Sales Talk for CEOs
Alice Heiman
Welcome to Sales Talk for CEOs, a show where Alice Heiman interviews successful CEOs who have successfully scaled their B2B sales organizations. In each episode, we get to know the sales background of each CEO, dig into the strategies they've used to build their sales organization and wrap it up with what the future holds. We cover the good, the bad and the ugly of scaling a sales organization in order to deliver to you: value and insights.
Ep152 How to Turn Average Sellers into Top Performers
Every CEO wants a team of top-performing sellers—but is it actually possible? Sales expert Tania Doub reveals why most sales teams struggle and how to fix it. Discover the key framework that helps sellers gain confidence, build momentum, and consistently exceed quotas. If you're ready to transform your sales team, this episode is a must-listen.About GuestTania Arakelian Doub is the CEO and Founder of Mindful Quadrant, a groundbreaking sales enablement company. With a passion for guiding sales pr
Ep151 Why This Co-founder Took Back Sales—and Grew Revenue by 40% with Russ Macumber
After struggling to hire the right sales team, Russ Macumber made a bold decision—he returned to founder-led sales. The result? A 40% increase in revenue. In this episode, he shares the hard lessons learned from scaling a startup, hiring salespeople, and building a high-retention client base. Tune in for real-world insights on what it takes to grow a sales-driven company.About GuestRuss Macumber is a seasoned entrepreneur and digital marketing expert known for his innovative approaches and thoug
Ep150 Why Most CEOs Fail at Thought Leadership (and How to Fix It)
Most CEOs think they’re doing thought leadership, but the truth? They’re doing it wrong—if they’re doing it at all.In this solo episode, Alice Heiman breaks down the biggest mistakes CEOs make when it comes to thought leadership and why those missteps are costing them sales. She reveals why most CEOs struggle to build their personal brand, how it impacts their sales team, and what they should be doing instead to drive revenue.If you’re a CEO who wants to make sales easier, attract high-value cus
Ep149 Building a $1.2 Billion Enterprise: Katherine Kostereva on Scaling and Sales
How does a CEO turn a passion for solving business challenges into a billion-dollar company? Katherine Kostereva, CEO of Creatio, shares her inspiring entrepreneurial journey, from her beginnings at IBM to building a globally recognized no-code platform. Discover how she bootstrapped her company for six years, secured $200 million in funding, and created a collaborative culture that fuels growth. Learn actionable strategies on prioritization, building strong sales teams, and leveraging partnersh
Ep148 From Beer to Idea and How the Accelerator and a Network Made the Difference
What happens when two QA professionals turn their frustrations with the industry into a groundbreaking solution? In this episode, Alice Heiman sits down with Ivan Barajas Vargas, co-founder of MuukTest, to explore how he and his partner transformed the QA automation process using AI. Ivan shares his journey from bootstrapping to landing funding, his pivot to a top-down sales strategy, and the lessons learned from building a thriving startup. If you’re a CEO looking to scale smarter, embrace inno
Ep147 Use the Power of Referrals to Close More Deals
Referrals are an often-overlooked yet highly effective way to boost sales. In this episode, Alice Heiman dives into the transformative impact of a formal referral selling process. Learn why referrals outperform cold outreach, how they lead to higher-quality leads, and why they drive stronger customer retention. With real-world statistics and practical advice, you’ll gain the tools to build a referral system that consistently delivers results for your sales team.Connect with Alice HeimanLinkedIn
Ep146 How CEOs Can Build Better Workplaces with Dan Pontefract
Dan Pontefract, author of Work-Life Bloom, joins Sales Talk for CEOs to share a groundbreaking approach to leadership. Key takeaways include redefining CEO responsibilities to include care, balancing humanity with execution, and fostering engagement through positive reinforcement. Dan also introduces a unique framework for navigating work-life cycles, offering practical advice for CEOs to inspire their teams and drive sustainable success. About GuestMy new book, WORK-LIFE BLOOM is a Thinkers50 T
Ep145 Lessons in Founder-Led Sales and the Power of Specialization
Meta DescriptionDiscover the journey of a CTO turned co-founder who mastered founder-led sales and embraced the power of niche specialization to scale a thriving business. Learn how strategic focus and teamwork drive success.About GuestJamon is a software developer, business owner, husband, father of four, and new grandpa, located in southwest Washington state. He is co-founder of Infinite Red, Inc., a fully remote React Native app consultancy located across the USA and Canada. He learned to cod
Ep144 How the CEO can insure their team wins Mega Deals
Discover how CEOs can lead their teams to secure larger corporate deals, transition upmarket, and build strategies for landing transformative accounts with expert insights from Jamal Reimer.About GuestJamal Reimer is an experienced coach, best-selling author, product developer, and ambitious multi-million-dollar Enterprise Seller with more than 2 decades of experience in the field. After closing three 50-million-dollar deals at Oracle, he found his passion in helping others achieve the same. He’
Ep143 Before You Hire More Salespeople, Check This First
Alice Heiman reveals critical strategies to ensure your sales team is at peak performance before expanding your team.Connect with Alice HeimanLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/Alice’s Website: https://aliceheiman.com/Alice Blog: https://aliceheiman.com/want-more-sales-hiring-more-salespeople-may-not-be-the-answer/
Should CEOs Close Deals with David Brock
Chapters01:54 Dave Brock's EntryIntroducing guest Dave Brock, a seasoned sales expert and author, discussing the dynamics of executive involvement in sales.02:07 The CEO's Role in SalesUnderstanding the strategic involvement of CEOs in sales, particularly in early-stage companies.02:46 Current Roles and InsightsDave illustrates his current role advising large companies and the unique challenges of early-stage companies.04:04 The Sustainable Role of CEOsDiscussion on how CEOs should balance their
The Dakota Way: Why it Matters with Gui Costin
Chapters01:06 Guest Introduction01:13 Dakota's Dual Business Model02:39 Origin Story of Dakota03:10 Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur05:06 Early Days and Initial Client Acquisition06:37 Growing the Company and Sales Team Development07:42 Implementing the 'Dakota Way'09:01 CEO's Role in Sales Process10:32 Sales Team Expansion and Developing Leadership12:07 Introducing AI in Sales13:14 Utilizing AI for Enhanced Customer Targeting16:03 Cold Outreach Strategies18:50 Building a Sales Culture F
Sales Funnel vs. Sales Pipeline: Key Differences for Better Sales Strategies
Episode DetailsChapters00:01 Introduction and Importance of Modern Sales Strategies01:40 Understanding and Organizing Sales Opportunities03:16 Differentiating Leads from Opportunities04:47 Tracking and Managing Opportunities06:13 The Funnel vs. The Pipeline07:33 Analyzing Pipeline Health and Sales Quotas09:02 The Significance of Periodic Reviews10:51 Avoiding Common Pipeline Review Mistakes12:24 Conducting Effective Funnel and Deal ReviewsSocial Links Connect with Alice on LinkedIn: https://www
Scaling Your Business Through Founder-Led Sales and the Power of Partnerships
Chapters01:21 Guest IntroductionIntroduction to guest Jay Aigner, a founder of a QA software testing company, sharing glimpses into starting his business.01:39 Current Company Operations Jay Aigner explains his company's role in alleviating QA bottlenecks and providing quality assurance services to software companies.02:17 Initial Inspiration for Starting a BusinessJay recounts his career journey leading up to entrepreneurship, inspired by personal life challenges and a lack of job opportunitie
Streamline, Personalize, Grow: How AI is Transforming Sales Teams
Imagine freeing up hours in your day while boosting your team’s productivity and engagement. With the right AI tools, that’s possible. In this Sales Talk for CEOs episode, Alice Heiman speaks with Gillian Utesch, CEO of Broken Glass Ceiling Marketing, about how AI-driven tools can help your team to streamline marketing, personalize engagement, and tackle sales in a whole new way. Here’s what you need to know about AI to enhance your go-to-market strategy without stretching your team to the limit
How to Integrate AI into Your Sales Strategy
Imagine your sales team leveraging tools that analyze data, predict trends, and create personalized messages in real-time. This isn’t some futuristic fantasy—it’s happening now in today’s AI-driven sales landscape. As Alice Heiman puts it, “Salespeople who don’t use AI will be replaced by those who do.”In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Alice explores how AI can reshape your go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Let’s dive into the key takeaways and action steps every CEO should consider.AI’s Impact
How Authenticity Can Become Your Biggest Strategic Advantage
Imagine if the key to faster growth and deeper connections was something as simple as being yourself—authentically. In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Erin Hatzikostas reveals how authenticity, when used intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for CEOs to lead with confidence, build trust, and create a lasting impact in their organizations.Key Insights from the Episode:1. Authenticity is a Strategic AdvantageErin Hatzikostas makes a bold claim: authenticity isn’t about just "being yourself"—
How Product Focus and Integrity Drove Egnyte’s Growth
What does it take to build a company from the ground up and lead it to success for 16 years? For Vineet Jain, CEO and founder of Egnyte, the answer is a relentless focus on product excellence and customer satisfaction. In a recent episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Vineet shared how these principles helped him grow Egnyte into a leading cloud-based content collaboration and governance platform, serving over 23,000 customers.Key Insights from Vineet Jain:Product First, Always Vineet credits Egnyte’s
How to Use Sales Funnels to Improve Revenue Forecasting
Accurate sales forecasting is critical for sustainable growth, with companies that effectively forecast being 10% more likely to increase their revenue year-over-year. Yet, many CEOs struggle with this crucial aspect of their business. If accurate forecasting remains a challenge, it may be time to examine the health of the sales funnel.In a recent episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Alice sat down with Hamish Knox, a renowned sales consultant and Sandler trainer, to explore why understanding and pro
