Revenue Builders

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to professional golfer Dennis Walters. In 1974, Dennis was paralyzed from the waist down in an accident, an injury that could have put an end to his golfing career. But rather than give up on his dreams, he chose to ‘get a new dream.’ Through perseverance and innovation, Dennis developed an adaptive way of putting, going on to win prestigious accolades such as the Bob Jones Award, the Ben Hogan Award, and an induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Additional Resources:Connect with Dennis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-walters-300672250/Check out The Dennis Walters Golf Show: https://www.denniswalters.com/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSThe injury that almost ended Dennis' golf careerHow Dennis learned to swing a club on a wheelchairPursue your dreams; if you fail, get a new oneWinning the Bob Jones Award and induction to the World Golf Hall of Fame Recognition from Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and other awards All it takes is hard work and a little help QUOTESDennis on starting the Dennis Walters Golf Show: "As I started to perform, right from the very first show, I told people how much I loved to play golf and how everyone told me it would be impossible to do. And what I was trying to do, among other things, was to show people what's possible not only in golf but life itself. I try to encourage them to do things in their life that the thought was impossible. As everyone said, golf would be impossible for me."The traits that make a successful man, says Dennis: "The only way I know how to do it is through hard work. And I think this applies to selling, it applies to how you conduct your life, it depends on how you treat others. But I think there's no substitute to hard work and perseverance. If you can put those things together, I think you can be successful at anything." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to best-selling sales author and corporate sales trainer Tony Parinello about chronic mistakes sellers make. This includes prospecting too low in an organization, ineffective messaging, not speaking the right language, and more. Tune in to discover why you really only want to sell to VITO (Very Important Top Officer), the questions you need to ask, and how you should act in front of them to gain their trust and ultimately, the deal.  Additional Resources:Connect with Tony  on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellingtovito/Check out Tony’s best-selling book, Selling To VITO (The Very Important Top Officer): https://www.amazon.com/Selling-VITO-Very-Important-Officer/dp/1580622240VIsit Tony’s website: https://vitocorporatesalestraining.com/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSWhy do you want to sell to VITO?Sellers need to let it go or move it forwardWhat to ask and what not to ask a VITO Don't start a meeting with a personal ice-breaker Speak in the right language: VITO's language Don't be afraid to set personal expectations and a timeframe How people sell matters just as much as what they sell Question stuff that you hear, take notes, be interested not interesting Tony's rules for presenting to a VITO: say it in 3 slides QUOTESWhy salespeople waste their time talking to people with no real decision-making power, says Tony: "Most sales leadership is based on activity. Get more appointments. Get more presentations. Get more demos. Put more quotes out there. Salespeople naturally, like many of us, they take the path of least resistance."Why you should only talk about benefits and advantages to a VITO: "You're gonna be sent to the person you sound the most like. Facts, features and functions: you drop one of them, one silly acronym or product name or number or buzzword, you're done. "Tony on earning the right to sell: You sell yourself first, then you sell your company. And guess why: VITOs don't really care who you work for until they understand what you can do for them. " Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Kelly Connery, four-time Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and current president of OE Connection, shares his sales journey and the challenges of moving up in the industry. He talks about the dynamics of leadership, from front-line managers to CROs, highlighting the importance of being selfless. The podcast also covers the benefits of having a framework for success, the realities and challenges of being a CRO, and a conversation about favorite movies, concerts, and a charity supporting fallen firefighters and police officers.

Neha Saxena, the Breathe Yogi, discusses how breathwork improves stress management and overall outcomes. Topics include the physiological sigh, toxic environments, wandering minds, sitting and breathing better, and the limitations of meditation for burnout.

Chris Degnan, Chief Revenue Officer at Snowflake, discusses his experiences working in a raw startup environment and how Snowflake stood up to giants like Amazon in the cloud storage space. He emphasizes the importance of respecting the competition and not putting all your eggs in the large enterprise baskets. The podcast also touches on the challenges and benefits of sales in a consumption model and the significance of targeting a niche market. Furthermore, the hosts engage in a rapid-fire Q&A session and share personal experiences while expressing gratitude and advocating for cancer research.

