SBI Sales and Marketing Podcast

Episode 5: Empowering Sales with AI AI development continues at a breakneck pace, with the number of use cases increasing by the day. This raises the question for many Go-to-Market leaders: how do we use AI to help sales? How do we ensure smooth adoption of AI? And what value does it bring to the business? In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Services, Ray Makela meets Conor Grennan, Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern School of Business to take a deep dive into the state of generative AI today, its use cases, and key considerations in business. Key Talking Points: Use cases for generative AI in Sales and how it augments various tasks Overcoming resistance to AI use, and key considerations such as data privacy Ideas for effective AI enablement, as well as other new use cases for AI

Episode 4: Growth at Any Cost is Over Understanding the right design and execution of GTM levers in uncertain markets could help CEOs propel their revenue growth by making efficient use of existing resources. In this episode, Pilar Schenk, Cisco COO, Global Specialists, and Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, discuss strategy, execution, and activation against a backdrop of those who had a growth thesis in tech of growth, at any cost. Key Talking Points: The GTM levers that drive greater value generation in 2024 How to better leverage commercial tech to increase sales efficiency What advancements the tech industry is making with generative AI

Episode 3: Know to Grow Sales Talent A crucial driver of an organization's revenue growth plans is the people that work there and how they perform. The importance of understanding how to develop top talent in go-to-market teams cannot be understated. In this episode, Senior Partner and TMT Practice Leader at SBI, Tony Erickson meets with Director of Global Sales Enablement at Nearmap, Karen Mattice to talk about Nearmap's approach to talent development through its Know and Grow strategy. Key Talking Points: Assessing talent and creating individual OKRs in line with corporate OKRs Developing standardized training that focuses on gaps in key competencies How Nearmap leverages AI to analyze and optimize sales conversations

Podcast: Increasing Sales Talent Productivity Through Effective Coaching In the current landscape, where business leaders are strategically shifting their focus to recovery, the role of sales managers has taken on a critical new dimension. Join us for an interactive webinar to discuss the transformative power of sales coaching in driving commercial excellence. In this webinar, you'll learn about: The crucial role of sales coaching in attaining commercial excellence. Moving beyond ad-hoc coaching: Effective alternatives and solutions. Cultivating a world-class sales coaching culture. Key sections to include in your Sales Coaching Playbook. Maximizing coaching ROI through insightful metrics. Harnessing collaborative learning for advancing sales coaching skills.

Episode 2: Delivering Sales Velocity Understanding the types of seller behaviors that have been most successful in today's slow-moving market could help CEOs create value by improving the commercial productivity of their GTM teams. In this episode, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at SBI, Nick Toman, and SBI General Manager of Talent Productivity, Ray Makela, discuss how top CEOs are adopting effective seller approaches and generative AI to push the sales margin.  Key Talking Points: The winning seller profiles that drive increased commercial productivity  Findings from SBI's latest report on seller approaches and sales velocity  How generative AI can support sellers in understanding customer needs  

Episode 1: Wait and See is Over CEOs are no longer waiting to see what will happen next. They are taking control of what they can to be optimally positioned for what comes next. There are many aspects of business outside the control of CEOs; and many have recognized this and are no longer waiting to see what will happen next. In this episode, SBI CEO, Mike Hoffman, and SBI President of Consulting, Scott Gruher, discuss how CEOs are taking control of three major challenges to position their companies for what's to come.   Key talking points:  How CEOs are focusing efforts in the face of increased operating costs, slower sales cycles, and low morale  Back to the base and aligning sales, marketing, and customer success Evaluating capabilities - are the skills and experience that brought the company here what it needs in the future?

CEOs must make rapid, critical business decisions while being increasingly inundated with data, trends, and conflicting information. In this age of information overload, how can you make sound judgments for your organization without the threat of falling behind? On today's show, we are joined by Frank Cespedes, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, recurring contributor to Harvard Business Review, and author of Sales Management That Works: How to Sell in a World that Never Stops Changing. Frank discusses key insights from his book and ultimately how leaders can separate fact from hype.

