"No data, no agent. Bad data, bad agent. Good data, good agent." Cris Mendes thinks data readiness is the number one reason the agentic enterprise fails, and he has the receipts — he ran the experiment on his own team before he sold it to anyone else.

He's VP of Revenue at Momentum.io, acquired by Salesforce in large part because of the go-to-market motion he built there. Before that: Drift, Airtable, and LogMeIn. Before all of it, U.S. Navy search and rescue swimmer. I've known him almost twenty years and introduced him to LogMeIn myself, so take the enthusiasm here with whatever salt you need.

His argument is that everyone is buying agents on top of a data layer that was never built. The average customer conversation moves about eight thousand words; maybe eight of them make it into the CRM. Companies don't have a first-party data layer, they have a human-input data layer — and that's what every agentic project quietly runs aground on.

The story worth the listen: Momentum had a brutal drop-off after the first call. Rather than sampling a few calls and guessing at messaging or ICP, Cris pushed 800 first calls through deep research and got one answer back — the reps weren't prescribing a next step. So he had Momentum listen to the last ten minutes of every call and fire a clip into Slack whenever an AE either didn't prescribe or tried and missed. With humor, so it didn't read as surveillance. Prescription went through the roof. As he puts it: a team respects what you inspect, but you can't inspect everything — unless the inspecting is automated.

WHAT WE COVER

- Selling shovels in a gold rush, and why structured data was the bet

- Why "not everything called an agent is an agent" — deciding vs. automating

- The last ten minutes of a sales call as sacred ground, and how to enforce that at scale

- Bringing AI into QBRs: "it got so real so fast" — no more recency bias and self-preservation dressed up as a forecast

- 10x growth six quarters running, zero attrition, 95% of the team over quota — and why he credits hiring over product

- Whether AI cuts headcount: expands capacity, thins middle management, and the ~10% of companies that are actually AI-forward are hiring hardest

- Auto-advancing pipeline stages on deal milestones instead of trusting a rep's guess — "otherwise you're just buying something like Clari to miss your forecast very expensively"

- His IDEC hiring model, and why he'd trade relevant experience for intrinsics every time

CONNECT WITH CRIS

LinkedIn: Cris Mendes — Cris with no H, Mendes with an S

Momentum.io

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Subscribe, rate, and review — and send this to whoever on your team is being asked to "roll out agents" this quarter.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Twenty years, and a Navy rescue swimmer

03:39 Selling shovels in a gold rush

04:13 "No data, no agent"

05:33 Is it deciding, or just automation?

07:07 Running Momentum on Momentum

08:33 800 first calls, one missing skill

10:27 You respect what you inspect

14:46 Does AI actually cut headcount?

20:41 Killing hype in the QBR

22:05 Zero attrition, 95% over quota

25:57 8,000 words spoken, 8 reach the CRM

31:43 Auto-advancing deal stages on milestones

35:44 Orchestrate, or get orchestrated out

38:39 IDEC: how Cris hires

40:53 How to reach Cris

In this episode, Jackie Wu, CEO & co-founder of Corvus Robotics, breaks down his progression from doing everything himself—including thousands of cold calls—to building a scalable, repeatable, non–founder-led sales motion. He discusses early scrappiness, the turning point when revenue became repeatable, how he hired and enabled his first sales reps, and the moment Corvus hit the kind of growth curve that required bringing in a CRO. Jackie shares the mindset, processes, and lessons that helped him step back from day-to-day selling and empower a true go-to-market organization.

Jackies Linkedin Page

Key Takeaways:

• He exited founder-led sales only after the motion became repeatable
• He created a simple but clear "founder playbook" to transfer his knowledge
• He hired reps with a rare blend of salesmanship + technical precision
• He used "trust but verify" while quickly transitioning ownership
• Explosive growth triggered the need for a CRO—allowing Jackie to truly step back

If you're a founder struggling with when to make a similar transition, definitely check out this episode.

On this episode of The Goats of Growth, David "DMo", Morse, CRO, and best selling author of "The Heart of the Sale--How to Close More Deals with Disciplined Discovery", shares how disciplined discovery is what gives life to successfully closing b2b enterprise deals.

There are many aspects of the discovery process, certainly too many to cover in one episode, but at the heart of of the discovery process is what he calls the "Magnificent 7", which are 7 kinds of questions that need to be asked throughtout dicsovery--with "Problem Questions" being chief among them.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone who is paid to sell, or is paid to manage those who are paid to sell. 

You can buy "The Heart of the Sale" Amazon now through this link. And if you're a CRO/VP Sales looking to help your team get better at disciplined discovery, reach out to DMo at yodavidmorse.com

What you'll learn:

🔹 From Marine to Sales Leader – How military discipline translates into consistent success in business
🔹 The Power of Continuous Improvement – Why the best reps and leaders never stop evolving
🔹 The Magnificent Seven – A framework for disciplined discovery and deeper client understanding
🔹 The Problem Loop – Identifying the true cause behind business pain points
🔹 Trust & Timing – How to build credibility and guide clients through tough conversations
🔹 Empathy in Leadership – Balancing toughness with understanding to inspire high performance

David Morse Linkedin Profile

Buy the book here.

On this episode of The Goats of Growth, Chris Lee, CRO at Interos, talks about the power of AI and and his sales methodology he calls P.O.W.E.R.

