Episodes
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Kim Peretti is an experienced Customer Success executive with over 25 years in the technology industry. Her most recent role was as Chief Customer Officer at Klaviyo, where she transformed the customer success organization during the company’s hypergrowth, and played a key role in preparing the company for its IPO. Prior to Klaviyo she was the Group Vice President of Customer Success at DocuSign, where she built and lead successful strategies that delivered key customer outcomes and results. Kim's extensive background also includes leadership positions in Customer Success at renowned technology companies such as Adobe, Qlik, and Symantec. Her career reflects a strong commitment to driving customer impact and achieving business results.
The importance of building a customer-first culture from day oneStrategies for aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teamsThe role of data in understanding and driving customer healthHow to implement an effective voice of the customer programThe misconception that customer success managers alone can solve churnThe impact of shared compensation goals on cross-functional collaboration
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(1:56) Kim's journey through top tech companies and the power of networking.
(5:39) The importance of customer experience from the first marketing touch.
(8:38) Shifting focus from new logos to customer retention and expansion.
(15:10) Implementing shared compensation goals across teams.
(20:37) Building a voice of the customer program.
(35:17) The role of partnerships in customer success.
(40:37) Using data to understand what makes customers healthy.
(45:58) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kim thinks is bull$***.
(47:58) One thing that is working for Kim in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Kim Peretti):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-peretti-2b719730/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: www.gtmnow.com/tag/newsletter/
Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now.If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.
We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm
Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack.” With Apollo I believe you can accomplish both." - Scott Barker
The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Phil Hernandez is the VP of Sales Services at TaskUs. He has spent the past 20 years skillfully building and transforming numerous Go-To-Market (GTM) teams. He possesses an unwavering commitment to mastering sales systems and demonstrates expertise in orchestrating organizational change aimed at cultivating high-performance revenue teams. His diverse industry background ranges from Tech/SaaS, Big Data, Adtech/Media, and CPG. He has implemented best practices in Startup, Scale Up, Public, and Private Equity operating environments as well as driving many transformational initiatives. As a revenue architecture expert, Phil specializes in operationalizing best practices and implementing scalable, data-driven solutions to elevate customer satisfaction throughout their buyer’s journey.
Discussed in this Episode:
The importance of cross-functional alignment in go-to-market strategiesBalancing strategic planning with day-to-day sales executionTactics for breaking down silos between marketing, sales, and customer successThe myth of work-life balance and finding personal equilibriumStrategies for incentivizing sales teams and driving desired behaviorsThe danger of seeking "silver bullet" solutions in sales leadershipHighlights:
(2:49) Phil's journey from Coca-Cola delivery driver to sales leader.
(9:41) Challenges in aligning different go-to-market functions.
(14:12) Time-blocking strategies for sales leaders.
(20:26) How TaskUs increased opportunity conversion 4x through better lead engagement.
(24:20) Designing effective sales compensation plans.
(32:33) The importance of focusing on micro-wins rather than silver bullets.
(35:09) Phil's framework for evaluating go-to-market success: People, Process, Platforms, and Performance.
(38:05) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Phil thinks is bull$***.
(39:36) One thing that is working for Phil in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Phil Hernandez):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernandezphillip/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now.If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.
We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm
Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack” - with Apollo I believe you can accomplish both." -Scott Barker
The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
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Nealesh Patel is the Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase, an AI-powered platform that helps over 80 million dealmakers discover and prioritize the right opportunities using best-in-class company data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, Neal has a proven track record of executing progressive growth strategies, landing innovative partnerships, developing revenue streams, and building winning teams. As the leader of Crunchbase's go-to-market functions, and the de facto general manager of its data licensing business, Neal has a cross-functional and holistic understanding of how to provide value to customers and generate revenue. Under his leadership, Crunchbase has more than 4X'd its unique users, increased its annual recurring revenue by over 75x, and secured partnerships with large brands like S&P, LinkedIn, Meta, Oracle, NASDAQ, Amazon, and Snowflake. Neal is also an active board member, advisor, and investor in several high-growth startups.