On today's show, serial entrepreneur Jeron Paul, Cofounder and CEO of Spiff, explains how he started, grew, and exited 3 successful ventures. Jeron and SBI's CEO, Matt Sharrers, talk about the elements needed to drive a growth culture, including a Revenue Growth Office that generates a universal fact base executive team leaders can use to make unified decisions, as well as tools that create visibility, connectivity, and improved employee experience.

Organizations have had to drastically reimagine their revenue model since last year to accommodate the new era of digital. However, some companies anticipated this shift much earlier in advance and were able to adapt and scale quicker than their competitors. Autodesk is among those whose strategy pre-pandemic allowed them to weather 2020 unscathed. On today's show, Steve Blum, Autodesk CRO and EVP Worldwide Field Operations, joins us to discuss topics that are top of mind for commercial leaders navigating the second half of 2021, including: Revenue Model Shifts Pre and Post-Pandemic Talent Requirements For a Frictionless Customer Experience

SBI recently held its first Chief Financial Officer Growth Forum to bring together like-minded finance executives to discuss common challenges and share best practices with their peers. These growth-focused CFOs gathered in an intimate virtual setting to discuss the following topics: The Ascent From CFO to CEO The Digital Selling Landscape Driving Accountability Through Visibility And More On today's show, Jim Ettamarna, SBI Managing Director, joins John Staples, SBI Senior Partner, to share key learnings from the meeting.

A good account segmentation will keep the lights on, but a great segmentation is how market leaders surpass their competition. How does yours compare? On today's show, we are joined by Malorie Feidner, Senior Consultant at SBI, to discuss what it takes to achieve best-in-class account segmentation. Malorie shares the 3 key items every sales leader should prioritize, as well as the most common mistakes organizations make.

SBI recently held it's Spring Growth Advisory Board meeting where less than a dozen market-leading Presidents and Chief Commercial Officers gathered to discuss the most pressing challenges in today's environment. During the afternoon, the attendees shared best practices on the following topics: The Ascent to Chief Executive Officer The Evolution of Commercial Effectiveness The Workplace of the Future On today's show, Scott Gruher, Senior Partner and Revenue Practice Lead, shares key insights from the meeting that executives can begin implementing immediately.

SBI recently held its Spring CEO Advisory Meeting to connect with less than a dozen market leaders on current challenges and to share best practices. This influential peer group share key insights into the following topics: Organizational Clarity Around Customer Experience The CEO’s Role in Determining the Go-to-Market Model Talent to Drive the GTM Model at Scale On today’s show, Scott Gruher, Senior Partner and Revenue Practice Lead, joins us to discuss these items and share takeaways from the meeting.

Being a CEO during a large Go-to-Market transformation is difficult, and with multiple acquisitions, this adds further complexity, such as: High Customer Acquisition Costs Low Employee Morale Inaccurate Fact Base And more On today’s show, Steve Smith, CEO of Zayo, joins us to discuss how he navigated these challenges during his first few months in his role and shares how harnessing the power of listening and an efficient cadence has brought unity and clarity to his team.

CEOs often get lost in data while trying to decide what's working, if there is too much, or if it's even correct. But even great data is moot if not activated properly across commercial functions. On today's show, Mike Dickerson, CEO of ClickDimensions, joins us to discuss how CEOs should be thinking about their data and the processes that go with it. By owning the data, CEOs will not only have clearer visibility into the complete operation but also a unified fact base to run an unmatched commercial strategy.

To say your salesforce is changing is an understatement. Not only have there been shifts in adapting to a new virtual world, but your teams also need the time and attention dedicated to reaching their full potential now more than ever before. As a sales leader, how can you create a culture for your teams to thrive? On today’s show, Roquita Williams, Head of Sales Effectiveness and DEI Partnerships at Habits at Work, joins SBI Consultant and Diversity Ambassador Jenny Sung to discuss the modern salesforce. Roquita shares impactful insights into what it means to be a sales leader in today’s world and how to create an inclusive and empathetic culture.

