SBI, The Growth Advisory

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela joins Sam Herring, VP and GM of Intrepid, to explore how AI is transforming every stage of the revenue journey—from the way buyers research and engage with sellers to how sales teams are coached, trained, and enabled for long-term success. Drawing on SBI's latest research, Ray explains why AI is raising the bar for sellers, making strategic advisory skills and human connection more valuable than ever.

Together, they discuss the future of sales management, AI-powered coaching, personalized learning, and the evolution of collaborative enablement. Ray shares how AI can free frontline managers from administrative work, deliver real-time coaching, identify individual skill gaps, and finally help organizations measure the true business impact of sales training through performance data and behavioral insights.

Whether you're a sales leader, enablement professional, or learning executive, this conversation offers practical insights into preparing your teams for an AI-driven future—one where technology amplifies human performance, not replaces it, and where continuous coaching and personalized learning become the foundation of revenue growth.

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Brian Williams and Warren Shiver, partners of The Brevet Group, to discuss the story behind Brevet's integration into SBI and the shared vision driving the partnership forward. Together, they explore how Brevet's roots in management consulting shaped a unique approach to sales transformation—one focused not just on strategy, but on driving real behavior change in the field.

Brian reflects on Brevet's origin story and the pivotal realization that even the best strategies fail without effective implementation. He shares how that lesson became the foundation of Brevet's philosophy: helping organizations translate ideas into measurable action through enablement, training, and practical execution.

Warren highlights how Brevet partners with CROs, Revenue Operations, and Enablement leaders to build enduring sales capabilities, install company-specific ways of selling, and equip frontline managers to sustain change through coaching and reinforcement.

Together, they discuss the evolving challenges facing modern revenue organizations, from selling business value across executive stakeholders to integrating methodologies, processes, and technology into a unified go-to-market system that drives lasting performance improvements.

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Dave Lingebach, Senior Researcher at SBI, to unpack the findings from SBI's latest research on frontline sales manager effectiveness. Together, they explore why sales manager training remains one of the most overlooked investments in go-to-market organizations despite its outsized impact on revenue performance.

Dave shares data showing that organizations with dedicated sales manager training programs consistently outperform those without them, delivering higher quota attainment and stronger sales results. They discuss the unique challenges frontline managers face, from coaching and performance management to technology adoption and change management, and why success as a top seller doesn't automatically translate into success as a sales leader.

The conversation also examines the growing role of AI, sales technology, and enablement in the manager's role, along with practical lessons for CROs, CEOs, and revenue leaders looking to improve productivity at scale. If you're looking to drive stronger sales performance, accelerate adoption of new initiatives, and maximize the impact of your enablement investments, this episode highlights why frontline sales managers are the force multiplier your organization can't afford to ignore.

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Christina Brady, CEO and Co-Founder of Luster, to explore the emerging category of Predictive Enablement and how AI is transforming the way organizations develop revenue talent. Drawing on her experience training more than 30,000 professionals and advising over 100 startups, Christina shares why traditional enablement often identifies skill gaps only after they impact business results—and how AI can help organizations get ahead of the curve.

Together, they discuss how AI-powered practice, proficiency mapping, and predictive analytics can uncover skill deficiencies before they affect customer conversations, pipeline performance, and revenue outcomes. Christina explains how organizations can personalize onboarding, coaching, and certification programs while giving managers better visibility into team readiness and performance.

The conversation also explores the future of AI in enablement, from custom learning paths and real-time coaching recommendations to measurable improvements in ramp time, win rates, and sales productivity. Whether you're a sales leader, enablement professional, or revenue executive, this episode offers a practical look at how predictive, data-driven learning is reshaping revenue performance.

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Craig Riley and Jamie Halpin, to explore what separates successful AI-driven go-to-market organizations from those still struggling to realize measurable ROI. Together, they unpack the growing divide between “AI haves” and “have-nots,” and why leading companies are using AI not just to improve productivity, but to make smarter revenue decisions across the customer lifecycle.Craig shares fresh research on AI adoption across sales organizations, highlighting how top-performing teams are leveraging AI for everything from intelligent lead routing and conversational intelligence to predictive churn modeling and customer expansion strategies. The discussion also explores why many organizations fail to see results despite significant investment in AI tools.Jamie breaks down the foundational elements required for successful AI adoption, including strategy, governance, clean data, workflow design, talent readiness, and change management. The conversation also dives into real-world use cases transforming sales and customer success, including AI-powered coaching, inbound SDR automation, and customer signal engines that help teams proactively identify churn risks and expansion opportunities.Whether you’re leading sales, enablement, RevOps, or customer success, this episode delivers practical insights on how modern GTM organizations are operationalizing AI—and how to move from experimentation to real business impact.

