The GTMnow Podcast

Today on the podcast, we have the privilege of speaking with Cara Felleman - a dynamic advisor, investor, and sales powerhouse. Cara is currently serving as the Vice President of Sales at Vividly and is also an LP at GTM Fund, where she uses her expertise to help startups grow and scale.With a wealth of experience, Cara has a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in a fast-paced and competitive environment. When it comes to hiring, she identifies two key attributes that she looks for in employees. The first is the unwavering drive to succeed despite obstacles. The second is having a positive outlook and being able to stay hopeful even when things seem hard.Cara is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She believes that companies need to take into account the emotional and cultural impact of their decisions, such as layoffs, on employees.. Cara thinks we can make workplaces that are more fair and open to everyone if we approach these problems with empathy and understanding.Join us as we delve into these important topics with Cara Felleman and gain valuable insights into what it takes to create fair, safe, and successful workplaces and sales teams.Highlights:(2:37)  Qualities of a successful go-to-market professional.(5:46)  Why companies need to be more considerate in layoffs. (8:00) How layoffs have a greater impact on women. (11:50) Exploring strategies for attracting and retaining Gen Z talent.(16:24) Building the sales team at Resy: The challenges and lessons learned.(20:35) Finding the middle ground between control and collaboration.(32:19) Discussion on how to relinquish control and trust your sales team.(37:06) Conversation on radical candor. (38:26)  One thing most go-to-market leaders believe that is not true.(42:49)  The value of human connection in business.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carafelleman/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

In this episode, John Barrows, CEO of Sell Better by JB Sales, helps you understand what the new reality of sales looks like and how to stay ahead of the AI curve. With his expertise and experience, John discusses the implications of AI and automation and how it will challenge the sales profession, as well as the importance of remaining human and personalizing your sales approach. What You Will Learn:The future of sales with AI and automation.How sales professionals survive and thrive in a world of AI and automation.The potential ramifications of automating jobs.AI personalization at scale.Highlights:(4:40) John and his daughter’s children book about sales.(7:34) How ChatGPT will change the sales profession.(9:10) Why you must get interested and learn to leverage ChatGPT.(11:20) AI personalization at scale.(15:00) The impact of the recession and AI revolution on sales jobs.(17:25) The failure of the education system today.(23:55) Addressing the university ban of ChatGPT.(28:00) John’s learnings from getting fired twice – “They were two of the best things that ever happened to me.”(43:01) John’s best actionable advice to revenue leaders.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Max Altschuler and Scott Barker back at it for another monthly jam session. They share company updates for the month of January, including some exciting PortCo announcements. They also discuss the ongoing layoffs and some strong advice on how to create and maintain solid pipeline in this market, as well as some predictions on the future of the SDR role.Highlights:(1:47)  PortCo updates and highlights.(6:55) A behind the scenes intel on the 70+ candidates that the GTMfund placed in the last year.(13:00)  Most common challenges founders and revenue leaders are facing today.(17:24) The future of the SDR role. Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Episode SummaryAI is here to stay, and restaurants must follow the trend to stay relevant and grow. However, regardless of the concern around it, technology will not replace human staff. Instead, you can use it to provide an exceptional customer experience. In this episode of Sales Hacker, we are joined by Brandon Barton, a hospitality tech entrepreneur, to discuss his career path, especially his transition from the non-tech to the tech side of the business. Brandon explains the role of AI in the hospitality space and how it can help enrich customer experience. He also talks about his transition into the C-Suite and becoming the CEO of Bite. Finally, Brandon shares valuable advice for anyone who is considering a career change but fears that it is a mistake.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Brandon Barton💡 What he does: Brandon is the CEO of Bite.💡 Company: Bite💡 Noteworthy: Brandon Barton is a hospitality tech entrepreneur and has used his experience in operations at top hospitality groups to build and scale early-stage tech products. Before Bite, Brandon was employee number four at Resy, a leading restaurant reservation platform, where he built and oversaw sales operations. Bite's goal is to elevate hospitality, which is also Brandon's passion.💡 Where to find Brandon: LinkedInThe GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Udi Ledergor is the former CMO of Gong and the company's current Chief Evangelist. The insights he offers in this episode are invaluable for anyone interested in branding, content development, negotiating, or creating a devoted fan base. What You Will Learn:How Udi Ledergor and Gong achieved 100x growth in a short period of time.The hacks and strategies used to create a powerful brand presence on a limited budget.The impact of providing an exceptional candidate experience even if they are not given an offer.How to negotiate well.Highlights:(0:49) Udi Ledergor: From Gong’s CMO to Chief Evangelist.(13:49) Udi’s superpowers: Branding and Negotiation.(14:58) How Udi secured a Super Bowl commercial with a modest investment.(21:15) Marketing hack: Amplifying modest offline investments like billboards with digital.(28:00) How to create raving fans.(31:00) Content strategies: New, thought-provoking, and controversial create conversation.(36:33) How to negotiate properly.(41:00) Why you shouldn’t have pricing conversations over email.(44:08) Getting noticed on LinkedIn: Bold, controversial, conversational content.(49:03) How revenue leaders can succeed by going back to basics.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