Chris dives into what it takes to build high-performing teams, the power of collaboration, and why investing in people always pays off.

What you'll learn:

🔹 Vision & Curiosity – How asking the right questions creates answers others can't see
🔹 Building Trust – Why trust is the foundation of every elite team
🔹 Partnerships – Why indirect channels will become vital over the nest year or so
🔹 Team Selling – How collaboration creates unstoppable teams

If you're scaling a team, leading through change, or looking to blend vision with values, this one's packed with wisdom.

Chris Lees Linkedin Profile

Timestamps

00:00 – Curiosity as the spark for vision
05:42 – Growing up as the youngest of five and finding creativity
12:30 – Making life easier through innovation and efficiency
18:15 – Why leaders need to think beyond features and functionality
25:10 – Curiosity vs. intelligence: asking better questions
32:40 – The future of indirect channels and partnerships in AI
38:44 – Rapid Fire: What motivates Chris Lee
39:55 – Humility as the path to continuous learning
41:03 – Why Indiana Jones is the ultimate leadership metaphor
42:51 – Family over meetings: the true measure of success

On this episode of The Goats of Growth, I sat down with Tanveer Bhangoo — former Go-To-Market leader, author of Pro Business Mindset, and the upcoming Bet on People. From being a first-generation athlete in Canada to leading in the tech industry, Tanveer's story is a blueprint for resilience, adaptability, and leadership done right.

He breaks down why off-season preparation is just as important in business as it is in sports, how to build trust quickly in a new role, and why betting on people is the single most powerful move a leader can make. Tanveer also shares the daily habits that drive his performance, the role of humility in growth, and how he navigates scrutiny while pushing teams to win.

What you'll learn:

🔹 From Athlete to Tech Leader – How sports shaped Tanveer's leadership DNA
🔹 Off-Season Prep – Why your biggest wins are built before the season starts
🔹 Relationship Building – The foundation for success in any new role
🔹 Betting on People – How to invest in your team for exponential results
🔹 Adaptability – The most valuable skill in today's business landscape
🔹 Daily Habits & Reflection – The underrated edge top performers use
🔹 Leadership Under Pressure – How to stay grounded while driving change

A candid conversation packed with lessons for leaders, athletes, and anyone who wants to win in the long game.

Tanvirs Linkedin Page
Tanvir's Official Website
Order the book here

In this episode of The Goats of Growth, Kyle Natichioni, VP of Sales at Reveleer, pulls back the curtain on how his team helped scale the company from $50M to over $100M in ARR — all within the high-stakes world of healthcare tech.

Kyle dives into what it really takes to build a high-performing sales org, from mastering recruiting and revenue operations to creating a sales culture that attracts and retains top talent. He also opens up about the power of grit, lessons from hard coaching, and what drives his leadership style.

What you'll learn:

🔹 Scaling to $100M+ ARR – Behind-the-scenes strategies from Revolair's growth story
🔹 Sales Leadership – How to recruit, empower, and retain high-caliber reps
🔹 Grit & Coaching – The uncomfortable but necessary path to becoming elite
🔹 Revenue Ops – Why investing here unlocks compounding growth
🔹 Playbook Building – Why there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach
🔹 Sales Culture – How to foster a team that thrives on accountability and ambition

If you're leading, building, or dreaming of scaling a sales org, this one's a masterclass.

In this episode of the Goats of Growth podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Candidate 10, a seasoned sales leader with extensive experience in tech startups, particularly in AI and pharma. We talked about her journey from being an early employee at startups to leading high-performing sales teams.

Candidate 10 emphasized the value of foundational sales skills, understanding individual motivations, and crafting effective compensation plans. She also shared her unique ability to read people, her aspirations for future leadership roles, and her perspective on what truly defines a successful sales leader.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Goats of Growth Podcast
01:02 Jenna Okoro's Career Journey
03:08 The Importance of Foundational Sales
05:21 Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Leader
07:40 Identifying Individual Strengths in Sales
08:27 Understanding Comp Plans and P&L Management
10:47 Future Aspirations and Industry Preferences
12:54 Bonus Question: Magic Wand Abilities
14:59 The Art of Reading People
17:49 Secret Sauce: What Makes You Unique
19:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode of the Goats of Growth podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Candidate 8, a sales professional with a unique background in ministry. We discussed his transition from being a pastor to building a career in technology and cybersecurity, and the vital role that empathy and relationship-building play in sales. Candidate 8 shared powerful insights on personal growth through adversity, the value of in-person communication, and his aspirations for future leadership roles. We also touched on work ethic, life lessons, and the journey of redefining oneself in a new career path.

In this episode of the Goats of Growth podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Candidate 7, who shares his unique career journey from military service to cybersecurity sales. We discuss the importance of channel sales, valuable career advice, and how he balances work with family life. Candidate 7 reflects on facing setbacks, seeking new opportunities, and the impact of recommendations in the job market. He outlines his ideal job description and expresses openness to roles beyond cybersecurity, highlighting the importance of SaaS.

Chapters

In this episode of the Goats of Growth podcast, I have Candidate 6, a seasoned sales leader with over two decades of experience across major enterprises and high-growth startups. Candidate 6 shares insights into what it truly means to "win" in sales, the critical importance of hiring the right people, and how strong leadership shapes team performance. He dives into the role of preparation, strategic alignment, and the powerful lessons learned from top leaders throughout his career.

Chapters