Why Your Sales Team Needs Stronger Leadership Now More Than Ever
One question is on the minds of many CEOs: What exactly should sales leaders be doing to ensure their teams are performing at their peak? The answer, while multifaceted, revolves around a critical shift in focus—prioritizing customer experience and empowering sales teams to excel.Shifting Focus: From Internal Metrics to Customer ExperienceTraditionally, sales leadership has often been about hitting targets, managing internal metrics, and ensuring the sales funnel is full. However, the modern app
Your Blueprint for Hiring Top Sales Talent
How can CEOs consistently hire top-tier sales talent? Kristie Jones, a sales leadership expert with over 20 years of experience, shares her strategies for attracting, hiring, and onboarding the best sales professionals in the latest episode of Sales Talk for CEOs. Kristie dives into the hiring process, the importance of structured onboarding, and ensuring long-term success for your sales team.Creating an Ideal Candidate ProfileKristie emphasizes creating an ideal candidate profile over a generic
Pivoting to Success: The Tenbound Story
What if the key to your company’s success lay hidden in a challenge you’re currently facing? David Dulany's journey from sales frustration to creating a thriving business is a testament to this idea.In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Alice Heiman speaks with David Dulany, founder of Tenbound, about his transition from working at Achieve Global to founding a company focused on sales technology tools. David shares insights on pivoting his business, building a robust sales team, and the import
Building Your A-Team: Matthew Toth's Proven Strategies for Hiring and Retaining Top Talent
In an era where technology evolves at lightning speed, having the right team in place is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. CEOs today face the critical task of ensuring their organizations are equipped for sustained growth and success. Matthew Toth, CEO of C3 Technology Advisors, shares valuable insights from his 15-year journey in building a successful technology consulting firm. Here’s what he’s learned about hiring, training, and retaining top talent.Building a Foundation for SuccessMatthe
Is a Chief Revenue Officer Right for Your Business? When to Consider a CRO
In the complex world of company leadership structures, the role of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) has sparked debates on its necessity and timing. In this episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs," Alice Heiman dives into the nuances of the CRO role, helping CEOs determine if and when it might be essential for their company.Deciphering the CRO Role:The emergence of the CRO role aims to bridge the gaps between sales, marketing, and customer success. Alice Heiman discusses the strategic integration these
The Power of Vision: John Klymshyn on Leading Sales and Inspiring Teams
What role does vision play in sales and leadership? John Klymshyn, a Navy veteran turned renowned sales coach, author, and speaker shares his insights on how a clear vision can transform sales teams and inspire individuals to achieve greatness. Join us as John discusses his journey, the importance of vision, and actionable strategies for CEOs to lead their organizations effectively.Vision Precedes EverythingJohn emphasizes that a clear vision is the foundation of successful leadership. "The firs
Marko Dinic's 18-Year Journey: From Tech Startup to Industry Leader
Having no plans of becoming a CEO, engineer Marko Dinic shares his 18-year journey to becoming the leader of a company that excels in compliance solutions. Leading his company through both triumphs and challenges, Marko, CEO of GTM Technologies, delves into his experiences, lessons learned, and the unique insights he's gained along the way.Complex Sales Require Technical ExpertiseMarko emphasizes the need for deep technical understanding when selling intricate compliance solutions. Marko states,
From Problem to Product: Sujan Patel's Path to Mailshake
In 2015, Sujan Patel faced a common frustration: sales teams failing to follow up with prospects. His solution? Build a tool so effective that it turned into a successful company, Mailshake.In this episode, Alice Heiman talks with Sujan Patel, co-founder of Mailshake, about his journey from solving his own sales problems to building a successful bootstrapped company. Sujan shares valuable lessons learned over the past ten years.Here’s what you’ll discover:How Sujan transitioned from marketing to
Unlocking Growth: Why Every CEO Needs a Team of A-Players
Imagine this: every person reporting directly to you is not just competent, but an A-player, fully aligned with your vision and driving your company's growth. Sounds ideal, right? This is not just a dream—it's an achievable reality that can transform the way you lead. Today on "Sales Talk for CEOs," Alice Heiman delves into why having the right people in the right roles is not just beneficial but essential for your company's success.Key TakeawaysEvaluate Your Team: It's crucial to assess if each
The Art of Whale Hunting: Strategies for Big Sales Success
Landing big deals, or "whale hunting," is crucial for small and mid-sized businesses aiming to grow. In a recent episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs," Barbara Weaver Smith, an expert in whale hunting, shared invaluable insights on how CEOs can successfully target and secure these significant accounts.From Strategy to Action: The Essence of Whale HuntingWhale hunting is a systematic process for scouting, hunting, and harvesting large accounts. Barbara explains, “A whale is a customer that could give
From 1 million to 1.5 billion at Angie’s List, What Alex Levin did Next
Episode Summary: Ever felt the frustration of navigating customer service bots that just don't get your problem? Alex Levin of Regal.io understands this pain all too well and is transforming customer interaction with a human touch. He shares his journey from working to build Angie’s list to cofounding Regal.io, getting customer feedback in the early days and growing sales to $3M ARR in the first year. Here's what you'll discover:After taking Angie's List from 1 million to 1.5 billion, why Alex c
Turning a Sweet Idea into a Thriving Business: The Grove Cookie Journey
Did you know 95% of Americans eat at least one cookie per month? In today's "Sales Talk for CEOs," Alice speaks with Grayson Hogard's entrepreneurial journey from hobby baking to a hugely successful business. As CEO of Grove Cookies, Grayson turned traditional treats into a powerhouse of corporate gifting. Discover how cookies can reshape client relations and strategies.A Sweet StartIn 2020, amidst the pandemic, Grayson and his wife began baking as a hobby. Their homemade Oreo cookies were a hit
Why Your Sales Aren't Growing: The Critical Role of Value in Customer Acquisition with Expert Ian Campbell
In today's fiercely competitive market, understanding the core of value-driven sales can be transformative. This crucial concept was the centerpiece of our latest "Sales Talk for CEOs" episode, featuring expert Ian Campbell, CEO of Nucleus Research and author of "The Value Sale." In this discussion, we delve into how emphasizing value rather than just product features can revolutionize sales dynamics and lead to enduring customer relationships.Key Takeaways:Accelerating Sales Cycles with Value:
From Silos to Synergy: Transforming Your Team with a Go-to-Market Framework
Did you know that collaborative team selling has become a fundamental approach for modern businesses? According to Forrester, nearly 60% of sales leaders now emphasize team collaboration over individual efforts to secure significant deals. In this compelling solo episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Alice Heiman explores why moving away from traditional sales and marketing silos to a unified go-to-market (GTM) strategy is crucial for thriving in today’s competitive landscape.Key Insights for CEOs:Tea
From Sales Rep to CEO: Navigating the Journey to Funded Startup
"It's how you sell that becomes your differentiator in a crowded market," explained Ross Rich. Alice was excited to talk with Ross, whom she’s known since the early days of his entrepreneurial journey. Ross, the CEO of Accord, started his company to solve a critical problem in sales: lack of transparency between teams and customers. His insights are not just about Accord’s journey from idea to successful product, but about the transformative lessons learned from evolving from a sales rep to a CE
Leading with Empathy: How Cory Munchbach’s Journey from Analyst to CEO Shapes her Leadership Today
How does a product marketer end up in the CEO seat? Moving from being an analyst at Forrester to starting at BlueConic as a product marketer and doing many different jobs at the company over the years landed Cory Munchback the CEO seat.Fully backed by the founder, Cory shares her remarkable journey from analyst to CEO, detailing the vital lessons learned and the strategies that have shaped her leadership.Cory’s Path to CEOCory started her career at Forrester Research, gaining invaluable insights
How CEOs Can Harness the Power of Revenue Operations: Insights from Eddie Reynolds
What is RevOps anyway and how is it different from SalesOps? What do I as the CEO need to know about RevOps?In a recent episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Eddie Reynolds, a seasoned expert in Revenue Operations (RevOps), shared crucial insights for CEOs looking to boost efficiency and enhance customer experiences. Eddie's expertise centers on aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams to optimize overall revenue operations. Here are the simplified, actionable insights from Eddie, aimed
From Law to Leadership: Clate Mask’s Journey to CEO of Keap
In a recent captivating episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs," Clate Mask, CEO and co-founder of Keap, shared his journey from law school to leading a company that’s at the forefront of small business automation software. For CEOs looking to streamline their operations and enhance customer engagement, Clate's insights are golden.Key Takeaways for CEOs:Leverage Automation for Growth and Efficiency: Clate explains, "Automation isn’t just about saving time; it’s about scaling your business efficiently t
From NASA to CEO: Lessons in Leadership, Storytelling and Curiosity
This week’s episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs" is out of this world, literally! Alice Heiman was joined by Beth Mund, whose journey from NASA to entrepreneurial space storyteller is rich with insights for business leaders. Not only that, we found out Alice is a bit of a space geek and she’s a huge fan of Beth’s having discovered her when she began her podcast Casual Space. Beth's story from navigating NASA’s communication strategies to starting her podcast and founding a nonprofit called Stories o
Adapt, Innovate, Scale: Key Strategies from Recapped's Sales Success Story