On today's special edition of the Revenue Growth Help Desk, we celebrate Women's History Month and are joined by three inspiring women leading the charge in revenue growth: Debra Walton, Chief Revenue Officer, Data & Analytics, London Stock Exchange Group, Pilar Schenk, VP of Sales Strategy and Operations at McAfee, and Tracy Hansen, CMO at Chief Outsiders and President of ProGlove Inc., NA. In this show, our esteemed panel shares their respective journeys that led them to their current positions and the active role they play in fighting against gender bias and inequities today.

At SBI we strive for all of us to reach our full potential by being diverse by nature, equitable by design, and inclusive by choice. Our curiosity to understand, value, and celebrate our unique strengths will improve outcomes for our people and our clients. This is an unwavering belief that guides how we build teams, cultivate leaders, and work with others. DEI, like revenue growth, is an all-the-time thing, not a sometimes thing. In this special edition of the Revenue Growth Help Desk, we celebrate Black History Month and discuss DEI strategy with SBI’s CEO, Matt Sharrers.

Nearly 1 year ago, the economy had come to an abrupt halt as many organizations waited to be ushered into a "new normal." Now, companies worldwide have adapted to new digital capabilities to operate better than ever before, but many still struggle to replicate a personalized customer experience online. On today's show, Brad Christian, Chief Customer Officer at Conversity, joins us to discuss how they have helped companies connect with customers in a virtual world while maintaining the personalization of in-person experiences.

Nearing the end of 2020, less than a dozen market-leading CEOs gathered for SBI's fall Advisory Meeting to discuss common challenges faced throughout the year as well as share best practices for trending topics, including: Using the Right Data for Right Actions Executing a Back-to-Base Strategy The Current State of Digital On today's show, Scott Gruher, Senior Partner and Revenue Practice Lead, joins us to discuss these items and share key takeaways from the meeting.

At SBI’s most recent Sales Advisory Board meeting, market leaders from a variety of industries came together in a virtual environment to discuss topics that are top of mind for sales executives: The Ascent of Sales Leaders to CEO Positions Executing a Back-to-Base Strategy Digital Selling in 2021 On today's show, Scott Gruher, Senior Partner and Revenue Practice Lead, joins us to share insights from the meeting that sales leaders can begin implementing immediately.

While every industry has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, private equity professionals have had to unpack an entirely different set of challenges trying to buy and sell in this environment. On today's show, Mike Hoffman, SBI Senior Managing Director Private Equity, joins us to share how PE firms are validating investment theses centered on accelerating organic growth. 

Of all the challenges that sales leaders have faced this past year, effectively evolving field sellers into virtual teams has been one of the most difficult to navigate. On today’s show, Mike Carpenter, President of Global Sales & Field Operations at CrowdStrike, joins SBI Managing Director Tony Erickson to discuss the strategic pivots Mike has facilitated to better enable their team in a work-from-home environment and the opportunities they have seen since, including: Forming inside sales teams without constraints Increases in customer access A lasting shift in corporate operations

It may be easy to assume that tech-enabled services became an overnight success in the wake of the work-from-home and digital phenomena. However, many companies will not only miss their number but have also experienced an 8% year over year decrease. It is clear that if TMT leaders do not make significant changes to their 2021 strategy, they will get left behind. On today’s show, Tony Erickson, SBI Managing Director, joins us to discuss how the industry has handled this severe disruption and what market leaders are doing differently to outpace their competition.

Consumer behaviors have changed drastically over the past year, with a significant rise in ecommerce. As the supply chain is being disrupted across industries, businesses are reimagining how to go to market, generate demand, and serve customers. On today's show, Grant Dismore, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Interstate Batteries, joins SBI Managing Director Tony Erickson to discuss the macro trends that are forcing B2B and B2C companies to adapt or die.

