Revenue Builders

The Chief Financial Officer is a critical, but often misunderstood role in growing companies. In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John MacMahon talk shop with four-time CFO Jim Kelliher about the intricacies of the CFO role. With vast experience under his belt, Jim talks about specific strategies that companies can use to scale effectively, and how CFOs can best guide their companies towards financial soundness. Additional Resources:Connect with Jim Kelliher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kelliher-8a3100/Donate to the Irish American Partnership | https://www.irishap.org/Drive Consistency in Your Sales Planning Process: https://forc.mx/3PuYNOaA CFO Perspective on Healthy Revenue Growth: https://forc.mx/3yIMhE6HIGHLIGHTSWhat keeps CFOs up at night?Things to prepare before pitching to a CFOWhat is a frugal spend culture?All markets eventually bounce backWhat does a financially-sound company look like?Financial forecasting is a critical skill in businessCost-justification needs to come from an internal championQUOTESJim: "Our job is to control the business. We have to make sure we're not doing silly things with our cash, we're not doing things that don't make sense longer term. But our objective is really to grow the business." Jim: "When I say frugal, it's usually around an investment you're making in the company or in the infrastructure, or in a person that you expect to be paid back and have thought through. That's what I mean by frugal. Do it in the right way." Jim: "Let's do it a bit at a time, so that if it doesn't work, you haven't made  a big bet and you can kind of pull your foot off. If it doesn't work, you understand why it doesn't work and maybe you can self-correct in the middle of that process. That's what I mean by experimenting." Jim: "It will probably be volatile for a period of time. But longer term, good companies get the bulk of markets, good companies are successful, good companies are bought. So create a good company, create a good culture, create a scalable model, and you'll be just fine." 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to John Mosley, Jr., Head Men's Basketball Coach at East Los Angeles College. Mosley and the story of their Huskies basketball program are covered in the popular Netflix series Last Chance U: Basketball. Mosley shares his strategies for leading even the most difficult teams successfully, focusing on relationship building and leading by example. He concludes that if you can make a sincere impact on one person’s life and career, the chain reaction benefits many others.Additional Resources:Connect with John Mosley, Jr. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mosley-jr-b5269239/Donate to the ELAC Men’s Basketball Program | https://org.eteamsponsor.com/ETS/supportUs/411913647?fund_participant_id=411913648For larger donations that require tax deductions:Donate to the ELAC Student-Athlete Fund |  https://elacfoundation.com/elac-student-athletes-fund/Specify "Men's Basketball" in the comments.The foundation is a 501C3Federal Tax ID# 33-0034221Coach Your Managers To Learn From Wins and Losses: https://forc.mx/3NKvQNf5 Leadership Tactics That Get Results: https://forc.mx/3P3PCEAHIGHLIGHTSBehind the scenes of Netflix’s 'Last Chance University' Why great leaders are great coaches Ditch the playbook and meet your team where they areSpeech is silver, silence is goldenTo lead people is to carry their burden for them Rules without relationship equals rebellionQUOTESKaplan: "We believe great leaders are great coaches, and they have the ability to meet kids wherever they're at and understand their story." Mosley: "In leadership, you direct behavior. In order to direct behavior in leadership, I think you have to have that personal relationship. And when you go down and you have those personal relationships and you live out, I think it's important to live out the burdens with these young men. That's what I'm called to do." Mosley: "Whenever I see a young man or anybody who didn't want to listen to me, even little kids. It works on little babies. You think of a five-year old and you say, hey, sit down and do this. It won't sit down. You take a five-year-old and before you tell him to sit down, you say, hey, you like this color? What's your favorite color? What do you like to eat? And then you tell the five-year-old, hey, have a seat here. Guess what, they're gonna go sit down." Kaplan: "Do not confuse the coach's kindness with weakness."