"We help sellers consistently execute a Michelin star experience for their buyers instead of a fast food experience." And isn’t this what every buyer wants today. On "Sales Talk for CEOs," Alice Heiman was joined by Mark Fershteyn of Recapped, whose journey from sales struggles to CEO offers a roadmap for innovation in sales strategies. His focus on the customer journey always in the forefront.Elevating the Buyer ExperienceMark emphasizes transforming the sales process into a
The Power of Exceptional Experience
Do you know that exceptional customer and employee experiences can be the game-changer for your business? In a recent episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs," Alice Heiman explores this dynamic duo's profound impact. Here's a sneak peek:🌟 Customer Experience MattersDive deep into the customer journey.Identify areas for improvement.Create a seamless path to customer success.🌟 The Employee Experience ConnectionDon't underestimate the power of a positive workplace.Engaged employ
Scaling to $22 Million ARR: Sales Insights from Retention.com's CEO
Another company that scaled to over $20M in ARR. How does Alice Heiman keep finding them?In another insightful episode of "Sales Talk for CEOs" Alice Heiman was joined by Adam Robinson, CEO of Retention.com, who shared his remarkable journey of bootstrapping his company to a $22 million ARR in just four years. Not unlike “G” Guillaume Moubeche, from a few episodes ago, Adam is willing to put himself out there and share the good, the bad and the ugly.This episode offers CEOs actionable
CEOs on Social Media: A Direct Correlation to Increased Revenue
In the engaging world of social media, CEOs find themselves at a crossroads between opportunity and caution. A recent conversation between Alice Heiman and Scott Gillum on "Sales Talk for CEOs" podcast sheds light on this very issue, offering a blend of strategies, insights, and anecdotes that CEOs can't afford to ignore. The discussion delves into the transformative power of social media for personal branding and the pivotal role CEOs play in this dynamic landscape.The CEO's
From Sustainability Advocate to Tech Entrepreneur: Malin Schmidt's Journey to the Top
In an enlightening episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs Podcast, Alice Heiman engages with Malin Schmidt, not just as the CEO of Kodiak Hub, a pioneer in supplier relationship management software, but as a visionary leader whose journey epitomizes the fusion of sustainability and technology in business. Schmidt's transition from a sustainability advocate to a tech entrepreneur offers invaluable lessons on the intersection of technology, procurement, and sustainable business practices, making
Unlocking the Power of Authentic Influence in Leadership with Matthew Brown
In an insightful episode, Alice welcomed influence expert Matt Brown to explore how CEOs can leverage their influence for meaningful change. Having founded 14 companies and hosted over 850 podcast episodes, Brown shared his profound insights on leveraging influence to drive positive change within and beyond your organization.The True Essence of Influence"Influence is the current and future currency of business leadership," Matt Brown said, challenging the term's misconceptions. Un
The Transformative Power of Appreciation
In a world driven by results and constant hustle, we often forget to pause and appreciate our achievements. Alice Heiman, in her recent podcast, emphasizes the importance of appreciation in business success. Here are the key takeaways:Appreciation Builds Momentum: Taking a moment to truly appreciate our accomplishments can create great momentum. It instills confidence and encourages us to plan for a successful future.Greatness Breeds Success: Acknowledging past achievements is the true measure o
Innovating from the Top: How a Former CMO Revitalized a Company as CEO
Imagine taking over the CEO role of a company just as COVID hit. Alice Heiman sat down with Andee Harris, the dynamic CEO of Challenger Inc., who did just that. Harris shared her riveting journey of steering the company through the COVID-19 pandemic and moving from 100% in-person training to 100% online training basically overnight, revealing not only the challenges faced but also the exact strategies she implemented to drive rapid growth and adapt to a rapidly changing business landscape.The Ca
From Reluctant Entrepreneur to Successful CEO with Justin Rende
Growing your business by doing an exceptional job is something that Alice’s guest Justin Rende knows well. This may be overlooked by those companies with a race to land new logos. Having referenceable customers can help you grow your sales. In fact when you do an exceptional job, without prompting, your customers will tell others. But that won’t fuel all the growth you need. You might have to become a bike messenger and start dropping off packages. When Justin decided to branch out he focused on
The Importance of Sales Leadership in a Changing Economy with Gretchen Gordon
In a world where sales strategies are swiftly evolving, CEOs can no longer afford to overlook the critical role of exceptional sales leadership. Alice Heiman’s latest guest, Gretchen Gordon, author of "Happy Sales Manager" and President of Braveheart Sales Performance, shares her profound insights on empowering sales teams to excel in any economic climate.Episode’s Key Takeaways:Adaptability: With predictions of a fluctuating 2024 economy, CEOs must ensure their sales leaders have robu
Relationships Over Sales Pitches with Eduardo Coll
Forget the traditional sales pitch; it's all about relationships and networks. This was the sage advice from Eduardo Coll, when he talked with Alice on "Sales Talk for CEOs." His innovative approach to business growth, focusing on conversational selling and leveraging networks, provides a fresh perspective for CEOs and entrepreneurs.Embrace Conversational SellingRelationships Over Sales Pitches: Eduardo's team showcases the effectiveness of building connections first, without
Using My Time: Drink Your Coffee While it's Hot!
This week Alice shares her reflections after having time to think during the holidays. In this podcast she considers how CEOs should use their time to do what is most important to them and that are things only they can do.She talks about how CEOs need to stay in their genius zone and find others to do the rest. It’s tempting to continue doing so many things, just because you can, when someone else could do them better and leave you to do what you do best. As CEOs you always have so much going on
From the White House to Wonderhell: Laura Gassner Otting's Journey of Resilient Leadership
SummaryLaura Gassner Otting, TEDx speaker and author of Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel like it Should . . . and What to do About it, had an insightful conversation with Alice. Her career has spanned from a pivotal role in Bill Clinton's White House to achieving entrepreneurial heights. Laura and Alice discussed the concept of "Wonderhell," which most CEOs know well, it’s where the exhilaration of success is entwined with the challenges it brings and the feeling of wanting mo
Bootstrapping to $20 Million ARR in Just 5 Years with Guillaume Moubeche
In the ever-evolving world of B2B sales, few stories are as compelling as that of Guillaume Moubeche, CEO of Lempire. Guillaume or “G” as his friends call him is one of the happiest, most friendly CEOs you will come across. But don’t let that fool you, he’s one determined founder. When he realized how hard it was going to be to raise money he completely changed his focus to the customer and it worked. But that’s not all, he got out there and made himself known. Using a live show on Facebook and
Turning Startup Challenges into Triumphs: William Gilchrist's CEO Journey
Every CEO's journey is unique, but few are as eye-opening as moving from the structured world of corporate to the unpredictable realm of startups. This is the path William Gilchrist, CEO of Konsyg, shares on Sales Talk for CEOs with Alice Heiman. His experience unveils not just the challenges but also the vital strategies he learned for thriving in a startup environment.In this episode, you’ll learn:Adaptability: Gilchrist's shift from corporate to startup highlights the need for flexi
CEO's Roadmap to Data-Driven Success: Lessons from Jonathan Silver
Imagine harnessing the power of 140 million credit card swipes to reshape your business strategy. That's exactly what Jonathan Silver of Affinity Solutions does, and he’s here to share his groundbreaking journey with us. In a dynamic conversation with Alice Heiman on Sales Talk for CEOs, Jonathan delves into the art of transforming consumer data into powerful business insights. This episode is a treasure trove for CEOs looking to navigate the complexities of data-driven decision-making and
Is Your Product Obviously Awesome? with Expert April Dunford
Have you ever wondered why, despite having amazing products, customers still struggle to understand your company's value?April Dunford, an authority on product positioning, discusses the critical role of positioning in sales and marketing. Known for her first book "Obviously Awesome" and her expertise in positioning, April shares her insights on why companies often struggle with positioning their products. She emphasizes that most companies have positioning, but it's not deli
Gabriella DeFlorio on Being First to Market: How She Started Prelay
Gabriella enjoyed working with technical and operationally focused people tackling complex problems. She always worked in a team to do sales but didn’t like the lack of transparency to the team members as the deal progressed. She saw a need for a team selling tool. “I really didn’t have any other option than starting this business and seeing where I could go with it.”The team selling space had a huge need and Gabriella DeFlorio of Prelay knew she had to fill that need. Even with all her Go To Ma
Successful Growth through Acquisition with Jessica Fialkovich
How do you wind up being a business broker after a luxurious career in the high-end wine business?Funny story. After working in the corporate world around 2008 and 2009 Jessica Fialkovich and her husband saw her friend who had a luxurious wine business brokering really high-end wines around the world. They thought how fun it would be to taste wine and travel for a living so with the help of their friend started their own wine business. Three years later, it turns out that tasting wine all day wa
Customer Success and Culture: 2 Keys to Success with Tom Lavery
When investors are leaning on you to get “New Logos” you can lose sight of customer success and it can change or damage your culture. For Tom Lavery at Jiminny, compromising on customer success or culture were not options. Tom was a VP of sales before he, his wife and their technical cofounder started the company. He set out to solve some of the problems he faced around coaching as a sales leader. Tom understands that effective sales leadership starts with data. Jiminny's platform records,
