In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Madina Burkov, VP of Global Sales Development at Harness, to break down everything you need to know about starting a career in tech sales as a Sales Development Representative (SDR).

Madina shares insights into the essential skills for success, how to assess if a company's SDR program is right for you, and the critical role SDRs play in generating pipeline and driving revenue. We also discuss practical advice on how to stand out during the application process, the importance of a growth mindset, and why the "gift of the gab" isn't the only path to a successful sales career. 🏹

Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

01:48 - Madina’s role and the purpose of an SDR

03:36 - How SDRs partner with Account Executives

06:22 - Key metrics for measuring SDR success

08:03 - What to look for when joining a tech sales company

09:13 - The essential qualities of a successful SDR

11:02 - Why sales is a skill that can be learned

14:49 - How deep an SDR needs to understand the technology

16:06 - Enablement and ongoing training for SDRs

19:20 - The SDR role in a long-term sales career

22:59 - Handling rejection

33:07 - Choosing startup vs. established organization

40:51 - The value of being proactive in your job search

47:43 - The benefits of working in an office vs. remote

51:51 - How to stand out when applying for an SDR role

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Sales is a Learned Skill: Don't be discouraged if you don't have the "gift of the gab." Sales is a skill that can be learned and taught through practice and a strong growth mindset. The ability to be curious, ask good questions, and be coachable are key attributes for success.

Quality Over Quantity: As an SDR, your focus should be on the quality of the meetings you book, not just the sheer number of them. High-quality meetings that turn into qualified opportunities are what AEs and sales leaders truly care about, and wasting an AE's time can damage your reputation within the company.

Be Proactive: To break into the tech sales industry, especially as a new applicant, you must be proactive. Don't just submit an application and wait. Do your research on the company and its challenges, and then use LinkedIn to find and reach out to the hiring manager and other SDRs. This demonstrates your ability to do the job and helps you stand out from other candidates.

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "The SDR role in tech sales... it's not for everyone, it's a grind, it's a tough, tough job". "You have to be genuinely interested in the product and what it is in the space as well in order to do well, otherwise it's going to be really, really tough". "Usually an executive or a person would get hundreds of emails and really only a handful of phone calls". "Being proactive... that's the key... and not just submitting an application and waiting for somebody to get back to you". "What do you think is going to really set you up for success, right? And what kind of organization is going to allow you to be successful?". #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse #EastCoastElite

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Amber Selking, a high-performance coach with a Ph.D. in Applied Sports Psychology. Dr. Selking works with elite athletes, executives, and organizations to help them achieve their best.

She's the mental performance coach for LSU football and the Chief Culture Officer at Lipper, a global manufacturing company. Amber unpacks the science behind high performance, explaining how thoughts, emotions, and mindset directly impact physical and professional success. We dive into practical strategies like mental rehearsal, self-talk, and reframing failure, offering actionable advice for anyone in a high-pressure environment.

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro & background

03:00 - The core science of human high performance

08:00 - The impact of mental rehearsal on the brain

12:30 - Mental performance for high-pressure professionals

16:30 - Understanding the power of self-talk

22:30 - How to apply self-talk and mental drills

28:00 - The power of breathwork in high-stress situations

35:00 - A new perspective on setbacks and failure

43:30 - The importance of mindset in leadership

49:30 - The difference between positive and productive thinking

51:30 - Building a championship mindset

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Thoughts Are Electrical Signals: Our thoughts are not just ephemeral ideas; they are real electrical signals that influence our emotions, physical state, and ultimately, our performance. To perform at a high level, you must take control of your self-talk and choose productive thoughts over unproductive ones.

Mindsets Are Bicep Curls for the Brain: Just as repeated exercises build muscle, repeated thoughts build mindsets. These mindsets act like filters on your brain, shaping how you perceive and respond to challenges. By intentionally practicing certain thoughts, you can build a "championship mindset" to handle pressure and setbacks effectively.

Embrace Failure as First Attempt In Learning: In high performance, failure isn't a sign of weakness—it's a form of data. By changing your mindset to view setbacks as valuable information, you can focus on rapid recovery and iteration rather than emotional volatility. This approach allows you to learn from your mistakes and quickly get back to the next play.

🙌 Thanks for listening!

This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "I help people deliver their best when their best is needed... I teach science." "The brain doesn't know the difference between what's real and what's imagined. So mental rehearsal actually builds talent at the neurological level." "Winning's hard, guys... And mental performance isn't about the sunshine and roses of thinking everything's wonderful, but rather trying to drive the consistency that it takes to deliver your best when your best is needed." "What starts the process? ...Thoughts. Who controls your thoughts? ...We do." "In terms of our mindset, F-A-I-L, it simply stands for First Attempt In Learning." Tags: #highperformance #performancecoaching #huntersandunicorns

In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Liam Mulcahy, Operating Partner at Kleiner Perkins.

