmonds, founding CRO of Syncari, about how the company leverages agentic AI to improve internal workflows and forecasting accuracy. Scott shares real examples of using AI to unify data across CRMs, support and product systems reducing manual effort while maintaining the human oversight essential to high-quality customer engagement.Key Takeaways/Key Moments:00:00 – AI Tools Both Easy and EffectiveBill sets up a shorter, TED Talk–style SoundBites focused on agentic AI use cases in go-to-market organizations.03:17 – Syncari Enables Unified Data Across PlatformsAs a data automation hub, Syncari unifies information from systems like HubSpot, Zendesk, WorkRamp, and Ample Market. 04:15 – Manual Review Still CrucialEven the best AI-driven enrichment needs human oversight. Scott explains how poor automated outreach can undermine credibility—using his LinkedIn middle initial “H” as a simple way to spot bots.05:38 – AI-Driven Forecasting with a Centralized Data HubBy integrating data from tools like Pendo, Zendesk, and NetSuite, Syncari centralizes customer intelligence into a single governed hub. 08:30 – End - Customer360 and Golden RecordsScott discusses how Syncari helps realize the long-pursued Customer360 vision.Disclaimer:This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity.The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted.Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions, and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated.Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/

In this fast-paced Sound Bites episode, Netlify Chief Customer Officer Richard Terry-Lloyd joins Battery Ventures’ Bill Binch to share how simple Agentic AI workflows are transforming customer engagement and revenue operations. From using ChatGPT to prep smarter meetings to validating forecasts with data-driven precision, RTL reveals practical, repeatable AI “hacks” any go-to-market leader can use today.Key Takeaways/Key Moments: 00:00 – 00:01:05 | Introduction: A New Sound Bites Format Host Bill Binch introduces a shorter, TED Talk–style Sound Bites episode focused on Agentic AI use cases. Guest Richard Terry-Lloyd (RTL), Chief Customer Officer at Netlify, joins to share how he’s applying AI to improve customer engagement and revenue operations. 01:05 – 04:41 | Use Case #1: Prepping Customer Meetings with AI RTL explains how he combined Vitally (for support and account data) and Gong (for sales and call insights) to create a unified customer snapshot. Using a simple AI prompt, he summarizes each customer’s top strategic initiatives and Netlify’s alignment to them — improving meeting quality, avoiding surprises, and strengthening executive conversations. 04:41 – 07:45 | Scaling a Repeatable “Voice of the Customer” Framework By iterating and reusing the same AI workflow, RTL built a repeatable process that his teams can scale across the organization. The approach helps them prep faster, land more meetings, and create clear, actionable next steps post-meeting. 08:11 – 09:50 | Use Case #2: RevOps Insights with Salesforce + ChatGPT RTL exports Salesforce data into ChatGPT to analyze pipeline flow, deal progression, and team performance — identifying what’s working, who’s excelling, and where coaching opportunities lie. This lightweight, no-cost method turned static data into actionable insights for improving sales efficiency and team collaboration. 09:50 – 10:30 | Use Case #3: Forecast Validation with AI He uses ChatGPT as a “third forecast check”, comparing its prediction to internal and Gong forecasts. This extra data point adds confidence and balance to pipeline management without additional tools or expense. 10:30 – End | Closing Thoughts Bill highlights how RTL’s AI “hacks” — simple, scalable, and repeatable — help teams get smarter, faster, and more customer-focused. Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions, and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/