Over the past several months, SBI’s latest research has unpacked how market-leading CEOs have responded to market disruption and how they approach planning for 2021. Those identified as "Accelerators" have not only managed to thrive in the face of adversity but remain vigilant in aligning their revenue growth strategy with their corporate strategy. On today’s show, Chethan Sharma, Senior Managing Director and CEO Practice Leader at SBI, joins us to share key constructs that market-leading CEOs are using to build the 2021 plan.

While the Business Services industry saw comfortable growth preceding the pandemic, only a select few market leaders have been able to accelerate growth since the crisis began. Their secret lies in their ability to execute dynamic, cross-functional revenue plans.   On today's show, Andrew Urteaga, SBI Managing Director, joins us to share what market leaders in Business Services are doing differently to accelerate in 2021.

Marketing leaders have faced numerous difficulties over the past year, but one challenge is not exclusive to just 2020 — sales and marketing alignment. Getting this correct is more imperative now than ever before and can make or break your growth strategy. Ultimately, companies that create strong alignment win 38% more deals and retain 36% more customers than those who are not aligned.  On today's show, Lori Christiansen, VP of Marketing at Motus, joins SBI Managing Director Tony Erickson to discuss how market-leading companies drive alignment between sales and marketing to accelerate revenue growth.

With the global shift to working from home, UC&C companies have witnessed a record amount of demand for their tools and services to carry on productivity away from the office. However, how are market leaders positioning themselves to be set up for success in 2021? On today's show, Gregg Blatt, SBI Managing Director, joins us to share what UC&C market leaders are doing differently to outpace competitors.

For market-leading software companies, the changing economic conditions have had a positive effect on the bottom line. But this has not been without their fair share of challenges, especially for those facing a high growth environment. On today’s show, Doug Winter, Founder and CEO of Seismic Software, joins SBI Managing Director Marc Odenweller to discuss how an accelerating software company could pivot to meet market demands and make pragmatic decisions every step of the way.

Legacy companies have been able to withstand nearly every possible economic condition over several decades, and yet even they have had to persevere through new challenges seen this year. However, companies like Hexagon PPM have not been around for over 50 years by merely surviving difficult circumstances. Through the adversity, they have made their mark by quickly pivoting to market demands in any disruptive climate. On today’s show, Hexagon PPM CRO, Steve King, joins SBI Managing Director Tony Erickson to discuss how PPM has responded to shifts in the market to thrive while maintaining their growth trajectory.

The software industry has experienced more disruption in the last 6 months than in the previous 10 years. With an increased need for online purchasing, content management, payment processing, and more, leading software CEOs have navigated changes in demand drivers flawlessly, even with imperfect data. On today's show, Marc Odenweller, Managing Director at SBI, joins us to discuss how the top 9% of software leaders have been relentlessly agile in their planning process to outpace competitors.

Over the last 6 months, there have only been an elite few known as "Accelerators" — those companies that have thrived in a recessionary environment.   One such company is CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society. By expediting the growth strategies they already had in motion, CAS gained a first mover advantage in their market and continues to widen the gap ahead of competitors.   On today's show, CAS' CEO, Manuel Guzman, joins SBI Managing Director Andrew Urteaga to discuss the fundamentals that an organization must have in place to be able to seize unexpected opportunities.

In a virtual world, Customer Experience has definitively been at the forefront of the digital revolution. How has your company adapted to the new demands of the market? On today's show, John deLorimier, EVP at Concentra, joins us to discuss how to bring more value to the customer journey and deliver on the brand promise.