Having worked with over 100 startups, from first-ever sales rep to operating partner, Liam shares his unfiltered playbook for success in the chaotic world of early-stage companies. We cover how to identify the right opportunities, what a founder-led sales motion looks like, the red flags to watch for in an interview, and the mindset needed to thrive in a high-risk, high-reward environment. Liam also shares his famous cardboard cutout story that landed him a job at MongoDB, a company he helped take public.

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

01:53 - The Operating Partner Role at KP

05:18 - From Mongo to VC

09:34 - The Cardboard Cutout Story

11:53 - Product-Out vs. Customer-In

13:30 - Intrinsic Motivation for Startups

17:39 - The "Revenue-Generating PM"

19:53 - Qualifying a Startup as a Rep

23:26 - The Player-Coach Myth

27:49 - Scaling a Sales Team with Pods

30:34 - Evaluating Pre-Revenue Companies

35:22 - Finding the Right Company

40:30 - Red Flags when Interviewing Founders

48:09 - Faster Enterprise Buying Cycles

50:13 - The Future of Sales and AI

55:16 - The Value of Sales Training

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

The DNA of a Founder: Look for founders who see sales as a first-class citizen and have a high emotional resonance with the problem they are solving, not just a homework assignment from a board.

The "Player-Coach" Myth: The idea of a single person acting as both a top rep and a team leader is a "misnomer" that often leads to failure at an early-stage startup. It's better to hire great reps first, and then bring in a leader once the sales motion is proven.

Bet on Yourself: The best early-stage hires have an intrinsic motivation to prove they can succeed in a chaotic environment. They are not just looking for a prestigious role but for a chance to build something from the ground up. 🙌

Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "What is the condition where a company would be so desperate and in pain they'd want what we have? And if that's the case, will they pay us anything?". "I bought a cardboard cutout of myself... It just said, can you see me working here?". "If I'm going to hire you as a founding sales rep, I need you to walk through the door on day one as a great sales rep. I can't have to enable you to do the actual function.". "The best early stage hires I've made is they're like revenue-generating product managers.". "If you ask me in 10 years, there're going to be more or less salespeople, I'd say less... the markets are getting exponentially larger... and the models are getting better, faster to be able to do full jobs.".

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse #EastCoastElite

In this episode of The Playbook Universe, we sit down with Paul Cap, Chief Revenue Officer at MongoDB, to explore the core leadership principles and sales execution strategies that have driven one of the most explosive growth stories in tech. Paul shares his personal path from finance into sales, the pivotal mindset shifts that helped him lead at scale, and the mission-first approach that keeps MongoDB thriving. We dive into building high-performance teams, the early indicators of future CRO talent, and what separates great companies from the rest. Whether you're a first-line manager or a seasoned sales leader, this conversation delivers hard-earned lessons from the frontlines. 🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered: 00:00 Intro 02:20 From Finance to Tech Sales 06:03 Lessons from 10+ Years at MongoDB 11:41 How to Spot Future CROs 16:32 Navigating Risk and Scaling with Vision 21:40 Coaching the Next Generation 27:15 Pressure, Competition, and Mental Agility 34:00 Culture and Character in Hypergrowth 40:28 Aligning Vision with Execution 47:10 Mission-Driven Leadership 52:40 The Real Role of a CRO 💥 3 Biggest Lessons: Longevity at a hypergrowth company comes from aligning with its evolving mission — not just meeting KPIs. Great CROs are developed early. The best ones were already overperforming as frontline reps. Culture isn’t built top-down — it’s reinforced daily by how leaders show up and how teams respond to pressure. 🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel! 🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns: Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter:   / huntersun1corns   Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns   Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog 💬 Notable Quotes: “Your job as a CRO is to turn strategy into execution — at scale.” “You don’t just hire top talent, you cultivate it from within.” “Sales isn’t just a function. When done right, it becomes a culture.” #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of the East Coase Elite series, we sit down with Yotam Segev, co-founder and CEO of Cyera, to explore the incredible journey of building a cybersecurity unicorn. From the early days of a "B-minus" idea, Yotam shares how a relentless focus on customer feedback, not internal opinions, became the company’s compass.

He reveals the difficult but essential pivot from founder-led sales to building a world-class team, the qualities he looks for in top-tier sellers, curiosity, paranoia, and hunger and the mindset that propelled Cyera to nearly $100M ARR and a $6B valuation in just four years.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PGAI: https://www.getpg.ai & Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

01:55 - From the military to founding Cyera

05:30 - Why *** is the only compass that matters

08:02 - How top salespeople act

09:16 - The importance of a humble approach

12:22 - The hardest part of the early stages

16:01 - Validating a hypothesis with "dollars"

20:00 - The impact of moving to the U.S.

