The Goats of Growth

On today's episode of The Goats of Growth, Cris Mendes, VP of Sales at WEVO, talks about his unique approach to coaching by first identifying the limiting beliefs that may be preventing people from achieving their goals. Once identified, he works with them to overcome those beliefs so they can reach their full potential.  

Cris' deep passion for coaching, influenced by his own experiences with impactful mentors, is palpable throughout this episode. With a focus on sales fundamentals and personal growth, Cris also dives into the core traits that define great salespeople, including the importance of curiosity and coachability. 

Here's what to listen for:

Coaching in Sales: The significance of effective coaching in sales, focusing on both ability and proficiency to drive long-term success.

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: How understanding and overcoming personal limiting beliefs can unlock potential in sales and life.

Curiosity and Sales Success: Why curiosity is one of the most essential traits for a successful salesperson.

Discipline Over Talent: The role of discipline in achieving sales success, often outweighing natural talent.

Chris's Linkedin Profile

Timestamps

00:00  Introduction to Cris Mendes 02:06 The Passion for Coaching and Development. 05:17 Fundamentals of Sales Skills. 07:11 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs. 10:20 Practical Coaching Techniques. 14:44 Understanding Neuro-Linguistic Programming. 17:18 The Importance of Curiosity in Sales. 24:54 Ability vs. Proficiency in Sales. 32:47 The Role of Discipline in Sales Success. 36:34 Curiosity and Coachability in Hiring. 48:40 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts.

On today's episode of The Goats of Growth, I have Austin Myers, VP of Revenue at Certificial.

Certificial is on a mission to automate and streamline the traditionally labor-intensive COI process, bridging the gap between the insurance and business industries. With a vision of a seamless future where COIs are obsolete and insurance information flows effortlessly across systems, Austin provides deep insights into how Certificial is leading this transformation. Tune in to discover Austin's insights on:

Revolutionizing COI Processes: How Certificial is automating and streamlining the COI process to save time and reduce risk for compliance managers, insurance agents, and vendors.

Connecting Industries: The importance of linking the insurance industry with the business world to ensure real-time compliance and eliminate insurance risks.

Financial Stewardship in Startups: The critical importance of budgeting, profitability, and proper measurement in decision-making, especially in a startup environment.

Hiring for Success: The traits Certificial looks for in their revenue organization, including curiosity, initiative, ownership, and judgment.

AI and Automation: How Certificial uses AI and automation to scale processes and boost efficiency across the organization.

This episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, insurance, and business growth! Tune in and let us know your key takeaway.

Austins Linkedin Profile

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Certificial and the COI Process. 07:00 The Role of VP of Revenue at Certificial. 11:20 Message Market Fit and Evolution. 17:22 Becoming the Category Leader in the COI Space. 20:40 Execution and Growth Strategies. 25:14 Targeting Different Layers of Customers. 29:23 Leveraging Customer Advocacy for Growth. 29:51 The Importance of Budgeting and Being Good Stewards of Money. 31:44 Prioritizing Profitability and Proper Measurement. 34:57 The Role of Experimentation in Sustainable Growth. 36:53 The Hiring Profile for the Revenue Organization. 43:33 Using AI and Automation to Scale Processes.

My guest today is Armen Zildjian, VP of Sales at Clockwork, which is a financial planning and analysis platform for growing businesses and their advisors. Armen has over 20  years of international software sales and sales leadership experience, and has helped take multiple scale multiple tech companies, including Drift, which achieved $1B valuation in 2021, LogMeIn (IPO), GrabCad (acquired by Stratasys), and Dyn (acquired by Oracle). He knows what it takes in the beginning, managing early-stage sales teams with little structure and process, all the way through international expansion with millions in revenue and a global sales team. 

In this episode he talks about his process for how he makes it all happen. 

Here are several key takeaways from the interview:

Empowering Small Businesses: How Clockwork helps small businesses succeed by providing accurate and timely financial data through financial advisors.

Understanding Customer Value: The significance of truly understanding the customer's problem and the value Clockwork can offer.

Iterative Sales Processes: The need for constant adaptation in sales processes, with feedback loops and certification programs ensuring success.

Hiring and Curiosity: Why hiring experienced salespeople and fostering natural curiosity are crucial for sales success.

