Revenue Builders

Force Management
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23 snips
Dec 7, 2023 • 1h 12min

Driving Sales Productivity with JP Bolen

JP Bolen, VP of Global Sales at Rubrik, discusses the importance of sales enablement and the three types of training: onboarding, ongoing, and field training. He shares his experience in implementing a comprehensive onboarding program at Rubrik. The conversation also touches on 'winning the stage' in the sales process, having a compelling POV, and the role of continuous learning in sales success.
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Dec 3, 2023 • 13min

Selling to the CFO with Michael Cremen

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan dive deep into the critical role of the CFO in sales deals, especially in uncertain times. Michael Cremen joined us when he was the CSO of Elastic. The discussion revolves around the importance of understanding and addressing the CFO factor, failing fast, and asking the hard questions. The episode provides valuable insights for sales professionals on navigating financial implications, engaging champions effectively, and using strategic language to secure deals.KEY TAKEAWAYS[00:00:36] Competing Beyond Competitors: Salespeople must recognize they're not just competing against direct competitors but against all the other potential investments the CFO could make.[00:01:44] Stacking Up Against Priorities: The real competition lies in how your cost justification compares to all the other initiatives the CFO is juggling.[00:03:24] The Timing Dilemma: Discussion on whether to go early and seek advice or go late and face critique from CFOs. Emphasis on the importance of early engagement and seeking guidance before formal proposals.[00:05:08] Champion Dynamics: The significance of going with a champion and the potential pitfalls of leaving them out of crucial conversations with CFOs.[00:07:36] Strategic Language: The hosts and Michael Kremen discuss the importance of using precise language that conveys the value proposition and justifies the presence of the sales team at the CFO level.[00:09:28] Embracing Paranoia: Encouragement for sales teams to be paranoid and vigilant, especially when dealing with high-stakes deals and engaging CFOs.HIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:08:18] "The best sales teams on the planet are paranoid, like viciously paranoid. If you think it's going to sail through and everything's fine, be careful, be paranoid."[00:10:09] "People rarely argue with their own conclusions. When you ask them to walk you through a scenario and they realize that they've just answered the question, it just makes it a lot easier."[00:11:38] "It needs to be in their language, in their parameters. If you're forcing your goals, the way you read things, the way you're measured onto your customers, they don't understand it."Listen to the full episode with Michael Cremen through this link:https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/connecting-to-value-with-michael-cremenCheck out John McMahon’s book here:Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:  https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/
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4 snips
Nov 30, 2023 • 1h 4min

Balancing Business and People in Leadership with Harsha Jalihal

Harsha Jalihal, Chief People Officer at MongoDB, discusses balancing business needs with employee needs, understanding human behavior, building trust through authenticity, and managing stress and burnout. Key topics include employee motivations, trust-building, conflict resolution, and handling stress among salespeople.
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Nov 26, 2023 • 15min

Champions and a Bias for Action with Richard Rivera

In this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast, join hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan as they explore the multifaceted world of sales champions with veteran sales leader and author Richard Rivera. Discover the nuances of champion dynamics, including the often-overlooked aspect of bias for action. Rivera breaks down the four champion tendencies—Complacent, Teaser, Protector, and Transformer—revealing strategies to navigate each and ensure successful deals.KEY TAKEAWAYS[00:01:02] Understanding the Bias for Action: Richard Rivera introduces the concept of bias for action in champions, emphasizing its crucial role in sales success.[00:02:29] The Defining Characteristics of a Champion: The importance of champions not just having power and influence but actively taking action on behalf of the salesperson.[00:03:36] Dimensions of Champion Tendencies: Rivera introduces a framework with two dimensions—appreciation for innovation and bias for action—to categorize champions into four tendencies.[00:05:59] The Protector Tendency: Exploring champions who take action but lean towards risk-averse decisions, and how to navigate objections from such individuals.[00:06:38] The Transformer: Rivera's favorite tendency, champions who prioritize innovation and have a bias for action, but with potential pitfalls. Strategies for dealing with Transformers in the sales process.[00:08:44] Selling in a Collective Yes Environment: Acknowledging the shift towards collective decision-making and the challenge of navigating the intricacies of multiple decision-makers and influencers.[00:11:19] Becoming the Protector: When dealing with Transformers, the importance of assuming a protector role—anticipating risks and ensuring a smooth decision-making process.[00:12:48] Early Challenges with Transformers: Highlighting the risk of Transformers going too early to the economic buyer and losing the deal due to lack of preparation.[00:14:37] What We Heard Concept: Introducing a mature approach to address potential conflicts with Transformers by referring back to shared understandings and perspectives.HIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:03:16] "If they're not taking action, they are not being a champion for us."[00:06:18] "Recognize who you have and then fill their gaps."[00:09:10] "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."[00:13:46] "What we heard is a mature way to address potential conflicts."Here are the links to our full episodes with Richard Rivera: Part 1: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/developing-buyer-champions-with-richard-rivera-part-1Part 2: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/developing-elite-sales-habits-with-richard-rivera-part-2Check out Richard Rivera’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/CHAMPION-SELL-L-I-T-Building-Champions/dp/B0BV415V9M/ref=sr_1_1Check out John McMahon’s book here:Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/
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Nov 19, 2023 • 10min

Moving into the CRO Role with Kelly Connery

Kelly Connery, an experienced leader, discusses transitioning into the CRO role. Topics include shifting from selfish to selfless mindset, embracing coaching, emotional connection to fundamentals, alignment with the board, leveraging technology, and managing conflicting advice as a CRO.
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Nov 16, 2023 • 1h 1min

Leveraging Product-Led Sales for Growth with Alex Bilmes

Join Alex Bilmes, CEO of Endgame, on the Revenue Builders podcast as he shares insights on leveraging Product-Led Sales for growth. Explore topics such as aligning product signals with conversion, navigating the evolving go-to-market strategies, and the role of product data in improving sales processes.
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Nov 12, 2023 • 14min

Scaling Sales at a Startup with Chris Reisig

Chris Reising, a five-time CRO at early-stage tech companies, shares insights on scaling sales at startups, including finding product-market fit, hiring sales reps, and understanding pain points. In the early stages, wearing multiple hats is crucial, and effective communication with product teams is key. Investor relations play a significant role in understanding market signals. Recognizing patterns in sales discussions is a sign of scalability. Founders must overcome the challenge of letting go of day-to-day selling to focus on building the right team.
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Nov 9, 2023 • 1h 9min

Selling the Vision with Devdutt Yellurkar

Devdutt Yellurkar is a managing partner at CRV and has a wealth of experience as a sales VP, CEO, and venture capitalist. He has worked with several successful startups and has a deep understanding of the sales process and building successful companies. Devdutt is also a co-founder of the VC fund named Propeller, which focuses on investing in companies that address climate change.In this conversation with John McMahon, Devdutt shares his insights on how his experience in sales has helped him as a CEO and venture capitalist. He discusses the importance of sales in building a company and the role of a CEO in selling the company's vision. He talks about making hiring mistakes and how sales has changed with the speed of new technologies and new sales models. Devdutt emphasizes the need for empathy and non-judgmental support when working with founders and the importance of persistence in achieving success. Finally, he discusses the impact of climate change and how venture capital can be a powerful tool in addressing this global issue.HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:08:10] The importance of selling as a CEO[00:11:11] Selling enterprise software and the importance of storytelling[00:11:53] Jack Welch admitted to making hiring mistakes as a CEO.[00:14:48] Forecasting in sales helped in forecasting as a CEO.[00:16:49] Pipeline coverage is key to mitigating deal slippage.[00:19:03] Tough experiences provide valuable lessons for growth.[00:27:01] Implementation of sales methodology and importance of qualification.[00:30:51] Importance of being a grandparent, not a parent, as a board member.[00:44:04] The power of persistence in achieving success.[01:04:48] Propeller VC fund was started to address climate change.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESLearn more about Devdutt Yellurkar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devduttyellurkar/Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders: https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJHIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:54:15]  "Because you want your resource, your best resources are actually focused on taking a pro license and moving it to a strategic relationship, because that's when emotional intelligence is needed."[01:04:23] "You can't just be a sales guy because, you know, as we discussed earlier, a lot of this is around product market fit. And that is a lot through kind of understanding the market, understanding your customer. Understanding technology."
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Nov 5, 2023 • 16min

Breaking Down the Traits of a Champion with Anne Gary

Anne Gary, Managing Director at Force Management, discusses the importance of identifying and understanding champions in the sales process. Topics covered include: differences between business and technical champions, the significance of the power chart, and the role of coaches. Key takeaways include using an organization chart, identifying influence, and targeting both business and technical champions.
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Nov 2, 2023 • 1h 4min

Focusing on the Fundamentals with Paul Ohls

Paul Ohls, Chief Revenue Officer at Sprinklr, shares insights on sales leadership and the importance of hiring the right people. He discusses the challenges of forecasting and the value of understanding customer pain points. Paul emphasizes the need for a strong pipeline and highlights the importance of conversion rates in driving sales success.

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