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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon are joined by Alan Chhabra, Executive Vice President of WW Partners at MongoDB. Alan talks about starting the partner program at MongoDB and how he overcame some of the role’s biggest challenges.Alan shares what he’s learned about establishing great partnerships, managing connections, and growing relationships with partners to maximize efficiency and long-term results. He also talks about his experience managing the complexities of client relationships, especially when it comes to competition.Additional Resources:Connect with Alan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanchhabra/Visit MongoDB's website: https://www.mongodb.com/Donate to The Home for Little Wanderers: https://www.thehome.org/Support Vision-Aid: https://visionaid.org/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSIncrease Revenue by Improving the Manager/Seller Relationship | https://forc.mx/3bt8jTlDrive Revenue Growth Through Indirect Sales Channels | https://forc.mx/3nsioThHIGHLIGHTSHow to manage the diversity of partnershipsGaining traction early with a partnerThe challenges of managing channel conflictThe characteristics of the right people for a channelEstablishing trust for enablement informationAlan's advice on things you can get from a partner communityQUOTESAlan: "When you put that together, then you get a handful of partners that you double down. I'm not one for where you just have hundreds of partners that you focus on. You really should get the ones that fit into all those buckets, and then you go deep."Alan: "It does start on the street. If local sales leadership from both companies are not tight at the hip, global partnerships do not work. They may help with some marketing awareness, they may get people excited on LinkedIn, but if there's no real tight-at-the-hip at the geos, it doesn't work.Alan: "The reason for that mistrust is usually because of misalignment on what's in it for them and what's in it for us. For example, if all that partner's job is to ambulance chase your deals in the field and steal points, the last thing you're going to do is share information with them."Alan: "The customers' buying motion has changed. In the last five to seven years, customers now buy upfront infrastructure and commitments with the cloud provider."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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to mental performance coach Greg Poss. Greg, who played professional Hockey and later on went to make a name for himself as coach, talks about tapping into your higher brain in a consistent manner to achieve success. Greg describes a state of higher energy, where you are able to shut down your fear centers in favor of higher brain functions. He also talks about valuing the process as the most important reward, which is also the key to sustainable happiness and success and fulfillment.Additional Resources:Buy Fearless: The Winner's Mind | https://starkemind.com/page-1Visit Greg’s website: https://www.starkemind.com/Check out Greg’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-poss-a0a8a72b/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSUsing MEDDICC to Drive Revenue Predictability | https://forc.mx/3mZ5r3i  How To Enable Your Sales Team To Execute At The Buyer Level | https://forc.mx/3QGXq0D  HIGHLIGHTSGreg's Hockey playing and coaching career How to go from low energy to a high energy stateThe lower brain vs the higher brainThe edge of our comfort zone is where life beginsThe most important reward is the process Analyze, Iterate, Move ForwardNobody cares, play better QUOTESGreg: "When we get into the right state of mind, everything is gonna flow around us the way it should and it's gonna optimize our performance." Greg: "We want to impress other people, or we do it for external pleasure: to make money, to win a trophy, to get a promotion, whatever the case might be. I'm not saying that going after those things is bad. We should go after those things. But our major motivation has got to be the moment to moment gamification and joy of the journey." Greg: "When we can intentionally control our thoughts and rewire our brains to be higher brain dominant, we're automatically turning off our lower brain, or the fear centers of our brain. And there's a big difference between being fearless and reckless." Greg: "The only way to have sustainable happiness and success and fulfillment is through internal gratification, which we get in the creative fearlessness of our process or journey."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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Anne Gary, Director at Force Management. With several sales management roles under her belt, Anne knows a thing or two about building and operating large complex sales organizations from scratch, resulting in closing multi-million dollar sales. Anne talks about her journey from engineer to sales leader, the value of understanding a company’s political landscape, and how to identify and cultivate potential in people. Additional Resources:Connect With Anne Gary on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-gary-a054aa96/Donate to The Boys & Girls Clubs of America | https://www.bgca.org/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSUsing MEDDICC to Drive Revenue Predictability | https://forc.mx/3mZ5r3i  How To Enable Your Sales Team To Execute At The Buyer Level | https://forc.mx/3QGXq0D  HIGHLIGHTSFrom engineering to sales Always look for a problem