The importance of listening to customers without blindly obeying their requestsHow Crunchbase adapted to the rise of ChatGPT and generative AIThe value of conducting ongoing customer tours to inform product development and strategyInsights on career growth and taking risks in professional developmentThe future of sales management in the age of AI and rev tech platforms
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
(03:45) The concept of "listening to customers without obeying"
(09:12) Crunchbase's response to the release of ChatGPT
(13:58) Developing predictive signals using Crunchbase's proprietary data
(19:32) Career advice: The importance of curiosity and authenticity
(22:15) Taking risks and daring to be "stupid" in your career
(25:37) The ongoing need for human sales managers in the age of AI
(30:42) Why traditional sales playbooks may become obsolete
(34:21) Institutionalizing customer tours as a core business practice
(37:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Neal thinks is bull$***
(39:47) One thing that is working for Neal in go-to-market right nowGuest Speaker Links (Neal Patel):
Apollo. The revenue tech stack is messy right now. All the leaders that I’m talking to are reevaluating their stacks from the ground up. Do we really need ten different solutions? If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of our list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over. We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page - you can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealeshpatel/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. He currently leads Atrium, makers of sales performance management software to help organizations measure and improve sales performance. Previously, he founded TalentBin, a talent search engine and recruiting CRM that was acquired by Monster Worldwide in 2014. Pete also authored Founding Sales, a startup sales handbook, and established Modern Sales, the nation’s largest community for sales operations, leadership, and enablement. Modern Sales is an invite-only community with over 30,000 members from 10,000+ sales organizations focused on peer education in sales operations and management.
The impact of zero interest rate policy on sales performance and buyer behaviorThe importance of accountability and performance management in salesThe role of AI in sales and potential risks of over-automationStrategies for effective sales management in the current economic climateThe value of "back to basics" approaches in sales, including pipeline generation
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(5:59) Analyzing the drivers behind decreased sales performance in software companies.
(11:03) The evolution of sales management roles and responsibilities.
(17:58) The importance of accountability in sales management.
(22:32) Potential risks of AI automation in sales skills development.
(26:45) The need for rigorous performance management across all levels of sales.
(34:35) Implementing "PG Tuesday" as an effective pipeline generation strategy.
(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Peter thinks is bull$***.
(34:26) One thing that is working for Peter in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Peter Kazanjy):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazanjy/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:
Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
David Knight is the Co-founder and CEO of Avarra, an AI-powered platform that simulates human-to-human interactions to accelerate sales onboarding and training. With over 30 years of experience scaling companies from tens of millions to billions in revenue, including WebEx and Proofpoint, David brings a unique perspective on the intertwined nature of product and go-to-market.
Discussed in this Episode:
The power of AI simulations in providing experiential learning for sales reps.Designing products backwards from the go-to-market motion.Strategies for aligning product and sales teams to drive revenue growth.Rethinking ramp time: it's about at-bats, not arbitrary time periods.Shifting perspective from the sales funnel to the buyer's journey.The future of AI in sales training and enablement.Highlights:
(02:24) Simulating human-to-human interactions with AI avatars.
(07:44) Creating a fun, engaging environment for sales training.
(13:26) Designing products from the go-to-market motion backwards.
(19:32) Helping sales leaders win deals as a product leader.
(27:08) Listening for pain points, not feature requests, from customers.
(31:07) Completely changing the go-to-market motion at Proofpoint.
(37:43) Aligning motivations between product and sales teams.
(38:43) Rethinking the sales funnel as a buyer's journey.
(41:50) Building customized simulations for qualified prospects.
(34:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that David thinks is bull$***.
(41:50) One thing that is working for David in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (David Knight):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrknight/
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 GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Kyle Poyar is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner at Tremont, with over 8 years of experience at OpenView where he became a leading voice in the product-led growth (PLG) movement. Kyle shares his insights on the inevitability of PLG in an AI-driven future and reveals must-try tactics to accelerate growth using a PLG approach.
Why PLG is becoming inevitable, especially with the rise of AI in softwareCreative ways companies can build out their PLG motionHow social proof and PLG are merging to influence buying decisionsAdvice for early-stage founders looking to set up a PLG motionThe realities of working in venture capital and how to break into the industry
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(4:22) The evolution of PLG from an investment risk to a critical strategy.
(9:10) Will the vast majority of software companies have a PLG motion in the future?
(18:56) Using product data for marketing purposes.
(21:17) Offering an affordable entry-level package to land and expand.
