In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John Kaplan provides end-of-year motivation and encouragement for sales leaders and representatives. With the year nearing its end, he emphasizes the importance of finishing strong whether you're surpassing targets or facing challenges. He urges listeners to prepare for the upcoming year, emphasizing planning and starting off strong. Brought to you by Force Management, this episode aims to inspire and support the sales community. Happy holidays and finish strong!

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Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined once more by Doug Holladay, author of 'Rethinking Success,' to discuss the critical elements of building genuine relationships in a business and personal context. They explore the increasing loneliness in modern society, the importance of maintaining authentic connections, and the significant impact of leadership vulnerability. They also delve into practical insights on forming small supportive groups and the broader implications of creating meaningful friendships. The conversation highlights the value of showing up for others and the importance of embracing both strengths and vulnerabilities as a leader.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Doug Holladay:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougholladay/

Check out Doug’s book ‘Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life’:
https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Success-Essential-Practices-Finding/dp/0062897888

Listen to past episodes featuring Doug:
Leading Authentically: https://hubs.li/Q02_8bfg0
Rethinking Success: https://hubs.li/Q02_8bsL0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:42] Discussing 'Maintaining Genuine Relationships'
[00:01:15] The Decline of Communal Bonds
[00:02:23] Loneliness and Mental Health
[00:04:09] Cultural Differences in Family Dynamics
[00:07:49] The Importance of Vulnerability
[00:13:21] The Power of Presence and Listening
[00:18:09] Authenticity and Connection in Leadership
[00:29:03] The Role of Storytelling in Business
[00:34:36] The Power of Knowing People
[00:35:20] Contempt and Polarization
[00:37:08] Fear and the Pace of Change
[00:39:03] The Importance of Authentic Relationships
[00:40:40] Building Meaningful Connections
[00:41:54] Balancing Busy Lives and Friendships
[00:46:05] Parenting and Personal Growth
[00:53:53] The Value of Vulnerability

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:07:50] "Men don't have a language of the heart. So when they're hurting like this, they don't know how to really give voice to it."
[00:20:35] "Everyone has a story. The people that are hearing that story, they make space for that story. They make space for that. And they don't try to interject their story into anybody else's story."
[00:28:01] "People don't care about all that mumbo jumbo. They just want to know you care. Just be present." 
[00:43:46] "The best thing you can do for your kids is keep working on you. I want my boys to see that, wow, dad has real friendships. Everything's not a transaction. He shows up for people."
[00:53:03] "Allowing people space to tell their story with no judgment, no expectation, no agenda is way harder than you think it is."
[00:53:55] "People are more attracted to our broken parts. They just want to be heard."

Be sure to listen to a special message from John Kaplan on his conversation with Tom Deierlein, a former U.S. Army Major and combat wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet. He’s also a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient. 

Support Tom’s foundation: https://tdfoundation.org/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Tom Deierlein, a West Point graduate, serial entrepreneur, Wounded Warrior, and Angel Investor. Deierlein shares his extraordinary journey from being an Airborne Ranger and Bronze Star recipient to becoming the CEO of Thundercat Technology. He recounts his return to active duty at age 38, being critically wounded in Iraq, and his inspiring recovery at Walter Reed. Focused on the theme of grit, Deierlein discusses the importance of persistence, resilience, and long-term goals in overcoming obstacles, using examples from his life and referencing Angela Duckworth's studies on grit. This episode is a powerful testament to the strength of character and determination needed to achieve greatness despite adversity.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Tom Deierlein:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomdeierlein/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:03:53] Tom's Early Career and Sales Background
[00:05:59] Transition to PTC and the Dot-Com Era
[00:10:22] The Call Back to Military Service
[00:16:15] Deployment and Civil Affairs in Iraq
[00:20:33] The Sniper Attack and Aftermath
[00:30:09] The Body's Healing Process
[00:30:35] The Challenge of Standing Up
[00:31:46] Facing Dark Days
[00:32:01] Defining Grit
[00:33:29] The Power of Persistence
[00:37:12] Rehabilitation Journey
[00:38:45] Discovering Grit
[00:42:17] Early Examples of Grit
[00:45:05] Ranger School Challenges
[00:48:21] Teaching Grit
[00:58:15] The Stockwell Paradox

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:53:17] "Excellence is not an act, but a habit."
[00:53:46] "Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
[00:59:58] "Confront the facts, have the discipline to acknowledge the harsh realities of your current situation, but maintain faith. Have an unwavering faith that you will prevail no matter how long it takes."

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Veteran Sales Leader Keno Helmi talks with Revenue Builders about price. When do you give your pricing? How do you make sure your buyer sees the value before you present pricing? These few minutes are worth your time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:01:28] Establish Value Early: Prevent customers from arbitrarily assigning low value by anchoring them to the true worth of your solution.
[00:02:32] Discovery is Critical: A robust discovery process aligns your software to customer pain points and value creation.[00:02:59] Avoid Premature Pricing: Deflect pricing conversations until you've gathered sufficient requirements and context.
[00:05:25] Build Trust with Transparency: Acknowledge customer concerns about pricing while explaining the complexities involved.
[00:07:02] Broad Pricing Ranges: Use ranges and commercial terms to delay definitive pricing until later stages of the deal.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:28] "We’re peddling insulin here, not apples. That’s why we establish value right out of the gate."
[00:02:03] "Negotiate how your software’s value will be evaluated—this determines whether you’re seen as an apple or insulin."
[00:02:32] "A great discovery process sets the foundation for preserving margins later in the deal."
[00:05:25] "Trust can wobble if sellers shy away from addressing pricing concerns with authenticity."
[00:07:02] "Broad ranges tied to ROI are your Plan B when pressured for pricing early."

Listen to Keno’s Full Episode Here: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/mastering-negotiation-in-b2b-sales-with-keno-helmi/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:

https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 

https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Thank you for being part of the Revenue Builders community! We’re grateful for your support and feedback, which helps us deliver the content you love. If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review—it truly makes a difference. Here’s to finishing the year strong!

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: 
https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0

A guide for sales messaging: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Battery Ventures Operating Partner, Bill Binch, talks with Revenue Builders on getting specific on what makes your reps successful and the importance of understanding that success profile as a CRO. If you are hiring in 2025, don’t miss this segment. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:27] - Introduction to Bill Binch's career highlights (Battery Ventures, Pendo, Marketo).
[00:01:11] - The importance of having a clear and compelling personal and company value proposition as a CRO.
[00:02:17] - Lessons from Marketo: Hiring top talent and being ruthless about performance in the early days.
[00:03:15] - Defining traits of successful sales reps and discovering the “Monday Morning Meeting Rule.”
[00:04:11] - Inputs that predict outputs: The critical metric of nine weekly customer-facing meetings.
[00:05:02] - Structuring onboarding and enablement to align activity with success expectations.
[00:05:38] - Setting success profiles in interviews to align hiring with organizational goals.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:11] - "As a CRO, if you're not audible-ready with your employee value prop or your own story, you're at risk. You're really at risk."
[00:02:56] - "If you weren’t cutting it at Marketo in 60 days, it was a hard place to be. That ruthlessness shaped our success."
[00:03:48] - "Our reps who start the week with nine customer-facing meetings consistently hit quota. Meetings multiply."
[00:05:02] - "We shifted enablement from outputs to inputs—measuring activity first to build downstream results."
[00:05:38] - "When you start here, this is what we’re going to manage you to. Does that sound good?"

Listen to Bill’s Full Episode Here: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/a-revenue-builders-journey-from-seller-to-leader-to-operating-partner/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:
https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: 
https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the critical intersection of sales and technical resources with seasoned IT and engineering professional Keith Textor. They explore the nuances of role delineation between sales and technical teams, the importance of a well-defined sales process, and strategies for shaping customer objectives and managing expectations. The conversation dives into the art of leveraging technical expertise to drive business outcomes, the challenges of Product Led Growth (PLG), and effective ways to recognize and reward technical contributions. With valuable insights and real-life examples from their experiences, they provide a comprehensive guide to enhancing collaboration between sales and technical teams for improved customer success.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about Keith Textor:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithtextor/