Motivation and the 'Why': The importance of having a clear goal and understanding the motivation behind actions in sales.

Empathy in Management: Armen's management style focuses on empathy, understanding the whole person, and unlocking their potential.

This episode is packed with actionable advice for sales leaders looking to scale their teams and empower small businesses! Tune in and let us know your key takeaway.

Armens Linkedin Profile

Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Background. 02:20 Clockwork's Vision and Value Proposition. 08:49 Growth and Scale: IPO or Acquisition? 14:30 Building and Fine-Tuning the Sales Process. 19:27 Handling Challenges in a Fast-Growing Startup. 23:42 Staying Focused and Disciplined in Decision-Making. 28:13 The Role of Sales Reps and A/B Testing. 32:10 Core Principles and Skills for Sales Success. 34:07 Understanding the 'Why' Behind Your Actions. 37:10 The Impact of Developing Others. 40:31 The Drive to Win: Having a Chip on the Shoulder. 51:01 Finding Fulfillment in Hobbies and Interests.

On today's solo episode of The Goats of Growth, I go deep into how to position yourself for the best job opportunities as we move towards the busiest time of year for recruiting and hiring. 

Focusing on three critical areas—Recruiters, Resumes, and References.

Tune in to insights on:

Building Relationships with Recruiters: Why connecting with recruiters who specialize in your target industry and roles is key to unlocking the best opportunities.

Crafting a Strong Resume: The importance of tailoring your resume to the job you're applying for, with a focus on relevance and showcasing your domain expertise.

Strengthening References: How reconnecting with former managers and establishing strong references can give you an edge in the hiring process.

Timing Your Job Search: Why preparing ahead of time is crucial, especially as the end of Q3 and the beginning of Q4 are peak periods for recruiting and hiring. This episode is packed with actionable advice for job seekers looking to navigate the job market with confidence and success! Tune in and let us know your key takeaway.

00:00 - Introduction 01:08 - Building Relationships with Recruiters 03:06 - Recruiters as Advocates 04:06 - Crafting a Strong and Relevant Resume 06:03 - Reconnecting with Old Managers for References 09:27 - Preparing for Job Opportunities Ahead of Time

In this episode of The Goats of Growth you will hear my interview with Kiva Kolstein, President and Chief Revenue Officer of AlphaSense.

Curious about the success behind an AI-powered market intelligence platform? Kiva shares how AlphaSense delivers quick and accurate search results and how a focus on operational excellence is driving its growth.

Tune in to discover Kiva's insights on:

Growth and Success of AlphaSense: Leveraging AI to provide market intelligence from a vast array of content sources.

Keys to AlphaSense's Growth: The role of operational excellence, sales enablement, and revenue operations in scaling the business.

Building a Strong Team: The importance of fostering a collaborative and feedback-rich culture to drive company success.

Future Plans for AlphaSense: Expanding globally and enhancing the platform with generative AI and natural language interaction.

Balancing Growth and Efficiency: Strategies for maintaining efficiency while pursuing aggressive growth targets.

Enjoy the episode!

Kivas Linkedin Profile

This is a different kind of show from what I normally do, meaning that most of my shows feature in depth interviews with one guest on various growth oriented topics. However, in this episode, you will hear clips from five recent interviews that I did that basically focus on the same topic, which have been all about the strategic thinking needed for CROs to run profitable and efficient growth organizations in the wake of the growth at all cost error that ended a couple of years ago. So in this episode, you will hear the viewpoints of Meshach Amua -Fuster, portfolio CEO, Tracy Sastilli, former chief revenue officer at Intellimize, Michelle Benfer, SVP of Sales at Bill, Jacco  'Vanderkoi, Founder of Winning by Design  and Katie Ivy.

Chief Revenue Officer at Walnut. Enjoy the episode.

Meshachs Linkedin Profile

Jacco's Linkedin Profile

Tracys Linkedin Profile

Michelles Linkedin Profile

Caties Linkedin Profile

In today's episode of The Goats of Growth, we have Catie Ivey, CRO of Walnut! She discusses the differences between selling in today's environment versus selling just a few years ago. 

