The GTM Podcast

Phil Hernandez is the VP of Sales Services at TaskUs. He has spent the past 20 years skillfully building and transforming numerous Go-To-Market (GTM) teams. He possesses an unwavering commitment to mastering sales systems and demonstrates expertise in orchestrating organizational change aimed at cultivating high-performance revenue teams. His diverse industry background ranges from Tech/SaaS, Big Data, Adtech/Media, and CPG. He has implemented best practices in Startup, Scale Up, Public, and Private Equity operating environments as well as driving many transformational initiatives. As a revenue architecture expert, Phil specializes in operationalizing best practices and implementing scalable, data-driven solutions to elevate customer satisfaction throughout their buyer’s journey. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• The importance of cross-functional alignment in go-to-market strategies
• Balancing strategic planning with day-to-day sales execution
• Tactics for breaking down silos between marketing, sales, and customer success
• The myth of work-life balance and finding personal equilibrium
• Strategies for incentivizing sales teams and driving desired behaviors
• The danger of seeking "silver bullet" solutions in sales leadership

Highlights:
(2:49) Phil's journey from Coca-Cola delivery driver to sales leader.
(9:41) Challenges in aligning different go-to-market functions.
(14:12) Time-blocking strategies for sales leaders.
(20:26) How TaskUs increased opportunity conversion 4x through better lead engagement.
(24:20) Designing effective sales compensation plans.
(32:33) The importance of focusing on micro-wins rather than silver bullets.
(35:09) Phil's framework for evaluating go-to-market success: People, Process, Platforms, and Performance.
(38:05) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Phil thinks is bull$***.
(39:36) One thing that is working for Phil in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Phil Hernandez):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernandezphillip/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now. 

If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.

We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm

Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack” - with Apollo I believe you can accomplish both." -Scott Barker

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Nealesh Patel is the Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase, an AI-powered platform that helps over 80 million dealmakers discover and prioritize the right opportunities using best-in-class company data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, Neal has a proven track record of executing progressive growth strategies, landing innovative partnerships, developing revenue streams, and building winning teams. As the leader of Crunchbase's go-to-market functions, and the de facto general manager of its data licensing business, Neal has a cross-functional and holistic understanding of how to provide value to customers and generate revenue. Under his leadership, Crunchbase has more than 4X'd its unique users, increased its annual recurring revenue by over 75x, and secured partnerships with large brands like S&P, LinkedIn, Meta, Oracle, NASDAQ, Amazon, and Snowflake. Neal is also an active board member, advisor, and investor in several high-growth startups.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The importance of listening to customers without blindly obeying their requests
• How Crunchbase adapted to the rise of ChatGPT and generative AI
• The value of conducting ongoing customer tours to inform product development and strategy
• Insights on career growth and taking risks in professional development
• The future of sales management in the age of AI and rev tech platforms

Highlights:
(03:45) The concept of "listening to customers without obeying"
(09:12) Crunchbase's response to the release of ChatGPT
(13:58) Developing predictive signals using Crunchbase's proprietary data
(19:32) Career advice: The importance of curiosity and authenticity
(22:15) Taking risks and daring to be "stupid" in your career
(25:37) The ongoing need for human sales managers in the age of AI
(30:42) Why traditional sales playbooks may become obsolete
(34:21) Institutionalizing customer tours as a core business practice
(37:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Neal thinks is bull$***
(39:47) One thing that is working for Neal in go-to-market right now

Guest Speaker Links (Neal Patel):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealeshpatel/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Apollo. The revenue tech stack is messy right now. All the leaders that I’m talking to are reevaluating their stacks from the ground up. Do we really need ten different solutions? If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of our list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over. We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page - you can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm 

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. He currently leads Atrium, makers of sales performance management software to help organizations measure and improve sales performance. Previously, he founded TalentBin, a talent search engine and recruiting CRM that was acquired by Monster Worldwide in 2014. Pete also authored Founding Sales, a startup sales handbook, and established Modern Sales, the nation’s largest community for sales operations, leadership, and enablement. Modern Sales is an invite-only community with over 30,000 members from 10,000+ sales organizations focused on peer education in sales operations and management.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The impact of zero interest rate policy on sales performance and buyer behavior
• The importance of accountability and performance management in sales
• The role of AI in sales and potential risks of over-automation
• Strategies for effective sales management in the current economic climate
• The value of "back to basics" approaches in sales, including pipeline generation

Highlights:
(5:59) Analyzing the drivers behind decreased sales performance in software companies.
(11:03) The evolution of sales management roles and responsibilities.
(17:58) The importance of accountability in sales management.
(22:32) Potential risks of AI automation in sales skills development.
(26:45) The need for rigorous performance management across all levels of sales.
(34:35) Implementing "PG Tuesday" as an effective pipeline generation strategy.
(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Peter thinks is bull$***.
(34:26) One thing that is working for Peter in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Peter Kazanjy):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazanjy/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

David Knight is the Co-founder and CEO of Avarra, an AI-powered platform that simulates human-to-human interactions to accelerate sales onboarding and training. With over 30 years of experience scaling companies from tens of millions to billions in revenue, including WebEx and Proofpoint, David brings a unique perspective on the intertwined nature of product and go-to-market.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The power of AI simulations in providing experiential learning for sales reps.
• Designing products backwards from the go-to-market motion.
• Strategies for aligning product and sales teams to drive revenue growth.
• Rethinking ramp time: it's about at-bats, not arbitrary time periods.
• Shifting perspective from the sales funnel to the buyer's journey.
• The future of AI in sales training and enablement.