As part of our advisory program, SBI recently held a virtual meeting comprised of an intimate group of market-leading B2B CEOs (public and private with market caps from $1B to 10B) to discuss current market challenges and opportunities for achieving strategic revenue growth. On today's show, Scott Gruher, Senior Partner, and Chethan Sharma, Senior Managing Director and CEO Practice Leader, share insights from the powerful peer group including: The CEO's role in revenue growth strategy Managing board expectations Driving digital and customer experience strategy

Any CEO can attest to the current level of difficulty in closing deals. Customer sentiment and individual mind share are in high demand, and even with everyone online, many fail to adequately engage their communities in order to access their full potential. On today’s show, Kevin Boyce, CEO of Higher Logic, joins us to discuss new ways of building and leveraging your internal and external communities to drive engagement in a virtual world. Kevin shares how the company pivoted its strategy to meet today's demands and new ways they have been able to enable and communicate to the organization amid their digital evolution.

It’s hard to imagine a time where calendars weren’t inundated with video calls and discussions around your digital sales transformation. With a virtual revolution upon us, how can you maintain the personal aspects that define your culture internally and externally? On today’s show, Tim Brackey, President and COO of RGP, joins us to discuss how to translate culture from on-prem to a virtual world: Understanding “indie-ployment” and how it may define the future of talent Fostering a growth culture and how to measure it Developing digital capabilities to meet buyer expectations

For many services companies who achieve exponential growth within narrow timeframes, they often find themselves lagging in critical operational areas, including go-to-market. Jarrod Johnson, Chief Customer Officer at TaskUs, found himself in a similar situation but was able to remain as agile as he was during the company’s startup years. Jarrod joins Scott Gruher, Senior Partner, SBI, on today's show to discuss how executing SaaS best practices allowed TaskUs to achieve manageable growth by: Creating a scalable sales system Implementing a high-growth marketing engine Building a data-driven customer experience

With the shift towards retention being the new growth, companies have increasingly seen the incremental value that Customer Success brings. If you are still assessing the benefits of a CS function in today's world, you will fall behind your peers and the market significantly.   On today's show, Alan Rudolph, SVP of Apttus, joins Tony Erickson, Managing Director, SBI, to share best practices for Customer Success and strategic deals in today's world. Alan shares how he achieves a 360-degree view of the customer and buyer journey and how to leverage CS to drive business outcomes seamlessly.

To kick off the summer, SBI held a virtual meeting comprised of an intimate group of market-leading B2B Chief Revenue Officers (Public and Private, $240M to $8B in Revenue) as part of their advisory board program. These global CRO's gathered to collectively share and learn from one another in an intimate, confidential setting. In this video, Matt Sharrers, CEO of SBI, and Scott Gruher, Senior Partner, share insights from the powerful peer-group reflecting the sentiment of what is top of mind of global CROs. They discuss emerging best practices such as, what are the applications of digital? You first have to find your strategy.

The evolution of the Marketing leader role has transformed drastically over the years. Today, those changes are even more significant than what their role looked like nearly 90 days ago. Still, there is no telling what the second half of the year will bring for CMOs. On today's show, Jim Kruger, CMO at Veeam, joins us for a glimpse into how a market-leading software company has been adjusting to the current market conditions and how they are preparing for the back-half of 2020.

Customer Experience is no longer just a buzz word that companies can throw around. It has become a megatrend that demands a complete mindset shift in not only executive teams, but it also requires buy-in from the board in order to thrive. On today’s show, Ryan Hollenbeck, CMO of Verint, joins us to discuss what market-leading companies do differently to prioritize CX programs. In Ryan’s first segment, he shares 3 critical steps to building a world-class customer experience program.

On today’s show, we are joined by Vince Lombardo, President of US Payments and Payroll Solutions at Heartland Payment Systems. Over the last two decades, Vince has seen Heartland grow from a startup to a global company with 4,000+ employees and has learned a thing or two along the way. Vince shares valuable lessons learned from his tenure at Heartland that not only relate to the post-COVID recovery but also how you choose to advance your revenue growth journey through any challenging circumstance.

