Revenue Builders

Dennis Lyandres spent more than 8 years with Procore during which time Procore grew from $10m to over 900m+ in revenue. Dennis started at Procore as Executive Vice President of Sales in 2014, before moving to the Chief Revenue Officer role in 2018 where he was responsible for driving revenue across all customer-facing functions including Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Rev Ops, Procore.org and Business Development. From Nov 2022 to June 2023, Dennis served as a Strategic Advisor to the CEO working on key strategic projects such as procore’s emerging fin tech business, key partner and customer relationships, and mentoring and developing key leaders. Before joining Procore, he held various sales and sales management roles at Cloudera and Pentaho. Dennis began his career in mergers & acquisitions with BTI Group and holds a BA from UC Berkeley where he finished with highest academic honors.Join us as Dennis shares his journey to sales leadership, from his early days to the phenomenal success he had at Procore. He discusses the core fundamentals he had to learn, including prospecting, business acumen, account planning, and building urgency. Dennis highlights the human aspect of sales leadership and the important lessons he learned in recruiting, training, and developing the right people; as well as the need to trust and empower his team. Dennis also emphasizes the value of continuous learning and the role of leadership in creating a culture of success. Dig into the lessons he learned on his road to sales leadership in this inspiring episode of Revenue Builders. HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT:[00:05:57] Importance of business fundamentals and financial literacy[00:09:39] Skills needed for sales leadership: recruiting, training, developing, promoting, and terminating[00:19:11] Unique aspects of training and development: clear expectations, self-service, certifications, coaching and buddy systems[00:34:42] Transitioning to the CRO role: prioritization, managing time effectively, hiring great leaders, aligning cross-functional teams[00:46:26] The importance of leadership and building more successful leaders[00:49:31] The value of showing care and having each other's backs[00:50:43] Assessing the most important problems and finding solutions[00:51:06] Scaling challenges: assessing the most important problem and finding a solution[00:52:09] Adapting to new challenges and focusing on the next problem to solve[00:54:13] Transitioning from a private company to a public company[00:56:16] Learning from mistakes and being proud of Procore's impact HIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:08:48] “If you're talking to someone low level, and maybe that's some way to build a groundswell or get intelligence or whatever your account strategy is there, then yeah, I think you can talk more feature function, more jargon. But certainly, as you get more and more senior, and as you demonstrate more and more of a mastery of the subject. Simplicity is absolutely essential, right?” - Dennis Lyandres[00:46:34] “My mindset really crystallized by this role, which was like, leadership is the most important thing to whether I wouldn't. Right and so I've got to be spending my time hiring great leaders and making sure they can be wildly successful and within leadership. I've come to believe that the highest calling of a leader is to obsolete yourself is to work yourself out of the job.” - Dennis Lyandres Learn more about Dennis Lyandres through this link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlyandres/Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

The buyer champion is a crucial part of any deal, but especially important in a challenging sales environment. In this episode, Richard Rivera, Founder of GENNOW Sales Consulting, joins the show to discuss his book The Champion Sell and his insights on what makes a great buyer champion. In his conversation with John Kaplan and John McMahon, Richard shares his view on the different archetypes of champions, along with the risks and benefits of each. The episode contains advice for sellers and leaders on how to incorporate stronger champion practices into their sales rhythm. Don’t forget to tune in next week to catch Part 2 of Richard Rivera on Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 03:01 Why Richard decided to write The Champion Sell 06:44 The three common selling habits for reps10:49 Criteria for defining a champion18:25 Sales in the information age26:19 The four champion tendencies34:19 Working with someone that blows past the buying process 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/Resources to Help Your Salespeople Enable Champions: https://forc.mx/41wD9zC QUOTESDifferentiating the power and influence of a champion: “Typically power is a trait of strength. I can move something, I can make something happen. So power is really about authority whereas influence is about people. So I may have an enormous amount of authority but I can't influence people.” Find evidence that they're doing the work: “The third part of the definition that they have the willingness to sell for you when you're not there or sell on your behalf. That means that you have evidence that they're taking action for you. Then I started relating to my experiences. Regardless of what I'm doing, there's a certain people that don't have a tendency to take action as much as we'd like.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Understanding the CFO perspective is becoming increasingly crucial to closing deals in today’s economy. This week, we’re sharing some highlights of the best wisdom shared by financial leaders on our show.Tune in as Six-time CFO and Board Advisor Murray Demo, Drift CFO Jim Kelliher, and Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group Hope Cochran talk forecasting, budgeting, and what a CFO’s priorities really are when the economy presents challenges. Whether you’re a seller, a champion, or a leader, you’ll get a valuable glimpse into the mind of a CFO on this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 02:14 Murray Demo on giving the decision-making power to the CIO20:51 Jim Kelliher on value, forecasting metrics, and accurate forecasting29:50 Hope Cochran on balancing forecasts, accuracy, and transparency Additional Resources:Connect with Murray Demo:https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-demo-59a31117/Connect with Jim Kelliher:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kelliher-8a3100/Connect with Hope Cochran:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hope-cochran-96433738/Help Sellers Chart The Buyer Landscape: https://forc.mx/3mGU5Eq QUOTESMurray on giving the decision-making power to the CIO: “I would never take a CFO job unless IT reported to me. So in any software purchase, I felt that if I got too involved too early, I undermined the CIO, and instead of it being sort of their decision and their commitment to the success of implementing that software, because I got too involved in it, I let them off the hook.” Hope on balancing forecasts, accuracy, and transparency: “I want to establish the ability for everyone to be as transparent and honest as they can and to take the game plan out of it. I know that's hard, and I know that there are a lot of reasons why the game plan comes in, people have career ambitions, etc. But that's the moment where we can all help each other.” Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Your existing customer base is a vital part of your future sales pipeline. Today’s conversation with Allison Pickens explores how to reduce churn and ensure that your retention revenue pipeline stays full. Allison is an experienced investor, board director, and customer success expert. She joins John Kaplan and John McMahon today to discuss the importance of viewing customer success not as a separate activity from sales, but as an integral part of the sales process and, ultimately, the value of your solution. Allison shares strategies for assessing customer health during economic uncertainty, harnessing the power of AI for customer success, and aligning customer success with your overall sales objectives.Here are some key sections to check out: 00:56 Introducing Allison Pickens: Investor, board director, and CS expert01:48 Why has customer success become so important?06:43 Why are companies slow to adopt customer success?10:48 Importance of understanding the customer’s ROI15:18 How do you monitor and manage customer health?25:55 How do you measure customer success?29:38 The importance of strong product documentation and user support35:33 Understanding the root cause of churn42:25 How can CEOs and founders learn from churn?48:53 Injecting CS into the businessAdditional Resources:Connect with Allison Pickens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-pickens/Get Allison’s book The Customer Success Economy: https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Obsessed-Company-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1119572762Make QBRs more valuable for your customers: https://forc.mx/3Ukt7PbTaking care of customers in a down economy: https://forc.mx/43esCuc QUOTESAllison - You need to invest in supporting your customers: “The revenue model has shifted and because you can't just sell a customer and ignore them after the fact, you actually need to pay attention to them in order to generate revenue for them later. You now need to invest in actually supporting them. So I think that, you know, we go where the revenue goes.”Allison - Not taking customer success seriously will cost you getting left behind: “Nowadays, I would say that we're in the late majority stage of the adoption curve of customer success that, actually, if a company hasn't really started taking customer success seriously, they will probably be left behind in pretty short order.”Allison - Documentation is a product itself: “I think the best companies think of documentation as a type of product in itself where they release updates to documentation in a structured way. They think about the impact of a new release on past documentation and past documentation that was written and ensure that it's kept up to date.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