The Power of Employee Experience: Insights from Tiffani Bova
In a world where businesses prioritize customer experience, CEOs must grasp the profound impact of employee experience. In a compelling discussion with Tiffani Bova, author of "The Experience Mindset," we explore the importance of elevating the employee experience. Tiffani emphasizes the need for CEOs to understand the link between employee satisfaction and customer success, fostering a cycle of growth.Tiffani underscores the undeniable connection between employee and customer experien
CEO Jarrod Lopiccolo on Sales Success and Giving Back
Twenty years ago, a couple, sat with their laptops at their house and launched a business. It was some uncharted territory, but they dove right in. Who knew where they would be 20 years later. Still happily married, kids grown, business booming, over 60 employees and a strong commitment to community. An absolute success story. Jarrod and Alice explore the very essence of Nobel Studio’s sales success due to Jarrod’s focus and determination emphasizing the pivotal role that networking and relatio
Doing What You Love with Melissa Kwan
After building and exiting two Blue Ocean startups that, in her own words, were painful, my guest, Melissa Kwan, figured it out."It's important to know what you want to do, but even more important to know what you don't want to do. And I had two startups, as you mentioned, that were quite painful in the sense that I didn't think I was very smart or very strategic in choosing the actual idea and choosing the product. But these aren't things that you just know right off the bat. You have to learn
CEOs Can Craft & Deliver Compelling Messages that will be Remembered with Nancy Duarte
From mastering conversations to commanding the stage, dive into the mind of communication expert Nancy Duarte.Alice and Nancy’s conversation reveals that, in an era of fleeting attention, CEOs must craft compelling narratives.For these leaders, understanding their audience isn't just a tip - it's a mandate. Nancy stresses the significance of empathy and preparation, urging CEOs to don the shoes of their audience.Gone are the days of static presentations. The modern CEO story unfolds with dynamic
The Easiest Way to Get More Business with Barry Trailer
CEOs, do you want to unlock the secret to sky-high sales?Your loyal customers might just have the answers you seek.Barry Trailer from Sales Mastery Advisors highlights a goldmine of opportunity: diving deep into repeat and referral sales. Believe it or not, expanding within your existing customer base can yield better returns than braving new territories.Furthermore, while data is crucial, it's quality over quantity. CEOs should focus on insightful data interpretation, emphasizing process-o
From Grassroots to Greatness with Lloyed Lobo
In the age where traditional sales tactics seem obsolete, CEOs and founders are shifting to innovative strategies. Lloyed Lobo, co-founder of Boast, accentuates the importance of community-led growth. His journey, from an engineer to a salesperson, and ultimately, to the co-founder of a company aiding businesses in accessing R&D funding, underlines the value of community.Lloyed divides community-led growth into four stages: audience, community, movement, and cult. He believes that it starts with
Reimagining Sales for the New Era with Spencer Wixom
Wouldn’t you love to get into the mind of your sellers and understand exactly what they are thinking? Wouldn’t you love to know what they are struggling with most?If you could read their minds, or if you asked, what would your sales leaders say it is and what would your sellers say? Spencer Wixom from The Brooks Group says that his research shows the answer you likely will get if you ask is prospecting and discovery calls. Why, because it’s hard. Harder these days than ever and leaders are stil
Encore: Aligning Your Go-to-Market Team with Pouyan Salehi
Product. Sales. Marketing. Customer Success. If you want to grow your business, your entire go-to-market team has to be in perfect alignment. Providing a seamless experience makes such a huge difference to customers, but it’s often hard to achieve. Luckily, you’ll get plenty of ideas and inspiration in this Encore Episode on the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast.My guest for this interview is Pouyan Salehi, CEO of Scratchpad, a workspace designed specifically for sales and revenue teams. Scratchpad ha
From FBI to Entrepreneur with Joanna Riley
From FBI prodigy to HR tech disruptor, meet Joanna Riley, the extraordinary CEO revolutionizing talent acquisition.Joanna's secret agent aspirations led her down a unique path, guided by her parents' unwavering support. Her undergraduate years were a whirlwind of cutting-edge courses in the psychology and geometry of crime, fueling her passion for espionage.Joining the FBI right out of college, Joanna's first taste of the professional world may surprise you - she conquered sales at just four yea
Revolutionizing Sales Hiring with Lori Richardson
Hiring high-performing teams is no easy feat for CEOs, but when it comes to sales teams, the stakes are exponentially higher. Achieving your organization's business objectives hinges on building and scaling a successful sales force that drives predictable revenue growth.But what do you do when sales are stagnant and results fall short of expectations? It's time to examine how we, as CEOs, have supported the growth of our sales teams.In a value-packed conversation with Lori Richardson,
Encore: Marketing That Is Music to Your Buyer’s Ears with Kate Bradley Chernis
Connection is everything. When your marketing message resonates with your customers, selling becomes easier, retention becomes easier, and your customers become powerful evangelists who market and sell for you. To achieve this, you have to find the right words that make your customers lean in. You have to create marketing that is music to your buyer’s ears.In this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast, my guest Kate Bradley Chernis shares advice on how to do just that. A former live radio D
Going from the Wild Wild West to Sales Structure with Michael Katz
From youngest CEO on the Nasdaq to an industry he never dreamed he’d be in. You’ll want to dive into this exclusive interview with CEO Michael Katz, founder of mParticle, with a mission to unify and organize customer data, unlocking its untapped potential.mParticle was born from Michael’s triumph at Interclick, where data-driven approaches led to business success. Recognizing the growing significance of mobile and the complexity of customer data, he seized the opportunity to create a platform t
The CEO's Role in Sales: 2nd Anniversary Edition with Alice Heiman
The CEO's role in sales is vital to the growth and success of any company. But many are unclear on what that role should be. In this episode, Alice outlines clearly 3 roles the CEO needs to consider.The CEOs role with existing customers and prospects The CEOs role as an evangelist The CEOs role on social media Alice starts by talking about the role with existing customers. Typically, the CEO only gets involved when there is a problem. By focusing on building strong relationships with the cu
The Danger of CEOs Undermining Sales with Larry Mandelberg
Are you a CEO perplexed by your company's stagnant sales? The solution may lie within your own actions.According to the insightful Larry Mandelberg, renowned author of "Businesses Don't Fail, They Commit Suicide," CEOs often become detached from the sales process and unknowingly hinder their team.The consequences of this disconnect are substantial, forcing CEOs to look at things differently and shift their attention from driving revenue to providing unparalleled value to their customers.Larry's
Companies are bought, they are not sold with Tracy Young
Being a first-time female entrepreneur in a male dominated space is no easy feat, and Tracy Young's journey starting a tech company in the construction industry is truly inspiring. She co-founded PlanGrid after recognizing the inefficiencies of paper blueprints and digitized them with tablet-friendly software that streamlined construction processes. Tracy's innovative solution caught fire and drove massive organic growth for PlanGrid. As the company expanded and shifted to enterprise s
Case Studies Close Deals with Julian Lumpkin
If CEO, Julian Lumpkin, learned one thing from his sales career it was to follow what the most successful sellers were doing and do that. It paid off.Before starting SuccessKit, he learned to use case studies to sell and realized that his company didn’t have a way to produce these. All of the successful salespeople had collected these stories, memorized them and used them over and over. Knowing that all salespeople need case studies throughout the sales cycle, SuccessKit was born. Julian quickly
Navigating the Future of Partner Selling with Cassandra Gholston
Can you imagine saying goodbye to confusing spreadsheets and emails that track partner relationships and sales?Imagine the possibility of your team instantly identifying sales opportunities in your partners' networks? Cassandra Gholston, CEO of PartnerTap, joined me on the podcast to share her journey building a data sharing application that allows companies to leverage the strengths of their partners and expand their reach into new markets. She also shares how she overcame startup challen
Scaling Your Sales Through Customer Retention
What if you could keep your customers for years and continue to grow with them? What if everyone in your company was responsible for customer retention? What if everyone in your company sold?When a culture of caring permeates your company everyone takes responsibility for the customer’s success and helps to solve for customers so they buy - sales. If the answer to every question about building a successful sales team came back to the process of delivering successful outcomes for customers, how w
Usings AI To Gain A Competitive Edge In B2B Sales
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Will your sales organization utilize it or will they be left behind?AI is having a big impact on B2B sales by empowering salespeople to focus on what they do best: building meaningful relationships with their prospects. But wait, don't worry about AI replacing human sales reps! Usman Sheikh, Founder and CEO of xiQ, a Silicon Valley-based AI-powered SaaS platform explains how AI can be a game-changer for sales leaders who embrace it as a tool to gain
What Titans of Tech Teach Us About Growing Sales Teams
This episode dives into how large organizations scale their sales teams. But do these approaches work for smaller organizations? Absolutely! Radhika Shukla has worked in a sales leadership role at some of the largest tech giants including Microsoft and IBM. She takes us through the entire gamut of building high performance sales teams.From an ‘Always be learning’ mindset to customer focus, hiring, execution and motivation she lays out the entire playbook. Every sentence could be its own chapter.
