Revenue Builders

The best advice comes from people who have been there, done that. In this episode, we bring you insights from sales leaders who have led their teams to incredible outcomes. You’ll hear what it’s like to be the first salesperson into a raw startup, why it’s vitally important for leaders to give their people a purpose, how to keep your top sales performers from leaving your company, why execution of all the details in a process matter, the 3 H’s of Interviewing, why sales leaders need to remove “friction” in the sales process and other wisdom shared on this podcast.We’ll hear from Mark Roberge, former CRO at Hubspot, current Harvard Sales Professor and Managing Director of Stage 2 Capital, Cedric Pech, the CRO at MongoDB and Chris Degnan, the CRO at Snowflake:https://www.linkedin.com/in/markroberge/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricpech/https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-degnan-524470/  Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064Learn More About Force Management: https://www.forcemanagement.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carlos Delatorre is a seasoned sales leader with a career spanning several companies, including PTC, Oracle, Symantec, BMC, VMware, ClearSlide, MongoDB, Vera, and TripActions. He is also an active investor and advisor in several software companies and sits on the board of Yellow. In this episode, Carlos talks about the three basic things he considers when making a career move: market size, product differentiation, and the team. He also discusses the importance of focusing on the customer and the value proposition when selling. Additionally, Carlos delves into the complexity of a product and the selling environment, highlighting the importance of having a sales team that can effectively differentiate from the competition and create demand. ChaptersCarlos' background and achievements (0:01:16)Carlos' career moves and acquisitions (0:01:56)Carlos' decision-making process for his next move (0:02:30)Three basic things Carlos considers when making a career move (0:04:31)The importance of focusing on the customer and the value proposition when selling (0:06:00)The complexity of a product and selling environment (0:06:41)Carlos' lessons learned from climbing the sales leadership ranks (0:10:54)The importance of persistence and going as high as you need to go to get your message heard (0:15:58)The importance of paying attention to the little things about people (0:32:22)Importance of new logos and expansion revenue (0:43:12)Looking at conversion rates to learn from successful sales reps (0:45:23)The danger of only relying on existing new deals (0:48:18)Gaining insights from a combination of metrics (0:48:46)The importance of a Management Operating Rhythm (0:51:23)Defining priorities in each time frame (0:52:11)Quotable Phrases"If there's not a big market, there's a chance everything else could be okay, and then you just run out of market and you can't grow anymore." (0:04:48)"You're really trying to solve a problem for the customer, and that's what you're selling." (0:06:30)"You want to hire people that are going to be able to scale with the business." (0:09:40)"The role of technology is to make the sales process more efficient." (0:11:55)"Data is absolutely critical in sales." (0:13:45)"The most important thing is to focus on the customer and the value proposition." (0:16:20)"The future of sales is about being more customer-centric." (0:18:25)"COVID-19 has accelerated the trend towards digital selling." (0:20:15)"You have to be persistent and creative in sales." (0:11:34)"Your job as a manager is to make the sales reps self-sufficient." (0:18:14)"It's really about developing your people." (0:19:53)Additional ResourcesConnect with Carlos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadelatorre/5 Questions to Answer in Every CFO Deal: https://forc.mx/46Dhqcq3 Strategies to Cultivate a Customer-First Mindset: https://forc.mx/3NP899K  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Communication is a critical element of any team. Today, our guest Kevin Haverty, Vice Chairman of the Global Public Sector at ServiceNow, talks about the importance of consistent and approachable communication as a sales leader. Drawing on over 15 years of sales leadership experience and his background as a veteran, Kevin shares insight on communication styles that he’s seen drive success across his career. His conversation with John McMahon touches on recruiting, leading by example, and increasing value for customers. Tune in for lessons on building a stronger and more collaborative team on this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out:07:25 Developing executive presence23:50 How do you stay in touch with your reps?36:35 The power of being a good listener45:20 Recruiting and hiring a great salesperson49:50 Managing teams with effective communication as a leader55:55 Help your customers gain valueAdditional Resources:Connect with Kevin Haverty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-haverty-0a74091/Leading Sales Teams Through a Challenging Economy https://forc.mx/3JpLFJYFive Characteristics that Build Successful Leaders https://forc.mx/42U1y1QQUOTESRecruiting as a leadership must-have: “Recruiting, it’s probably your most important sale. Look at your biggest deal. Hiring a great salesperson, if you’re a manager, is way more important than your biggest deal. Because that person is going to affect dozens of deals, and if they don’t make it, that’s probably going to set you back for a year… So that’s when you should really be turning on your charm; that’s when you should really be selling – is landing that great prospect.”Advice for young leaders on handling rejection in a tough economy: “Don’t retract and lick your wounds because it’s tough. You gotta stay in the game and just persist. Tough times are made for tough people, and they are the ones who are going to come out the other side – and be better for it. We’ve been through these cycles, and every time we hit these tough times, people get shedded and some leave the industry. But the ones who have great careers are the ones that persist and find a way to grind through it.”If you're confused, there are probably others who are confused too: "Confused people don't buy. If you have a customer and your product pitch is confusing them, you're not getting the deal. And so we all have a lot coming at us, so we've got to keep it simple. We've got to just have the language be crisp and communicate to be understood, don't communicate to sound sophisticated or to use all the buzzwords."Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064HOST: John McMahon GUEST: Kevin HavertyRevenue Builders Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode features world-class insight on driving revenue growth from investors behind some of the most successful startups in recent history. We offer perspectives from both Venture Capital and Private Equity with our guests, Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner Battery Ventures, Dave Tiley, Senior Operating Partner Align Capital Partners, and Izhar Armony, General Partner CRV. Tune in for tips on what to look for when investing in early-stage companies, the attributes investors seek when making leadership hires, and the four key dimensions of investing: market, team, technology, and the deal itself. Learn all of this and more in this conversation with our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon. Here are some key sections to check out:01:42 Successful versus unsuccessful start-ups7:50 How CEO selection determines success 16:47 The investor’s “Rule of 40”21:47 Differences between VC and PE investors29:47 Focus on growth or earnings?35:10 Attributes to look for when hiring leaders45:10 Common mistakes of early-stage companies53:07 Product-market fit in early-stage companies HIGHLIGHT QUOTESNeeraj on looking for a strong sales mentality when hiring CEOs: “The art of sales is more important than it was a few years ago because there's scrutiny in every decision. Having somebody who can connect the dots between the business problem, the value property or product, ROI, dealing with CFO scrutiny… that's all gone from “nice-to-haves” to super important right now.”Dave on the mindset of going from good to great: “If we're not getting better each and every day in every phase of the business, and we think somebody else is, then we're not putting our best foot forward for our employees, shareholders and investors… You're just trying to optimize it and take it to the next level. Building companies to get to $20 million is one thing, but to get to $50 and then $100, you know, they're just different stages and steps; there's a different playbook for each.” Connect with our amazing guests in the links below:Neeraj Agrawal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajagrawal2000/Dave Tiley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetiley/Izar Armony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izhararmony/ Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064HOST: John McMahon GUESTS: Neeraj Agrawal, Dave Tiley, and Izhar ArmonyRevenue Builders Podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today's episode of Revenue Builders, we have another conversation with Force Management Director Anne Gary. Anne is a skilled sales consultant and trainer with more than 20 years of experience in direct and indirect and channel sales, sales management, sales development, and sales operations. This time, we talk about misconceptions around who the economic buyer actually is, how their role has shifted with recent economic challenges, and strategies for gaining access to the economic buyer effectively by training and educating the champion.Here are some key sections to check out: 01:58 Who is the economic buyer?08:24 The key to a successful EB meeting15:11 Critical things to do prior to the meeting20:33 Salespeople need to understand the pains of the customer process28:13 What questions should you expect from the economic buyer? Additional Resources:Connect with Anne Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gary-a054aa96/Selling to the CFO - 5 Questions to Answer: https://forc.mx/3qs24qC Listen to our first conversation with Anne: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-your-champion-with-anne-gary/id1610203369?i=1000567466279QUOTESWe should recognize that we should convert KPIs: “This is why, as salespeople, we need to have done all the correct work prior to the EB meeting. So we can ensure that the proposal that we're providing is strong enough for the EB to want to allocate budget, and reallocate budget dollars to our project instead of other projects. And the other thing that salespeople need to think about here is you're not just competing against your competition in the sale, a lot of times you're competing against all the other things that people are fighting for to steal budget dollars also.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Force Management Facilitator Anne Gary joins the Revenue Builders. Anne is a skilled sales consultant and trainer with more than 20 years of experience in direct and indirect and channel sales, sales management, sales development, and sales operations. John and I both worked with her at PTC – she was there when PTC was a startup and helped us grow to a $10 billion dollar market cap. Anne spends her time now working with companies and leadership teams – helping them improve their sales performance and helping their reps grasp those key sales fundamentals that are so critical.In this episode, John McMahon and Anne Gary talk about the MEDDICC concept of Coaches and Champions. They discuss common mistakes salespeople make distinguishing a Coach from a Champion, as well as what sales leaders need to do to push their teams to identify and test the coveted role.  Additional Resources:Connect with Anne Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gary-a054aa96/Listen to our first conversation with Anne: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-your-champion-with-anne-gary/id1610203369?i=1000567466279Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.