The problem with most negotiation training approaches is they often fail to account for the nuances of a sales negotiation based on value. In this episode, Tim Caito, Senior Partner at Force Management, joins John McMahon and John Kaplan to discuss competencies and common pitfalls associated with negotiation. The conversation covers the perception of power and emotions, early preparation and value-building throughout the sales process, the role of champions in negotiation, handling give-gets and package options, and many more negotiation topics. Learn how these concepts apply to your sales team and the current economic environment in this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 01:58 Introducing Tim Caito, Senior Partner at Force Management05:47 Time, Power, and Knowledge in negotiations09:46 The power of emotions and perception of power14:40 Perceptions of value vs. better alternatives21:00 Power and knowledge and the power of champions28:38 Negotiation is a process, not an event56:03 The concept of multiple options Additional Resources:Connect with Tim Caito: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-caito-b9045951/Help Sellers Negotiate Successfully in a Shifting Economy: https://forc.mx/40BrxLhHow to Align Cross-Functional Teams on a Negotiation Strategy: https://forc.mx/40CP4M4Our Top Negotiation Resources: https://forc.mx/3ZAVNVg QUOTESTim - Negotiations are a battle of perceptions: “In a negotiation, the side that is perceived to have the better alternative is perceived to have more power, and the science and negotiation are pretty clear on this, the side that is perceived to have more power almost always captures more value in a negotiation.”Tim - Start negotiating before they believe you’re negotiating: “Start the negotiation process before the other side believes we're negotiating, and the good news for our sellers out there; when you are executing an effective sales process, you're simultaneously executing a negotiation process, you just got to be aware of it.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

A company's ability to recruit and hire top talent is directly related to its ability to scale effectively. In this episode, we pulled together some of the best moments from three of our best interviews on recruiting and hiring in a growing organization. These leaders share their top tips for getting beyond the resume, creating efficiencies in the hiring process, and key things to look for when hiring sales talent and sales leadership. Join us as we take look back on the best moments from Mike McSally (Talent and Recruiting Expert), Hollie Castro (Chief People Officer at Miro), and Bill Cea (Managing Director at Foster Beck) in this latest episode of Revenue Builders.Here are some key sections to check out: 01:55 Mike McSally on challenges with the recruitment process07:58 Hollie Castro's efficiency method for team interviews19:38 Bill Cea's interviewing components, including the importance of quantifiable success and hiring for cultural fit Additional Resources:Connect with Mike McSally: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemcsally/Connect with Hollie Castro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollie-castro-mba-nacd-dc-6526452/Connect with Bill Cea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-cea/ QUOTESMike - The Six-Second step of checking resumes: “The average recruiter, even with all the advancement in technology and machine learning and AI, their eyes are trained to look for two or three certain buzzwords. And they're going to spend about six seconds determining my 30 years of domain expertise.” “If those buzzwords don't pop out and make it easy for them, they're just going to move right on to the next candidate. So, you know, not only does it just suck the life out of talented people that are trying to engage with the right employers, employers are missing out on great talent because of this broken six-second step that happens all too often.”Hollie - Embedding values into career competency: “Our values are embedded in our sort of career competency. Each team is given a competency that they are supposed to test that aligns with our leadership competency. So we've embedded that all the way through.”Bill - The importance of past performance: “Past performance is not indicative of future results, but there has to be a past performance because we can determine the attribute that's most important, which is a quantifiable success.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

“The best sales leaders are actually business leaders.” Murray Demo joins John McMahon and John Kaplan on a new episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast. A six-time CFO and board director for Citrix, Easy Software, Centrify, Qualtrics, and Lacework, Murray joins us to discuss the importance of the big picture for sales leaders. He explores how leaders can start to zoom out from just sales success into constructing a full-scale business strategy, and shares advice for CFOs and CROs approaching economic downturn.Everything is a trade-off when you’re making complex business decisions, but how can you be sure you’re making the best decision for the long-term health of your company? Murray suggests getting on the ground meeting people and staying informed on what’s happening at every level of the organization. Dig into even more advice for sales leaders in this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 08:29 The key metrics to look for in sales performance13:47 Balancing fiscal responsibility with agility20:40 Compensation programs’ impact on company performance29:37 Expectations of cost justification and commitment42:38 Defining a good company56:31 Defining a down round and how to handle it Additional Resources:Connect with Murray Demo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-demo-59a31117/Visit the Lacework website: https://www.lacework.com/More resources for leaders facing economic change: https://forc.mx/3neLAR7 QUOTESMurray - Where the best leaders come from: “What I have found, though, is the best sales leaders are actually business leaders, they made a transition from carrying the bag and trying to make their number and tunnel vision and closing business, which is what you have to do to start your career, but as you progress up, the ones that are the most successful, they turn into business leaders and trying to solve a problem more at a company level than just for a specific sales oriented activity.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Sarah de Lagarde is a living miracle. Her story is one of resilience and is filled with lessons for all of us. Sarah is currently the Global Head of Communications at Janus Henderson in London, but last September her life changed forever when she was involved in a horrific accident that claimed her arm and leg. Somehow, throughout an ordeal that could have been fatal many times over, Sarah remained calm and refused to give up.In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk with Sarah about her journey, adjusting to a new reality, and the power of gratitude. They explore how her background in crisis communication helped her on the tracks that night, and Sarah shares some expertise for founders and leaders on how to handle internal and external communications for their teams, particularly in times of crisis. Here are some key sections to check out: 03:15 Sarah’s miracle story06:09 Gratitude above all emotions after the accident10:42 Pushing through the pain of an accident16:38 Journey to recovery and raising money21:38 Sarah’s background in crisis communication32:26 Advice for companies that don’t have a corporate communications team38:35 Resilience and living in the moment44:06 The psychological immune system and living in the present Additional Resources:Support Sarah’s GoFundMe campaign for a bionic arm: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarah-get-a-bionic-armConnect with Sarah de Lagarde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-delagarde-comms/Visit the Janus Henderson Group website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/janus-henderson-group-plc/ QUOTESSarah - choosing gratitude every day: “It's a very conscious decision that I make every day when I wake up. When something like this happens, there's a whole range of emotions that you feel every day, and one overwhelming emotion is that of gratitude, and that is because I could have died so many times that night, and yet I didn't, I clung on to dear life, I made it. And now, everything I see is 10 times more beautiful than before, because I'm here, because I could have not seen it.”Sarah - Take time, no shortcuts: “If you want to do this, right, you have to take your time, there are no shortcuts, you have to just go and accept it.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

What’s the ultimate factor to success? A competitive and committed mindset, according to today’s guest JR Butler. A lifelong athlete, he saw the opportunity for sales teams to recruit from groups with a next-level work ethic and passion for growth: athletes and veterans. Drawing on his own experience of transitioning to the sales world, JR founded Shift Group, a company that develops these specially qualified groups into elite sales professionals. Today he joins John McMahon and John Kaplan to discuss how leaders can build a success-driven culture, develop A-Players, and make great hires in today’s challenging market. Dig in to great insights for building an all-star team on this episode of Revenue Builders. Here are some key sections to check out: 03:48 The impetus for starting Shift Group07:40 Learnings from being coached by his father19:15 The pros and cons of hiring athletes in sales24:52 The mindset of an athlete who wants to be great30:07 The importance of having a culture of success34:21 Why would somebody want to work for this company?38:54 Practice starts from the top down42:44 What is a sales boot camp?52:30 Rapid fire questions and answersAdditional Resources:Support the Line In the Sky Foundation: https://www.lineintheskyfoundation.org/Watch “The Russian Five” hockey documentary: https://therussianfive.com/Connect with JR Butler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrbutler/Visit the Shift Group website: https://www.shiftgroup.io/QUOTESJR - Learnings from his dad: “My dad has a saying, he says plant tomatoes, get tomatoes, and what he means by that is sports, hockey specifically, is a meritocracy. Like nobody really cares what your parents accomplished, what you did, where you're from. It's like, how hard are you willing to work to get better every single day? And that's what you're gonna get rewarded for.”JR - Being a great teammate: “When I think back to every team I've ever played for that was great, everybody in that locker room played for each other. And that was it, like a full stop. It was like the old Patriot saying, you did your job because you knew the guy next to you was going to do their job.”Tony - Leaders walk the talk: “What I see is great leadership is like, you're not just telling people what to do, you're showing them what to do, and you're not afraid to do what you're asking your team to do.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

One of our MOST requested guests is back for Part 2! Tony Parinello is the bestselling author of Selling to VITO - the Very Important Top Officer. A sales veteran, Tony knows how C-suite leaders think, what they look for in a sales conversation, and what it takes to get them on your side in a deal. Today, Tony is diving even deeper into this critical topic for sales success in 2023, when multiple C-suite leaders are getting more involved in every deal. John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Tony about VITO priorities and how to win consistently with this stakeholder group in a game-changing episode for both sellers and leaders. Dig in and get in the mindset of how your team should be approaching these high-stakes conversations. Here are some key sections to check out: 5:00 What’s on VITO’s To-Do List6:50 How to make sure you’re targeting the right VITOs10:00 what a company owes its sellers12:20 Speaking the language of VITO25:40 The three outcomes to strategize around when you try to reach VITO33:25 The right questions to ask VITO34:50 Voicemail best practices44:52 Active listening54:00 The problem with premature questions55:20 VITO Call Objectives1:05:40 How many slides do you need for a VITO presentation? Additional Resources:Listen to the Part 1 episode with Tony: https://forc.mx/3SxR5puTony Parinello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellingtovito/Selling to VITO on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Selling-VITO-Very-Important-Officer/dp/1580622240Register for the Selling to the C-Suite Webinar Series: https://forc.mx/3xZdFO9 HIGHLIGHTSVITO parameters in the sales processAccountability and OwnershipThe importance of speaking the language of the processThe importance of opening statementsThe 3 best outcomes of contacting VITOThe power of VITO’s voicemailThe right questions to askCall objectives for your first call QUOTESTony - Forget the word “I”: “Forget the word ‘I’. The up word ‘I’ should be totally out of your vocabulary like, I wanted to know where, I was wondering if or, I had an idea. These executives, these VITOs don't care about us until they understand what we could do for them, and so take the word ‘I’ out of your vocabulary, just replace it with the word we or our.”Tony - The importance of having a process: “Every successful VITO has a process in place for doing everything they want to measure and achieve. Processes are critically important for us to show VITO that whether we're leaving voicemail messages or we're sending them correspondence, we need to follow an identifiable process. So VITO sees what we're doing and can identify with it. So this is why examining our sales process and examining our prospecting process is so critically important.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

An inspiring story of love, perseverance and the power of football - Bob Kessler is in awe of where his family was and where they are now. His son Tyler is a walking medical miracle. Tyler suffered from kidney failure when he was just four years old and received a transplant from his grandmother. But, in 2000 he was diagnosed with cancer and his body rejecting the kidney. Suffering from Post Transplant Lymphatic Disorder, he was the only child in the U.S who was undergoing chemo and dialysis at the same time.But Bob didn't want Tyler's childhood memories to only be hospitals and doctors. That's why he set a goal to visit every NFL stadium in the country. Starting the year Tyler was diagnosed, they traveled the country meeting player after player and coach after coach. Their story is not only a football fan's dream, but a lesson to us all to never let our struggle define our story.Additional Resources:Get Involved or Donate to the Make-A-Wish foundation to help change kids’ lives: https://wish.org/Read about Tyler’s story in Sports Illustrated: https://vault.si.com/vault/2005/01/31/the-best-medicineSupport the National Kidney Foundation: https://www.kidney.org/donationListen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcastHIGHLIGHTSIntroducing Bob KesslerTyler’s background and storyStaying positive through the tough timesMaking tough decisions with your destination in mindVisiting stadiums with TylerThe value of being made to feel like you belongStories from inside the NFL locker rooms and busesFocusing on what you can do, not what you can'tAdvice for people facing challengesCommunity is more important than you realizeQUOTESBob - Remaining positive: “I will tell you, my wife and I, we agreed at a very early part of this journey that there's no complaining, there is no asking why? Because there's no answer there. All we know is what we can do.”Bob - Building community: “At first, you may be like, Hey, I don't need that. That's what we said, but give it a shot, and try to network and learn from others. You know, we learned a lot from families who have gone through, you know, you meet families in the hospital, who are going through similar challenges, some worse, and we've learned a lot by observing and talking to folks and sharing our story, and, what's the best way to work through all these challenges.” Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

The most impactful leaders turn challenges into growth opportunities. In this episode, our hosts welcome Dr. Tommy Watson, Ed. D., ACC, one of America's leading experts on turning transitions into triumphs, to their podcast. Dr. Watson has authored two books and is considered an authority on resilience, change, motivation, and leadership. Dr. Tommy explains his definition of resilience as the ability to bounce back from adversity. He believes that no matter what area of life someone comes from or what they do, they will always face challenges and must be able to bounce back in order to be successful. Learn more about Dr. Tommy’s philosophies for life and leadership in this latest episode of Revenue Builders.Additional Resources:Support skill and character building for NC youth: https://www.shieldmentor.org/Read Dr. Tomy’s motivational guide - The Resilience of Champions: Secret Habits of Highly Resilient Individuals and Organizationshttps://www.amazon.com/Resilience-Champions-Resilient-Individuals-Organizations/dp/1491733543Read Dr. Tommy’s memoir - A Face of Courage: The Tommy Watson Storyhttps://www.amazon.com/Face-Courage-Watson-Story-How-survive/dp/0595530567Connect with Dr. Tommy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawatsonspeaking/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSDr. Tommy’s definition of resilienceHow sports gave him a dreamBeing a statistical miracle of human resilienceHow to focus on the positiveTuning in to your ‘yes’ voice and tuning out your ‘no’ voiceThe three V’s of motivationNever forget your ‘why’Finding the one thing that is going rightThe resilience of champions and thriving in uncertaintyThe growth comes from the valley, not the mountains.Defining your vision of excellenceSuccess and failure are a cycle, not opposite outcomesRituals of your culture QUOTESDr. Tommy - Definition of resilience: “Resilience, John, and John, is really about just bouncing back from adversity because no matter what area of life you come from, or what you do, we're always going to face some challenges when it comes to life, life is gonna throw things at us, and we got to be able to bounce back. But I think oftentimes people look at resiliency as simply surviving, that's an aspect of it. But resiliency is really about bouncing back and thriving.”Dr. Tommy - Focus on the positive: “Sometimes in the midst of a lot of chaos, you have to hone in on the one thing that's going right, find one thing that's going right and hold on to it.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

As sales leaders, our success isn’t defined solely by revenue. Today’s guest Zack Rosenburg is the co-founder of SBP, an organization that supports communities affected by natural disasters. Originally founded as a disaster relief volunteer group in 2006, SBP has evolved to now include government advisory, loan funding programs, and disaster risk education and prevention into their activities. A former defense attorney, Zack has built a career on serving others. His story is inspiring as is his approach to his non-profit. Zack and SBP adopted a unique approach to non-profit growth that focuses on efficiency and the customer experience. He discusses his dedication to continuous improvement and a people-first culture. Listen to the full conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan to learn about maximizing your impact. Additional Resources:Learn more about SBP and support their mission to end suffering from natural disasters: https://www.sbpusa.org/Connect with Zack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackrosenburg/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSZack’s history in lawThe class implications of natural disastersThe “Mom” RuleTalk about problems, not just wins.Are you ahead or behind?If you do it well, share it.The power of knowledge investmentsStrive to put yourself out of businessCreating a safe cultureDon’t get too far ahead or too far behindThe best ideas come from the shop floorConstructive DiscontentYou have to be hearableWithout struggle, there is no progressSteering through turbulenceThe magic of aligning on valuesQUOTESZack - Inspiration from Toyota’s Yokoten Notion: “If a for-profit global company can take their resources to drive efficiency with others, we can do the same thing. And that's what started our share intervention when we began, not just investing money, but time resources in the Toyota Production System.”Zack - Think about what the customer wants: “We realized that just being reactive wasn't enough. Just building houses wasn't enough. They talked about upstream solutions, and the best upstream, and they talked about what would the customer want? Think about does the customer want us to rebuild their house? Or would they want to never need our help in the first place?” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

What characteristics make a successful entrepreneur? Jim Baum has over 25 years of tech industry experience as an entrepreneur and board leader. According to Jim, it takes “the smarts, the drive, and just enough of the craziness to make it happen.” As a seasoned president, CEO, and advisor of high-growth, venture-backed B2B software environments, he shares his insights on the limits of technology, the importance of customer-defined value, and how entrepreneurial values are critical to the success of all sales individuals and leaders. Dig in to strategies for personal and organizational growth in this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on Revenue Builders.Additional Resources:Support Angel Flight in providing transportation to lifesaving medical care: https://www.angelflightne.org/Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbaum/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcastHIGHLIGHTSHow Jim’s technical background helped him in his careerAdvice for technical people looking to become revenue buildersAdmitting and owning mistakesIteration is keyThe dynamic subordination of leadership and decision makingKey traits of successful entrepreneursEntrepreneurship as a mindset for all sales leadersHow contagious passion shapes enterprise teamsDifferences between being an entrepreneur and being a corporate executiveThe importance of having an outside-in vs inside-out mentalityQUOTESJim - Get to know the customer: “Not to downplay the importance of technology, and the quality of the technology and the architecture and the systems that are used, and the way they're deployed, and the way they scale and all of those things. But on top of all that, there's an end user, there's a person, there's a human or a system that needs to somehow derive value from what this technology is doing. And so I really think the advice is, get to know the customer get to know the use case, get to know, in deeply understand the value.”Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Work/life balance is often something we strive for, but have difficulty achieving. This week’s guest Marcy Stoudt, CEO and co-founder of Revel Coach, helps leaders avoid burnout and become their best selves. Marcy offers advice for all leaders to avoid burnout and achieve work-life balance without sacrificing success in either area. She also discusses how diversity and new generations are changing the corporate landscape, diving into how both women and their teams can ensure success throughout and after the maternity leave process. Tune in for actionable items on leading, and rising the ranks within, a modern sales workforce in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. Additional Resources:Shop Unique Products that Support Rehabilitation of Human Trafficking Survivors at Rethreaded: https://rethreaded.com/Visit Revel Coach’s Website: https://www.revelcoach.com/Connect with Marcy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcy-stoudt-59469a2/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSWhat is Revel Coach and why does it exist?Exploring Challenges Faced by Working MomsBalancing Work, Home, and SelfEgo, Affirmation, and BurnoutLiving above the line vs. living below the lineAddressing Work AddictionsGenerational Judgment vs. Growth MindsetCross-Generational Leadership and Cultural ConfusionExecutive Burnout and MicromanagementWomen in Sales, Abundance Mindset, and Modern Maternity ProgramsIdentifying who you are today and what serves you nowThe importance of understanding the other person’s perspectiveLiving Life with No Regrets QUOTESMarcy - What Revel Coach is all about: "Specifically, we serve that time-starved working mom whose vision of success includes a very successful career, but without the sacrifice of personal wellness or quality time at home."Marcy - Leading beyond generational judgment: “The best leaders see the strength and people's unique style, and basically you want to flourish that mute, get that person to flourish…” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A GREAT LEADER?John McMahon and John Kaplan welcome Dali Rajic, Chief Operating Officer at Zscaler, as he discusses his career in sales leadership, starting as a first-line manager and eventually becoming a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). He gives advice for fron-tline managers, those coaching front-line managers, and those wishing to take their career to the next level. Dali discusses the difference between working hard and working efficiently, the anatomy of a great team culture, and explains an approach to results-based enablement. Learn more about Dali’s work and achievements in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. Additional Resources:Support At-Risk Youth with National Runaway Safeline: https://www.1800runaway.org/Visit Zscaler’s Website: https://www.zscaler.com/Connect with Dali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dali-rajic-295912/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSThe Revenue Builders Podcast: A Conversation with Dali RajicThe Different Types of Leaders and What They Need to LearnThe Benefits of Being Vulnerable in the WorkplaceThe Second Line Manager's Role in SalesThe Differentiation Between First and Second Line ManagersThe Impact of Moving from Second Line to Third LineThe Importance of Keeping a Pulse on the BusinessThe Importance of Thinking Like an Executive in a Complex OrganizationThe Importance of a Strong Revenue Operations FunctionThe Importance of Being Selective with PromotionsThe Importance of Trust and Community in BusinessThe Impact of Sales on Organizational Culture and DevelopmentDali Rajic on the Importance of Training and DevelopmentThe Importance of Enablement in Career SuccessThe Power of Enablement and Rev-Ups in BusinessThe Importance of Enablement in BusinessLeadership Enablement: The Key to Inspiring ComplianceThe Importance of Marginal Gains and Training Sales LeadersLeadership Development in a Remote WorldThe Impact of Leaders on Sales PerformanceThe Three R's of Successful Sales: Recruitment, Readiness, and ResultsThe Importance of Coachability and Being a Team Player in a High-Growth CompanyThe Top Three Takeaways from Dali Rajic's Interview on Sales EnablementThe Importance of Leadership in Business QUOTESDali - A leader doesn’t have all the answers: "Actually it's okay to be vulnerable because you think you got promoted, and you got to know everything except you don't know everything. All this talent on your team, and if you create a culture of mutual learning from one another, then it becomes really an approach of exchanging ideas, weighing them, trying to figure out what the best one is forward, you become a sounding board, you learn, evolve your thinking, now you can add more value."Dali - Celebrate every small win: “Everybody waits for like this big miracle to happen this big enlightenment this moment, and what you miss out is, if you're just waiting for the big moments, you miss all the little moments. And what we brought in is a concept of marginal gains, where we celebrated every small win.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

John McMahon and John Kaplan welcome Dave Tiley in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. In this conversation, Dave shares his journey of being a serial entrepreneur, growing and selling multiple successful startups, and how it led him to become a private equity investor. He discusses his experiences running and growing businesses and developing his “good to great” approach along the way. With this approach, Dave and his firm Align Capital Partners get radically honest about what’s working in their companies and what is not benefitting the end goal. Applying this philosophy to culture, accounting, sales and talent is what enables them to help the companies they work with graduate from just good to truly great. Additional Resources:Support Restore Addiction Recovery in fighting the opioid crisis: https://restoreaddictionrecovery.com/Visit Align Capital Partners Website: https://aligncp.com/Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetiley/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSDifferences Between Venture Capital and Private EquityInvesting in the Middle MarketVC Funding for StartupsThe Future of Venture-Backed CompaniesThe Importance of Both Revenue and Earnings Growth in Private EquityThe Different Types of Private Equity InvestmentsThe Importance of Company Culture in AcquisitionsThe Importance and The Benefits of a Good Leadership TeamInnovation and Culture are Key for Successful CompaniesThe Importance of Company Culture in Hiring New EmployeesThe Importance of a Good Sales ProcessThe Differentiator Between Good and Great SalespeopleThe Benefits of Good to Great for Small BusinessesThe Importance of a Company's Mission StatementTaking Risks and Betting on Yourself QUOTESDave - Keep your mind open to new opportunities: "What I would encourage people is financially, they get rewarded no matter what, and it's usually a pretty life-changing event, and that's why we really focus on the journey, not the exit. It's that journey, because they just, they quiver just got richer and bigger, because they've done now a private equity exit, and that just makes them more right open and the door opens for other opportunities." Dave - You can learn in every situation: "I just want to tell people, man bloom where you're planted. Everyone was trying to think, Well, I gotta get to the next three jobs, or I gotta get over here. I gotta get over here. And they're missing the blessing of what this job can give you. Because I think you can learn something in every situation." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

John McMahon and John Kaplan welcome Mike Hayes in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. In this conversation, Mike shares some of the lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL and how they have helped him in his current role as the Chief Operating Officer at VMware. He conveys the importance of collective accountability, humility, and purpose in leading any successful team. Mike’s book about his SEAL experiences, “Never Enough”, donates proceeds to his charity the 1162 Foundation, which helps families of fallen special operations heroes. Additional Resources:Read “Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning” by Mike Hayes: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Enough-Commander-Excellence-Agility/dp/1250753376Support the 1162 Foundation: https://joingenerous.com/1162-foundation-inc-mrnn2myVisit VMware Website: https://www.vmware.comConnect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hayes-733688/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSMike Hayes: A Navy Seal Commander on the Life of Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and MeaningOur Best is a Moving TargetLessons Learned from High-Performing Individuals and OrganizationsTaking the Path of Most ResistanceLeadership in the Business World: Subordination, Decisions, and ConfidenceHow to Be More Productive by Working LessLeadership in the Face of AdversityMaking Decisions and Surrounding Yourself with Diverse InputsThe Importance of Confidence and HumilityThe Importance of Hiring Intrinsically Motivated EmployeesThe Power of Focusing on What You Can ControlThe Importance of Capability in LeadershipLeadership in the Face of Change QUOTESMike - You already have the skill set to repeat your success: "What's really interesting is sure you can diagnose the winds and say what do we need to keep repeating, but by and large, you already have the skills that you need in order to keep repeating closing deals."Mike - Diagnose your losses and learn from there: "What you want to do is think well, look at the deals that you lost in to diagnose the loss and say, What did I learn? And that feedback and that incorporation in a very open way, and having no ego and saying I could have done something better? What was it? That to me is the biggest ingredient."Mike defines the true first decision: "The point that what I would say is the first decision in decision making is not the decision. The first decision in decision-making is when you need to make your decision." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Today we are joined by Managing Director from Foster Beck Associates, Bill Cea, to discuss hiring for sales organizations of every size, from seed stage to market. Bill gives insights on making great long-term hires by sharing startup hiring strategies according to three stages. In the first stage of growth, companies should focus on hiring people who fit the product and market. In the second stage, companies should focus on hiring people who can help them scale. In the third stage, companies should focus on hiring people who can help them mature. Additional Resources:Support Saint Jude Children’sSupport The Ronald McDonald HouseConnect with Bill on LinkedInCheck out Foster Beck AssociatesListen to More Revenue Builders HIGHLIGHTSHiring for startups at every stage of growthWhy you need a recruiter at the Product Market Fit StageThe Impact of Hiring on Business GrowthThe role of culture fit in hiringHow to be a Student of the MarketplaceRed Flags to Look for in candidatesKey indicators of a candidate with entrepreneurial spiritThe Benefits of Hiring Self-Aware SalespeopleThe Most Important Attributes of a Successful Sales LeaderKey Components for Hiring the Right PersonHiring Salespeople with the Right Domain ExpertiseDistributed Workforce on Sales ManagementImpact of Technology on TalentThe Differentiation of a True Sales ProfessionalElements of a thorough Background CheckRecruiting in a tight economy and competitive job market QUOTESBILL: PRE-REQUISITES OF BUILDING A PROFILE“When you're building a profile, what else you really need to understand is, how is the company going to go to market. In other words, there are many different ways companies go to market, they're going to do a vertical approach, they're going to do geo-named accounts. I don't believe the Rolodex question is applicable anymore. But I think it's much more important that they at least sold to like industries where they understand the buying process.”BILL: CREATE A DEFINITIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS PROCESS“A smart company has that definitive process, while that process is going on, they're doing their due diligence, background perspective, they're ready to strike, you have to be expeditious through the process, or you're gonna lose to a company that is doing it right.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Michael Cremen is the Chief Sales Officer at Elastic and has nearly 20 years of experience in executive roles at firms like Hitachi, IBM, and Veritas. Through his robust experience as a sales decision maker, he knows a thing or two about the decision making process for a purchase. He discusses with John Kaplan and John McMahon what he calls the “CFO factor” - the need for sales teams to consider executive financial decision-maker involvement in the sales process, particularly now in a price-conscious economy. He also shares strategies for effectively communicating value, driving great front line manager performance, and hiring. Get his advice for sales teams and leaders in this latest episode of Revenue Builders. Additional Resources:Support Saint Jude Children’s Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donateConnect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcremen/Check out Elastic: https://www.elastic.co/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSThe CFO Factor according to Michael CremenConnecting Value in the Sales ProcessHaving a Strong Champion (or multiple) in the Sales ProcessCFO Involvement in Sales DealsWhy You Have to be Paranoid in SalesAsking the Right Questions When Selling to a CompanyHiring the Right People and Sales EnablementSales Enablement and Speaking the Same LanguageThe importance of Methodologies in Sales OrganizationsField Leadership SystemsKnowing How to Sell the Opportunity When RecruitingThe Power of Personality in Recruiting Top Talent QUOTESMICHAEL: BE THE ONE TO CONNECT THE VALUE“Companies only really care about three things at the highest level, making money, saving money, and mitigating risk, and at some point, you have to rise up to that and what are you doing there, that's the value that you're getting to for those customers.”MICHAEL: LEADERS SHOULD BE ENGAGED“One thing I've noticed over the years is leaders that are engaged with their teams, they love to be involved with the deals of that to happen, they want to go in there and close that deal and get it done, and like it’s glory time... Spend the time early stage. Spend it during the development time, because as a leader, you can have more impact there.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of Revenue Builders, our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon talk with Bob Brennan. Bob has worked in multiple VP and CEO positions throughout his career and is currently a board chairman for Fairwinds, BitSight, and Thoughtworks. They discuss the metaphorical ‘athleticism’ required to be a successful leader of a high-growth sales organization, gained through self-improvement and practice. Bob’s advice for sales leaders is to own your mistakes, never assume you’re the expert, and not be afraid to ask for help. He reminds us that it takes a team mentality to succeed, so positive energy and true comradery are your best assets. Additional Resources:Help give opportunities to youth in foster care: https://mtwyouth.org/Support Black-owned businesses in Massachusetts: https://www.becma.org/Connect with Bob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbrennan236/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSBeing a coachable leaderBenefits of an accountable cultureHow to handle the wrong hireOwning your mistakes, but not dwelling on themDon’t talk to yourself in a way you wouldn’t talk to othersDealing with activist investorsThe difference in leading public vs. private companiesLeading indicators of a successful ventureLeadership doesn’t have to be lonely - don’t be afraid to ask for help QUOTESBOB: The kind of people you want around you"I think you want to have people around you that are going to be supportive, but clear-eyed about, like when you're off or when you're wrong, and can you know, say, hey, wait a minute. So you don't end up betting the farm inadvertently, or, you know, chasing the wrong truck.”BOB: Don’t be so hard on yourself"I think you want to hold up the mirror and be honest with yourself about screwing things up because it is a game of misses business. But then, let yourself off the hook too, just take that on board is don't do it again. But like, would you let it go? Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In today’s episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan chat with COO of Tenable and veteran sales leader Mark Thurmond. Mark shares his experience with both the personal and professional actions that lead to success, and what he looks for when hiring to build a powerhouse team. He imparts valuable advice for both sellers and leaders on patience, persistence, and humility. His #1 piece of advice? Keep it simple - in sales, in leadership, and in strategy. Hear Mark explain why the basics, done well, can actually be the most powerful approach. Additional Resources:Support families affected by cancer through the Ellie Fund: https://www.elliefund.org/Learn how to reduce cyber risk with Tenable: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tenableinc/Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-thurmond-350a4628/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSLeading by influence rather than control3 H’s of success: Head, heart, and hard workLeaders need to take personal control of enablementData reduces dramaChannel marketingSimplification and communication are key to great leadership QUOTESMARK: It’s all about messaging, positioning, metrics, and strategy"The leaders that could actually truly impact and simplify messaging, positioning, metrics, and strategy. They're the ones that actually drove the most productive teams. So kind of early, my career communication was a massive big part of the kind of the foundation of building my career and the characters that I want it to fall throughout my career.MARK: Hard work is the greatest equalizer, wherever it is"My dad used this term all the time it’s hard work is the great equalizer, and I know it sounds corny, but it is stuck with me for my entire life, and it is truly proven both in athletics and in business. That hard work is the great equalizer.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