How to maximize revenue growth with SalesOps
Leading indicators, lagging indicators, qualitative data, and quantitative data might sound like boring topics for your sales meetings. Quite the contrary, Michael Ingram of SalesOps.io explains the role that each one plays in achieving predictable revenue growth.Sales revenue is a lagging indicator of success. By the time you know it, it’s too late. You need data daily and weekly that tells you what to do before it’s too late. Leading indicators give you a chance to fix problems before you miss
How Mission-Driven Companies Benefit From Founder-Led Sales
It's not surprising that Bronwyn Spira, after trying many different sales strategies, landed back on the founder-led model. In mission-driven companies, founders often deliver the most compelling pitch.She then set about recruiting a sales and marketing team to support the sales process across the entire customer journey.Stick with us to the end where Bronwyn leaves us with her three growth tips for every CEO.Chapters:00:00 A platform for patients and practitioners04:20 Getting Sales Starte
A Customer-Success Driven Sales Strategy
LeanData’s sales organization’s head count might seem too costly to some. It was derived out of a constant quest to map internal resources to support customer success - not revenue, yet it is highly profitable. One example, split the customer success manager role into two positions. One checking in to monitor the account health and ensure renewal. The other, a coach to provide ongoing best practice advice to customers.Join us to learn the customer-centric sales enablement process that makes Lea
Better Prospecting Leads To More Sales Conversations
Is your sales team struggling to have conversations with the right buyers? Better prospecting is the most direct path to increase sales conversations. Wendy Weiss takes us through the four steps to improve your sales team's ability to schedule sales calls.Her four steps are 1. The right list, 2. Great skills, 3. Strong process and 3. The right software. What can your team add to improve their prospecting?Chapters:00:00 Chapter 1: How do we get more conversations with buyers 01:50 Chapter 2: 4 th
The Art Of Scaling A Sales Team
How do you balance growth with quality service delivery? With no background in sales, Kevin Warner, Co-founder, and CEO, originally decided to hire someone who knew sales and put his focus on delivery. He realized quickly it wasn’t working and took the lead sales role. Once sales picked up, he built a sales team and grew exponentially but he watched the quality of service delivery suffer, and client churn increased. What was the right size for the company where they could serve the clients with
Building and Implementing Scalable Processes
Most CEOs have a hard time running one successful company. Veronica Buitron runs two!Her secrets boil down to simple, hard won lessons. First, you need a process for everything to be successful and to scale. Second, you need to trust and empower your teams.Every CEO can learn from her episode.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction2:26 - Tango Code: Redefining Software Development 003:53 - Automating Process for Scalability 10:02 - Engineering and Sales Are Both Just Solving Problems14:50 - Building Visi
How To Hire The Right Sellers In An Early Stage Company
Ariel came from engineering, he had been a product leader for quite a few years and then made the transition into sales. Initially when he moved into sales, he was running product marketing. And he thought sales was so easy, you just get all of the factsheets and battle cards and the information on the features and capabilities and share that with the prospects that they will buy it. Of course, he learned quickly he was wrong. Running a sales team taught him that sales was so much more and luck
The Secret to Predictable Growth through Building a Personal Brand
Samantha McKenna, a former employee of On24, was recruited by LinkedIn for her mastery of building a powerful brand on the platform. She started posting on LinkedIn in 2011, leading to recognition and a promotion. After two years, she broke her 13th record and decided to pursue her passion for making a positive impact. She left LinkedIn to start her own company, #SamSales, initially intending to work part-time, but quickly realized that wasn't feasible.She is one of the rare founders who wa
Move Deals Through Your Pipeline With The Centricity Model
Sean Doyle applies behavioral science to marketing and the sales funnel. His model is called Centricity and he shares important lessons about alignment between sales, marketing and customer success to move deals through the funnel. Sean says, “Deals stall in the middle of the funnel because we aren’t giving the buyer what they need to make a decision.If you are still feeding them information about your product features and benefits, they are 80% likely to decide to stick with the old, lower risk
Strategies To Gain An Unfair Advantage
Almost every company I know is struggling to bring new business in at the pace required. Why? Well, that is an interesting question but I think by now most of us know that our methods are outdated and simply don’t work. The better questions are how do we keep new business flowing in? What should be done instead of what we continue to do that doesn’t work? I’ve always had a fascination with weeds. They are amazing. Strong, resilient, persistent and they can literally take over an area. My friend
How This CEO Bootstrapped A Sales Team
It’s been 14 years since Bob Vaez started EventMobi and he’s had considerable growth without investment from Venture Capital or Private Equity. How did he do it? It wasn’t always easy.EventMobi’s early sales model was classic founder led with Bob doing it all from mining his network for leads to closing deals. His decision to bootstrap versus take external investment meant that hiring an experienced sales leader was out of the question. Instead he hired young, hungry graduates who could listen a
What every CEO can learn from 2022
Wrapping up my 3rd season and I still can’t believe I started and built a successful podcast. The thing I love most is the conversations with the CEOs. They are so willing to share their story in the spirit of helping others. Whether they are near the beginning or the end of their journey it’s always interesting to learn why they started and how they grew sales. In this Season Finale we revisit some of the main themes that are essential for every CEO to take into 2023 and beyond.Number one on th
Bring More Certainty and Less Volatility to Sales
Heidi Messer started Collective[i] with one goal: to bring more certainty and less volatility to sales and improve the livelihoods of every single employee.According to Heidi, sellers operate at 30% productivity rates. There is no other function in a company that is as unproductive as sales. Higher productivity equals more certainty, so why not improve it. If sales improves every other department has more opportunity. In order to bring more certainty and less volatility , Collective[i] focuses o
Nine Time CEO with Seven Exits Talks About Building Sales Teams
Sean Burke shares his knowledge of building high performance sales teams gained through nine startups, seven exits and billions of dollars in value creation.The first rule, you can only attract the best if you can show a definitive path to hitting quota. If you can’t show the math, why would they join your team?Next, you are building a team not a collective of individual contributors. Part of this is defining your role and the role of every part of the company in contributing to the sales team&a
Selling is Solving
After eight years of trial and error, Daveed feels he has finally figured out the sales model for, Valens Global. He heard about the rainmaker sales model from a very successful law firm. The senior partner initiated discussions with clients that demonstrate the firm's expertise and ability to solve a particular problem. For Daveed it meant taking the lead with the customer to define the problem and the framework to solve it. His teams, often working in parallel, taking charge of delivering
Use this simple rule to win more deals
Years of trust can evaporate in a matter of moments if you forget this simple rule. Dmitri Leichik learned the hard way that customers are not buying your product, they are buying your commitment to their success. The moment they perceive a transactional motive, you’ve lost.Utilizing a founder led sales model, Twistellar has grown globally and still relies on Dmitri’s long term relationship strategy that in many cases takes years to mature from conversation to trust to a project.If you sell B2B,
Leading Growth: How to modernize your sales team
Anthony Iannarino has some bad news for sales leaders who are depending on 20 year old sales models. They just don’t work anymore. “Tell me about your problems and let me tell you about my solution” won’t even get you a second meeting.”Alvin Toffler, who wrote The Future Shock, said that the future is going to be dominated by people who can learn, unlearn and then learn again. The hard part is unlearning.Sales teams must be retrained to create value not sell benefits. Anthony calls this becoming
If your sales process is all in the CEOs head, you can’t scale!