20:31 - From founder-led sales to building the first team

29:19 - The market transition

32:39 - The three characteristics of a great seller

37:05 - The balance between a playbook and excitement

40:02 - The importance of energy and mindset

49:43 - The core dynamic of the co-founder relationship

52:17 - Cyera's North Sta

54:47 - Why top talent should join Cyera

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Your Compass is the Customer: Your opinions don't matter; building a great product means constantly listening to and learning from your customers' pain points.

Sales is a Team Sport: In an early-stage company, a founder must stay engaged in the sales process to build trust, as a salesperson alone can't provide the same assurance.

Mindset is Everything: The difference between an average and exceptional performer is often their attitude. Bring energy, curiosity, and a relentless drive to everything you do.

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "Your idea sounds like a B-minus and that's a compliment. We're investing in the team, and if the customers tell us they want to buy that, we'll build it". "We don't build products according to those opinions. Maybe your mother. We build products according to the customers with a very attentive view to the customers' pain and to the guidance they're providing us". "A company only exists, the oxygen for a company is business. It's a net new ARR. That's the oxygen for these companies that we're all playing in". "The journey itself is the price. And it's not a full lack of ambition. Like we want to take over the world if we could and we're walking towards it". "The best sellers... are curious, genuinely interested, caring about the customers, the challenges, the pains, what they're trying to accomplish, why they're trying to accomplish it, why have they not accomplished it yet again and again and again".

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Austin Stefani, CRO at DBT Labs, to discuss his career journey from EMC to his current role.

austin shares his fundamental principles for sales leadership, emphasizing the importance of making every individual on the team successful.

We learn about his focus on skill acquisition, the value of learning from challenges, and why empathy is crucial for both employees and customers. Austin breaks down his "playbook" for problem identification and how to apply it at various stages of a company's growth, from building a sales process and managing pipeline to scaling international teams.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PGAI: https://www.getpg.ai

Seller: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

00:58 - Flipping the org chart upside down

01:48 - The fundamental principles of sales

05:00 - Focusing on productivity

07:13 - Using frameworks for problem identification

09:17 - Translating a sales mindset to a leadership role

12:48 - Skill training and retention

18:56 - The benefits of non-linear career progression

24:00 - Learning through setbacks and hard times

32:27 - Why Austin chose to leave Rubrik for DBT

35:35 - Empathy as a core leadership trait

41:31 - The biggest challenges and learnings as a CRO

43:35 - The advantages of in-house company culture

49:55 - The playbook as a blueprint

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Flipping the Org Chart: Leaders are overhead, and their primary job is to make every individual sales rep successful.

Embrace the Hard Times: The only way to get through tough situations is through them, which is how you acquire new skills and become more resilient.

Playbooks are Blueprints: A playbook is a framework for problem identification, not a step-by-step instruction manual to be applied universally.

🙌 Thanks for listening!

This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro

If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunico...

Twitter:   / huntersun1corns  

Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns  

Blog: http://huntersandunico...

💬 Notable Quotes

"If you're in one job and you just go the next job and the job after that and you're just learning from people that are exactly like you, there's only so much skill that you can get."

"Productivity is like the most important metric and everything services that."

"The leaders that do that really well will be able to grow with the company."

"I think it's a blueprint, not an instruction manual."

"Trust is generated by the quality of the questions you ask. The amount of try it next time like try talking... If somebody comes and asks you... 'I need some advice or can I pick your brain', next time somebody says that try saying nothing but questions about 10 minutes into this. The person will reach across the table, grab your arm and say, 'Oh my gosh, you solved my problem.' And they'll leave and you'll just be like, 'I didn't say a word.'"

In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Brian Trowbridge, VP of Sales at FireHydrant, to explore the brutal truths of startup life.

From making high-stakes decisions with limited runway to navigating board dynamics and founder alignment, Brian unpacks what it really takes to succeed in an early-stage company.

We dive deep into how he evaluated FireHydrant before joining, what he looks for in founders and boards, and how sales leaders should think about burn rate, valuations, and growth expectations. If you're in sales and considering a startup role, this episode is a must-watch.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Startup chaos

05:00 From Startup Grind to Scalable Sales

09:17 The Hardest Hiring Lessons

13:46 Selling Without a Playbook

18:24 Coaching Reps to Think Critically

22:40 Building Repeatable Pipeline

29:03 Staying Grounded as a Sales Leader

35:17 Career Advice for Aspiring CROs

42:00 The Power of Humility in Leadership

50:30 The Role of Curiosity and Grit

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Chaos is a Feature, Not a Bug: Embrace early-stage ambiguity—true sales leadership is forged in unpredictability.