to solve How to separate the great salespeople from the good onesHiring for startups, then and nowGo wide and deep on the buying organization's political landscape Look out for an organization's championsIf you're not constantly training, you're stagnatingHow to spot a great leaderQUOTESAnne: "So many people, they keep trying to change things up all the time instead of just staying the course for a while. Pick something that you know needs to be done, implement it, stay the course and see what happens. Because we know from engineering, you don't change 10 or 12 variables and try to figure out what's working because you won't know." Anne: "Probably the biggest thing for me when I was interviewing was to ask a salesperson about a sale that they had been through recently, and I wanted to know about the political landscape. I would ask them to go up the board, draw the organization chart, and tell me who are the people that are the influencers in the situation and have them walk me through that." Anne: "I find that the best champions are the ones that are not just about themselves and a personal win for themselves but also about the organization win as well." McMahon: "I always say that you know you have a champion when the sales process has moved from unpredictable to predictable." 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Sahir Azam, Chief Product Officer of MongoDB. Sahir shares his insight gained working in the intersection of product and go-to-market teams. Sahir also touches on creating synergy between pre-sales and sales teams, and the need to balance innovation and solving actual customer problems. Additional Resources:Connect With Sahir Azam on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahirazamDonate to The Jed Foundation | https://jedfoundation.org/Quoted in this episode | https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-saas-marketing-is-different/ More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSAligning Your Sales Engine With Product Development | https://forc.mx/3Hd1QYvProduct-Led Growth: Driving Cross-Functional Support to Evolve Your Go-to-Market Strategy | https://forc.mx/3mE2iW8HIGHLIGHTSThe focus of a Chief Product OfficerAligning with your customer's buying behaviorEncourage synergy between sales and pre-sales teamsSitting in the seat in the moment of the customer's painHow to balance innovation with solving a needTake the time to do a proper discovery callSelling internally can be harder than selling externallyQUOTESSahir: "Product marketing and product management, there's sort of a Venn diagram of overlap of skillset there and different organizations align slightly different on how those things are defined. But we think it's really important, regardless of how they report organizationally, but for those two functions to be paired up really closely to have a successful outcome." Sahir: "If you don't have a very seamless way for your end-customers to try and use a product, you're many times never gonna get in the door." Sahir: "Great product people can really articulate and translate that pain from the way that it's articulated by the customer, which isn't always like, here's my pain point, here's the business value but extracting that, qualifying that, documenting that in a way that's crisp and concise." Sahir: "The most cohesive team is where everyone knows the role, but there's a natural overlap of trust built here and everyone knows what you're solving for." 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Hollie Castro. The Chief Human Resources Officer & SVP, ESG for Yeti, talks about how the company overcame the incredible challenges that they faced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.Hollie shares her perspective on how workforce needs have changed post-COVID, as well as how the increasing need to attract Millennial and Gen Z hires calls for a new approach to culture and expectations. She offers her winning tips for how hiring managers can rise to the challenge in order to hire and retain great talent from Millennial, Gen Z, and diverse groups.Additional Resources:Connect With Hollie Castro on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollie-castro-mba-nacd-dc-6526452/Help displaced minorities achieve self-sufficiency | https://www.casamarianella.org/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSWeather Recruitment Challenges: Make Your Talent an Advantage | https://forc.mx/3zaLLAz3 Tactics to Help Managers Retain Top Talent During the Great Resignation | https://forc.mx/3MkbeL6HIGHLIGHTSHow Yeti fared during the height of the COVID-19 pandemicThe truth about having Gen Z and Millennials in the workforceHow companies can improve their hiring process A diverse workplace requires intentional hiring effortCareer paths aren't always linearBe mindful of your ambition vs your constitutionQUOTESHollie: "What we're learning is people want the flexibility but they also like to come back together from time to time to connect and be social. It's a very social culture."Hollie: "How you leave is more important than actually everything you did. Because  it's the only thing people will remember about you. So are you honest and transparent? Are you having authentic conversations, are you putting a good plan in place that leaves your team and the organization in the best possible state?" Hollie: "The more clear you are about the thing you're going toward, the better probability you'll have of landing that. In my experience, careers aren't linear. Sometimes things show up and you're like, oh I don't know, this is kinda risky. Do the assessment of your calculated risk but sometimes the most unorthodox thing that shows up will be the thing that is the best growth for you."Hollie: "What happens with people that are really good is an organization will tend to want to give them more, whether it's in their job description or not. If that's not happening for you and you want that, make it known. I always say, nobody cares about your career as much as you do." 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to John Hanlon, an experienced sales leader on all things leadership, from being coachable, to taking on a new VP of sales role. Hanlon talks about key learnings you can gain from past failures and the top traits that all good leaders possess. Digging deeper, Hanlon shares one key thing that good leaders can’t have, if they want to do their job effectively. Additional Resources:Connect With John Hanlon on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hanlon80/More about Presidio | https://www.presidio.com/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSDon’t Let Your Sales Initiative Fail: Lead from the Front | https://forc.mx/3GupnE8Taking on a New VP of Sales Role? Key Resources to Help You Get Started | https://forc.mx/39XgJloLearn more about CASA (Court Appointed Service Advocate) | https://childadv.net/casaHIGHLIGHTSYou learn more from your mistakes than successesListening in leadershipBe both coachable and adaptableThe person with no ego winsGUEST BIO John Hanlon has more than 25 years of industry and international experience in information management software, hardware and service. Since joining EMC in August 2000, he has held leadership roles including Vice President, Network Attached Storage Unit; Senior Vice President, Mid-Market Sales; and President, EMC Americas Sales and Customer Operations. Prior to Dell/EMC, John Hanlon was VP of Sales (Americas) for Parametric Technology Corporation. He also served for 7 years as an Officer in the United States Navy.QUOTESHanlon: "It's our job to add value, break down barriers, make people more successful, get them promoted, watch them develop and grow. But if people aren't comfortable coming to you to talk about their problems or their situation, you're flawed as a leader. You're done." Hanlon: "People want to work for people that are real. No phony baloney. Don't try to kid me. Be transparent. Be honest. Because we've all worked for people who tend to tell you what you want to hear or are a little bit full of themselves."Hanlon: "This is what a leader is all about. It's about being accountable, about being self-aware, and recognizing when you're wrong. Because if you don't know that you're wrong, you can't alter your course." Hanlon: "Sometimes you lose to win, sometimes you take a step back to go five steps forward. But if you can keep that ego in check, you can go a lot farther as a leader." 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to Jeremy Duggan, a veteran sales leader who helped build AppDynamics into a juggernaut before it was acquired by Cisco for $3.7 billion. From recruitment and retention all the way to creating revenue, Jeremy knows how to lead and provides a proven formula for success that includes caring about your people and using data effectively. Additional Resources:Donate to Save the Children | https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSHow to Hire the Right Sales Talent for Growth | https://forc.mx/3MLtiOU3 Tactics to Help Managers Retain Top Talent | https://forc.mx/3lrj0aPHIGHLIGHTSRecruitment, Retention, and RevenueA Players: How to hire and keep themYou need to inspire and inspect your people all the time Actionable tips to improve your leadership skills Always be thinking of what you can do betterKnow how to use data effectivelyQUOTESJeremy: "If you can recruit people, and then you can retain and inspire those great people, and then you have a fact-based methodology around to drive results, if you take care of those three things, then you've got a fantastic job of building a really incredible company."Jeremy:  "Look, when I talk to you about leadership and the three Rs, or the leading indicators in sales, what I'm actually doing is I'm handing you the winning lottery numbers. All you gotta do is go down to the shop and buy a ticket." Jeremy: "I can't really remember big mistakes even though I've made loads of little ones. Because for me the whole point of making a mistake is that it makes you recognize it and then you figure out why you did it, so you don't do it again. So then you don't kind of remember it, because you've fixed it." Jeremy: "If you care about people, it overcomes a lot of things that you might do wrong. You might have a bad day, you might lose your temper with something, you might get something wrong. But if people  know you fundamentally care about them, then they'll change 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.