As a start-up gears up for a Series A investment, early-phase scaling becomes imperative to secure funding. In the absence of a foolproof playbook, the path forward is far from clear-cut or universally acknowledged. The typical playbook often suggests hiring a VP of Sales, a move fraught with challenges:
Read MoreMost CRO’s are really focused primarily on New Logo Sales. Often, the CRO has a peer called the Chief Marketing Officer who is goaled on metrics related to Reputation and Demand Gen (leads). There is another peer, the Chief Customer Officer or Head of Customer Success who is goaled on Adoption, Renewals, and sometimes Expansion.
Read MorePartner/Channel programs fail for a variety of reasons, and the specific causes of failure can vary depending on the strategy or lack thereof. Based on my 30 years of partner/channel program strategy development and execution, here are the top five reasons why partner/channel programs fail:
Read MoreThe world of sales – a place where every rejection feels like a lemon hurled at your face. But fear not, fellow sales warriors, for in the citrus-infused battlefield, there lies an art to turning those lemons into the sweetest lemonade.
Read MoreThe player/coach model, once a prominent feature in professional sports, has experienced a decline over the past twenty years. This trend can be attributed to the increasing complexity and demands of modern sports, which require specialized coaching expertise.
Read MoreI have conversations on a regular basis with business owners and founders who expect much more magic on the sales side of their businesses than they would otherwise with other functional areas like HR, Finance, or Engineering.
Read MoreWhile there are multiple ways of getting into Sales, the key to a successful career is the joy and happiness you still experience after twenty or thirty years. And that takes the right person and personality. Sales requires grit, resilience, and a thick skin.
Read MoreIn the fast-paced world of sales, commerce, and trade, the phrase "business is business" is often the expression of the cold and calculated nature of the corporate world. It suggests that emotions, empathy, and personal connections have no place in the realm of profit and loss.
Read MoreIn the fiercely competitive business world, business leaders face the everyday challenge of increasing revenue. One crucial capability to do that involves consistently converting leads into paying customers, which can be the make-or-break factor for success.
Read More"We will wait to hire a sales leader until we have more customers." While it may seem like a prudent approach to save resources, this strategy can have both advantages and disadvantages. Here's some thoughts as we explore what might be behind this statement and whether it's a wise decision for a growing company.
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