Hiring is Everything: The reps you bring on will define your success. Make every hire count.

Ask the Bigger Questions: Scaling isn’t just tactics—it’s teaching your team how to think.

🙌 Thanks for listening!

This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro

If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter:   / huntersun1corns  

Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns  

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes

“If you have a mediocre RD, avoid it. I would even avoid a good company if I didn’t have a good RD.”

“You’re not just asking ‘did I make my number?’ You’re asking: does this company even exist in 12 months?”

“There’s no bigger mistake than hiring the wrong person—it costs you a year.”

“Some founders just burn through VPs. You need to know that before you join.”

“You’re wearing a hundred hats and trying to hit growth targets with minimal runway. It’s not for everyone.”

Tags #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of East Coast Elite, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Martin Mao, co-founder and CEO of Chronosphere.

From his early days at Uber to founding one of the most disruptive startups in observability, Martin shares what it takes to navigate uncertainty, build conviction, and win at scale. We dive into the mindset shifts behind leaving a tech giant to build something bold, how Martin sees the future of observability, and what it means to lead with clarity in a rapidly evolving market. If you're a founder, engineer, or operator seeking real insights from a builder at the top, this one’s for you.

Key Topics Covered

00:00 Intro

02:10 What Makes a Strong Founder

04:48 Why Martin Left Uber

09:22 Founding Chronosphere

13:41 Competing with Industry Giants

19:05 The Startup Learning Curve

26:38 Early GTM Decisions

33:20 Scaling with Intent

39:40 Balancing Vision and Feedback

46:14 Leadership Lessons in Hypergrowth

50:12 What’s Next for Chronosphere 52:49 Closing Reflections

3 Biggest Lessons

Leaving comfort for conviction: Martin’s leap from Uber shows that bold moves start with internal clarity, not external certainty.

Product-market fit is just the beginning: Real traction comes from execution, team culture, and continuous iteration.

Disruption requires ruthless focus: Be crystal clear on who you serve and why your product matters—then say no to everything else.

Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter:   / huntersun1corns  

Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns  

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

Notable Quotes “You don’t need to have all the answers before you start.” “It’s not about being better—it’s about being different in a meaningful way.” “Startups work when you're solving real pain, not just building cool tech.”

This episode is sponsored by SELR & PG:ai

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of Hunters & Unicorns, East Coast Elite, we sit down with Brian McCarthy, President of Global Revenue and Field Operations at Rubrik. With a remarkable track record scaling high-performing teams and navigating through IPOs, Brian shares the foundational principles that shaped his leadership, putting people first, leading with love, and building structures that drive consistent performance. We explore how Brian transitioned from star seller to visionary leader, how he earned unshakeable team loyalty, and why systems like WANs can revolutionize your sales coaching. If you're serious about leading at scale with integrity, this is a must-watch.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 – Intro & First Sales Job

04:20 – Choosing Leadership Over Sales

08:00 – WANs: Coaching with Metrics

12:10 – Building Loyalty Through Care

16:15 – Sales vs. Leadership Thinking

21:00 – IPO Learnings & Pressure

26:10 – Territory, Quota & Fairness

31:25 – Love-Driven Leadership

36:20 – Hiring for Intellect & Agility

42:05 – Structuring First-Line Teams

48:40 – Closing Advice & Reflections

💥 3 Biggest Lessons

1. Real leadership is people-first – Helping someone grow, even if it means leaving your team, is true leadership.

2. Structure drives consistency – Weekly Activity Numbers (WANs) give both clarity and accountability to teams.

3. Love creates loyalty – When leaders genuinely will the best for their people, performance naturally follows.

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro.

If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes “If this is better for you and your family, leave. I will help you get promoted.” “You either really care about people and their development, or you don’t.” “Love is willing the best for others—and that’s how I lead.”

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of Sales SOS, Hunters & Unicorns co-founders Ollie and Simon go head-to-head on one of the most misunderstood, yet business-critical skills in sales leadership: how to consistently hire A-players. Drawing from two decades of experience working with the world's most elite sales teams, we break down the true mindset, mechanics, and strategy behind world-class recruitment — and why most leaders are getting it completely wrong. What we cover:

Whether you're a first-time hiring manager or a seasoned VP, this is your playbook for hiring without luck or guesswork.

🔗 Subscribe & Connect If this episode resonated, drop a comment, like the video, and hit subscribe. We’re here to help you build teams that win.