On this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan welcome Izhar Armony, a venture capitalist who has been featured on the Forbes Midas list of top tech investors. After 7 years running marketing and raising money at a startup, he crossed the aisle to become the investor he once pitched to. He has now been a seed investor in over 40 startups, including six ‘unicorn’ startups and four multi-billion dollar IPOs. He shares his history in the Israeli army, his passion for off-road racing, and how these experiences make him a successful risk-taker. Izhar discusses how leadership is an indicator of the success of a company, and the mindset sales teams must adopt to achieve high-level growth like that of the unicorn startups he’s worked with. Additional Resources:Support youth entrepreneurship in the Middle East: https://www.meet.org/Learn more about VCs with CRV: https://www.crv.com/Connect with Izhar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izhararmony/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSBuilding his own startup from the ground upGood mentorship is a mix of empathy and tough criticismLong-haul rally racing is a lot like a startup: High-risk, fast-paced, and high reward - even if you fail.Founders are the ones who create value, not investorsGreat leadership and market disruption are key indicators of a good investmentYou don’t learn from your wins, you learn from your mistakesThe importance of an outside-in mentality and humility in sales QUOTESIZHAR: The qualities he seeks from a person"I think if you're humble, it allows you to listen well. and to test your hypothesis again, again, when to admit that you might have made a mistake, you might be wrong, and readjust. So I like that combination of smarts, ethical, energetic, but also courageous, disciplined, and humble, and when we get that, I think something magical happens.”IZHAR: A great leader blames no one but himself"If you're a great sales leader, and now we are getting right to the heart of your audience, one of the best that you can do is instill a culture of true and honest debrief, and the first rule is to blame no one but yourself will get to the truth, you can do it but blame no one but yourself.”JOHN K: What to remember in a debrief"Planning and preparation and collaboration, and then debrief, like no matter what you do in life like these are high skill sets, and, and execution categories. And the last one for me on the debrief. I think one that we can all take away today is like, no matter what, in a debrief, come with the mindset of own your mistakes no blame.” Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this inspiring episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to the Founder of Samaritan's Feet International, Manny Ohonme. Manny regales us with his life story of hope, faith, and selfless leadership that all started with a pair of shoes. Once a poor kid selling water and soda in Lagos, Nigeria, Manny worked hard to earn a basketball scholarship that became his ticket to the US. There, he devoted himself to his studies and eventually led a successful career in tech sales. Pursuing a search for greater purpose, Manny left his corporate career to establish a non-profit that would change the lives of millions around the world, one pair of shoes at a time. Additional Resources:Support Samaritan’s Feet: https://samaritansfeet.org/Connect with Manny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mannyohonme/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSHow basketball and a pair of shoes changed Manny's life Arriving in America and succeeding despite every obstacleDivine intervention and answering the call to serve Giving back to his community and its children with shoes Over 1.5 billion people are infected by diseases transmitted through soilGiving shoes to children, veterans, and elderly all over the worldHow a missed PR opportunity led to 1.3 million pairs of shoes and more QUOTESManny on servant leadership: "From CEOs to the president of companies to presidents of countries humble themselves to wash these people's feet. Let the greatest among you first be a servant. That's the power that Samaritan's Feet is all about."How a pair of shoes can change someone's life, says Manny: "We are able to bring people together to invest and educate those kids and now you're going to help them rebuild their home and give them a new job opportunity all began from the gift of a pair of shoes."Manny's message to people experiencing hardships: "Keep that dreaming part of you. Don't forget to keep dreaming. Because the situation gets so bad sometimes, they stop and forget to dream." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Navy SEAL combat veteran- and author of “Embrace The Suck,” Brent Gleeson. Brent talks about his journey from the finance world to the military, the traits that make a successful Navy SEAL, and how the mindsets he learned in training benefited him in his post-service business career. Brent’s formula for effective leadership includes resilience, decentralized command, and constant improvement. His mantra, “embrace the suck,” encourages leaders to do one hard thing every day and consistently push the boundaries of their comfort zone to achieve continued success. Additional Resources:Buy “Embrace The Suck:The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life” by Brent Gleeson : https://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Suck-Navy-SEAL-Extraordinary/dp/0306846330Visit Brent’s Website: https://takingpointleadership.com/Connect with Brent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentgleeson-takingpoint/Check out Brent’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/brentgleesonListen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSWhat makes people resilientThe qualities that make a Navy SealPersistence, Purpose, and PassionLiving in a 3-foot worldAlways go for the opportunity to make better choicesDo something that sucks everydayPut yourself in an environment where you can perform betterFixed vs Growth MindsetsHow to spot and help 'gray men'Prepare, but don't worry about tomorrowA good leader can decentralize decision-makingLeaders need to know what motivates their peopleIf you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough QUOTESWhat makes people resilient, according to Brent: "Resilience doesn't necessarily come from people having an arduous childhood or coming from a lot of adversity necessarily. Sometimes it's chosen, sometimes it's intentional in the fact that people who chose to push the boundaries of their comfort zone and everything they choose to commit to. That builds resilience as well."Brent explains the 3-Foot World mindset: "His point was stay in your 3-foot world. Right here. Focus on what is in your span of control and only focus on that alone. It really goes into those core elements of resilience where people who are more resilient spend less time, emotion and energy on things they can't impact."Brent on training your brain to seek challenges, not comfort: "We seek comfort and pleasure naturally, as opposed to seeking pain. But when we can kind of retrain our brains and change the narrative in our mind, you naturally become more inclined to choose the harder stuff." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to five-time (2 as player and 3 as coach) Super Bowl Champion Thomas “Pepper” Johnson. Pepper shares the good and the bad of the many leadership styles he encountered while playing and coaching alongside some of football’s greatest legends in the NFL. He stresses that talent does not equal success - focus, hard work, and a team-player attitude ultimately determine your fate. Pepper’s advice for leaders: find your own voice and be comfortable in your skin. Additional Resources:America’s most trusted all-natural transdermal vitamin patch provider: https://buyb1.com/Learn how you can help reduce climate change and help rebuild the planet for future generations: https://www.breezypointenergy.com/Connect with Pepper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pepper-johnson-3a698312/Check out Pepper’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pepj52/?hl=enFollow Pepper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pepj52?lang=enListen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSFocus on the game, not your prideBeing a leader goes beyond the gameWhy Pepper never watched ESPN while playing in the NFLLeadership lessons from Harry Carson and George MartinCarry your own weightMake sure you're ready for your turnA strong culture is passed down from one generation to the nextNever let distractions steer you away from your true potentialOne man is not bigger than the teamLeadership styles learned from Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and Nick SabanLeaders need to find their own voice QUOTESPepper on his legacy as an NFL player: "I really didn't realize the impact and the goals... and making my name in the league while I was playing. I really didn't see myself in that form. I was focused on doing my job and trying to win ball games as much as possible." The common trait that differentiated NFL League players from the rest, says Pepper: "Those were the guys that allowed distractions, whether it was on the football field, or it was off the football field, allowing them to not really perform the way that they should've been performing. [There were] some teammates that I've had going even back to high school that I thought really had the talent to go to college and could play in the league because I've seen guys in the league with lesser talent. But when I had a conversation with those guys that made it in the league, a little more dedication was there." Pepper's tips for leaders looking to find their own voice: "When you're trying to coach people, when you're trying to be your best, then you want to be comfortable. You don't want to feel like you have someone else's thoughts in your head. You have to make them your own." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Chris Reisig, Operating Partner for Jungle Ventures and 5-time CRO. Chris shares insights and wisdom he’s gained through his experience leading the scaling of multiple early-stage companies. From defining the ideal customer to hiring leaders and market expansion, Chris has done and seen it all. Leaders of all levels will appreciate this valuable advice on culture, talent, international sales, and product-led growth from a veteran start-up leader. Additional Resources:Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisreisig/Check out Entrepreneurship for All: https://eforall.org/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSDon't stop looking for the acute pain point and the ideal customerScaling a business means teaching everyone how to close a dealDon't expand your market too much too earlyHow early is too early when joining a startup Never settle for less when it comes to recruiting candidatesThe artist vs the scientist: you need both sellers at different times Expanding outside of your home country entails a lot of resourcesLearn how to be the same before trying to be differentTips for staying connected for leaders being sent to another countryThe most important skill for a founder to haveDon't try to be the smartest person in the room QUOTESChris on finding the acute pain point that your customer has: "If you cannot find pain that's acute in your customer, you have to keep looking. Because unless you have something that's painful enough for a customer to invest money and time in, it's interesting but not relevant. They're not gonna do anything."Chris on what it takes to scale a business: "It's one thing if you and the founder can go out and do 10 deals as a team. But unless you can teach other people beyond the founder and the first sales leader to close a deal, to take a deal from first presentation to a PO, you don't have a scalable business."The most important skill for a founder to have, says Chris: "Hiring great leadership is probably the single most important difference-maker between success and failure. If you are a sales leader that knows how to hire great leadership underneath you, your ability to scale an organization is amplified. Your ability to get into markets is amplified. Your ability to grow the company is amplified." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to four-time Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and current president of OE Connection, Kelly Connery. Kelly talks about his sales journey from sales rep to CRO, and the wealth of knowledge that he has acquired through the years. Tune in to hear Kelly talk about selling on the go, dynamics of leadership in large companies, and why selfless leaders are the ones you want to put in charge of running your organization. Additional Resources:Donate to the families of Houston’s police officers and firefighters who died or were injured in the line of duty: https://the100club.org/Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyconnery/Check out Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Choice-Uncertainty-Luck-Why-Despite/dp/0062120999Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSHaving a framework to follow makes success repeatable The challenges of moving up from sales rep to first-line managerShould front-line managers own recruiting?The difference between second-line and first-line managers Great leaders are always great with people Good leaders move from being selfish to being selfless The realities and challenges of being a CRO QUOTESKelly on what it takes to be a great leader: “The more that as a leader you can be selfless, and the more that you can get everybody on the team to understand that it's not about them, it's about the team — the better leader you're going to be and the better team you're going to have. It's going to go pretty far.”Kelly on why creating and implementing a sales process is not micromanagement: "All great teams have a recipe that they care enough about and have taken time enough to document it because then they can scale and you can teach it to others. You can help people move to consciously competent and unconsciously competent. That's not micromanagement, that's truly caring about making your people successful."Kelly's advice for first-line managers moving up to the next level: "When you're communicating through leaders, the smallest bit of distortion in your message can be way off the coordinates by the time it lands with the broader team.. So, I had to get really good at speaking crisply and clearly with very clear intent of the message we were trying to send on top of the play book and operational aspects." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to the Breathe Yogi herself, Neha Saxena. Neha talks about the importance of breath in managing stress levels and improving overall outcomes both in your everyday life and your professional career. Tune in to learn about how your body’s stress response works, and learn breathing techniques such as the physiological sigh, which helps reduce the heart rate and bring down stress levels. Additional Resources:Donate to help improve the quality of life for veterans and their families: https://projectwelcomehometroops.org/Connect to Neha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehasaxenaprofile/Check out Neha’s website: https://www.thebreathyogi.com/aboutLearn more about Neha’s favorite movie, Haatim Tai on IMDBListen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast HIGHLIGHTSWhy stress is not necessarily bad for youStress is part of your body's primary survival instinctHow mastering your breath helps regulate the nervous systemA toxic environment drives resignation more than compensationBreathing exercises to reduce heart rate, anxiety and stressYou cannot manage the mind from the mindIt's your mind's job to wanderTips for sitting and breathing betterYou cannot get rid of burnout by meditation alone QUOTESNeha on why stress is not necessarily what's hampering your performance: "Scientific data from sports science tells us that stress is not the killer of high performance. The real root cause that affects performance is the absence of recovery after a stressful period."Neha's fundamental tip for stress management: "If you notice, anytime you're feeling stressed and you curb that fundamental urge to take action, to move, you'll feel it as a tremor in your body. And that is when you're feeling stressed, you end up blurting things that you don't want to say or later regret. To manage stress you have to fundamentally learn how to manage that aggression response." Neha on breathwork and how it can help you manage your stress levels: "The point that I want to make is, you can't think your way out of it. Breath work is the tool because your thinking brain is being shut down when you're under stress." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Snowflake’s Chief Revenue Officer, Chris Degnan. Chris talks about his experiences working in a raw startup environment, and why he chose to leave a relatively comfortable position to do so. Chris lives and breathes the art of the grind, and relishes the prospect of being challenged, showing his aptitude for adapting to different situations and coming up with creative solutions. Tune in to hear the story of how a startup like Snowflake stood up to the likes of Amazon and IBM in the cloud data warehouse, and how a smaller company can overturn the dominance of an established player. Additional Resources:Donate to help cure multiple myeloma: https://themmrf.org/Connect to Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-degnan-524470/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSWhy Chris joined Snowflake in its raw startup phaseGetting the first two contracts and building a 'real' productStanding up to giants in the cloud storage spaceRespect the competition, or get crushedThink of your job as a 90-day contractDon't put all of your eggs in the large enterprise basketsThe benefits of the consumption model in SaaS QUOTESChris on how they stood up to Amazon in the cloud data warehouse space: "I always say that I'm better lucky than good. There's a lot of luck that I kind of ran into in my career at Snowflake. The first set of things that were helpful was Amazon, while they were the first cloud data warehouse with Amazon Redshift, it was not a good product. We actually solved a lot of the problems. What I would do is I would actually build lists and focus on the people that were using Amazon."Chris on why he continues to grind, everyday: "I'm always afraid that someone's going to take something from me, and I'm always going to do my best to grind and keep my job. And that's how I am as a human."Chris on the benefits of the consumption model for the customer: "The benefit is in the customer, because the customer is saying that I have a business partner who actually is invested in making me successful, not just selling the idea and leaving." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Articulate’s Chief Revenue Officer Jaimie Buss. Jaimie’s vast experience as an engineer, seller, and then sales leader shows her ability to adapt and overcome challenges, despite learning a little bit differently and having a different educational background from her peers. Jaimie talks about the importance of nurturing new leaders with adequate support, recognizing that there is no one correct career path for everybody, and knowing when you’re ready as you’ll ever be for the next stage in your career. Additional Resources:Donate to a local classroom: https://www.donorschoose.org/Connect with Jaimie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimiebuss/Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSHard work + adequate support always trumps natural talent aloneWhy Jaimie left engineering and jumped into sales People learn in different ways Providing support for new leaders: The Rising Star ProgramNot all excellent individual contributors want to be leaders Focus on being fair, not on being equalAn inside look at how Product-Led Growth organizations operate Overcoming impostor syndrome Be unapologetically present whether at work or with family QUOTESWhy Jaimie is passionate about supporting new leaders: "A lot of people make the transition into leadership. Maybe they should, maybe they shouldn't. And then even if they should, I feel like there's not a lot of support for people moving into that role." Jaimie's opinion on companies that force individual contributors to lead: "I think that it's very shortsighted and unfortunate that companies are that way. For folks that are in an individual contributor role and feeling this sense of stigma because you don't want to go into a leadership role, I would say that it sounds like your company's issue, not your issue." Jaimie's advice for female leaders: "When they talk to me about being nervous to be ready, I tell them, ‘You're never going to feel ready.’ What I'm telling you is, you've been at the top of your game for two years at what you're doing. You've been through this program. You're as ready as you're going to be. You're going to have to go in and you're going to have to figure it out. But that's the same as everybody else." Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

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 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to Saratoga Systems CEO and President Greg Fairbank. Greg, who served in key positions in the US Army for 26 years, talks about the intersection of military training and sales, and how his army background has immensely contributed to his success in the technology industry. Greg also talks about No One Left Behind, a non-profit organization working on evacuating the tens of thousands of U.S. government employees and interpreters who remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, and providing them critical assistance for housing, transportation, food and household goods.Additional Resources:Support No One Left Behind (NOLB): https://www.nooneleft.org/getinvolvedSaratoga Systems is hiring! To apply, connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfairbank/5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHhListen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5OdHIGHLIGHTSHow military training can prepare you for salesEarn the right to build rapportLeading with competence: overcoming the Seller Deficit DisorderHiring a military vet can be a rare but golden opportunity What is commander's intent?Advice for companies that want to take on government contracts No One Left Behind: aftermath of the Afghan exit GUEST BIOGreg Fairbank is the president and CEO of Saratoga Data Systems. With an extensive background in enterprise software development and sales at high growth technology companies. Prior to Saratoga, Greg developed Endeca Technologies, which was acquired by oracle. Prior to that, Greg was a software development manager at Sapient Corporation. He managed Sapient's first offshore development effort and delivered online banking and commerce applications to Fortune 500 clients. As a colonel in the United States Army, Greg held battalion and strategic commands, as well as serving in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his tenure with the Joint Chiefs, Greg represented his unit to the US Congress and provided briefings to the senior leadership of the departments of state and defense. Greg holds degrees from Cornell and Harvard, and is a distinguished graduate of the US Army War College. QUOTESGreg on the similarities between military training and sales: "Think about the things that you learn in your sales training. Not asking leading questions. Asking open-ended questions and not interjecting in the conversation. Letting silence be a good thing. These are all things which they unquestionably teach in that world and there's direct analogues in the sales world."Greg on commander's intent and why military vets are excellent hires: "It is core to our good non-commissioned officers and our officers that listen, I'm not gonna give you every little detail on how things are gonna happen. I'm gonna give you my intent, and you figure out how it's gonna happen. And it works really, really well."Greg on the goal of No One Left Behind: "Our goal is to get these people here and make them productive members of society. Get them over here, we try to set them up with apartments. We also try to get them vehicles. We're giving cars to these folks so they could get to and from work or be an UBER driver, be a Lyft driver, do some of these on-demand delivery functions. They can make a living and not just be reliant on any sort of public handouts."Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, Neeraj Agrawal, General Partner at Battery Ventures, joins our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon to discuss the nitty gritty of doing business in today’s markets. Neeraj sits on more than a dozen boards and has invested in several companies that have gone on to stage IPOs. As a serial investor with a long list of companies in his portfolio, Neeraj knows a thing or two about helping startups turn an idea into a full-fledged company. Tune in to hear actionable tips on leadership, growth, and revenue from the man himself, including how he chooses the companies he works with as an investor. Additional Resources:Donate to Hack Diversity: https://www.hackdiversity.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajagrawal2000/5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHhListen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5OdHIGHLIGHTS4 key dimensions that determine the success of companies Timing is more predictive of success than market sizeGreat product and sales processes are crucial for sustainable growthLessons learned from successful and failed investments Technical founders aren't necessarily the best CEOs The bull market is on its way out, what about it?Your company reputation is everythingHow Neeraj chooses the companies that he works withGUEST BIONeeraj joined Battery in 2000 and invests in SaaS and internet companies across all stages. He has invested in several companies that have gone on to stage IPOs, including Bazaarvoice (NASDAQ: BV); Coupa (NASDAQ: COUP); Guidewire Software (NYSE: GWRE); Marketo (NASDAQ: MKTO, acquired by Vista Equity Partners); Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX); Omniture (NASDAQ: OMTR, acquired by Adobe); RealPage (NASDAQ: RP); and Wayfair (NYSE: W).He also invested in several companies that have experienced M&A events, such as A Place for Mom (acquired by Warburg Pincus); AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco); Brightree (acquired by ResMed); Chef (acquired by Progress); Glassdoor (acquired by Recruit Holdings); Internet Brands (acquired by Hellman & Friedman); Kustomer (acquired by Meta); OpsGenie (acquired by Atlassian); Stella Connect (acquired by Medallia, Inc.); and VSS Monitoring (acquired by Danaher). Neeraj also played a key role in several other Battery investments including Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN); ITA Software (acquired by Google); and Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR).Neeraj is currently on the boards of Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE), Compt, Catchpoint, Dataiku, Level AI, LogRocket, Pendo, Reify Health, Repeat, Scopely, Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse), Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM), Tealium, Wunderkind (formerly BounceX), Workato and Yesware. He is a board observer for InVision and Mattermost. Neeraj has also made seed investments in companies including 8fig, Dooly, PayStand, Proton, Reibus International and UserGems since 2020.QUOTESNeeraj on the challenge of timing your investment: "The challenge often is if you invest too early, you've got a good idea but you run out of money before the inflection point happens. And if you invest too late, somebody else captures the market. Having a sense of the timing is really important and like most things in life, luck has a lot to do with it."Neeraj on why both product and sales are crucial for success: "Ultimately, great companies are built on great products and great sales. You can kind of fake it for a while now on the sales side, but the longer you wait to put in the fundamentals, the harder it is to do later." Neeraj on how he chooses the companies that he backs: "Life's too short. If this isn't a person that I want to back from beginning to exit, they don't have the right coachability and skill to read my mind, it's probably time to move on and look at other investments."Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, Doug Holladay joins our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon to discuss the importance of purpose as a leader. Doug has found meaning in his long and successful career spanning from Goldman Sachs to international government and now, higher education as an executive-in-residence at Georgetown University. In their conversation, you’ll hear many of the lessons Doug shares in his MBA class on the importance of authenticity, purpose, and vulnerability in becoming a truly impactful leader - and feeling fulfilled while doing it.Additional Resources:Donate to Morehouse College: https://www.giving.morehouse.edu/s/Get Doug's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Success-Essential-Practices-Finding/dp/0062897888LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougholladay/Website: https://www.dougholladay.com/5 Traits of Successful Leaders: https://forc.mx/3BrMkHhListen to More Revenue Builders: https://forc.mx/3bfW5Od HIGHLIGHTSKnow your purpose and where you can add valueWhy business leaders are lonely at the topOur point of connection is our brokennessEulogy virtues vs Resume virtuesThe difference between happiness and meaningLife changes when we bother knowing other people's storiesThe neuroscience behind gratitudeGUEST BIOThe career trajectory of Doug Holladay has been unique and varied with its blend of public service, finance and business, non-profit work, and more recently, teaching and journalism.J. Douglas Holladay is a co-founder of Park Avenue Equity Partners, L.P. with offices in New York, a private equity fund which makes equity investments in middle market operating companies. He is a co-founder and general partner in Elgin Capital Partners LP, a private equity partnership focused on domestic energy development. While Mr. Holladay continues as an active investor, the main focus of his time is on several not-for-profit efforts, including PathNorth, which helps business owners and CEOs define success more broadly, and ABC2 (Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure), working to find a cure for brain cancer. Additionally, he holds the Heinz Christian Prechter Executive in Residence position at Georgetown University where he teaches MBA students.QUOTESDoug on why many executives are lonely at the top: "The unintended consequences of success can be loneliness and disconnection. You can be the principal of a middle school or sheriff of a police force in a small town, and the same phenomenon is true there. Particularly with men; we're not taught. We don't have a language of the heart."Doug on the difference between happiness and meaning: "Happiness is correlated with externalities. I have a girlfriend. My son got into a good college. I did this, I did that. And that comes and goes. Sometimes we're happy about these things. Sometimes we're not. But meaning is what you want to go for. Meaning, you can be in the most god-awful situations and still find meaning."Doug on understanding people through their stories: "Everybody is what they're like because of the sum total of all the craziness and goodness that they've experienced in life. Once you understand that, it's powerful."Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064 Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management