In this episode of RAW STORIES LIVE, Lori Lipscomb shares her incredible journey in sales at Codeium.

From early struggles to breakthroughs, she reveals how a single cold call worth $50,000 became the turning point in her career. Lori discusses the challenges she faced along the way, the lessons she learned, and the mindset shift that helped her close the deal of a lifetime. In a field dominated by competition and high stakes, Lori’s story is a testament to the power of resilience and persistence. She opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of sales, from missing out on big deals to hitting that one major win. Lori also dives into the personal growth that comes from taking ownership of your success.

Tune in to hear more about how Lori turned obstacles into opportunities and how you can apply these lessons to your own career. Whether you're in sales or another field, this episode offers valuable insights on overcoming setbacks and staying determined in the pursuit of success.

🏹 Key Topics Covered:

00:00 Intro

01:11 Early Challenges in Sales

02:35 Missing the Big Deal: Turning Point

04:52 Mindset Shift: Owning Your Success

06:36 The $50K Cold Call

08:24 Building Resilience Through Results

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Lesson 1: Embrace Setbacks as Stepping Stones: Lori’s journey shows that each setback, even the ones that seem like failures, can be an important learning experience. Rather than being discouraged, it’s about embracing those moments as growth opportunities that set you up for greater success.

Lesson 2: Persistence Pays Off in Sales: Lori emphasizes that in sales, persistence is everything. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but through consistent effort, you will eventually break through. It’s the repeated actions that build momentum and create opportunities.

Lesson 3: Mindset Shifts Unlock Greater Success: Lori’s story highlights how changing your perspective and taking ownership of your journey can radically transform your outcomes. By shifting from a reactive to a proactive mindset, you empower yourself to take charge of your career trajectory.

🙌 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!

🔗 Episode's Links:

Lori Lipscomb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-lipscomb/

Codeium's Website: https//www.codeium.com

🦄 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: “Every ‘no’ was just one step closer to the ‘yes’ that really mattered.” “The mindset shift was crucial — owning your own success rather than waiting for others to hand it to you.”

#rawstorieslive #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns

In this episode of RAW STORIES LIVE, we sit down with Andreas Stange, a strategic account executive at Grafana, to uncover the story behind his first eight-figure deal and seven-figure paycheck.

From immense personal stakes to relentless belief in his solution, Andreas shares how he transformed a potential failure into a life-changing success. Discover the strategies, mindset, and lessons that turned a €16,000 bank balance into a groundbreaking achievement for Andreas and his company.

🎓 Key Topics Covered:

00:00 Intro

00:48 Managing Pressure and Preparation

04:19 From LinkedIn Message to Closing the Deal 06:12 Building Champions and Gaining Buy-In

08:21 Overcoming Roadblocks and Creating Opportunities

12:46 Worldwide Travelling to Close a Deal 16:04 The Big Win: Receiving the Life-Changing Call

🔑 Biggest Lessons from the Episode:

1. Mindset and Routine: Success starts with a disciplined routine and an unshakable belief in your ability to close the deal.

2. Relentless Preparation: Understand every detail about your stakeholders and tailor your approach to build trust and connection.

3. Collaborative Execution: Big wins require teamwork; orchestrate resources effectively to tackle large-scale deals.

4. Resilience Through Adversity: Turn setbacks into opportunities and maintain a long-term vision for success.

🙌 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!

🔗 Episode's Links:

Grafana: https://grafana.com

Connect with Andreas Stanger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasprofile/

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns:

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

🔔 Notable Quotes: "Discipline and belief are the foundation for winning big." "If I don’t close this deal, no one will." "It takes a village to close transformational deals."

#rawstorieslive #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns

In this episode of RAW STORIES LIVE, we sit down with Tim Moxness, VP of Sales at Tessell, to discuss how he turned career setbacks into monumental success.

From facing rejection and disillusionment to achieving 302% of his sales quota, Tim’s story is a testament to perseverance, mindset shifts, and relentless focus. Discover the strategies that helped Tim overcome challenges, reframe his approach to sales, and close over $10M in deals in a single year.

This episode is PACKED with actionable insights for anyone looking to elevate their career and redefine success.

Key Topics Covered:

00:00 Intro

01:11 Early Challenges in Sales

02:35 Missing the Big Deal: Turning Point

04:52 Mindset Shift: Owning Your Success

06:36 The Cold Call That Changed Everything

08:24 Building Resilience Through Results

🔑 Biggest Lessons from This Episode:

1. Own Your Success: Success isn’t handed to you. Embrace accountability and take control of your career trajectory.

2. Ask Tough Questions: Don’t shy away from testing champions and qualifying opportunities rigorously.

3. Resilience Wins: When setbacks arise, double down on effort and focus to bounce back stronger.

4. Trust the Process: Results may take time, but consistency and persistence always pay off.

🙌 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!