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Annie Stefano, Senior Training Consultant for Client Success, to unpack what it really takes to turn client success teams into revenue drivers. Annie shares how organizations can shift from a transactional “buyer” mindset to a long-term customer growth strategy—starting with one of the most critical moments in the journey: the sales-to-CS handoff.

Together, they explore how leading organizations are building high-impact client success programs by focusing on strategic thinking, proactive engagement, and time mastery. Annie breaks down the skills modern CSMs need most—from running efficient, outcome-driven meetings to anticipating customer needs before they surface—and why many teams struggle to balance client-facing and behind-the-scenes priorities.

They also dive into practical ways to align sales and client success through shared journey mapping, internal kickoff calls, and better cross-functional collaboration—turning friction into a competitive advantage. Plus, Annie shares how to measure the real impact of training using metrics like time-to-value, net revenue retention (NRR), and NPS, while setting realistic expectations for behavior change.

Looking ahead, the conversation explores how AI and automation are reshaping the role of client success—freeing teams from manual work so they can focus on what matters most: building human-centered relationships and acting as true strategic partners.

Whether you’re building a client success function or scaling an existing one, this episode offers actionable insights on how to drive retention, expansion, and long-term customer value.

In this Gainsight Pulse debrief, SBI’s Ray Makela and Annie Stefano explore the dual forces transforming customer success: AI as a strategic partner and customer education as a growth engine. Learn how leading CS teams operationalize tools, build outcomes-based journeys, and upskill talent to deliver measurable, value-driven results.

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Charlie Dorrier, leader of SBI’s enablement activation team, to unpack why most sales playbooks fail to drive performance — and what high-performing organizations do differently.

Drawing on joint research with the Revenue Enablement Society, Ray and Charlie explore a surprising finding: simply having a manager playbook does not directly correlate with improved performance. They break down why playbooks often fall flat — from lack of executive sponsorship and overbuilt content to poor integration into managers’ daily workflows.

Charlie shares what “best-in-class” activation actually looks like: leadership-led initiatives, bite-sized content shaped by influential sales leaders, and a structured 6–10 week enablement rollout designed to embed behaviors, not just distribute documents. Together, they discuss how to eliminate low-value manager tasks, define a clear operating cadence, and make the playbook a living, evolving system rather than a static manual.

The conversation also dives into the future of playbooks — including AI-driven coaching prompts, CRM-integrated nudges, conversational intelligence triggers, and real-time digital access that transforms the traditional “owner’s manual” into an on-demand performance engine.

If your organization has invested in playbooks but hasn’t seen the expected uplift, this episode offers a practical roadmap for turning strategy into sustained manager impact — and measurable performance gains.

In this episode of the SBI Sales Enablement Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Steve Shorey, a 20-year sales enablement leader, to explore how applying change management principles can help sales teams navigate today’s complex buying environment and reduce losses to indecision.

Steve shares why most deals stall—not because of competition, but because organizations default to status quo—and how sellers can create true urgency before a crisis forces change. Together, they unpack how to build a guiding coalition across up to 30 stakeholders, define a shared strategic vision, generate quick wins during the sales process, and align around what success actually looks like.

They also discuss why discovery is where deals are truly won or lost, how to enable champions internally, and why high-integrity selling—including walking away when you’re not the right fit—builds long-term trust. Steve highlights a real-world case where applying these principles reduced deals lost to indecision by over 40%.

If your team is struggling with stalled deals, buyer friction, or “no decision” outcomes, this episode offers a practical blueprint for turning sales into a collaborative change journey—and winning the right way.

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Mark McWatters, Vice President of Revenue at Ambition, to explore how enterprise organizations can transform frontline managers into true coaching leaders.

Mark shares why most sales initiatives fail to reach the frontline, how a structured coaching operating rhythm drives accountability, and why encouragement — paired with clear metrics — is a competitive advantage. Together, they unpack the role of AI in reducing administrative burden, improving coaching visibility, and helping managers focus on what matters most: developing people.

If you’re looking to boost quota attainment, improve retention, and turn managers into force multipliers, this conversation delivers a practical blueprint for scaling a coaching culture that actually sticks.