Highlights:
(02:24) Simulating human-to-human interactions with AI avatars.
(07:44) Creating a fun, engaging environment for sales training.
(13:26) Designing products from the go-to-market motion backwards.
(19:32) Helping sales leaders win deals as a product leader.
(27:08) Listening for pain points, not feature requests, from customers.
(31:07) Completely changing the go-to-market motion at Proofpoint.
(37:43) Aligning motivations between product and sales teams.
(38:43) Rethinking the sales funnel as a buyer's journey.
(41:50) Building customized simulations for qualified prospects.
(34:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that David thinks is bull$***.
(41:50) One thing that is working for David in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (David Knight):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrknight/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered. 

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Kyle Poyar is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner at Tremont, with over 8 years of experience at OpenView where he became a leading voice in the product-led growth (PLG) movement. Kyle shares his insights on the inevitability of PLG in an AI-driven future and reveals must-try tactics to accelerate growth using a PLG approach.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Why PLG is becoming inevitable, especially with the rise of AI in software
• Creative ways companies can build out their PLG motion
• How social proof and PLG are merging to influence buying decisions
• Advice for early-stage founders looking to set up a PLG motion
• The realities of working in venture capital and how to break into the industry

Highlights:
(4:22) The evolution of PLG from an investment risk to a critical strategy.
(9:10) Will the vast majority of software companies have a PLG motion in the future?
(18:56) Using product data for marketing purposes.
(21:17) Offering an affordable entry-level package to land and expand.
(23:44) The increasing importance of social proof in PLG.
(31:41) Advice for early-stage founders setting up a PLG motion.
(37:43) Kyle's journey from consulting to VC and advice for breaking into venture.
(44:43) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***(47:59) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Poyar):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Newsletter: https://www.growthunhinged.com/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Cliff Simon is the CRO of Carabiner Group, a part of SBI Growth, an advisor, and fractional executive for several high-growth start-ups, where he utilizes his expertise in all things GTM and RevOps. He is an active leader in multiple GTM communities. With almost two decades of broad technology experience, he has anchored GTM teams in SaaS & Service industries including consulting, network & communications, software, e-commerce, and supply chain. Having worked in both Fortune 20 and High-Growth Startups, Cliff prefers the fast pace and the ability to deliver significant impact that comes with working in the startup space. Cliff is a recipient of the 2024 Modern Sales Leader award from HubSpot and a 2024Top 50 CRO to Watch by Pavilion. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• The power of community-led growth in driving customer acquisition and revenue.
• Lessons learned from growing and selling a bootstrapped services business.
• Navigating the challenges of rapid growth, including hiring and managing cash flow.
• The importance of RevOps and when to invest in a full-time RevOps hire.
• Predictions for the future of go-to-market, including the rise of micro-businesses and AI.

Highlights:
(15:43) Driving growth through community involvement and providing value.
(22:58) Hiring challenges during rapid growth. 
(27:34) Identifying potential acquirers and navigating the acquisition process.
(33:00) Lessons learned from the acquisition and what Cliff would do differently.
(38:27) Predictions for the future of SaaS businesses and go-to-market.
(42:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Cliff thinks is bull$***.
(44:55) One thing that is working for Cliff in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Cliff Simon):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-simon

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and consultant with over a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for both B2B and B2C companies. He has worked with major brands like Shutterstock, Gusto, WordPress, Quora, Mixpanel, and Zendesk to build and execute global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their visibility at scale. Previously, Eli led the SEO team at SurveyMonkey, growing organic search from nearly zero to one of the largest growth channels at the company.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The product-led SEO framework Eli used to drive SurveyMonkey from 0 to $100M+ in revenue.
• Why the old model of churning out SEO content is dead and how AI is disrupting the space.
• Eli's journey from getting rejected at top tech companies to becoming a thriving consultant.
• The power of deeply understanding your target user and building products for their needs.
• Actionable advice for making the transition from operator to successful consultant.