Jaimie Buss, Articulate's Chief Revenue Officer, talks about her journey from engineering to sales, the importance of supporting new leaders, and overcoming impostor syndrome. She emphasizes the value of empathy for neurological and learning differences and shares insights on developing emerging leaders through the Rising Star Program. The podcast also discusses developing managers, optimizing sales responsibilities and comp models, and includes fun discussions on favorite recipes, movies, and charity involvement.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to MW Components’ VP of Sales Kara Bosse about the current state of the manufacturing industry and how they are addressing the most recent challenges, including the backlogs caused by the supply chain issues. Kara emphasizes the need to be communicative, keep a healthy and deep pipeline, and be open to having challenging conversations to develop better relationships.  Additional Resources:Connect with Kara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-bosse-93469320/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSNavigating a sea of black swans The more severe the crisis, the more transparent you need to be Companies are taking their manufacturing back in-shoreSupply chain issues are changing business relationshipsChallenging conversations can help build deeper relationshipsYou can't fight a bad pipelineTips for managing relationships between sales and manufacturing Current challenges and chokepoints in the manufacturing sectorKnowing your walk-away point is an important part of negotiation  QUOTESKara on being communicative to customers in times of uncertainty: "That's really all that you can do, right? Being proactive, have those transparent discussions. When we don’t get any information, we always tend to think the worst. With an absence of information, we create the worst possible scenario."Kara on adapting to unexpected market changes: "Ultimately, you've got to be pretty wide and robust with your pipeline overall because you can't fight a bad pipeline. And it really ended up exposing the folks that weren't deep in their pipeline overall."How Kara is improving the relationships between manufacturing and sales: "The structure that we have is really valuable to our customers and very well aligned with our value proposition. But at the end of the day, there are still some of these holes where we need to be able to pivot. So we've invested in product managers who work for the manufacturing site and work for the outside sales rep. They're kind of the conduit between the two, and they’ve helped us get through supply chain issues" Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Hubspot’s original senior vice president for sales and later Chief Revenue Officer, Mark Roberge. Mark talks about working at Hubspot since day one, building the sales department from the ground up, offering advice on prioritization, hiring, addressing retention and reducing churn. Mark also shares his present journey as a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School and Managing Director of the VC firm Stage 2 Capital.  Additional Resources:Donate to Build.org: https://build.org/Buy Mark's book: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSTitles generally do not mean anything You need to learn prioritization as a sales leader The best sales reps don't necessarily make the best sales managers There is no such thing as a universal top sales hire profileDon't take coachability for granted in hiring How Mark addressed employee retention at Hubspot Foray into investing and the lessons learned Is an economic winter coming? Mark's beef with most MBAs  QUOTESMark answers why promoting your best seller as manager isn't the best idea: "The job of salesperson and manager is so different. Salesperson is going out doing great discovery, moving people through a process, being good with your time. Sales management is all about picking people and empathy, understanding, connecting, and coaching and discipline."Mark's advice for success in hiring: "Have the discipline every quarter to sit down and look back on your people that you hired six months ago so that you now know are they doing well or not. And reflect on why and what those attributes are and iterate on your scorecard. And have the discipline to sue your scorecard in your hiring process." Mark's three biggest lessons about retention: "Retention is probably your biggest number, even more than top line revenue growth. Okay, that's learning number one. Number two, the root of retention issues is in sales. It's not in product, usually. Sometimes in product but most of the time the root is in sales. And number three, the best way to fix it is through compensation." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Afghan freedom fighter, poet, and diplomat, Ambassador Massoud Khalili. By all counts, Masood has lived a life in service of his people and country. In this episode, Masood talks about his experiences of war and its aftermath. He also shares the many lessons that he learned from his time in the resistance against the Soviets and the Taliban, specifically those he learned his father, the great Persian poet and diplomat Ustad Khalilullah Khalili and from his friend, the late Ahmad Shah Massod, also known as the Lion of Panjshir.  