Welcome to the Revenue Builders podcast, a weekly show featuring B2B sales leaders and executives. Hosted by Five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management’s Co-Founder John Kaplan, the show goes in the barrel, behind the scenes with the people who have been there, done that and seen the results. Revenue Builders covers the best practices for scaling and growing your business, while sharing the pitfalls to avoid. Great conversation. Solid interviews. Tangible takeaways to help you succeed. If you enjoy our content, please subscribe, rate and review the show to help us reach more people.
This show is brought to you by: Force Management where we help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Check out forcemanagement.com more information.
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In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Scot Loeffler, head football coach at Bowling Green State University and a former quarterback coach for Tom Brady at Michigan. The discussion centers on the challenges and strategies of rebuilding a football team, including the importance of hiring experienced staff and aligning them with a shared vision. Loeffler emphasizes focusing on the majority who contribute positively rather than the minority who resist change, and expresses gratitude for the time and support provided by Bowling Green to properly rebuild the program. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders looking to build the right team and drive successful organizational change.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:00:35] Challenges of Rebuilding a Team [00:01:19] Hiring the Right People [00:02:16] Establishing and Maintaining Culture [00:04:45] Focusing on Positive Leadership [00:05:52] The Importance of Time in Rebuilding
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:02:16] “We simply took the business model that we knew at the University of Michigan and translated it into Bowling Green.” [00:05:00] “As this process was moving along, I found myself as a leader, really concentrating on the 10 percent that was bad rather than the 90 percent of my good kids.” [00:06:04] “In my industry, time is the ultimate essence. I was very fortunate to walk into this organization and they said that we're going to rebuild the whole thing.” [00:06:51] “It always takes a little bit longer than you think to turn around a program.”
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.
In this episode, John Kaplan and John McMahon dive deep into the intricacies of why B2B sales deals often don't close successfully. Special guest Anne Gary joins the discussion for the third time to offer insights into the common pitfalls in the sales process, from poor discovery and scoping to failed champion development and suboptimal engagement with economic buyers. They provide actionable advice on how to slow down and properly align your sales strategy with the customer's pain points, metrics, and decision criteria to close deals effectively. They emphasize the importance of thorough preparation, understanding customer pain points, building solid champions, and creating a compelling proof of value. The episode is a must-listen for any sales professional looking to refine their approach and increase their close rates.
Tune in and learn more on this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:02:04] Why Deals Don't Close: Discovery Stage [00:03:41] The Importance of Proper Preparation [00:11:42] Metrics and Measuring Success [00:19:02] Building Trust and Overcoming Hesitation [00:32:57] Finding and Leveraging Champions [00:39:54] Understanding Deal Patterns: M, W, and L [00:40:36] The Importance of Multi-Threading in Sales [00:41:53] Developing Trust with Potential Champions [00:46:33] Economic Buyers and Their Influence [00:54:46] Navigating Proof of Value (POV) [01:02:39] Closing the Deal: Overcoming Common Challenges
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:03:08] "The biggest mistake we make is hoping the customer will connect the dots from the features and functions to the quantifiable impact that you have on solving the business problem." [00:09:21] "If you’re measured on how many meetings you get, you can get a lot of meetings, but they may not be with the right person." [00:13:34] "Metrics are hard because a lot of reps don’t know how a customer should be measuring success based on the problems and solutions discussed." [00:19:15] "Sometimes customers hold back on metrics because they don’t trust you yet."[00:46:11] "I'm willing to be led, provided you can take me to a place I can't get to on my own."[00:47:49] "If you're selling anything that's worth anything, they're never going to have a budget for it."[00:49:22] "Economic buyers need their own champions inside the account."
Product Market Fit and Scaling a Startup with Jeremy Burton
Season 1
Sunday, July 28, 2024 • Duration 09:25
In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the challenging journey to achieving product market fit with Jeremy Burton, CEO of Observe. The conversation touches on the iterative nature of developing successful product features, the importance of humility and field feedback, and the dynamic process of identifying the ideal customer profile. Burton shares insights on adapting sales strategies for larger enterprises, the evolving demands of educated customers, and creating a culture where honest feedback is valued. A must-listen for sales leaders at startups navigating their own path to market fit.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:00:49] Defining a Great First Line Leader [00:01:42] Common Mistakes of Second Line Leaders [00:02:28] Transitioning from Tactical to Strategic Thinking [00:04:14] Balancing Field Connection with Leadership Responsibilities [00:06:24] Segregation of Duties Between First and Second Line Managers
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:00:49] "You're obviously driving results through leaders, right? And there's something different about that." [00:01:42] "The mistake that I see a lot of second line make is... you rip the steering wheel out of their hands." [00:02:28] "The further you move up the range, the lonelier it gets at the top." [00:05:12] "It's their ultimate responsibility that every person on that team has an equal chance of success." [00:06:24] "You have to actually outline segregation of duties between first line manager and second line manager."