(23:44) The increasing importance of social proof in PLG.
(31:41) Advice for early-stage founders setting up a PLG motion.
(37:43) Kyle's journey from consulting to VC and advice for breaking into venture.
(44:43) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***(47:59) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Poyar):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Newsletter: https://www.growthunhinged.com/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Cliff Simon is the CRO of Carabiner Group, a part of SBI Growth, an advisor, and fractional executive for several high-growth start-ups, where he utilizes his expertise in all things GTM and RevOps. He is an active leader in multiple GTM communities. With almost two decades of broad technology experience, he has anchored GTM teams in SaaS & Service industries including consulting, network & communications, software, e-commerce, and supply chain. Having worked in both Fortune 20 and High-Growth Startups, Cliff prefers the fast pace and the ability to deliver significant impact that comes with working in the startup space. Cliff is a recipient of the 2024 Modern Sales Leader award from HubSpot and a 2024Top 50 CRO to Watch by Pavilion.
Discussed in this Episode:
The power of community-led growth in driving customer acquisition and revenue.Lessons learned from growing and selling a bootstrapped services business.Navigating the challenges of rapid growth, including hiring and managing cash flow.The importance of RevOps and when to invest in a full-time RevOps hire.Predictions for the future of go-to-market, including the rise of micro-businesses and AI.Highlights:
(15:43) Driving growth through community involvement and providing value.
(22:58) Hiring challenges during rapid growth.
(27:34) Identifying potential acquirers and navigating the acquisition process.
(33:00) Lessons learned from the acquisition and what Cliff would do differently.
(38:27) Predictions for the future of SaaS businesses and go-to-market.
(42:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Cliff thinks is bull$***.
(44:55) One thing that is working for Cliff in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Cliff Simon):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-simonHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and consultant with over a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for both B2B and B2C companies. He has worked with major brands like Shutterstock, Gusto, WordPress, Quora, Mixpanel, and Zendesk to build and execute global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their visibility at scale. Previously, Eli led the SEO team at SurveyMonkey, growing organic search from nearly zero to one of the largest growth channels at the company.
Discussed in this Episode:
The product-led SEO framework Eli used to drive SurveyMonkey from 0 to $100M+ in revenue.Why the old model of churning out SEO content is dead and how AI is disrupting the space.Eli's journey from getting rejected at top tech companies to becoming a thriving consultant.The power of deeply understanding your target user and building products for their needs.Actionable advice for making the transition from operator to successful consultant.Highlights:
HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered.
(4:14) Building SEO products tailored to the user intent, not just keywords.
(8:19) How Zapier unlocked massive growth with a product-led SEO approach
(17:15) Why AI content generation is not a silver bullet - it still requires a purposeful strategy.
(22:54) Examples of Eli's product-led SEO wins at SurveyMonkey, Tinder, and Coinbase.
(29:31) The biggest mistake people make with SEO is having a diminished understanding of what it can accomplish.
(41:28) Eli's best consulting gigs came from job interviews where he got rejected.
(44:33) To succeed as a consultant, develop a niche specialty and have customer success stories.
(52:23) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eli thinks is bull$***.
(54:49) One thing that is working for Eli in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Eli Schwartz):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
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.
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.
Discussed in this Episode:
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 GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
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/retentionadamHost 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 GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Mark Kosoglow is the Co-Founder and CEO of Operator.ai, a company incubated by GTMfund. Mark was employee #1 at Outreach and former SVP of Global Sales, where he helped grow the company from zero to over $200 million in revenue. He is joined in this special edition podcast episode by Max Altschuler, Founder and General Partner of GTMfund.
Discussed in this Episode:
The current state of sales and marketing tech, with too much automation leading to spam and prospects tuning out messages.The Great Ignore, the place we have reached where buyers are ignoring 90% of sales activity.How basic contact and account data has become commoditized and no longer provides a competitive advantage. The launch of Operator, its manifesto and mission.The founding story and team behind Operator, including Mark and Max's history of working together.Operator's unique approach to using AI for finding interesting insights to enable relevant, targeted outreach.Incubating a company within GTMfund.Highlights:
(4:00) Mark's background at Outreach and the early days of sales automation.
(6:41) The problem with relying solely on basic contact and account data for outreach.