Having a full comprehension of customer experience in a digital world is crucial to revenue growth today. This motion requires not only active market listening, but communicating actionable insights across product, service, and channels — all while reducing friction in a virtual environment. Joining us today is Tish Falco, veteran CX strategist and thought leader in tech and subscription-based services. Tish shares valuable guidance on: Defining CX vision and design from end to end Channel optimization protecting the revenue stream Brightening the future of digital CX

Although many sales leaders have had to adjust to this new world since March, global companies have had to acclimate since January. With every challenge that came with reorganizing a regional market, also provided the chance to accelerate a very crucial digital transformation. As an early adapter to this new normal, Deb Walton, Chief Revenue Officer at Refinitv, saw the opportunity to interact with customers and employees like never before. On today’s show, Deb joins us to discuss how the changes she had made out of necessity have quickly proven to be more effective and have established permanence for years to come.

At the beginning of stay-at-home orders, maintaining a connection with the customer base was a top priority for CMOs. Marketing teams worked quickly to stand up virtual communities and help customers in an authentic way. Now, as executives look to the future and aftermath of the pandemic, continuing to invest time and resources into their communities remains an integral part of making their number — not doing so could create a costly disconnect and breed mistrust. On today's show, SBI community expert and Executive Consultant Laura Hall shares how to continue strong community engagement and why this continuity is important.

Over the last couple of months, CEOs across all industries have faced unique challenges. However, during this time, they have exhibited a common trait — they have proven it is imperative to uphold their brand promise and continue to serve customers the best they know how. On today's show, Mary McDowell, CEO of Mitel, shares valuable insights for fellow chief executives: Lessons learned from previous crises Having an agile approach to the core business model and legacy products Acceleration of planning and decision-making in a high-pressure environment

Shifting the go-to-market model to digital has been a subject on the mind of market leaders for some time, and now it is being accelerated. For better or worse, COVID-19 has been the catalyst for a digital transformation that will fundamentally change how customers engage with vendors. Veteran and market leader Chris Perry, President – Broadridge Financial Solutions, has a broad view of his organization and recognizes the critical importance of digital transformation right now. On today's show, Chris discusses: Differences between the current crisis and last recession on a macro/global level An accelerated roadmap for digitizing the client experience now and after the pandemic How sales and marketing must work together to help clients take risks and “win the recovery”

In the world of a sales enablement leader, the primary goal is to keep the sales team efficient and effective. How that goal gets accomplished occurs with consistent resegmenting of the customer base, cleansing the pipeline, and accurately forecasting changes and opportunities in the market. Market leaders know that these actions were important even prior to the last 30 days and are critical now. Jedd Williams, Vice President of Global Sales Acceleration at Poly, was in the midst of a transformation when COVID-19 shifted the sales strategy and operating norms. Hear Jedd discuss: Why resegmentation was the first step in adjusting go-to-market strategy How the forecasting process has changed and its effect on product build schedules Covering the install base by considering propensity to buy and propensity to upgrade

Well-established tech companies have typically developed a large, multi-layer partner ecosystem that they rely on. For a sales leader in this environment, problem-solving, and having shared responsibilities with these channel partners is the only way to succeed in moving the GTM strategy forward. Today, Scott Peterson, SVP Americas at Mitel and veteran UCaaS executive, shares what is working for him in adjusting to COVID-19 market implications with his partner ecosystem: Packaging and pricing with different-sized partners Daily scrums with channel partners Deal flow and execution

We have seen first hand how the pandemic has devastated businesses around the world. However, as we adapt to a new era of commerce, many companies have found opportunities to reevaluate their strategies and thrive. For a CRO in the SaaS cyber security industry, market opportunity has increased. On today's show, Bob Layton, CRO of Digital Defense, joins us to discuss the effect of the pandemic on software companies. Bob shares that while many aspects of their business remain unchanged, like their coverage model, they are finding creative ways to drive revenue and incentivize their teams.