In this episode, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan sit down with Jeremy Duggan, a seasoned sales leader with a track record of success. They delve into the challenges and strategies of building a sales team from scratch and inspiring them to achieve greatness. Jeremy emphasizes the importance of data, facts, and transparent leadership. He shares insights on the three R's of leadership, leading indicators for success, and the role of education and development in reaching sales goals. The episode highlights the value of constant self-improvement and learning in the dynamic world of sales leadership.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[00:01:09] Starting from Scratch and Inspiring Teams [00:01:51] Data and Facts in Leadership [00:02:03] Leading Indicators for Success [00:02:44] Education and Development [00:13:13] The Importance of Full Transparenc [00:13:38] Continuous Self-Improvement
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:02:27] The Winning Lottery Numbers of Leadership - "What I say to people here is, when I talk to you about leadership and the three R's or the leading indicators in sales, what I'm actually doing is handing you the winning lottery numbers. All you've got to do is go down to the shop and buy a ticket." [00:05:41] The Importance of Inspection for Improvement - "Inspection is a mechanism for improvement because they know you have their best interest at heart." [00:09:18] Self-Coaching and Continuous Improvement - "I didn't really remember big mistakes, even though I know I've made loads of little ones because, for me, the whole point of making a mistake is immediately recognizing it, and then you figure out why you did it so you don't do it again." [00:11:28] Participate in Your Own Rescue - "You have to participate in your own rescue and have self-awareness and self-reflection. You don't wait for anybody to tell you or give you feedback. You give yourself the feedback first."
Oliver Jay is a former Chief Revenue Officer of Asana and an advisor and leadership coach for various companies.
In this conversation with John McMahon, Oliver Jay discusses the concept of product-led growth (PLG) and its impact on B2B sales. PLG is a methodology that focuses on using the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and retaining customers. Oliver explains that PLG is effective for certain personas and products, but it requires careful planning and consideration as companies scale. He also highlights the importance of understanding the buyer's perspective and the need to articulate the value of the product in terms of revenue, profitability, and risk.
[00:01:29] Oliver Jay's background and experience in PLG [00:06:41] Different models of PLG: self-service, product-led sales, freemium [00:07:59] Factors to consider in choosing the right PLG model [00:09:40] Steering customers towards the best PLG model [00:11:33] The benefits and ease of managing trials in PLG [00:13:02] Time to value as a key consideration in PLG model choice [00:13:46] Differentiating products for PLG vs. non-PLG. [00:23:19] Combination of PLG and sales-led growth for enterprise sales. [00:24:42] Building a multi-layered PLG business. [00:25:42] Challenges of transitioning to a traditional sales motion. [00:32:40] Major elements of a PLG system [00:48:23] PLG companies need to break down into granular components [00:56:46] Importance of product market fit for SLG [00:57:30] Selling to users vs. selling to buyers [00:58:56] Adding SLG motions is hard for PLG companies
Perfecting the Process with Terry Tripp
Season 1
Thursday, August 31, 2023 • Duration 54:44
Terry Tripp is the Chief Revenue Officer of Tines, a high-growth company in the security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) space. With a background in sales and recruiting, Terry brings a wealth of experience to his role.
In this conversation with John McMahon, Terry Tripp, CRO of Tines, discusses the importance of a well-defined sales process and the top three things he focuses on when starting a new role. He emphasizes the need to understand the people, get feedback from customers, and identify early opportunities for improvement. Terry also explains the concept of SOAR and how Tines is disrupting the cybersecurity market.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:02:01] Overview of Tines and its role in the cybersecurity market [00:06:16] Top three things a CRO wants to learn on day one [00:08:54] What a CRO wouldn't find when joining a startup [00:10:27] Importance of a well-defined sales process [00:18:24] The importance of thorough discovery before entering an account [00:19:23] Show up with an informed hypothesis and a provocative point of view [00:20:37] Researching competitors and industry challenges for a PPOV [00:22:11] Understanding the pressures faced by CIOs and CISOs. [00:22:44] Tailoring messaging based on industry and persona. [00:24:55] Moving from a general point of view to specific scoping. [00:33:03] Importance of KPIs and metrics. [00:33:15] Understanding wins and losses. [00:33:45] KPIs to monitor during the quarter and after the quarter ends. [00:35:13] The importance of fundamentals and hiring A players. [00:35:56] The significance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in sales roles. [00:46:35] Priorities for sales leaders: making the number, playbook, pipeline [00:47:59] Pitfalls of having a small pipeline and not qualifying deals [00:51:34] Learning from various role models and experiences in sales
In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we take a second look at some of our sales leader interviews over the past few months. This episode features lessons learned from three powerhouse revenue builders.
Hear from Veteran Sales Leader Carlos Delatorre on hiring while you scale. Founding CRO of Procore Dennis Lyandres talks about leadership lessons learned and the hard reality of letting people go. And, Tenable Chief Operating Officer Mark Thurmond talks about Command and Control leadership and removing friction for your sales teams.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:01:51] Carlos Delatorre shares a common mistake made by first-time sales managers.
[00:05:57] The importance of assessing the readiness of leaders.
[00:08:20] The challenges of scaling without the right leaders.
[00:15:22] Taking care of oneself is crucial for making good decisions.
[00:18:15] Importance of managing time and prioritizing tasks as a leader.
[00:19:21] Paying attention to small actions to understand people better.
[00:23:56] Dennis Lyandres discusses his journey in recruiting and training his team.
[00:25:26] The importance of taking ownership in hiring.
[00:26:44] The need to learn from failure in recruiting.
[00:39:29] Communication, work ethic, becoming an SME, mentors
[00:45:53] Mark's ability to simplify and remove obstacles for his team.
[00:46:31] Mark's approach to removing friction in the system.
[00:48:25] The importance of influential leadership over command and control leadership.
[00:52:27] The power of persuasive power over positional power.
Building the Business Case with Dick Thomas
Season 1
Thursday, August 17, 2023 • Duration 58:58
Dick Thomas is a sales consultant and founder of RW Consulting. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and has sold the largest deals in the history of four different companies.
In this conversation with John McMahon, Dick Thomas emphasizes the importance of quantifying the value a solution brings to a customer in order to drive bigger deals. He talks about how salespeople can differentiate themselves and gain access to higher levels in an organization by focusing on solving business problems and showcasing the value of the solution. Thomas outlines four major components of selling business value: the value pyramid, gold miner discovery, value-based demo, and the business case ROI model. These strategies equip salespeople with an unfair competitive advantage and position them as trusted business partners for their customers. Tune in to this episode of Revenue Builders for specific strategies, real-life anecdotes and inspiration on selling on business value.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:03:00] Importance of quantifying the value of a solution
[00:06:11] Breakdown of the major components of selling business value
[00:06:35] Value pyramid and its importance in understanding the prospect's business
[00:08:46] How to build a value pyramid and prioritize prospects
[00:11:24] Where to find information for the value pyramid
[00:15:19] Importance of gold miner discovery in uncovering pain points
[00:34:14] How to get the customer to discuss pain points
[00:36:46] The value of a value-based demo
[00:40:56] Importance of the business case and ROI model
[00:46:08] Difference between operational value and business impact
[00:56:03] Unfair competitive advantage from building value pyramids
[00:56:12] Differentiation as a business partner and dealing with procurement
Little Things That Make a Big Impact in Sales with Anthony Palladino
Season 1
Thursday, August 10, 2023 • Duration 55:21
Anthony Palladino is the Chief Revenue Officer at mabl. mabl is the enterprise SaaS leader of intelligent, low-code test automation that empowers high-velocity software teams to embed automated end-to-end tests into the entire development lifecycle.
Prior to mabl, Anthony spent five years at Splunk from pre-IPO through $1 billion in revenue as the leader of their Americas Field Organization. As Chief Revenue Officer at Aisera, the industry’s first AI Service Management solution, he helped define the company’s product market fit, built and ramped their customer-facing functions, and increased revenue eightfold. Prior to Aisera, Anthony was the Senior Vice President at CloudBees overseeing global field operations. In just over three years, CloudBees quadrupled its revenue. A holistic growth leader with experience in building customer-facing organizations, go-to-market strategies, and diverse partner networks.
In this conversation with John McMahon, Anthony discusses the importance of focusing on the little things in sales to drive big results. He emphasizes the need for disciplined execution, maintaining urgency with customers, and developing compelling energy in sales conversations. By identifying the deltas and addressing them, sales teams can build good habits and drive successful outcomes. Palladino also highlights the significance of documenting fit and gaining consensus in sales conversations.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT:
[00:02:03] Overview of Mabl and its impact on revenue, profitability, and risk
[00:05:26] Top priorities for exploring with the salesforce
[00:08:02] Importance of focusing on the little things that make a big difference
[00:11:01] Example of using a sequence to drive pipeline generation
[00:20:26] Importance of identifying and teaching people the knowledge areas
[00:32:59] Creating compelled energy to compel customers to move forward
[00:39:18] Importance of documenting the fit and gaining consensus in the first meeting
Driving Accountability and Building Trust with Chris Riley
Season 1
Thursday, August 3, 2023 • Duration 55:41
Chris Riley serves as President of Worldwide Field Operations of DataRobot, where he is responsible for accelerating the company’s revenue growth and global footprint, bringing DataRobot to organizations across all industries and geographies. Riley previously served as Chief Revenue Officer for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) leader Automation Anywhere, where he led global sales in over 90 countries and managed an ecosystem of over 1,900 partners. Prior to Automation Anywhere, Riley served as President of Global Sales at Dell Technologies, where he was responsible for a multi-billion dollar route to market. Riley also served as Vice President and General Manager for HP’s storage business at HPE. Riley lives in Naples, FL with his family.
In this conversation with John McMahon, Chris discusses the importance of understanding the culture and processes of a new organization when stepping into a leadership role. He emphasizes the need for leaders to be adaptable and willing to learn from their teams. Chris also highlights the significance of metrics and productivity in managing a sales organization, as well as the importance of hiring the right people and providing them with the necessary training and development. He shares insights on building trust with the sales team, prioritizing pipeline generation, and the role of mentors, coaches, and godfathers in a leader's career.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT:
[00:01:51] Overview of what DataRobot does and its applications
[00:15:13] The importance of work ethic, coachability, and aptitude in hiring
[00:23:47] Characteristics of successful leaders and the consequences of failure
[00:38:48] The most critical step in the sales process and the importance of a champion
[00:47:26] Navigating a sluggish economy and advice for salespeople
[00:54:15] The importance of hard work, generating pipeline, and following the process
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:22:02] "A mentor is somebody you can speak openly without fear of judgment." - Chris Riley
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.
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.
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.
[00:03:27] Oliver Jay: "PLG is an elegant model that uses the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and increasing retention." [00:39:59] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies should view their self-serve and product-led sales teams as part of the same funnel, not as separate entities." [01:00:50] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies need to be aware that outbound sales is rarely the remedy to growth and should only be pursued when there is product-market fit for a top-down sales motion."
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.
[00:13:21] Terry Tripp: “I think you've got to have things that you know that as you look across your deal portfolio, your pipeline, your current quarter forecast, next, next quarter forecast that you have confidence that if you see certain deals that are at a certain point in that process, if we're, you know, true to those, to those criteria and, and the stages along the way.” [00:16:55] Terry Tripp: “There's certain, it's somewhat in my experience. Depends a little bit on, on the, on the nature of the lead, if you will, the nature of the opportunity. If somebody is coming and knocking on our door, it's something that's more of an inbound. We probably have a slightly different qualification lens on that inbound opportunity. You know, what's driving it? Why are they coming to us? Try to understand a bit more about the problem they're trying to solve.”
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.
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.
[00:57:13] Negotiating discounts and preserving solution functionality
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:06:11] Dick Thomas: “There's four major components [people need to go into selling business value]. One is the value pyramid. That's where you gain a deep understanding of prospects' business. The second, I call it gold miner discovery because it's like swinging a pick and you got to discover down to annualized dollars. The third is a value based demo, which is an interesting methodology to discover and quantify value during the demo itself and actually confirm it with the customer and the last is the business case ROI model, comprehensive business case with an ROI model.”
[00:55:27] John McMahon: “That's how they sold in the future. They weren't just doing demos to do demos. They weren't just getting meetings to get meetings. They were doing value pyramids everywhere they went. In fact, I remember going to a meeting in London and the team did such an effective job of discovery and building the value pyramid that one customer in the room banged his fist on the table and said, ‘where did you get this type of information?’”
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.
[00:44:46] The components of compelled energy and the exit criteria for the first meeting
[00:50:41] Importance of documenting customer requirements and identifying champions
[00:55:24] The challenges of being a CRO and the importance of hiring well
[00:58:00] Building a leadership team and establishing a common goal
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
[00:53:41] "Who do we think is the champion? Right? And it's probably who do we think is the champion? Because an understanding if you're new to the organization, there's probably not a firm notion of what a champion is. And, you know, the definition we have is person with political respect and or technical authority who fights for us when we're not there and I have the and or in their job, because I think in a lot of cases with consensus, certain environments, those 2 things are very distinct today in some cases." - Anthony Palladino
[00:57:59] “I think establishing a leadership team that is with each other. They're supporting each other. They're with each other. You're sharing that common goal to the mission. And but doing it, you know, as people and really creating that that's that's I think it doesn't come easy because you have to create a special relationship.” - Anthony Palladino
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.
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.
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