Jake Dunlap takes us from founding Skaled Consulting to his first successful sales hire. And yes, it did take 10 years to get it right.It’s great to be a founder led sales company but founder led services delivery is a problem. This was the first major hurdle that Jake encountered in his fledgling sales consulting business and a barrier to scaling. It took years to structure a scalable services delivery model. The first big lesson, young, affordable, full-time staff didn’t have the requisite ski
Hear how Matt Fok grew his company leveraging existing customers
Matt Fok came up with his idea for eZ-Xpo, before the pandemic. He thought, what if you could continue the dialogue started at conferences virtually? Since his company was already selling an eLearning platform, he simply went to his existing customers to validate the idea. And then the pandemic hit. His founder-led sales approach paid off as he uncovered more and better ways to address the market need. By providing content and ongoing interactions between companies and their prospects, the platf
Is B2B Buyer Confidence Stalling Your Deals?
My next guest on Sales Talk For CEOs is Brent Adamson and he’s got some revolutionary ideas about B2B enterprise selling. Brent explains decision maker confidence is the main barrier for B2B teams to close deals. The three factors eroding confidence are complexity, information overload and value opacity or consensus on the value of the desired outcome.So stop selling product benefits. You need to propose a framework that starts with consensus on the value that the solution will deliver and build
Founder-Led Sales Startup: Tips and Tricks After 8 Years of Selling with Karen Frame
My guest today on this episode of Sales Talk For CEOs is Karen Frame whose company Makeena, is on a mission to help people live healthier lives on a cleaner planet. She talks about the advantages of having a founder-led sales organization. The obvious advantage is being close to your customers and making sure that your product is solving a real problem for them. The not so obvious advantage is using scarce capital to hire a brand and consumer success team for her two-sided marketplace instead o
Sales Talk for CEOs: Building A Revenue Team in 2022 with Arman Eshraghi
Arman Eshraghi can teach us something about building sales teams from scratch. He is, after all, on his fourth startup Qrvey. So, what has he learned from one startup to the next? What has he changed and what stayed the same? One constant that remains true for Arman, if you, as CEO and Founder can’t sell your product, bringing in a sales team won’t solve the problem. Once you do bring in a sales team, Arman believes sales teams only succeed if they can see that the product is helping customers
Why CEOs Should Care about Starting a Digital Conversation with Expert Tim Hughes (S3:Ep13)
The world of selling has irrevocably changed. Buyers no longer want to be sold to and especially not as a result of a cold call. They want to get to know a company by getting to know and trust the people who work there. Starting digital conversations is the first step to build this trust. As CEO, it’s imperative that you lead by example.In this episode Alice talks with Tim Hughes who explains how to change your sales approach from “interrupting to pitch” to “gaining trust”. Simply put, you and y
Sales Talk for CEOs: A Return to Cold Calling with Chris Beall (S3:E12)
My next guest is Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, Inc. who is a case study in drinking your own champagne. He is here to talk about using his own platform to build his business and the breakthroughs that he discovered to make the platform more effective for him and of course the customers that use it.Chris Beall takes us through his journey building the ConnectAndSell business model starting with his “Wartime” stance to pioneering better pipelines and finally inventing the next generation of
Sales Talk for CEOs: A Founder-Led Sales Organization with Usman Sheikh (S3:E11)
So many founders make it their goal to get out of the sales role as they scale. “I can hardly wait until we can afford a VP sales to take over” is a common founder refrain. While his role has evolved, getting out of sales entirely is the last thing that Usman Sheikh plans to do. In this episode we will learn what defines a founder-led sales organization and how you might change your mind about getting out of sales.It all starts with redefining the sales mindset. B2B sales are not transactional.
Value Propositions That Sell with Expert Lisa Dennis
Is your sales team using a value proposition that is irrelevant to your buyers leaving them to connect the dots?Take a look at the value proposition that your Go To Market Teams are using to make sure they are relevant. As CEO, you are the only one who can orchestrate this. It matters, research shows that relevant value propositions could increase your deal closure rate by 50%.In today's hyper competitive markets, it's hard for salespeople to get their message heard by the right buyers
A 30 Year Perspective on Scaling a Startup with Doug Frazier
Most startup founders wear many hats in the early days. And one of those hats is often head of sales usually because they are the most knowledgeable about the product and the problems it solves in the market. But it's impossible to grow beyond the startup phase if you are spending 15 days a month on the road selling. Replacing himself as a salesperson took 3 years, but replacing himself as head of sales took Doug Frazier much longer. It wasn’t until he discovered a genius channel strategy t
A Step-By-Step Guide to Setting Up a Successful Channel Strategy with Bruce Stuart
Do you have a channel strategy in place? You may have channel partners as part of your Go To Market Strategy, but do you have a strategy that includes how you will support your partners’ success? I’ve worked with many companies who sell through the channel and complain that their channel partners aren’t selling enough. In order for channel sales to be successful, your team has to understand how the potential partners are going to make money with the product or service you want them to sell. It’s
Supporting Sales Leaders with Rasmus Goksor
Like most CEOs, you've probably had some bad experiences trying to hire sales leaders in your company. The root of the problem? Many CEOs think they can hire someone to take over the sales team so they can step away and focus on other things to grow the company. It's just not that way! The CEO can't step away from sales but instead must have a plan for supporting sales leaders every step of the way. That's what Rasmus Goksor learned as he founded and sold his company Cobalt (
Sales Talk for CEOs: Elevate Sales by Making Sales Easier
Show NotesToday we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast! Throughout the past year, I've featured two types of episodes on the show. In the “CEO Journey” series, I interview CEOs to learn about how they grow sales. Next, in the Experts Series, I interview experts I know will have advice to help you grow sales. So today, we kick off a new segment: the Insights Series! These will be episodes with just you and me where I share insights on various topics that wil
Closing Bigger Deals with Expert Lisa Magnuson
Lisa Magnuson is a mastermind sales strategist and author of The TOP Sales Leader Playbook and The TOP Seller Advantage. Today she joins me on a special episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs Experts Series. The topic of our conversation? Closing bigger deals. If you're looking to scale sales by going after much larger deals, this is the perfect podcast for you.Many companies I work with are growing sales to increase their valuation. At some point, they'll exit, make an acquisition or brin
Thinking Differently about How to Build a Sales Organization with Juliana Stancampiano
Are you trying to find sellers who check all the boxes of success in sales? Do you believe that you must keep hiring more salespeople to grow sales? That's what Juliana Stancampiano thought before she tried a radically different approach that has yielded amazing results. Juliana is the CEO of Oxygen, a company that works in the learning strategy space. She joins me today on Sales Talk for CEO in an episode that will challenge your assumptions and have you thinking differently about how to b
Product CEO or Sales CEO? Why You Need to Get It Right with Catherine Dahl
Are you a product CEO or a sales CEO? The answer may not be what you think. Case in point: Catherine Dahl, the CEO of Beanworks, an AP automation platform recently acquired by Quadient. Catherine spent two years building her company as a sales CEO when a sudden realization struck that she was trying to be something she wasn't. By owning her role as a product CEO, everything changed. With the right sales leader in place and the sales machine turned on, Beanworks went from half a million Cana
Going from Incremental Growth to Exponential Growth with Expert Richard Medcalf
Going from incremental growth to exponential growth requires radical changes in your business—from your mindset and focus to your team and how your company operates. If you're a CEO who feels 'stuck' in incremental growth but wants more, you'll want to listen to this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs Expert Series with Richard Medcalf. Richard is the CEO of Xquadrant, a company that works with high-achieving founders, CEOs, and executives to reinvent their success formula and p
Build an Outbound Sales Motion Early with Mei Siauw
According to Mei Siauw, CEO of LeadIQ, a tool that helps sales teams with smarter prospecting, building an outbound sales motion is the key to growth. Start early, stick with it; if you do it right, outbound sales will produce amazing results. In this episode, we talk about the outbound motion Mei built, how Ryan used the piano to book conversations with prospects and how Mei built a global, remote team of 150 people to take LeadIQ to the next level. During the show, Mei talks about how she buil
How Word of Mouth Was All We Ever Used to Attract New Business with Nancy Duarte
Nancy Duarte is the CEO of Duarte, a company that specializes in the art of persuasive communication. YShe’s known as “the Storyteller of the Valley” and the author of six best-selling books, including Resonate and slide:ology. Her famous TedTalk has had over 3 million views. What you may not know is that although her business was founded in 1988, she is only now growing an outbound sales team. That's right. Nancy has experienced over 30 years of exponential growth using inbound sales exclu
Building a Powerful Go-to-Market Machine with Jonathan Siddharth
Jonathan Siddharth is the CEO of Turing, an AI-backed Intelligent Talent Cloud that helps companies source, vet, match and manage software developers remotely. There are currently 1.5 million software developers on Turing, and the platform is used by huge companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Dell, Disney, Coinbase, and more. The reason for Turing's wild success? Jonathan has strategically built a powerful go-to-market machine! And he's joining Sales Talk for CEOs to discuss exa