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:05] Role Delineation: Sales vs Technical Resourcess
[00:02:49] Understanding Customer Requirements
[00:06:33] Effective Demonstrations and Building Champions
[00:14:59] Navigating Remote Sales Dynamics
[00:27:22] The Importance of Sales Process and Qualification
[00:39:09] Navigating Company Dynamics
[00:39:49] Understanding the Right Audience
[00:40:19] Challenges in Selling CAD Software
[00:42:13] Driving Organizational Change
[00:46:47] The Role of Sales Engineers
[00:48:36] Aligning Sales Process with Customer Needs
[00:56:32] Recognizing Technical Contributions
[01:10:27] Leveraging Telemetry for Customer Success

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:26:13] "Your first job is to go sit down with your sellers, go introduce yourself, and get into as many meetings, as many demos, as many things you can."
[00:49:32] "If your process allows for things like that to happen, you're never going to scale."
[01:03:52] "There's a risk/reward difference in personalities."

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, Sasha Anderson, Global Head of Customer Success at Canva, shares her insights on crafting a scalable customer success strategy, emphasizing the importance of input metrics over output metrics. She discusses how defining clear roles, responsibilities, and competencies within customer success teams can lead to better performance management and improved outcomes like net dollar retention (NDR). Whether you're a leader building a CS team or refining an engagement model, this episode provides actionable advice to drive success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:29] Insights from Sasha Anderson on Customer Success
[00:01:14] Challenges in Customer Onboarding and Specialization
[00:02:37] Importance of Clear Roles and Responsibilities
[00:03:19] Metrics for Performance Management
[00:05:41] Effective Customer Engagement Strategies
[00:07:16] Diagnosing Business Issues in Customer Success

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:01:28] "That's probably too many things for one person to be doing."
[00:02:47] "You can’t performance manage unless people know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing."
[00:03:53] "You need to provide the team with structure around the inputs they need to hit to achieve those output metrics."
[00:07:16] "When roles are clearly defined, it’s easier to diagnose where the problem lies."

Listen to Sasha Anderson’s Full Episode Here: 
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/optimizing-a-customer-success-team

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: 
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

George Conrades, the Former CEO of Akamai Technologies and Current member of Oracle’s Board of Directors joins John Kaplan and John McMahon for a conversation on leadership. Conrades is the author of ‘On Being a Leader’ where he shares how to inspire and guide others toward a common purpose. 

He’s mentored countless leaders at all levels and across diverse industries, experiences and backgrounds. He shares his experience in this candid conversation. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Connect and learn more about George Conrades:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeconrades/

Be sure to check out his book, On Being A Leader. All the proceeds go to the Akamai Foundation that supports STEM education in grades K-12.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DF6NVQ3V

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:06] Insights on Leadership from George's Book
[00:04:13] The Power of Effective Listening
[00:08:38] Inclusiveness and Team Building
[00:17:08] Navigating Change as a Leader
[00:20:05] Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership
[00:22:55] Balancing Management and Leadership
[00:24:28] Understanding Competence and Commitment
[00:28:09] The Importance of Being Present
[00:29:02] Leveraging Team Strengths
[00:33:54] Loving People: The Heart of Leadership
[00:37:16] Leadership Development Insights
[00:38:23] The Power of Authenticity
[00:39:03] Self-Awareness in Leadership
[00:39:36] The Impact of Words and Actions
[00:44:38] Recruiting the Right People
[00:50:55] Creating Clarity and Setting Goals
[00:52:53] Accountability and Team Dynamics
[01:00:04] Guiding Principles and Urgency
[01:01:35] The Importance of Humility

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:10] "Leadership is not about your title. Leadership is about your intention and actions."
[00:02:35] "Absorb uncertainty. Great teams, full of wonderful people, can't stand ambiguity."
[00:06:42] "To be present shows that you care, and that's a big emotion."
[00:34:19] "Your whole job as a leader is to inspire others to do their very best. The measure of your personal leadership success is leaving behind even better leaders."
[00:35:04] "You need to be vulnerable because you're going to ask questions that will expose you as a leader who doesn't know the answer."
[00:36:41] "Great leaders are made, not born."