(8:41) How Operator uses AI to find unique insights for personalizing outreach
(14:01) The vision for Operator: going from 20 sales touches to book a meeting back down to 2.
(27:58) The founding story of Operator and how the team came together.
(32:47) Comparing Operator's approach to other sales tech tools and their shortcomings.
(38:00) The dangers of AI-powered spam and the need for more targeted, relevant outreach.Guest Speaker Links (Mark Kosoglow):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/Host Speaker Links (Max Altschuler):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:
Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Austin Hay is the Co-Founder of Clarify, a new intelligent CRM built as a platform that developers love. He is also a Partner and MarTech Teacher at Reforge, as well as a MarTech Advisor and GTM Investor at HBE Ventures. With a background leading marketing technology teams at high-growth startups like Ramp, Branch, and mParticle, Austin brings a wealth of expertise on the evolving MarTech and RevTech landscape.
Discussed in this Episode:
The current state of MarTech and RevTech, and why we're headed for a "great contraction" after years of expansion.The future of CRMs and what a next-gen system should look like to unify data and provide more out-of-the-box functionality.Advice for founders and leaders on being selective with tools, focusing on a few things done well, and the importance of treating people with respect.Austin's journey building Clarify and his perspectives on brand, culture, and community.Highlights:
Brought to you by 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.Brought to you by 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.
(5:46) Why the MarTech and RevTech space is a "mess" right now.
(13:05) Fundamental building blocks for an effective GTM tech stack.
(21:15) The problem with how most companies are assembling their RevTech stack today.
(36:45) The future of CRMs as systems of action, not just systems of record.
(44:48) The most impactful lesson from Austin's career on how to treat people when they leave your company.
(52:25) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Austin thinks is bull$***.
(59:18) One thing that is working for Austin in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Austin Hay):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinahay/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Leandra Fishman is the Chief Revenue Officer at Apollo.io, a leading go-to-market solution for sales and marketing teams. Apollo.io is one of the fastest-growing companies in SaaS, with 9x ARR growth since 2021 and currently valued at $1.6 billion. Leandra brings over 30 years of experience to Apollo.io. Most recently, Fishman was the CRO at Intercom, which during her tenure ranked No. 35 on the 2022 Forbes Cloud 100 List with over $200 million in annual revenue. Previously, as the SVP of Sales and Success for SendGrid, she led the company through a successful IPO and helped double its market cap in its first year as a public company. As an executive consultant, she has executed projects ranging from developing sales and marketing strategies for startups to creating business plans and serving in an advisory role for venture capitalist firms and board members.
Discussed in this Episode:
Apollo's product-led growth (PLG) model and how it enables a great customer experience.Balancing self-serve and sales-assisted motions to drive growth across segments.The role of AI in enhancing sales productivity rather than replacing salespeople.Advice for salespeople on redefining success and being kind to yourself.Leandra's unconventional journey to becoming a CRO and lessons learned along the way.Highlights:
Brought to you by Upland Altify. A leading provider of AI-enhanced sales solutions, Altify is designed to help revenue teams work smarter. This Salesforce-native suite of sales solutions empowers seller productivity, streamlines workflows, and uncovers hidden opportunities – all leading to significant revenue growth - learn more.Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there.
(10:25) The power of Apollo's PLG model in driving growth.
(13:13) Balancing self-serve and sales-assisted motions.
(18:01) How larger deals can come through with minimal sales interaction in a PLG model.
(23:47) The future of AI in sales as an enhancement rather than replacement.
(29:46) Leandra's journey from starting in sales to becoming a CRO.
(44:15) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Leandra thinks is bull$***.(49:30) One thing that is working for Leandra in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Leandra Fishman):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leandra-fishman/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Dennis Lyandres is currently an Advisor at Iconiq Growth. Before that, Dennis spent 8.5 years with Procore during which time Procore grew from $10m to over $900m+ in revenue and went public on the NYSE. Dennis started at Procore as EVP of Sales in 2014, before moving to the CRO 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. Before joining Procore, he held various sales and sales management roles at Cloudera and Pentaho.
Applying the concept of Price's Law to identify and maximize the impact of top talent in an organization.Go-to-market strategies for vertical SaaS companies to win in their market, such as going hyperlocal and focusing on multi-product.The importance of hiring for potential and experience with scale over domain expertise.Personal growth lessons on reframing your relationship with drive and ambition.