Mistakes and Lessons in Building a Sales Organization with Zvi Guterman
Here's the reality: you'll make mistakes at every stage of building a company, especially when building a sales organization. But it's what you do with your mistakes that will determine your success. Entrepreneurs who catch the error, identify the problem, and correct it quickly are those who go on to build profitable, long-lasting businesses. Making mistakes—and learning lessons from them—is part of building a successful sales organization. And we're going to dive into that
How to Use Story as Rocket Fuel for Sales with Expert Park Howell
Every salesperson today wants to have more sales conversations. But they're difficult to get because it's become so hard to get the buyer's attention. Want to break through the noise? Try storytelling. Learning how to effectively use story in your messaging can dramatically increase the number of sales conversations and conversions. This is a big topic, and I know CEOs are eager to learn more about using story to boost their business. That's why I invited Park Howell, author
Scaling Your Business with Trusted Partnerships with Angela Saunders
Angela Saunders is the CEO of Vorum, a company that provides digital workflow solutions worldwide for the design and manufacturing of custom prosthetics and orthotics. Started in 1989 by Angela's father, the company has seen big changes since Angela became CEO two years ago. She's not starting from scratch, though. Angela is taking the trust her father built over decades and strategically leveraging those trusted partnerships to scale the company. To learn about her journey and get ins
Improving Sales Discovery with Jody Glidden
People are bombarded with emails and sales messages. Response rates have plummeted. The number of quality interactions with prospects has declined. As a result, each interaction is more valuable than ever before. By using sales discovery to truly understand the prospect, you can build a relationship and partner with them to solve the challenges they’re facing. In today’s world, every CEO should be looking to improve sales discovery, and that’s why you’ll want to listen to this episode of Sales T
Building Your First Professional Sales Team with Lars Grønnegaard
Lars Grønnegaard is the CEO of Dreamdata, a SAAS company that gathers, joins, and cleans revenue-related data to help B2B businesses understand what is driving sales so they can focus on what works. Like most new companies, Dreamdata started with founder-led sales to get their first customers, but within 18 months Lars realized he needed a professional sales team. In this Sales Talk for CEOs episode, Lars offers some invaluable advice!Lars and I discuss the importance of finding new sales hires
Finding Success Through Channel Partners with Barb Kinnaird
Dr. Barbara Kinnaird is CEO of Response Biomedical, a point-of-care testing solution helping to diagnose acute diseases. A microbiologist by trade, Barb stepped in as CEO after a significant company downsize, and she soon discovered there were many other problems in the business that needed fixing. One of the big ones? Lack of clarity on who the core customer is. Research in this area led Barb (and the company) to a huge mindset shift: from focusing on product features and end users, to concentr
Level Up Sales at Your Company with Expert Steve Benson
On this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Steve Benson, CEO of Badger Maps, joins me as an Expert to talk about what CEOs can (and should!) be doing to level up sales at their company. Now hold on a moment before everyone goes, "Wait a minute, I have a sales leader who does that. I have a CRO in place. I have a VP of sales." Yes, I'm sure you do. But CEOs always have a role in sales, regardless of whether the company was just founded or is a mature business. The role changes as you
Developing Sales Leaders from Inside Your Business with Patrick Parker
Many CEOs struggle to find sales leaders, including sales managers and VPs of sales. Not Patrick Parker. Patrick is the CEO of SaaS Partners, which helps early-stage entrepreneurs and builds in-house products to start new companies. Patrick is launching new businesses all the time, yet he never struggles to find sales leaders. His secret? Patrick has identified the exact traits to look for in new salespeople, and then he strategically grooms them into leadership roles. If you want to learn the f
Lead Generation for the Complex Sale with Expert Brian Carroll
Lead generation is often ranked as one of the biggest challenges of growing a business. That’s why I invited expert Brian Carroll to the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast to discuss what CEOs should know about generating leads for complex sales. Brian is the founder of Markempa, an empathy-based marketing company, and the author of the bestselling book Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. In this episode, he shares expert advice and actionable strategies for CEOs to evaluate their current lead genera
How to Become a Trailblazer in a New Market with Amy DuRoss
Amy DuRoss is the co-founder and former CEO of Vineti, an enterprise software platform for personalized cell and gene therapies. Personalized medicine—designing custom therapeutics for each patient to cure diseases like cancer—is a whole new terrain in the pharmaceuticals industry. So, what’s it like to start and build a company in a brand new category? In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Amy talks about what it takes to become a trailblazer in a new market, including the role of passion, st
Winning Hearts, Minds, and Clients Through Account-Based Marketing with Blake Williams
Account-based marketing is one of the hottest growth strategies right now (note: it's not new, just hot), with companies in all industries looking to create a personalized buying experience for targeted accounts. If you're a CEO who wants to unleash the power of account-based marketing in your own business, you'll want to listen to this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast. My guest, Blake Williams, is the founder and CEO of Ampfactor, an account-based marketing that teaches
Casting the Vision for the Sales Team with Darren Dixon
Darren Dixon is the founder and CEO of Fyxify, a software platform for the home services industry that connects consumers and contractors. He describes Fyxify as "the most energy-efficient software in the world" because the company's vision is to address the problem of global warming by equipping homeowners and service providers with the information they need to handle home maintenance in an energy-efficient way. This vision permeates everything they do at Fyxify, from sales to hi
Teaching Your Sales Team to Have Authentic Conversations with Brent Keltner
Brent Keltner is the founder and President of Winalytics LLC, a go-to-market and revenue acceleration consultancy. His upcoming book, The Revenue Acceleration Playbook, teaches CEOs and go-to-market teams the importance of having authentic conversations with potential buyers. In this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast, we dive into the topic of authentic conversations: what they are, how to spot them, and how they differentiate your business. The episode will leave CEOs contemplating wha
What CEOs Need to Know About Voice of the Customer Research With Expert Tonya Bjurstrom
Voice of the customer research is more than just sending out a customer survey or asking for a review. It involves conducting strategic interviews, often handled by a third party, to get targeted insights for your business. Every CEO should be looking at voice of the customer research, which is why I invited expert Tonya Bjurstrom, founder of Dirby Group, a voice of the customer research company, to join me for this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs. In it, we discuss everything that CEOs need to k
Creating a Mission-Aligned Sales Team with Leeatt Rothschild
Leeatt Rothschild is the CEO of Packed with Purpose, a specialty corporate gifting company that sources from minority-owned companies with superior products that make a social impact. Social mission affects everything at Packed with Purpose—from how they market and package products to the people they hire. In fact, Leeatt has worked hard to build a mission-aligned sales team, which has greatly contributed to the company's success. The truth is, every CEO needs to think about creating a miss
Owning Your Role as Sales Leader with Torrance Hart
Torrance Hart is CEO of Teak and Twine, a corporate gifting company that works with sales, marketing, and HR teams to use strategic gifting to accomplish goals. Once Torrance embraced her role as sales leader, there was no turning back. She now loves her work leading sales and credits her involvement in the sales process as one of the primary reasons for the rapid growth of Teak and Twine. Her story is a great example of what owning your role as sales leader can do for your business!In this epis
Solving Startup Problems with Craig Zingerline
The startup industry is littered with failed businesses that didn’t reach the five-year mark. It’s a shame because there are a lot of great products, ideas, and services out there that never make it because these early-stage startups don’t get the help that they need. That’s why I’m excited to welcome my guest for this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs: Craig Zingerline, CEO and founder of Growth University. Growth University delivers on-demand training programs geared toward early-stage startups t
The 3 Stages of Business Growth with Orrin Broberg
According to Orrin, the three stages of business growth are as follows:Stage 1: You’re scrappy and entrepreneurial with a ‘let’s just get it done’ kind of attitude. As for sales, you do most of the work yourself.Stage 2: ‘Let’s get some kind of management in here!’ becomes your mission. You start to grow your sales team and add people in layers into the organization. You may even start to get some investors.Stage 3: The 3 p’s are in place: people, process, and product. Backed by a good board and
The 3 Stages of Business Growth with Orrin Broberg
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “The only constant is change.” If you’ve been a CEO for any amount of time, you know how true this is. Your business will morph and change throughout the years, and it’s important that you, as CEO, embrace that. The way you run sales, the type of salespeople you need, and your role in the sales organization will shift as you reach higher levels of success. This podcast will give you deeper insight into the stages of business growth, so you understand w
Marketing That Is Music to Your Buyer’s Ears with Kate Bradley Chernis