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at UPS, Kevin Warren. Kevin takes us through his journey in business, starting from his time as a salesperson in Xerox to where he is now at UPS. Kevin talks about constant improvement and ensuring that you are learning new things to keep up with dynamic markets. He applies this mantra even at UPS, where he took on the enormous challenge of elevating the established company marketing and brand strategy to adjust for modern times and new markets. Additional Resources:UPS Blue Horizons Minority Incentive Program | https://bit.ly/3PhYnvEGeorgetown Scholarship | give.georgetown.edu/LucyWarrenScholarshipMaking the Most of Every Lead: Key Questions to Help Sales and Marketing Alignment | https://forc.mx/3uPZSHFMore about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDSHIGHLIGHTSHow a sales job led to an Executive VP and CMO positionConstantly assess and update your personal skill set The importance of a mentor-mentee relationship The journey from Xerox to UPSShifting industries, learning the language and gaining credibility Partnerships and relations are everythingProtecting a well-established brand in a dynamic industryGUEST BIOKevin Warren is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at UPS. In this role he’s responsible for U.S. and International Marketing, The UPS Store, Digital Channels, Revenue Enablement, Business Planning, Forecasting & Pricing, Digital Marketing, Customer Experience, Brand Relevancy, and the company’s Ware2Go subsidiary. His highly developed perspective on data-centric business and non-traditional engagement channels is driving change at UPS and setting new standards in digitally enabled customer experience. As the e-commerce business era takes shape, Kevin is shaping those critical aspects of UPS strategy that will deliver the business of the future.Most recently, Kevin served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Xerox Corporation, where he was responsible for marketing, worldwide channel strategy, salesforce effectiveness, and global client engagement for the company’s diverse portfolio of hardware, software, and services.Previously, Kevin served as president of Global Growth Opportunities, responsible for accelerating revenue growth outside the United States. In addition, he had strategic oversight for two Xerox operating units, Global Imaging Systems and Xerox Canada, as well as leading the company’s 3-D printing strategy.He also led the integration activity surrounding Xerox’s $1.5 billion purchase of Global Imaging Systems. In 2007, he was named chairman, president and chief executive officer of Xerox Canada and in 2010, was named president of U.S. Client Operations. Kevin joined Xerox in 1984 as a sales trainee in Washington, D.C.Kevin is a board member for Fiserv, Georgetown University, and the UPS Foundation. He is also a current member of the Executive Leadership Council and a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA). Previously, Kevin served on the board of Illinois Tool Works and the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.A native of Washington, D.C., Kevin received his Bachelor of Science in finance from Georgetown University and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, having completed the Advanced Management Program.QUOTESKevin: "Because the industry is changing, that means your skillset's got to be changing, you've got to be changing faster. So the 2022 version of Kevin has got to be better than the 2021. It's the same sort of thing as far as looking at your skills and competencies and what you're bringing to the table." Kevin: "It was almost really a race of me gaining internal credibility and learning the industry in the company at a depth level deep enough so then I can leverage my commercial knowledge and see things from fresh eyes to get the benefit of that different experience." Kevin: "The marketing function led-effort worked well with our communications function to come up with our purpose statement, which is 'Moving our world forward by delivering what matters.'"Kevin: "If you're in an industry that's dynamic, that's moving more to digital and you've got new players and wannabe disruptors, it's good; you gotta have that trust. But you also have to, an exam question on momentum is 'Is this a company that's on its way up, or are its best days behind it? Is this a company that's agile and innovative? Cool, digital? Is this a company that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and thinks the environment is important?"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.