Of course, as a recruiter, the thing that stuck out most to me was the what she said about the differences between great sellers and CSMs and everyone else, and the very real consequences if you're not great at what you do today. 

Takeaways from this episode:

Enhancing B2B Sales: Leveraging product demos to create a buyer-centric experience throughout the buying journey. Transitioning to CRO: The challenges and learning curve involved in owning the full revenue number. Optimizing Sales Processes: Strategies for go-to-market teams to do more with less and improve unit economics. Cross-Team Alignment: Creating alignment across product, marketing, sales, and customer success teams for scalability and predictability.Building a Strong Team: Hiring candidates with intellectual curiosity, growth mindset, and coachability.Mentorship and Diversity: Katie's passion for mentoring young women in sales and promoting diversity in leadership roles.Pipeline Building: Exploring new strategies for building pipeline and learning from industry peers. Caties Linkedin Profile

In this episode of The Goats of Growth, I interviewed Gregg Carman, CEO and Founder of Chiefsight, which empowers mid-market companies to make data-driven financial decisions with generative AI. Cheifsight analyzes data from multiple systems and provides relevant recommendations to make faster decsions while your competiors are stuck in analysis paralysis.

Want to hear his go-to-market strategy and his visionfor the future? It's all in this episode!

Data-Driven Decisions: How ChiefSight uses AI to provide real-time measurement of key performance indicators and benchmarks for better, faster business decisions. Generative AI in Marketing: Utilizing AI to analyze data from multiple systems and deliver relevant recommendations, significantly improving conversion rates.

Target Audience Strategies: Focusing on CFOs, with the CEO and CRO as key influencers, and exploring omnichannel strategies for demand generation. Thought Leadership: The role of thought leadership in defining and designing a market, leading to market leadership and profitability. Market Opportunities: Tapping into the large and growing market for decision intelligence applications.

Gregg Carmens Linkedin Profile

00:00 Introduction to ChiefSight and Greg 03:20 Real-Time Measurement and Benchmarks for Better Decision-Making 05:45 Using Generative AI to Analyze Data and Provide Recommendations 09:20 Targeting CFOs with Influencers in the CEO and CRO 16:13 Exploring an Omnichannel Strategy for Demand Generation 24:23 The Power of Generative AI in Demand Generation Marketing 29:14 Thought Leadership: Defining and Designing a Market 32:20 Scalable and Efficient Content Marketing with Generative AI 36:19 Building a Business for Sustainable and Profitable Growth 42:34 The Market Opportunity for Decision Intelligence Applications

In this episode of The Goats of Growth, I interviewed Bobby Touran, Co-Founder of Rainbow, an insuretech company focusing on the restauant industry. 

One of the biggest questions I had for Bobby was about the keys to raising money in 2024, given that it;s much more difficult than it was just a few years ago.

Enjoy the episode!

Bobbys Linkedin Profile

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and background 04:27 Seizing Opportunities and Adapting to Change 13:07 Raising Funds and Building a Successful Business 37:22 The Importance of Team, Vision, and Value Proposition in Entrepreneurship

In this episode I interviewed Michelle Benfer, Senior Vice President of the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Product Lines for BILL.

I asked Michelle about a post she shared on LinkedIn that caught my eye about the Rule of 40 and how focusing on the right roles and the right intelligence in RevOps makes you less reliant on sales headcount.

Listen to the episode to find out more, including:

Balancing Profitability and Growth: Understanding the rule of 40 and its significance for public SaaS companies.

Driving Productivity: The critical role of RevOps and how to effectively align bonuses with productivity benchmarks.

Sales Enablement: Strategies for boosting productivity and disseminating best practices across the sales team.

Effective Sales Management: Tips for hiring well, coaching effectively, and focusing on pipeline management, performance, and culture.

Navigating 2024: Insights into the challenges of running a sales team and the importance of investing in the right resources. This episode is packed with actionable advice for sales leaders aiming to achieve a balanced and productive sales organization!

Tune in and let us know your key takeaway.

 

Michelles Linkedin Profile

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Michelle Benfer and Bill 01:37 The Rule of 40: Balancing Profitability and Growth 10:17 The Importance of Sales Enablement in Supporting the Sales Team 35:20 Challenges of Running a Sales Team in 2024