In this quick-hit episode of Sound Bites, Bill Binch sits down with Kevin Knieriem, CRO of Clari, to explore how the company uses agentic AI to predict customer churn and growth with remarkable accuracy. Kevin reveals how Clari’s partnership with Quadzai transformed billions of telemetry signals into actionable insights that help the company retain customers, identify expansion opportunities, and even improve product workflows.Key Takeaways/ Key Moments:00:08 – Introduction: A New Format for Sound Bites Bill introduces a shorter, focused episode format centered on agentic AI use cases and welcomes guest Kevin Knieriem, CRO of Clari.01:17 – The Challenge: Predicting and Preventing Churn Kevin explains that Clari wanted to move beyond traditional, reactive customer health metrics to proactively identify early signals of churn and contraction.02:40 – The Solution: Partnering with Quadzai for Predictive Insights Clari partnered with Quadzai, which ingested over 6 billion telemetry signals across product usage, contracts, support data, and customer interactions to build a predictive churn model.03:43 – Building AI into Clari’s Own System The data science model was integrated directly into Clari’s own platform, allowing account and success teams to see early warning signals and prioritize accounts more intelligently.04:35 – The Results: Accuracy and Unexpected Growth Insights The AI model achieved 94% accuracy in predicting churn a year in advance — and 90% accuracy in predicting growth. It also surfaced surprising risk factors, such as “too few support cases,” which provided early warnings.06:21 – Broader Impact: Product and Process Improvements Beyond revenue retention, Clari used these insights to guide product improvements and refine workflows, turning predictive analytics into actionable business intelligence.07:22 – Measuring Impact and Looking Ahead Bill notes that measurement and precision are key differentiators for Clari’s use case, showing that the company has moved beyond experimentation to measurable business outcomes.Disclaimer: This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted. Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate. The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions, and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/

Phil Fernandez, co-founder and CEO at Marketo*, joins us for part 2 of this in-depth conversation. He shares more lessons from the company’s growth journey, including moving upmarket, building enterprise motions, shaping culture, expanding products and navigating AI-driven go-to-market.Key Takeaways:(05:14) Enterprise Growth Demands Incrementalism(08:25) Big Wins Start with Small Bets(12:31) Culture Needs Accountability and Empathy(15:01) In-Office Learning Accelerates Sales Excellence(21:00) Brand Amplification Builds Community(28:35) Multi-Product Success Requires GTM Alignment(33:07) Timing Is Critical for Global Expansion(42:16) AI Transforms Tactics, Not Human ConnectionResources Mentioned:Phil Fernandezhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/Marketohttps://www.linkedin.com/company/adobemarketoengage/Adobe Marketo | Websitehttp://www.marketo.com/Dreamforcehttps://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/Marketing Nation Summithttps://business.adobe.com/products/marketo.htmlMarketo’s Dummies Guideshttps://nation.marketo.com/Snowflakehttps://www.snowflake.com/en/Gonghttps://www.gong.io/Epiphany, Inc.https://epiphanyinc.net/General Electrichttps://www.ge.com/Salesforcehttps://www.salesforce.com/ap/?ir=1Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Microsofthttps://www.microsoft.com/en-ph/Accenturehttps://www.accenture.com/ph-enPendohttps://www.pendo.io/Thank you for listening to “Sound Bites with Bill Binch.” Be sure to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity.The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted.Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements.*Denotes a former or current Battery portfolio company. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit: https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/#GTMStrategy #SaaSMarketing #ABMStrategy #Product Marketing

In this episode, part one of a two-part interview, Bill Binch is joined by Phil Fernandez, co-founder and CEO at Marketo*. Phil shares insights on building SaaS momentum, scaling leadership, managing founder transitions and driving brand growth through GTM strategy. Tune in to part 2 for post-IPO growth and the future of marketing.Key Takeaways:(02:10) Growth Needs Momentum and Execution(05:18) Cadence and Inspection Drive Growth(09:02) Trust and Communication Scale Teams(14:08) Advocacy Comes From Operational Simplicity(18:25) Principles Build Long-Term Loyalty(22:21) Downturn Risks Build Advantage(26:52) Onboarding at Scale Needs Agility(29:38) Big Partnerships Need Balance(36:16) Customers Can Influence OutcomesResources Mentioned:Bill Binchhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-binch-302a4a2/Phil Fernandezhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/Marketo | Websitehttp://www.marketo.com/Salesforcehttps://www.salesforce.com/ap/?ir=1Dreamforcehttps://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/Zuorahttps://www.zuora.com/Thank you for listening to “Sound Bites with Bill Binch.” Be sure to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.This material is intended for an audience of entrepreneurs and provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as, legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity.The information and data are as of the publication date unless otherwise noted.Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this post nor notify its readers in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions and other information discussed in this video are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements.*Denotes a former or current Battery portfolio company. For a full list of all Battery investments, please visit: https://www.battery.com/list-of-all-companies/#GTMStrategy #SaaSMarketing #ABMStrategy #Product Marketing