The GTMnow Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

A transformational leader who specializes in data driven GTM, Allison Metcalfe has had a non-traditional path to the C Suite - starting in Account Management, and being a leader in the evolution of Customer Success, Allison has held a variety of leadership roles across sales and operations in some of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies including Jigsaw (acquired by Salesforce), Demandbase, Quotient (NYSE: QUOT) and Liveramp (NYSE: RAMP), which went from $30M to $500M in revenue and IPO under her tenure.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Allison's non-traditional journey from customer success to CRO.
• The importance of building a strong post-sales function early on.
• Balancing product-led growth with an enterprise sales motion.
• The qualities that make an effective modern CRO.
• Leveraging customer stories as a powerful growth lever.
• Lessons learned from LiveRamp's explosive growth and acquisition by Acxiom.

Highlights:
(2:13) Choosing companies based on people and gut instinct.
(7:40) The transition from purely product-led growth to supporting an enterprise sales motion.
(11:52) The risk of neglecting your core customers during growth.
(16:31) Operationalizing the transition from self-service to enterprise.
(23:55) Lessons learned from LiveRamp's acquisition by Acxiom.
(28:14) Overcoming the desire to be liked as a leader.
(35:25) Beyoncé's "Sasha Fierce" persona as a leadership tool.
(39:16) The role and skills required of a modern CRO.
(45:18) The importance of separating new logo sales from account management.
(48:29) The power of word-of-mouth and focusing on customer outcomes.

Guest Speaker Links (Allison Metcalfe):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonmetcalfe/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered. 

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Adam Robinson is the Founder/CEO of Retention.com and RB2B. Adam bootstrapped Retention.com to $22m ARR in 4 years by helping ecommerce stores identify their anonymous website visitors and send them triggered emails. He launched RB2B in March of 2024 to help SaaS companies identify anonymous website visitors and see their LinkedIn profiles in Slack for free! Adam lives in Austin, TX with his wife Helen and daughter Emma.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Building demand and an audience before creating a product, rather than the traditional approach of building a product first. 
• The power of a founder's personal brand and thought leadership to drive growth, especially in the early stages.
• The shifting landscape of B2B marketing and sales, and why every SaaS founder will need to build an audience via organic social media to succeed.
• Persevering through major challenges and low points as a founder, and how these moments can lead to breakthroughs.

Highlights:
(1:09) The experience of people feeling like they know you from your content.
(2:27) Shifting from searching for demand to building demand, then building a product to match.
(5:25) Why LinkedIn content creation is an efficient growth engine for startups.
(13:29) Factors that led to Adam's LinkedIn content resonating and driving massive growth.
(20:56) Swapping value with other founders by cross-pollinating audiences.
(22:25) Feeling like content creation is work, not play, and how to build the habit.
(30:33) The story of Adam's entire codebase being deleted right before an acquisition.
(32:32) Hitting rock bottom with a failed product launch and discovering the next opportunity.
(53:36) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Adam thinks is bull$***.
(56:17) One thing that is working for Adam in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Adam Robinson):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Upland Altify. A leading provider of AI-enhanced sales solutions, Altify is designed to help revenue teams work smarter. This Salesforce-native suite of sales solutions empowers seller productivity, streamlines workflows, and uncovers hidden opportunities – all leading to significant revenue growth - learn more.
• Vanta. With Vanta Questionnaire Automation, go-to-market teams can complete security reviews up to 5 times faster, helping you close deals in less time than ever. Over 8,000 global companies use Vanta to streamline security questionnaires and close deals fast. Experience Questionnaire Automation with a self-guided product tour, no sign-up required, at vanta.com/gtmnow.

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Sam Blond is the former Chief Revenue Officer at Brex, where he scaled revenue from $1M to hundreds of millions in ARR. Prior to Brex, Sam served as VP of Sales at Zenefits, growing revenue from $1M to $70M in just two years. After his operating roles, Sam joined Founders Fund as an investing partner before leaving to co-found a new startup.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Why investing early in sales ops and rev ops is critical for scaling revenue.
• How to generate demand through creative campaigns and a "concentric circles" approach.
• The risks of scaling sales teams too quickly based on flawed hiring models.
• What VCs look for in a compelling founder pitch, beyond just business metrics.
• Why focusing on generating pipeline is often better than optimizing conversions.
• How to leverage customer marketing and "raving fans" as an early acquisition channel.

Highlights:
[5:00] – Sam's incredible track record scaling Brex and Zenefits from $1M to $100M+ ARR.
[13:58] – Outlining the most creative and successful demand gen campaigns run at Brex.
[20:17] – The importance of sustaining a culture of creativity in marketing as you scale.
[33:35] – Mistakes made at Zenefits: investing in rev ops too late, deprioritizing customer experience, hiring too fast.
[43:45] – What VCs look for in founders when metrics alone aren't enough to get the deal done.
[52:15] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Sam thinks is bull$***
[60:21] – One thing that is working for Sam in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Sam Blond):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-blond-791026b/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Pivoting and verticalization has the potential to be a  game-changer for many companies. A case in point is the story of Seismic.

On the podcast today is Ed Calnan,  the founder and former CRO of Seismic, a company he led through the pandemic. In this episode, you will learn how Ed, as the  company’s first BDR, grew the company to 1,500 people, 2,000 customers, and $300 million in ARR  through successful pivoting and verticalization to financial services.

What You Will Learn:

• The power of pivoting and verticalization and how to do it successfully.
• The value of vacation, rest, and relaxation.
• The importance of analyzing and sharing team successes.

Highlights:
(3:00) Ed’s reflection on founding Seismic and taking a long break after 11 years.

(9:30) The value of sales enablement.

(13:00)  How to pivot and verticalize successfully: Case study of Seismic.

(32:20) The benefits of being a specialist and an expert.

(35:50) Why you need to analyze and share team successes.

(48:42) Discussion on consistent communication, being open and authentic.

(49:42) Strategies for growing a company and harnessing customer stories.

(52:20) A strategy founders and revenue leaders should implement to move the needle.

(55:30) One common misbelief held by revenue leaders.

(57:03) The challenges of being a revenue leader: How to identify and address core issues.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edcalnan/

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Today on the podcast, we have the privilege of speaking with Cara Felleman - a dynamic advisor, investor, and sales powerhouse. Cara is currently serving as the Vice President of Sales at Vividly and is also an LP at GTM Fund, where she uses her expertise to help startups grow and scale.

With a wealth of experience, Cara has a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in a fast-paced and competitive environment. When it comes to hiring, she identifies two key attributes that she looks for in employees. The first is the unwavering drive to succeed despite obstacles. The second is having a positive outlook and being able to stay hopeful even when things seem hard.

Cara is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She believes that companies need to take into account the emotional and cultural impact of their decisions, such as layoffs, on employees.. Cara thinks we can make workplaces that are more fair and open to everyone if we approach these problems with empathy and understanding.

Join us as we delve into these important topics with Cara Felleman and gain valuable insights into what it takes to create fair, safe, and successful workplaces and sales teams.

Highlights:
(2:37)  Qualities of a successful go-to-market professional.

(5:46)  Why companies need to be more considerate in layoffs.

(8:00) How layoffs have a greater impact on women.

(11:50) Exploring strategies for attracting and retaining Gen Z talent.

(16:24) Building the sales team at Resy: The challenges and lessons learned.

(20:35) Finding the middle ground between control and collaboration.

(32:19) Discussion on how to relinquish control and trust your sales team.

(37:06) Conversation on radical candor.

(38:26)  One thing most go-to-market leaders believe that is not true.

(42:49)  The value of human connection in business.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carafelleman/

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

In this episode, John Barrows, CEO of Sell Better by JB Sales, helps you understand what the new reality of sales looks like and how to stay ahead of the AI curve. With his expertise and experience, John discusses the implications of AI and automation and how it will challenge the sales profession, as well as the importance of remaining human and personalizing your sales approach.

What You Will Learn:

• The future of sales with AI and automation.
• How sales professionals survive and thrive in a world of AI and automation.
• The potential ramifications of automating jobs.
• AI personalization at scale.

Highlights:
(4:40) John and his daughter’s children book about sales.

(7:34) How ChatGPT will change the sales profession.

(9:10) Why you must get interested and learn to leverage ChatGPT.

(11:20) AI personalization at scale.

(15:00) The impact of the recession and AI revolution on sales jobs.

(17:25) The failure of the education system today.

(23:55) Addressing the university ban of ChatGPT.

(28:00) John’s learnings from getting fired twice – “They were two of the best things that ever happened to me.”

(43:01) John’s best actionable advice to revenue leaders.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Max Altschuler and Scott Barker back at it for another monthly jam session. They share company updates for the month of January, including some exciting PortCo announcements. They also discuss the ongoing layoffs and some strong advice on how to create and maintain solid pipeline in this market, as well as some predictions on the future of the SDR role.

Highlights:
(1:47)  PortCo updates and highlights.

(6:55) A behind the scenes intel on the 70+ candidates that the GTMfund placed in the last year.

(13:00)  Most common challenges founders and revenue leaders are facing today.

(17:24) The future of the SDR role.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Episode Summary
AI is here to stay, and restaurants must follow the trend to stay relevant and grow. However, regardless of the concern around it, technology will not replace human staff. Instead, you can use it to provide an exceptional customer experience. 

In this episode of Sales Hacker, we are joined by Brandon Barton, a hospitality tech entrepreneur, to discuss his career path, especially his transition from the non-tech to the tech side of the business. Brandon explains the role of AI in the hospitality space and how it can help enrich customer experience. He also talks about his transition into the C-Suite and becoming the CEO of Bite. Finally, Brandon shares valuable advice for anyone who is considering a career change but fears that it is a mistake.

Guest-at-a-Glance

💡 Name: Brandon Barton

💡 What he does: Brandon is the CEO of Bite.

💡 Company: Bite

💡 Noteworthy: Brandon Barton is a hospitality tech entrepreneur and has used his experience in operations at top hospitality groups to build and scale early-stage tech products. Before Bite, Brandon was employee number four at Resy, a leading restaurant reservation platform, where he built and oversaw sales operations. Bite's goal is to elevate hospitality, which is also Brandon's passion.

💡 Where to find Brandon: LinkedIn

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Udi Ledergor is the former CMO of Gong and the company's current Chief Evangelist. The insights he offers in this episode are invaluable for anyone interested in branding, content development, negotiating, or creating a devoted fan base.

What You Will Learn:

• How Udi Ledergor and Gong achieved 100x growth in a short period of time.
• The hacks and strategies used to create a powerful brand presence on a limited budget.
• The impact of providing an exceptional candidate experience even if they are not given an offer.
• How to negotiate well.

Highlights:
(0:49) Udi Ledergor: From Gong’s CMO to Chief Evangelist.

(13:49) Udi’s superpowers: Branding and Negotiation.

(14:58) How Udi secured a Super Bowl commercial with a modest investment.

(21:15) Marketing hack: Amplifying modest offline investments like billboards with digital.

(28:00) How to create raving fans.

(31:00) Content strategies: New, thought-provoking, and controversial create conversation.

(36:33) How to negotiate properly.

(41:00) Why you shouldn’t have pricing conversations over email.

(44:08) Getting noticed on LinkedIn: Bold, controversial, conversational content.

(49:03) How revenue leaders can succeed by going back to basics.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

In this episode, we are joined by Rick Smolen. Rick is the current Head of Sales at Loopio. He is a results-focused revenue leader with over 20 years of experience in tech and enterprise software sales. Rick used to be the Head of Sales at Greenhouse Software, where he oversaw the company's annual recurring revenue tripling to over $65 million in less than three years. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at Interlinks in sales, sales leadership, and international roles, and helped the company grow to over $300 million in annual sales.

What You Will Learn:

• How to transition from a great salesperson to an effective people leader.
• Three sales methodologies, when to use them, and how to teach them.
• How to sell in a different global market.

Highlights:
(1:25) Rick’s background.

(4:13) Rick’s first management role and career journey.

(8:08) His opinion on promoting your top sales rep to leadership.

(11:00) How to foster people management skills.

(11:20) The value of mentorship in developing leadership skills.

(14:20) Why transparency is key in team and leadership building.

(16:40) How to deliver/receive tough feedback constructively.

(18:18) Three different sales methodologies, when to use them, and how to teach them.

(25:40) Rick’s learnings from spending 12½ years at a company.

(29:40) Rick’s experience and learnings from selling in Asia.

(33:52) Comparing doing business in North America and Asia.

(37:37) Strategies to keep your team motivated through tough times in 2023.

(41:28) One actionable strategy Rick has used to increase revenue.

Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricksmolen/ 

Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.