Discussed in this Episode:
Brought to you by 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.Brought to you by 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. Visit vanta.com/gtmnow to learn more.Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there.
Highlights:
(13:23) Applying Price's Law to identify and maximize top talent.
(18:13) Overcoming HR pushback on programs for top performers.
(28:35) Rallying the whole organization around key customer accounts.
(32:02) Go-to-market strategies for vertical SaaS: going hyperlocal and focusing on multi-product.
(55:15) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Dennis thinks is bull$***.
Guest Speaker Links & Referenced Resource (Dennis Lyandres):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlyandres
ICONIQ Report: Sales Leadership, A Hiring Blueprint
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Mark Ghermezian co-founded Braze (BRZE) and led the company as it’s founding CEO, pioneering a new category. He is also the Founder and General Partner at m]x[v Capital, and Co-Founder and CEO of Gynger and Tildei, two companies that he incubated through the venture firm. He is a serial entrepreneur and successful investor with 20+ years of experience in founding, building, and investing in early-stage SaaS startups.
Learnings from growing Braze .The behind the scenes on incubating two companies. How to identify and hire problem solvers who can execute independently.The value of delegating effectively to scale and empower your team.Navigating the challenges of raising funding and finding product-market fit.Building a strong internal BDR team versus outsourcing sales efforts.The role of conviction and intuition in entrepreneurship and investing.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there.
(7:10) The domino effect of luck, timing, and key decisions in Braze's success.
(21:55) Mark reflects on the humbling experience of taking Braze public and the role of his team.
(28:30) Advice for founders on structuring their cap table and choosing the right investors.
(36:41) Raising Gynger's Series A and how it differed from Braze's early fundraising.
(45:09) A pivotal moment in Mark's leadership journey and learning to delegate effectively.
(49:04) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mark thinks is bull$***.
(51:44) One thing that is working for Mark in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Mark Ghermezian):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markgher/
m]x[v Capital: www.mxv.vc/
Gynger: www.gynger.io/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
As Upland's Chief Revenue Officer, Matt Breslin oversees customer success, demand generation and communications, sales, revenue enablement, and revenue analysis, supporting our Shared Services Organization. Matt has 25 years of experience in the software industry, most recently leading a $700 million business at Infor. Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions at SAP and Oracle, driving incredible results across the board. Matt started his career as a Certified Public Accountant for Price Waterhouse and Kraft Foods.
The importance of avoiding blind spots in the sales process and aligning the sales process with the customer's business pains and processes.Lessons learned from closing a multi-million dollar deal early in his career, including the value of attention to detail and building strong customer relationships.The benefits of focusing sales teams on specific sales motions, such as new logo acquisition or account expansion.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by Vanta. Your deal is almost closed, and all that’s left is the security review. But when it comes to those lengthy security questionnaires, the endless back and forths can often cause deals to stall out, leaving your deal at risk and dollars on the table. With Vanta Questionnaire Automation, GTM teams can complete security reviews up to 5X faster. Over 8,000 global companies use Vanta to streamline security questionnaires and close deals fast. Register for an upcoming webinar with live Q&A here. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there.
(14:10) Challenging the belief that 3-5X pipeline coverage is the answer to sales problems.
(18:44) The story of driving to a customer's child's soccer game to close a multi-million dollar deal.
(26:01) The biggest surprise when transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader.
(41:06) The importance of aligning sales teams to the right motions.
(44:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Matt thinks is bull$***.
(45:23) One thing that is working for Matt in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker (Matt Breslin):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-breslin-09a4354/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Adriana Gil Miner is CMO at Iterable, the AI-powered customer communication platform. Passionate about customer engagement, her leadership has contributed to Iterable's success in helping brands like Redfin, Priceline, and Volvo deliver individualized, harmonized and dynamic communications at scale. Prior to her role at Iterable, Adriana held influential senior leadership positions at Tableau, where she significantly contributed to the company's remarkable growth from $250 million to over $1 billion, culminating in the successful Salesforce acquisition. Her leadership also left an indelible mark on Qumulo, a data storage startup, and Artefact, with its spinoff—10,000ft—acquired by Smartsheet in 2019. Gil Miner’s 20+ years of marketing experience span prominent names like American Express, Digitas, and Weber Shandwick.
