In this episode, I sit down with Pat Mulvey, Director of Global Business Development at Zywave, to talk about what it actually takes to reset and scale a business development team inside a changing go-to-market environment. Pat breaks down why you cannot just copy and paste a strategy from one company to another, even if it worked at a high level somewhere else, and explains how he thinks about diagnosing a BD org through Salesforce rigor, deal velocity, and repeatable patterns in the data. He also shares what he looks for when hiring new BDR talent, why athletes and other highly driven profiles often stand out, and how commitment, grit, and self-awareness tend to show up early in the people who go on to perform.

We also get into leadership, coaching, and the habits that separate strong reps from struggling ones. Pat explains why reps who adapt fastest to leadership change are usually the ones who ask for help early, why poor time management quietly kills performance, and how he handles underperformance before it turns into a formal process. He also talks through the shift from being a seller to becoming a manager, why new leaders often stay too attached to the rep identity, and what someone should consider before deciding they want to pursue leadership long term.

TOPICS WE COVER

•  Why you cannot just reuse the same go-to-market playbook at a new company, even after success somewhere else 
•  How Pat evaluates a BD org through Salesforce data, deal velocity, repeatability, and ICP fit 
•  What he looks for when hiring BDRs, including grit, commitment, and why athletic backgrounds can stand out 
•  Why reps who adapt fastest to leadership change usually ask for help early instead of sitting back 
•  The biggest hidden mistake BDRs make with time management and why it wrecks performance 
•  What changes when a strong rep becomes a manager, and how to know if leadership is actually the right path 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Pat Mulvey is the Director of Global Business Development at Zywave, where he was brought in to reset and scale the BD function amid rising growth targets, an evolving go-to-market strategy, and increased quota expectations. Before Zywave, he was a Senior Sales Manager at Drata, where he managed a diverse global team of 16, contributing $7m+ in global revenue during FY26.

LINKS

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carter-armendarez/
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Learn more about Zywave: https://www.zywave.com/