In this episode, we are joined by Rick Smolen. Rick is the current Head of Sales at Loopio. He is a results-focused revenue leader with over 20 years of experience in tech and enterprise software sales. Rick used to be the Head of Sales at Greenhouse Software, where he oversaw the company's annual recurring revenue tripling to over $65 million in less than three years. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at Interlinks in sales, sales leadership, and international roles, and helped the company grow to over $300 million in annual sales.What You Will Learn:How to transition from a great salesperson to an effective people leader.Three sales methodologies, when to use them, and how to teach them.How to sell in a different global market.Highlights:(1:25) Rick’s background.(4:13) Rick’s first management role and career journey.(8:08) His opinion on promoting your top sales rep to leadership.(11:00) How to foster people management skills. (11:20) The value of mentorship in developing leadership skills.(14:20) Why transparency is key in team and leadership building.(16:40) How to deliver/receive tough feedback constructively.(18:18) Three different sales methodologies, when to use them, and how to teach them.(25:40) Rick’s learnings from spending 12½ years at a company.(29:40) Rick’s experience and learnings from selling in Asia.(33:52) Comparing doing business in North America and Asia.(37:37) Strategies to keep your team motivated through tough times in 2023.(41:28) One actionable strategy Rick has used to increase revenue.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricksmolen/  Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Bob Elliott, former managing director at SAP Canada and SVP of sales at HootSuite, discusses topics such as shifting the end of year quarter, the breakdown of the old marketing playbook, balancing quick transitions and giving experiments time, when to ramp up a sales representative, resolving work-life balance, growing SAP's revenue to $53 million, taking a chance on a sales rep, and how to get noticed for a promotion.

Pukar C. Hamal is the CEO and founder of SecurityPal, a company that makes security questionnaires. Pukar has a strong background in Startups and Tech having started out in San Francisco in the early 2010s in a time of booming innovation and creativity. He talks about how startups ought to navigate the topic of data privacy. He also shares insights on what security leaders should look out for, understanding the context of your specific organization in managing data security, evolving with the times, advancing best practices, and more.This discussion explores his experiences as a sales development representative, his philosophy on risk-taking and regret-minimizing, and some of his career lessons.What You Will Learn:What sales development representatives do.Data privacy: what it is and what it means for startups.What security leaders ought to look out for.Pukar’s career learningsHighlights:(1:33) Pukar’s background story and SecurityPal beginnings.(6:47) The future of the SDR rule with increased tech automation.(12:25) The challenging nature of SDR roles.(16:49) How the SDR environment has evolved over time.(21:15) Pukar’s journey in tech: taking risks and minimizing regrets..(27:40) How to resolve deals that are stuck in legal procurement.(31:41) Advice for sales development reps on closing deals.(45:30) What security leaders should be looking at.(50:35) Pukar’s key career learnings.Guest Speaker Link:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pukarhamal/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

In our first bonus episode of 2023, Max Altschuler and Scott Barker share updates for the new year and insights into how the year of 2022 unfolded. Max also shares his top tips and guidance for goal-setting at the beginning of a new year to set yourself up for personal and professional success.Highlights:(3:26) New Year’s Resolutions.(11:56) Max’s Goal-Setting Exercises.(17:58) What are we most proud of?(20:59) What to expect in 2023 and beyond.(24:17) The IPO Backlog.Guest Speaker Link:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Brendan Dell is a positioning and messaging expert with over ten years' experience in helping businesses optimize high impact sales and investment pitches, and build and execute high-growth GTM strategies.What You Will Learn:Why it’s important for a business to hone it’s messaging to better position itself.When the business should broaden its messaging.Love for the customer Vs Love for the Tech. Highlights:(2:55) About Brendan Dell.(5:40) Brendan’s thoughts on the Sam-Bankman Fried trial.(11:28)  What is positioning?(12:26) Brendan’s story about failure.(20:45) How founders can focus on solving real problems before rolling out products.(24:34) How do founders know when to broaden their marketing message?(30:12) What makes great B2B brands unique?(33:38) Why it’s important for businesses to position themselves for a specific persona.(39:00) Brendan’s message to listeners.Guest Speaker Link:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendandell/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.