Connection is everything. When your marketing message resonates with your customers, selling becomes easier, retention becomes easier, and your customers become powerful evangelists who market and sell for you. To achieve this, you have to find the right words that make your customers lean in. You have to create marketing that is music to your buyer’s ears.In this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast, my guest Kate Bradley Chernis shares advice on how to do just that. A former live radio D
Aligning Your Go-to-Market Team with Pouyan Salehi
Product. Sales. Marketing. Customer Success. If you want to grow your business, your entire go-to-market team has to be in perfect alignment. Providing a seamless experience makes such a huge difference to customers, but it’s often hard to achieve. Luckily, you’ll get plenty of ideas and inspiration in the latest Sales Talk for CEOs podcast.My guest for this interview is Pouyan Salehi, CEO of Scratchpad, a workspace designed specifically for sales and revenue teams. Scratchpad has a unique botto
Building Relationships to Grow Your Business with Amir Reiter
If there is one thing to take away from this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, it’s that CEOs should be making connections. If you’re not reaching out to customers, employees, peers, and mentors, you are missing out on opportunities to learn and grow. I understand that this doesn’t come naturally for everyone, but when you hear about the benefits of networking, evangelizing, and building relationships in today’s interview, I know you’ll be motivated to make it a priority.This episode features Amir
Finding the Right Sales Leader for Your Company with Elay Cohen
Hiring the right sales leader is something that every CEO has challenges with, so this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast is a great opportunity to improve your strategy and avoid some common mistakes. By hiring the right sales leader for your company, you’ll be able to build the kind of sales organization that really supports your business, and that allows you, as CEO, to take on the role of strategist, evangelist, and thought leader.The perfect guest for this topic is Elay Cohen, CEO a
Growth Strategies for Hiring and Organizing Your Sales Team with Jacco van der Kooij
As an entrepreneur, when you first launch your company, you often start out doing most of the work yourself. However, at a certain point, it’s time to hire a team so you can focus on the higher-level work required of a CEO and grow your business. But who should you hire first? When should you bring on a sales team? What hiring strategies can help you find the best talent? How should you organize your team for top performance and growth? All these questions (and more!) are answered in my latest S
Building a Customer-Focused Sales Strategy with Erik Frank
The companies that are succeeding today are the ones that are looking at themselves from their customers’ perspective. How do your customers see your business? Do they understand your products and services? How do they want to buy from you? Whether you have been in business for five years or 100, your customers’ perspective will always play a pivotal role in the success (or failure) of your business. So, are you listening to their valuable feedback?No matter how old your business is, you must co
Integrating Sales and Marketing to Better Serve Customers with Bronwyn Allen
HIGHLIGHTS1:20 Changes to hiring during the pandemic8:25 Growth of sales operations during the pandemic11:25 How to integrate roles on your team to serve customers better14:10 The CEO’s unique role in sales18:38 Balancing a CEO’s many responsibilities22:40 Switching your sales strategy when inbound calls increase25:07 Growth opportunities on the horizon “The customer wants it to be seamless. They don’t want to have your services coming from 15 different directions and different messages. They k
3 Mindsets Every CEO Must Develop in Their Business with Maria Nordstrom
HIGHLIGHTS3:19 The journey to becoming the CEO of basketball8:24 Knowing CEO skills, playing the sport and understanding the fans10:57 Finding solutions for the first challenges you have to face as a CEO19:10 Holding each member and each department of the organization responsible for revenue and the customer’s experience27:35 The CEO as the spearhead and pivot of the organization30:35 Keeping sports stakeholders engaged during the pandemic through innovative thinking QUOTES3:25 “If I wrote down
Interviewing for Creativity with Kris Rudeegraap
HIGHLIGHTS2:50 How Sendoso started - finding creative ways to connect with people5:20 Interviewing for creativity 15:10 Building a strong company culture 20:20 Adapting to modern sales 24:58 Following up with customers27:41 Why stay with named accounts? QUOTES4:57 “Creative thinking is one of those soft skills that are underutilized and undervalued… add creativity or if you want to be more creative that’ll be a skillset that will stand out”5:32 “I think creativity is something that all you CEO
Entrepreneurial Enthusiasm with Chris Cabrera
HIGHLIGHTS1:20 What exactly is Xactly and who are their ideal customers? 7:00 Sales journey to CEO 11:55 Entrepreneurial enthusiasm26:42 Sales organization’s evolution after 16 years30:10 The balance of having partners and direct sellers 38:20 From private company to public, then to private and going back to being public QUOTES11:30 “So many things could go differently, so many startups fail for so many different reasons - but that never entered my mind. Looking back, I didn’t understand that
Benefits of Hiring a Sales Leader with Gary Goerke
HIGHLIGHTS3:30 Before Clarity Voice: how Gary had started as tech support and then trained in sales6:08 The CEO being the first salesperson of the company15:13 Realizing the need for a sales leader 20:18 When the CEO manages his own sales team26:46 Technology doesn’t solve all problems 30:01 The richness of business QUOTES3:30 “With any entrepreneur, when they look back to when they started the company and what led up to it, there were many things that happened that built them to where they are
Building and Maintaining Partnerships with Jamie Crosbie
HIGHLIGHTS2:18 How and why Jamie started Proactivate8:45 Recognizing when to hire people 12:39 Strategically building and maintaining partnerships16:00 Partnerships versus cold-calling 19:23 Mindsets that are helpful for serving clients and growing your business - mindset versus skillset QUOTES5:26 “It was me selling, for sure, in the beginning and doing a lot of it. In the first week I got 25 appointments”9:26 “Adding a salesperson would be worth a million dollars in revenue to my company… I hi
The Importance of Understanding Sales with Steve Benson
HIGHLIGHTS[3:06] Being a business owner with a sales background[6:59] Getting people onboard in your company - what you can do as CEO[10:50] Building the sales organization in your company[20:41] Supporting sales and the CEO's growing role[25:51] Making your customer feel important, secure and happy[31:00] Hiring outside help to communicate more freely in the office QUOTES[6:30] “It's really useful to have a sales background starting a company, at first you are not just selling a product, you'r
Strong Contributors to Sales Success with Jon Ferrara
HIGHLIGHTS2:00 From Goldmine to Nimble, Jon’s entrepreneurial journey8:20 Be present for your family's growth. Don't let your career get in the way of being with your loved ones. 18:17 The secret sauce to making connections and closing sales - listening more and being human29:24 Integrating more and more communication systems into Nimble 33:04 Making it easy for the buyer to buy from youQUOTES2:02 “It really starts with our first company that I co-founded called GoldMine. I start
Directing Sales Profitability with Transparency with Ganesh Shankar
HIGHLIGHTS01:46 Starting RFPIO and helping companies respond to RFPs more efficiently10:07 Ganesh's sales experience was a natural progression to CEO 14:01 Trial and error: Changing company goals to figure out behavior19:21 Celebrate sales milestones and recognize the efforts of every team member23:15 Filling the organization structure with the right people at the stages31:45 Future forecast for RFPIO and success with an onboarding specialist38:46 Sales tips for fellow CEOsQUOTES08:27 "
Reimagining How Salespeople Sell with Melanie Fellay
HIGHLIGHTS01:47 Innovating the training process with Spekit10:44 Melanie's background in supporting sales and overcoming self-limiting beliefs18:39 Learning how to sell a product and being deliberate with hiring a sales team26:55 Having a clear company vision and hiring the first head of sales37:30 Creating an online presence to evangelize and attract clients40:34 Building up the sales team and adapting to changing buyer behaviors48:32 Sales advice for fellow CEOsQUOTES09:16 "How do we reimagine
Finding Success by Building a Remote Sales Team With Mario Martinez, Jr.
HIGHLIGHTS02:11 Mario's accidental entry into sales and realizing that sales is the art of helping09:44 From accidental salesperson to accidental entrepreneur 12:54 Ask yourself these questions before striking out and becoming an entrepreneur 17:23 Being CEO means you are still involved in sales21:26 Scale your business with remote sellers29:56 CEOs must oversee sales teams and ensure company values are preserved34:15 Future forecast for Vengresso and technologyQUOTES08:51 "We're
Finding Success by Building a Remote Sales Team With Mario Martinez, Jr.
HIGHLIGHTS02:11 Mario's accidental entry into sales and realizing that sales is the art of helping09:44 From accidental salesperson to accidental entrepreneur 12:54 Ask yourself these questions before striking out and becoming an entrepreneur 17:23 Being CEO means you are still involved in sales21:26 Scale your business with remote sellers29:56 CEOs must oversee sales teams and ensure company values are preserved34:15 Future forecast for Vengresso and technologyQUOTES08:51 "We're
Fostering Collaboration Between Channels with Julie Thomas
HIGHLIGHTS01:27 Julie as an "accidental entrepreneur" and rebuilding the structure of ValueSelling 09:37 Challenges with recruiting passionate people and translating languages14:18 Figuring out the ideal profile for ValueSelling's independent contractors18:37 Company culture has a direct effect on a channel's effectiveness21:18 Strengths and obstacles: Collaboration and adapting to change and technology29:53 Hiring direct sellers alongside independent contractors35:53 Future
Get to Know Your Host
On this inaugural episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, guest host Park Howell interviews Alice Heiman to get the backstory of her career and how this podcast came to be. More about Alice Heimanwebsite: https://AliceHeiman.comFollow Alice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/More about Park Howellwebsite: https://businessofstory.com/Follow Park on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkhowell/