Revenue Builders

As we commemorate Memorial Day, we wanted to share some of the great lessons shared by some of our veteran guests. There’s no higher-stakes environment in which to learn about leadership, teamwork, and perseverance, and we in the sales world can learn a lot from their service.Tune in as VMWare Chief Operating Officer Mike Hayes and TakingPoint Leadership CEO Brent Gleeson talk about the importance of taking the harder path versus easy decisions, key leadership traits, and adapting the right mindset to succeed. Learn all of this and more on this episode of Revenue Builders.Here are some key sections to check out: 02:24 Mike Hayes on high-performing people living in "two places at once".08:34 Mike on taking the harder decisions and helping others do so as well19:23 Brent Gleeson differentiating between the ones that excel and those that didn't make it23:52 Brent on channeling pain pathways Additional Resources:Learn more about Mike Hayes: https://www.thisismikehayes.com/Get his book Never Enough: https://a.co/d/6sDG3NLLearn more about Brent Gleeson: http://www.brentgleesonspeaker.com/index.htmlGet his book Embrace the Suck: https://a.co/d/9JCAyBB QUOTESYou're only excellent if you know you're never excellent enough - Mike: “Whatever ways we definite 'better', I think it has nothing to do with seniority, age, or where we are in our careers. You can be ninety-something years old and still be trying to get better at different things.”Brent on having a passion for what you're trying to accomplish: “If you think about any lofty goal we've ever pursued in life whether it's sports, work, charitable organizations, or in relationships, no lofty goal is ever achieved without some stress, pain, and adversity.”Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064The Shift Group works to place Veterans in sales roles. If you have open roles to fill, please contact them here: https://www.shiftgroup.io/companies-registration

What makes a winning strategy? According to today’s guest Chuck Bamford, PhD, author of The Strategy Mindset 2.0, strategy is about developing and aligning on a competitive advantage that actually moves the needle in your customer’s experience. It’s aligning on strategy from the top down that can often be a challenge for sales organization.Chuck is the author of multiple strategy books used in MBA and Entrepreneurship courses around the country. He joins us today to talk common pitfalls, new realities, and winning implementation processes for strategy. Tune in for some truly golden insights shared in this conversation with our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon. Here are some key sections to check out: 03:47 Defining strategy and how not to complicate it16:06 The two disconnects in business25:04 The importance of aligning goals with compensation33:13 Avoid knee-jerk reactions during slow economic times43:30 Hygiene around the ideal customer profile50:08 Company culture tied to strategy53:59 Creating a differentiation strategy Additional Resources:Connect with Chuck Bamford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-bamford-ph-d-67b9811/Get The Strategy Mindset 2.0: https://www.bamfordassociates.com/the-strategy-mindset-2-0How to Enable Sellers to Execute on Your Revenue Strategy During Economic Change: https://forc.mx/3OfBtGR QUOTESChuck on converting KPIs:“I think one of the big disconnects in business is that everything that leadership does is hypothesis. They believe that if we invest here, here and here, and our employees do this, this and this, that as we move forward, the number of customers will go up or returning customers or our EBITA, but they don't want to address what the activities are, or to convert it to activity metrics.Chuck on aligning with employees: “I tell everybody that the entire game in alignment with all my employees, I'm trying to get as many employees as I can to buy into my strategy. And the entire game is that it fits with how they view the company in the world, and that they are compensated and rewarded for making that happen.”

Truly great leaders transform the people and teams that they work with. We’ve been lucky enough to have some conversations with some truly transformative leaders on the Revenue Builders Podcast. This week, we’re sharing some of our favorite golden nuggets from some memorable guests. Tune in as MongoDB CRO Cedric Pech, War Veteran & Mentor Anthony Anderson,  Former CEO of Iron Mountain & Chairman for Fairwinds Bob Brennan, and JD Brookhart talk emotions in times of chaos, different types of leadership and leadership issues, and how to help people reach their true potential. Learn what it takes to be a great leader on this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 01:08 Cedric Pech on transactional leadership vs transformative leadership16:13 Anthony Anderson on emotions and understanding the why of everything he does26:42 Bob Brennan on what it means to keep people from themselves 30:24 JD Brookhart on building trust in a team and how bad character can affect the morale of the entire team Additional Resources:Connect with Cedric Pech: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricpech/Connect with Anthony Anderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-anderson-441177129/Connect with Bob Brennan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbrennan236/Connect with JD Brookhart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-brookhart-ba647977/How to Lead through Economic Change: https://forc.mx/3M8NBrU QUOTESCedric quotes a French author on training people on the sales process: “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them task and work only but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. When you define the sales process, when you train the people on qualifying things, these are all incredibly important things to do you make them competent at doing that.” Anthony on navigating your environment in times of chaos: “This kind of what you're being told and what you're supposed to act on but ultimately what you're observing and what you're feeling. So some of the chaos of war is not just what's happening outside. It's what's happening in your heart and in your mind.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Today we continue our conversation with Richard Rivera, Founder of GENNOW Sales Consulting and author of The Champion Sell. This time we discuss his formula for sales success: what he calls the E.L.I.T.E. method for aligning with the buyer. E.L.I.T.E. stands for Emotional Connection, Leading Vision, Inspiring Commitment, Trust Building, and Empowering Champions.Tune in to this episode of Revenue Builders to hear Richard break down these 5 game-changing strategies in an insightful conversation with our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon.Here are some key sections to check out: 01:23 The 5 ELITE Sales Habits07:02 Going deeper on emotional connection14:27 Elite sellers allow buyers to visualize our solution in their world20:52 Identifying integrated outcomes29:18 Deals begin and end with trust42:19 Addressing gaps of commitment Additional Resources:Connect with Richard Rivera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-rivera-44532b1/Read The Champion Sell by Richard Rivera: https://www.thechampionsell.com/3 Skills Reps Need to Hit Revenue Targets in a Down Economy: https://forc.mx/3VjFnAdQUOTESRecognize the Survive, Thrive, Think pattern: “I've got to first disarm those survival instincts and the way I do that is I attach myself to the problems that they care about. In other words, what are they surviving in the job today? How many of us have been in an opportunity where we're presenting all of this really cool stuff and all of a sudden the buyer just pushes back and says you have no idea what I'm trying to deal with, I've got problems to solve.”Be intentional with trust-building: “Trust is a force. Out of all the different emotions, whether it's stress, tension, or conflict, trust can make the kind of impact on a deal that will completely stop a locomotive in its tracks. We don't think of it that way, we think of it as this passive thing and say they like me, they trust me, we're good. No, trust is a force and you've got to respect it.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

The buyer champion is a crucial part of any deal, but especially important in a challenging sales environment. In this episode, Richard Rivera, Founder of GENNOW Sales Consulting, joins the show to discuss his book The Champion Sell and his insights on what makes a great buyer champion. In his conversation with John Kaplan and John McMahon, Richard shares his view on the different archetypes of champions, along with the risks and benefits of each. The episode contains advice for sellers and leaders on how to incorporate stronger champion practices into their sales rhythm. Don’t forget to tune in next week to catch Part 2 of Richard Rivera on Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 03:01 Why Richard decided to write The Champion Sell 06:44 The three common selling habits for reps10:49 Criteria for defining a champion18:25 Sales in the information age26:19 The four champion tendencies34:19 Working with someone that blows past the buying process Additional Resources:Connect with Richard Rivera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-rivera-44532b1/Read The Champion Sell by Richard Rivera: https://www.thechampionsell.com/Resources to Help Your Salespeople Enable Champions: https://forc.mx/41wD9zC QUOTESDifferentiating the power and influence of a champion: “Typically power is a trait of strength. I can move something, I can make something happen. So power is really about authority whereas influence is about people. So I may have an enormous amount of authority but I can't influence people.” Find evidence that they're doing the work: “The third part of the definition that they have the willingness to sell for you when you're not there or sell on your behalf. That means that you have evidence that they're taking action for you. Then I started relating to my experiences. Regardless of what I'm doing, there's a certain people that don't have a tendency to take action as much as we'd like.”  Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Understanding the CFO perspective is becoming increasingly crucial to closing deals in today’s economy. This week, we’re sharing some highlights of the best wisdom shared by financial leaders on our show.Tune in as Six-time CFO and Board Advisor Murray Demo, Drift CFO Jim Kelliher, and Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group Hope Cochran talk forecasting, budgeting, and what a CFO’s priorities really are when the economy presents challenges. Whether you’re a seller, a champion, or a leader, you’ll get a valuable glimpse into the mind of a CFO on this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 02:14 Murray Demo on giving the decision-making power to the CIO20:51 Jim Kelliher on value, forecasting metrics, and accurate forecasting29:50 Hope Cochran on balancing forecasts, accuracy, and transparency Additional Resources:Connect with Murray Demo:https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-demo-59a31117/Connect with Jim Kelliher:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kelliher-8a3100/Connect with Hope Cochran:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hope-cochran-96433738/Help Sellers Chart The Buyer Landscape: https://forc.mx/3mGU5Eq QUOTESMurray on giving the decision-making power to the CIO: “I would never take a CFO job unless IT reported to me. So in any software purchase, I felt that if I got too involved too early, I undermined the CIO, and instead of it being sort of their decision and their commitment to the success of implementing that software, because I got too involved in it, I let them off the hook.” Hope on balancing forecasts, accuracy, and transparency: “I want to establish the ability for everyone to be as transparent and honest as they can and to take the game plan out of it. I know that's hard, and I know that there are a lot of reasons why the game plan comes in, people have career ambitions, etc. But that's the moment where we can all help each other.”

Your existing customer base is a vital part of your future sales pipeline. Today’s conversation with Allison Pickens explores how to reduce churn and ensure that your retention revenue pipeline stays full. Allison is an experienced investor, board director, and customer success expert. She joins John Kaplan and John McMahon today to discuss the importance of viewing customer success not as a separate activity from sales, but as an integral part of the sales process and, ultimately, the value of your solution. Allison shares strategies for assessing customer health during economic uncertainty, harnessing the power of AI for customer success, and aligning customer success with your overall sales objectives.Here are some key sections to check out: 00:56 Introducing Allison Pickens: Investor, board director, and CS expert01:48 Why has customer success become so important?06:43 Why are companies slow to adopt customer success?10:48 Importance of understanding the customer’s ROI15:18 How do you monitor and manage customer health?25:55 How do you measure customer success?29:38 The importance of strong product documentation and user support35:33 Understanding the root cause of churn42:25 How can CEOs and founders learn from churn?48:53 Injecting CS into the businessAdditional Resources:Connect with Allison Pickens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-pickens/Get Allison’s book The Customer Success Economy: https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Obsessed-Company-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1119572762Make QBRs more valuable for your customers: https://forc.mx/3Ukt7PbTaking care of customers in a down economy: https://forc.mx/43esCuc QUOTESAllison - You need to invest in supporting your customers: “The revenue model has shifted and because you can't just sell a customer and ignore them after the fact, you actually need to pay attention to them in order to generate revenue for them later. You now need to invest in actually supporting them. So I think that, you know, we go where the revenue goes.”Allison - Not taking customer success seriously will cost you getting left behind: “Nowadays, I would say that we're in the late majority stage of the adoption curve of customer success that, actually, if a company hasn't really started taking customer success seriously, they will probably be left behind in pretty short order.”Allison - Documentation is a product itself: “I think the best companies think of documentation as a type of product in itself where they release updates to documentation in a structured way. They think about the impact of a new release on past documentation and past documentation that was written and ensure that it's kept up to date.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

The problem with most negotiation training approaches is they often fail to account for the nuances of a sales negotiation based on value. In this episode, Tim Caito, Senior Partner at Force Management, joins John McMahon and John Kaplan to discuss competencies and common pitfalls associated with negotiation. The conversation covers the perception of power and emotions, early preparation and value-building throughout the sales process, the role of champions in negotiation, handling give-gets and package options, and many more negotiation topics. Learn how these concepts apply to your sales team and the current economic environment in this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 01:58 Introducing Tim Caito, Senior Partner at Force Management05:47 Time, Power, and Knowledge in negotiations09:46 The power of emotions and perception of power14:40 Perceptions of value vs. better alternatives21:00 Power and knowledge and the power of champions28:38 Negotiation is a process, not an event56:03 The concept of multiple options Additional Resources:Connect with Tim Caito: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-caito-b9045951/Help Sellers Negotiate Successfully in a Shifting Economy: https://forc.mx/40BrxLhHow to Align Cross-Functional Teams on a Negotiation Strategy: https://forc.mx/40CP4M4Our Top Negotiation Resources: https://forc.mx/3ZAVNVg QUOTESTim - Negotiations are a battle of perceptions: “In a negotiation, the side that is perceived to have the better alternative is perceived to have more power, and the science and negotiation are pretty clear on this, the side that is perceived to have more power almost always captures more value in a negotiation.”Tim - Start negotiating before they believe you’re negotiating: “Start the negotiation process before the other side believes we're negotiating, and the good news for our sellers out there; when you are executing an effective sales process, you're simultaneously executing a negotiation process, you just got to be aware of it.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

A company's ability to recruit and hire top talent is directly related to its ability to scale effectively. In this episode, we pulled together some of the best moments from three of our best interviews on recruiting and hiring in a growing organization.  These leaders share their top tips for getting beyond the resume, creating efficiencies in the hiring process, and key things to look for when hiring sales talent and sales leadership. Join us as we take look back on the best moments from Mike McSally (Talent and Recruiting Expert), Hollie Castro (Chief People Officer at Miro), and Bill Cea (Managing Director at Foster Beck) in this latest episode of Revenue Builders.Here are some key sections to check out: 01:55 Mike McSally on challenges with the recruitment process07:58 Hollie Castro's efficiency method for team interviews19:38 Bill Cea's interviewing components, including the importance of quantifiable success and hiring for cultural fit Additional Resources:Connect with Mike McSally: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemcsally/Connect with Hollie Castro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollie-castro-mba-nacd-dc-6526452/Connect with Bill Cea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-cea/ QUOTESMike - The Six-Second step of checking resumes: “The average recruiter, even with all the advancement in technology and machine learning and AI, their eyes are trained to look for two or three certain buzzwords. And they're going to spend about six seconds determining my 30 years of domain expertise.”  “If those buzzwords don't pop out and make it easy for them, they're just going to move right on to the next candidate. So, you know, not only does it just suck the life out of talented people that are trying to engage with the right employers, employers are missing out on great talent because of this broken six-second step that happens all too often.”Hollie - Embedding values into career competency: “Our values are embedded in our sort of career competency. Each team is given a competency that they are supposed to test that aligns with our leadership competency. So we've embedded that all the way through.”Bill - The importance of past performance: “Past performance is not indicative of future results, but there has to be a past performance because we can determine the attribute that's most important, which is a quantifiable success.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

“The best sales leaders are actually business leaders.” Murray Demo joins John McMahon and John Kaplan on a new episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast. A six-time CFO and board director for Citrix, Easy Software, Centrify, Qualtrics, and Lacework, Murray joins us to discuss the importance of the big picture for sales leaders. He explores how leaders can start to zoom out from just sales success into constructing a full-scale business strategy, and shares advice for CFOs and CROs approaching economic downturn.Everything is a trade-off when you’re making complex business decisions, but how can you be sure you’re making the best decision for the long-term health of your company? Murray suggests getting on the ground meeting people and staying informed on what’s happening at every level of the organization. Dig into even more advice for sales leaders in this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 08:29 The key metrics to look for in sales performance13:47 Balancing fiscal responsibility with agility20:40 Compensation programs’ impact on company performance29:37 Expectations of cost justification and commitment42:38 Defining a good company56:31 Defining a down round and how to handle it Additional Resources:Connect with Murray Demo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-demo-59a31117/Visit the Lacework website: https://www.lacework.com/More resources for leaders facing economic change: https://forc.mx/3neLAR7 QUOTESMurray - Where the best leaders come from: “What I have found, though, is the best sales leaders are actually business leaders, they made a transition from carrying the bag and trying to make their number and tunnel vision and closing business, which is what you have to do to start your career, but as you progress up, the ones that are the most successful, they turn into business leaders and trying to solve a problem more at a company level than just for a specific sales oriented activity.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064