🔗 Episode's Links: Tim Moxness on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/example Tesl website: http://tesl.com

🦄 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: "No one is going to waste my time." "Ask for the business stone cold—don’t assume the deal will close itself." "Turn disillusionment into drive and watch what happens." #rawstorieslive #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns

In this episode of "RAW STORIES LIVE," we sit down with Michelle Bove, AVP East at Wiz, to discuss her incredible journey in software sales.

Michelle shares how she turned rejection into motivation, built relationships that transformed her career, and mastered the balance between the art and science of selling. Discover her innovative strategies for breaking into accounts, winning deals, and connecting with clients on a personal level. Michelle’s passion for her craft is a masterclass in grit, creativity, and perseverance.

🏹 Key Topics Covered:

00:00 Intro

01:06 Starting with a Challenging Patch

03:29 Turning Rejection Into Motivation

07:18 Mastering the Art and Science of Sales

11:03 Building Relationships That Transform Careers

15:39 Grit, Determination, and Going the Extra Mile

🔑 Biggest Lessons from This Episode:

1. Rejection Fuels Growth: Embrace setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. Every rejection gets you closer to success.

2. Art + Science of Selling: A strong sales process is essential, but personal connection and creativity are what truly win deals.

3. Build Relationships Beyond Business: Treat clients like friends; understand their goals, motivations, and challenges to create lasting partnerships.

4. Go the Extra Mile: Stand out by doing what others won’t—whether it’s delivering sandwiches, baking cookies, or finding innovative ways to connect.

🙌 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!

🔗 Episode's Links:

Michelle Bove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bove-8b79a224/

Wiz website: http://wiz.io 🦄

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: "People ultimately buy from people." "A strong sales process is the foundation, but art is everything." "Go meet your clients, get to know them personally and professionally."

#rawstorieslive #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns

In this episode of 'RAW STORIES LIVE' we sit down with David Habibian, VP of Channel and Alliances at Rubrik. David shares the story of his greatest career challenge—facing a seemingly insurmountable quota—and how his focus on temperament and ownership became the foundation for his leadership success. From massive wins to lessons learned through failure, David reveals the single most important trait for thriving in leadership, even in the midst of crisis and chaos. 🏹 Key Topics Covered: 00:00 Intro 00:43 Overcoming Career Failure 02:16 The Most Important Trait in Leadership 06:54 Learning from Career Setbacks 10:35 Mobilizing Teams Around Common Goals 13:28 Staying Calm in Chaos 14:11 Lessons from “Ride of a Lifetime” ⚡️ Main Lessons: 1. Temperament Is Key in Leadership: Remaining calm, focused, and composed during times of chaos and crisis is a vital trait for effective leadership. It earns trust and inspires teams to follow your lead, even in difficult situations. 2. Ownership Drives Success: Taking full responsibility for outcomes—whether they’re wins or failures—demonstrates accountability and earns respect. Ownership creates a foundation for rallying teams around common goals. 3. Failure Is a Stepping Stone: Career setbacks can lead to significant growth. David’s biggest failure became the moment his leadership potential was recognized, proving that resilience and reflection turn obstacles into opportunities. 4. Mobilizing Teams Around a Shared Vision: Leadership isn’t about individual effort but aligning resources and inspiring collaboration across teams to achieve ambitious objectives. 🙌 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! 🔗 Episode's Links: David Habibian on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/example Rubrik website: http://rubrik.com 🦄 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: "Leadership isn’t about the wins; it’s about who follows you in chaos." "Poise and ownership are the foundation of great leadership." "Stay calm, stay focused, and trust the process."

In this insightful episode of Hunters & Unicorns, Simon and Ollie sit down with Zahir Abdelouhab, SVP EMEA at Navan, to discuss first-line leadership—the toughest role in software sales. Zahir shares his personal journey, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned to thrive as a first-line leader. This is his playbook. 🎓 Key Topics Covered:

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and edited by our friends at VideoScale.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel! 🔗 Episode's Links:

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns:

🔔 Notable Quotes:

In this engaging conversation, Varun Mohan, CEO and Co Founder of Codeium, shares his journey of building a unicorn AI company in just three and half years.

He discusses the importance of having fun in business, the challenges of navigating the startup landscape, and the critical role of sales strategy and market fit.

Varun emphasizes the future of AI and its impact on software development, as well as Codeium's vision to revolutionize the industry. He also highlights the significance of cultural principles, lean operations, and personal motivation in driving success.

Key Takeaways

• Having fun is essential in business.

In this conversation, Simon and Ollie interview Michael Musselman, the VP of Channel and Alliances at Astronomer. They discuss the evolving landscape of channel sales and partnerships, particularly in the context of cloud service providers like AWS, Google, and Azure. Michael shares his insights on building successful partnerships, the importance of understanding the partner's business, and the need for a give-and-take relationship. He also emphasizes the value of aligning with the market trends and leveraging the power of the cloud service providers.

Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of effective channel strategies in driving business growth. In this conversation, Michael Musselman discusses the importance of leveraging the channel and partner strategy to scale revenue for startups. He emphasizes the need to build relationships with cloud service providers and other strategic partners to generate qualified pipeline and close deals faster. Musselman introduces the concept of the 5 C's (Co-sell, Co-build, Co-market, Consumption, and Champions) as a framework for evaluating and developing successful partnerships. He also highlights the growing influence of cloud service providers in the software sales market and the need for companies to adapt to this trend.

Key Takeaways:

• Building successful partnerships requires understanding the partner's business and adding value to their operations.

• The evolving market trends indicate that every business is becoming a technology or software business, and cloud service providers play a crucial role in this transformation.

• Effective channel strategies involve aligning with market trends, leveraging the power of cloud service providers, and nurturing strong relationships with partners.

• Balancing the give-and-take relationship in partnerships is essential, where adding value to the partner's business should come before asking for favors.

• The channel sales role requires individuals with attributes like an entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity, and a growth mindset. Leveraging the channel and partner strategy can have a significant impact on the size and speed of deals.

• Building relationships with cloud service providers and strategic partners is crucial for generating qualified pipeline and closing deals faster.

• The 5 C's (Co-sell, Co-build, Co-market, Consumption, and Champions) provide a framework for evaluating and developing successful partnerships.

• Cloud service providers are playing an increasingly influential role in the software sales market, and companies need to adapt to this trend.

Gardner Johnson discusses his experiences and challenges in building successful channel ecosystems. He shares his journey from direct sales to the channel and how he developed a playbook for repeatable and scalable channel success.

Gardner emphasizes the importance of data and metrics in understanding partner performance and driving success. He also highlights the need for buy-in from the entire go-to-market organization and the value that a well-executed partner ecosystem can bring. The hiring criteria for partner managers are similar to those for account managers, focusing on intelligence, entrepreneurship, and a sense of urgency.

In this conversation, Gardner and the hosts discuss the qualities and skills required for success in partner management roles. They highlight the importance of drive, coachability, and experience in building successful partnerships. They also explore the challenges of convincing AEs to transition into partner roles and the need to check ego and take a backseat in sales campaigns. The conversation delves into the critical role of champion building in partner management and the need to build champions both internally and externally. They also discuss the evolving role of the channel in the changing buyer landscape and the emergence of marketplaces. Gardner shares his insights on why the channel is becoming more important and the potential for a channel-first approach. The conversation concludes with Gardner discussing his new role at Codeium and the exciting opportunities in leveraging AI and large language models to solve specific business problems.

Key Takeaways

• Building a successful channel ecosystem requires buy-in from the entire go-to-market organization.

• Data and metrics are crucial in understanding partner performance and driving success.

• A well-executed partner ecosystem can bring significant value to an organization.

• The hiring criteria for partner managers are similar to those for account managers, focusing on intelligence, entrepreneurship, and a sense of urgency. Drive, coachability, and experience are key qualities for success in partner management roles.

• Convincing AEs to transition into partner roles can be a challenge, as it requires checking ego and taking a backseat in sales campaigns.

• Champion building is crucial in partner management, both internally and externally.

• Enablement plays a critical role in building successful partner ecosystems.

• The channel is becoming more important due to the emergence of marketplaces and changing buyer behaviors.

• AI and large language models offer opportunities to solve specific business problems and drive meaningful business value.

Ghazal Asif Fahadi, VP of Channels, Alliances, and Inside Sales at Rubrik, shares her expertise on the importance of channel partnerships in software sales. She highlights two primary reasons why companies often get the channel playbook wrong: inadequate measurement of channel impact and working with too many partners.

Ghazal emphasizes that companies often fail to track the incremental contribution of the channel to the business, leading to mistrust and self-sourcing of deals. To address this, she recommends measuring the deals that are sourced by partners and approved by reps to ensure accurate tracking. This approach will enable companies to understand the channel's true impact and make data-driven decisions.

Ghazal advises companies to highly qualify their partners, commit to a few strategic partners, and invest in them instead of trying to work with a large number of partners. This strategic approach will allow companies to build stronger relationships, improve focus, and increase accountability. Ghazal attributes the failure of the conventional channel playbook to the lack of understanding of the channel's true impact, particularly among software companies. She notes that many large technology companies that have grown up in the hardware industry may not fully comprehend the importance of measuring channel contributions. This gap in understanding can lead to misguided strategies and ineffective channel partnerships. Ghazal shares a personal anecdote about a turning point at AppDynamics, where they realized the need to establish leading indicators for their channel partners. These leading indicators would help track progress, ensure accountability, and provide a more sales-organization-like approach to the channel.

Rubrik has implemented a set of leading indicators to measure the performance of their channel partners, including:

* Deal registration: The number of deal registrations submitted by partners

* Deal registration conversion: The conversion rate of deal registrations into opportunities

* Opportunity conversion: The conversion rate of opportunities into closed deals

* Save the Data: A group of people who learn about the chaos caused by cyber attacks and attend events that generate pipeline

* Account mapping: Research and identification of high-potential accounts

* Propensity to buy: Researching and identifying accounts with a higher likelihood of purchasing the company's technology