Additional Resources:Get Masood's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-War-Freedom-Fighters-Invasion/dp/9386062771Website: https://www.masoodkhalili.com/Improve Forecasting by Helping Your Salespeople Prioritize the Right Opportunities: https://forc.mx/3QDTn4vListen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSHow Masood Khalili became a freedom fighter for his countryMeeting the Lion of Panjshir and fighting for love of countryIf you win the war but lose peace, you lose bothRemembering Ahmad Shah Massod and the assassinationHow 'Whispers of War' came to be GUEST BIOMassod Khalili is the son of the famous Dari language and Afghan poet laureate, Ustad Khalilullah Khalili. He studied BA and MA in Political Science in New Delhi University at Kirorimal University, India. In the war against the Soviets from 1980 to 1990, he was the political head of the Jamiat-i-Islami Party of Afghanistan and close advisor to Commander Ahmad Shah Masood. In the internal conflict that followed, he chose to be the Special Envoy in Pakistan to President Burhannudin Rabbani. Deported from the same country for his high rank in the Northern Alliance, he went to New Delhi in 1996 as the Ambassador of the Afghanistan (Anti-Taliban) where he stayed for many years. He was non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Nepal at the same time.  On September 9th, 2001, Ambassador Khalili was sitting next to the hero of Afghanistan, Commander Massoud, when two men posing as journlists set off a bomb placed in their camera. Commander Massoud was assasinated and Ambassador Khalili survived. Two days later, Al Qaeda Attacked America.  After his recovery, he was made the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Turkey and he is currently the first Afghan Ambassador to Spain.  QUOTESMasood's conversation with his father at the start of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: "He said, 'Go to Afghanistan, son. The war has started.' And I said, 'What about my PhD?' He said, 'Take your PhD from the mountains of your country, from the university of your people who are fighting for their freedom.'" Masood on why you need vision to retain peace after war: "When we were fighting against the Soviets, we did not have the vision to see when we reached Kabul what we would do and what would happen. We reached Kabul and we won the war. People applauded, people appreciated. People were happy. But we lost peace. And until now, we have lost that peace." Masood on the need for international solidarity: "We are all one body. If a part of the body is painful, the other parts feel it too. I'm in California but I think of Kabul. I think of Africa." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Sprinklr’s Chief Revenue Officer Luca Lazzaron. Luca, who has held several sales leadership and general manager positions in multiple software organizations over the past 20 years, offers golden lessons in hiring exceptional talent, credible leadership, and effective revenue forecasting. As Sprinklr’s Chief Revenue Officer, Luca talks about the most challenging aspects of transitioning from a private to a public company, and the difference between having a committed versus a compliant team. Additional Resources:Donate to Istituto Serafico Di Assisi: https://www.serafico.org/come-sostenerci/?lang=enConnect with Luca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-lazzaron/5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHhListen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5OdHIGHLIGHTSThe science and art of hiring salespeopleHow managers can be more credible leadersWhat it's like to be CRO running a public companyHow to do effective revenue forecastingLeaders need to have a disproportionate passion for coachingBeing committed vs. Being compliantAlways go back to your 'Why' Sprinklr: the easiest way to know what's on your customer's mind GUEST BIOLuca Lazzaron is the Chief Revenue Officer of Sprinklr, the only Unified-CXM platform purpose-built for enterprises, empowering the world's biggest companies to be human@scale across 30+ messaging, live chat, email and voice channels — and leveraging the industry's most sophisticated AI engine to bring Care, Research, Sales & Engagement, and Marketing & Advertising together like never before.Luca has held sales leadership and general manager positions in multiple software organizations over the last 20 years. His experience includes both scaling rapid growth startups and IPO experience as well as overall operational management with large corporations globally. Meanwhile, his  experience in acquisition includes both Geotel and Bladelogic generating a combined value of >3B$. Luca is a strong and committed supporter for the Istituto Serafico in Assisi, a unique institute specialized in the rehabilitation and long term care for children with severe multiple disabilities.QUOTESLuca on why managers need to have real, on the ground experience: "People sometimes underestimate that if you want to lead a team, you have to be credible. You have to know what you are talking about in detail. Because otherwise, there's no way you can inspire the people and coach them on a daily basis on what their job is about and how to do it better."Luca on what it takes to be a CRO of a public company: "Having the entire company able to actually make the customer happy and deliver value to the customer is the first thing. Because you can do all this new business that you want but if from the bucket you're going to continue to lose revenue, there's no way you can run a public company."Luca on the difference between commitment and compliance: "People tend to be compliant when you tell them what to do, and you do not explain why and what difference it can make for them. People are committed when they buy into something and it becomes their own stuff." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064