Leveraging AI and ChatGPT for creative, high-volume ad testing and optimization.The importance of post-sale marketing and customer lifecycle management.Applying B2C marketing strategies to enhance B2B customer engagement and retention.Emerging B2B marketing trends, including SMS as a core communication channel.Building authentic influence through community, word-of-mouth, and organic channels.The declining relevance of traditional PR and analyst relations in the face of digital influence.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. Whether you want advice, have one hard to fill role or a team buildout, we can't recommend IPS enough.
(13:45) Using ChatGPT to generate and test 300+ ads, breaking demo request records.
(20:25) The untapped potential of post-sale marketing and customer lifecycle in B2B.
(25:30) SMS predicted to become a key B2B engagement channel.
(29:56) Iterable's marketing team now has a dedicated expansion pipeline goal.
(33:39) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Adriana thinks is bull$***.(36:47) One thing that is working for Adriana in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Adriana Gil Miner):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agilminer/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Andrew Johnston is currently the Head of Sales at Superhuman, where he leads the go-to-market strategy as part of the executive team. Previously, he built the Mid-Market and PLS motion at Scale AI and led the global sales team at SendGrid following its acquisition by Twilio and its IPO.
The key differences between product-led growth (PLG) and product-led sales (PLS).When and why companies should consider transitioning from PLG to PLS.The challenges of combining distinct sales teams during an acquisition.How to effectively enable sales reps during a product expansion.The importance of understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP) for successful PLS.Strategies for moving upmarket, such as implementing paid pilots.Creating career paths and incentives for sales reps in different segments.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
(9:50) Andrew's definition of product-led growth and how it differs from product-led sales.
(12:16) The triggers for considering a transition from a PLG to a PLS approach.
(25:00) The challenges faced when combining SendGrid and Twilio's sales teams post-acquisition.
(32:49) How Twilio's unique "estimated ARR" commission structure impacted sales behavior.
(35:55) Using SendGrid as a "trojan horse" to expand Twilio's presence in customer accounts.
(42:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Andrew thinks is bull$***
(47:09) One thing that is working for Andrew in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Andrew Johnston):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfoxjohnston/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. Whether you want advice, have one hard to fill role or a team buildout, we can't recommend IPS enough.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
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.
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.
Discussed in this Episode:
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.
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:The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. -
Ralph Barsi is the VP of Sales at Kahua, a leading construction management platform. Prior to Kahua, Ralph held executive roles at Tray.io and ServiceNow. While at ServiceNow, he built and led a team of 230 people across the globe, during thecompany’s growth from from $1 billion to over $4 billion in revenue. Prior to ServiceNow, Ralph was the VP of Field Operations at Achievers (acquired by Blackhawk Network) and the Manager of Sales Development at InsideView (acquired by DemandBase). Ralph serves as an advisor to go-to-market leaders at Aircover, Scale Venture Partners, TopHap, and others. He is also a growth stage investor with the GTMfund. Barsi dedicates much of his time serving others. In addition to his work at Kahua, Ralphmentors and advises a host of SaaS leaders and leadership programs.
Discussed in this Episode:
The importance of implementing systems and processes in sales and life.How frameworks like SCQA (Situation, Challenge, Question, Answer) and PAR (Problem, Action, Result) can improve communication.Strategies for delivering difficult messages, such as during a reorganization or reduction in force.The value of staying in touch with former colleagues and playing the long game in relationships.Tactics for maintaining a robust contact database and regularly checking in with people.How to motivate and guide reps who are facing a challenging selling environment.The significance of chronicling your work and keeping a record of your achievements.Highlights:
(8:28) Introduction of the quote "Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets" by Edwards Deming.
(14:33) Discussion on using frameworks to communicate effectively with a large or small audience.
(24:27) Ralph's journey from Compliance360 to Kahua and the importance of maintaining long-term relationships.
(31:55) The system Ralph uses to stay in touch with his extensive network of contacts.
(35:41) Strategies for shifting focus and moving forward when facing challenges or setbacks.
(41:45) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Ralph thinks is bull$***(48:15) One thing that is working for Ralph in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Ralph Barsi):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphbarsi
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.
This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe. - Show more
