Revenue Builders

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, Kaplan and McMahon talk to Mike McSally, a recognized and accomplished business leader with deep expertise in aligning people, operations and technology. Mike, who spent more than 30 years with Allegis Group, talks about the current state of recruitment and the situations that are causing the problems hounding the industry. Mike also shares practical tips for job seekers looking to stand out and not get lost in the shuffle of resumes. HIGHLIGHTSStarting out as an accidental recruiterRecruiters are not reading your resumesCultural fit is almost more important than technical skillsToday is the best and worst time to recruitTry to look internally before recruiting outsideHiring managers need to own the whole processThe Rule of 3: Always be recruitingHow to stand out in a bureaucratic worldTips and best practices when using referencesLook for an internal advocateMike's favorite things  (If you golf, you’ll like his advice on what to spend money on)QUOTESMike: "I believe that most of what's done in recruitment is broken. It doesn't take the candidate's background and the candidate's skills, goals, and desires and doesn't put that in the forefront. And we do that by relying on some methodologies or processes that have just been around since the beginning of time." Mike: "There's never been a better time to recruit, at least in my 30 years in the US history, at least in the labor market right now. And there's never been a more dangerous time to recruit and the reason that is is we're just seeing unbelievable data that says 8 out of 10 people that are gainfully employed today are willing to entertain a new opportunity."Mike: "If you want to stand out, find somebody from the inside of that organization that knows your skills and past performance and see if they'd be willing to at least talk to people inside the organization that are hiring for that skill set."Mike: "The advice I give to anybody that's looking for a job is, if you're looking for a job posting, it's already too late. They've already got 70 applicants and you're gonna get lost in the shuffle. So use your connections, use LinkedIn to see who you know that now is working at that organization that will be your internal advocate."Mike: "Your resume is not gonna make you stand out. It's doing something uniquely different. And very quickly, LinkedIn is an incredible tool. I can find out who John Kaplan has worked with in a past life. And if I ever work in and around that person, could I have that person call John Kaplan."Connect with Mike McSally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemcsally/Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064Additional Resources:Articles by Mike McSally: https://www.forcemanagement.com/blog/author/mike-mcsallyImproving Sales Productivity: Owning the Talent Process https://forc.mx/37YOAcJMore about Force Management: www.forcemanagement.com

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to established sales leader and current President of Lacework, Andy Byron. Andy gives actionable advice for scaling sales organizations, especially in defining your ideal customer profile. HIGHLIGHTSThe prerequisites of scaling a sales organizationHow to define your ideal customer profileAre geographic territories still relevant?Challenges of the Chief Revenue Officer roleFounding CEOs aren't always the best leadersDon't rely solely on advice from venture capitalistsBe open to evolutionScaling strategies can be repeatableCommon mistakes that companies make when trying to scale upDon't try to change how customers want to buy your productTeam players are essential in scalabilityMaster the playbook and improve itAdvice for new sales leadersYour actions as a leader impact other peopleQUOTESAndy: "When you think about the CRO's role, it's so hard because you're navigating a market of sales teams scaling the company, hitting the number. But then also part of the job a lot of people don't talk about and you both know this really well, is you also have to set expectations and navigate with your constituents in the executive team, the board, the CEO."Andy: "When you have an executive team that's aligned and has patience and frankly has the ability to evolve over time and just kind of say 'alright, what's working and what's not', and it's an open line of communication, and that strategy doesn't change, that's when you see companies that win."Andy: "For the first time leader, it's not about you, and what value are you gonna impart to the team? And the third thing, how are you gonna create a winning culture? Because people are gonna want to come work for you, people are gonna want to generate pipeline. People are gonna want to really inspect the forecast. If you're gonna create a winning culture, they're gonna want to do those things. I think, as a first time leader, any leader, but definitely a first-time leader, how are you gonna inspire people to go in?"Andy: "It takes some really hard times to really reflect back and say 'well, am I really giving everything I can to not just work but to myself and to others that support me?' And when you have those three things really working for you, that brings out the best in you, which by definition brings out the best in everybody else. When one of those is lacking, everybody can see."Connect with Andy with the link below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-byron-417a429/Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.comTaking on a New VP of Sales Role? Key Resources: | https://forc.mx/3KTEismMore about Force Management | www.forcemanagement.comCheck 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, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group Hope Cochran. Hope serves on the board of three public companies, Hasbro, Inc, MongoDB and NewRelic.She is the former CFO of King Digital, the developer behind the phenomenal game Candy Crush. She is also the co-chair of OnBoarding Women, an organization that supports talented accomplished women in their journey to the boardroom. Website: https://onboardingwomen.org/.Hope pulls the curtain back on what drives CFOs and gives sage advice on various areas of business, particularly in raising funds and ensuring that you can achieve healthy growth. However, Hope also advises that people should not be afraid to take risks and be open to learning. If it makes you nervous, she says, you’re in the right place. HIGHLIGHTSThere's more to one's LinkedIn profileAdvice for entrepreneurs looking to raise moneyLessons learned in launching Candy CrushBalancing overachievement and predictabilityAlways aim for healthy growthSolutions vs cost justificationCFOs need to be the ears of the companyWorking with Onboarding WomenQUOTESHope: "I am very mindful of markets and I am very mindful that when a market is open, I'll figure out how to get money. Because when the market turns off and that's when you need money, it's a rough spot." Hope: "I'm always quick to stop talking about  how much money are we taking in and what is the plan and what's our frame of mind of what we're doing with it. Meaning, what I want to see is money being applied to areas of growth labors. If we can spend more money and get more users or more adoption of the product, that makes a lot of sense." Hope: "Lately, really what the markets have valued is growth. You have to be mindful about what we're looking at in terms of the markets, as well as the strength of the balance sheet. Assuming that the company has a good cash balance and we're not dealing with debt or areas of losing too much cash, clearly we want to propel growth."Hope: "As a CFO, my most important thing is that my numbers are right. And I can do that by making sure my systems and processes keep up with the size of the organization. So I'm constantly ensuring that my systems are not too far behind my growth trajectory."Hope: "Take a risk. When I think of the big movements in my career, they've been when I've jumped while taking a risk, when I've been nervous. I don't think I've ever taken a job that I felt like I was qualified for. Whenever it pushed me and made me uncomfortable, I knew that was the right job."Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.comCheck out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

We kick off the inaugural episode of the Revenue Builders podcast with a short conversation featuring our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan. Both have been there, done that when it comes to sales leadership. John Kaplan is the President and Managing Partner of Force Management and John McMahon is a five-time CRO and the author of the bestselling book The Qualified Sales Leader. QUOTESJohn MacMahon: "I find that there's no common question, but there's a common thread. And the common thread is that they don't really understand the way things really work around them, whether it's internally or externally. So they've made some assumptions about how those things work and I realize, I don't think they really understand how that works. But they're either frustrated and that's why they're coming to me, or they're really curious and they want answers but they're not really getting those answers to those questions from the people that they work for." John McMahon: "I'd love to get a CFO on, a Client Success VP, a VP of HR, a CEO, a VC, and let's go dig deep into what their concerns are. Let's go talk about how you scale a company. Let's talk about how and why you funded a company. Let's go talk about what a CFO is truly concerned about and we're gonna go to talk to them. I think if we dig into those things with those different types of stakeholders, it'll be a completely different podcast."John Kaplan: "My father used to tell me all the time. When I was younger, he would say, everybody has a story. And I actually realized, I wound up listening to podcasts, and I'm very curious about people's stories. John and I have a lot of relationships with some very very successful people that have built elite organizations, that have funded elite situations, that have gotten great business outcomes. But all of them had stories. They had backgrounds. They had parents, they had hopes and dreams when they were younger and how they realized those later on in life."Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.comCheck out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064