Highlights:
(4:14) Building SEO products tailored to the user intent, not just keywords.
(8:19) How Zapier unlocked massive growth with a product-led SEO approach
(17:15) Why AI content generation is not a silver bullet - it still requires a purposeful strategy.
(22:54) Examples of Eli's product-led SEO wins at SurveyMonkey, Tinder, and Coinbase.
(29:31) The biggest mistake people make with SEO is having a diminished understanding of what it can accomplish.
(41:28) Eli's best consulting gigs came from job interviews where he got rejected.
(44:33) To succeed as a consultant, develop a niche specialty and have customer success stories.
(52:23) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eli thinks is bull$***.
(54:49) One thing that is working for Eli in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Eli Schwartz):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered. 

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

A transformational leader who specializes in data driven GTM, Allison Metcalfe has had a non-traditional path to the C Suite - starting in Account Management, and being a leader in the evolution of Customer Success, Allison has held a variety of leadership roles across sales and operations in some of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies including Jigsaw (acquired by Salesforce), Demandbase, Quotient (NYSE: QUOT) and Liveramp (NYSE: RAMP), which went from $30M to $500M in revenue and IPO under her tenure.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Allison's non-traditional journey from customer success to CRO.
• The importance of building a strong post-sales function early on.
• Balancing product-led growth with an enterprise sales motion.
• The qualities that make an effective modern CRO.
• Leveraging customer stories as a powerful growth lever.
• Lessons learned from LiveRamp's explosive growth and acquisition by Acxiom.

Highlights:
(2:13) Choosing companies based on people and gut instinct.
(7:40) The transition from purely product-led growth to supporting an enterprise sales motion.
(11:52) The risk of neglecting your core customers during growth.
(16:31) Operationalizing the transition from self-service to enterprise.
(23:55) Lessons learned from LiveRamp's acquisition by Acxiom.
(28:14) Overcoming the desire to be liked as a leader.
(35:25) Beyoncé's "Sasha Fierce" persona as a leadership tool.
(39:16) The role and skills required of a modern CRO.
(45:18) The importance of separating new logo sales from account management.
(48:29) The power of word-of-mouth and focusing on customer outcomes.

Guest Speaker Links (Allison Metcalfe):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonmetcalfe/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered. 

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Adam Robinson is the Founder/CEO of Retention.com and RB2B. Adam bootstrapped Retention.com to $22m ARR in 4 years by helping ecommerce stores identify their anonymous website visitors and send them triggered emails. He launched RB2B in March of 2024 to help SaaS companies identify anonymous website visitors and see their LinkedIn profiles in Slack for free! Adam lives in Austin, TX with his wife Helen and daughter Emma.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Building demand and an audience before creating a product, rather than the traditional approach of building a product first. 
• The power of a founder's personal brand and thought leadership to drive growth, especially in the early stages.
• The shifting landscape of B2B marketing and sales, and why every SaaS founder will need to build an audience via organic social media to succeed.
• Persevering through major challenges and low points as a founder, and how these moments can lead to breakthroughs.

Highlights:
(1:09) The experience of people feeling like they know you from your content.
(2:27) Shifting from searching for demand to building demand, then building a product to match.
(5:25) Why LinkedIn content creation is an efficient growth engine for startups.
(13:29) Factors that led to Adam's LinkedIn content resonating and driving massive growth.
(20:56) Swapping value with other founders by cross-pollinating audiences.
(22:25) Feeling like content creation is work, not play, and how to build the habit.
(30:33) The story of Adam's entire codebase being deleted right before an acquisition.
(32:32) Hitting rock bottom with a failed product launch and discovering the next opportunity.
(53:36) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Adam thinks is bull$***.
(56:17) One thing that is working for Adam in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Adam Robinson):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Upland Altify. A leading provider of AI-enhanced sales solutions, Altify is designed to help revenue teams work smarter. This Salesforce-native suite of sales solutions empowers seller productivity, streamlines workflows, and uncovers hidden opportunities – all leading to significant revenue growth - learn more.
• Vanta. With Vanta Questionnaire Automation, go-to-market teams can complete security reviews up to 5 times faster, helping you close deals in less time than ever. Over 8,000 global companies use Vanta to streamline security questionnaires and close deals fast. Experience Questionnaire Automation with a self-guided product tour, no sign-up required, at vanta.com/gtmnow.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.

Mark Kosoglow is the Co-Founder and CEO of Operator.ai, a company incubated by GTMfund. Mark was employee #1 at Outreach and former SVP of Global Sales, where he helped grow the company from zero to over $200 million in revenue. He is joined in this special edition podcast episode by Max Altschuler, Founder and General Partner of GTMfund. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• The current state of sales and marketing tech, with too much automation leading to spam and prospects tuning out messages.
• The Great Ignore, the place we have reached where buyers are ignoring 90% of sales activity.
• How basic contact and account data has become commoditized and no longer provides a competitive advantage. 
• The launch of Operator, its manifesto and mission.
• The founding story and team behind Operator, including Mark and Max's history of working together.
• Operator's unique approach to using AI for finding interesting insights to enable relevant, targeted outreach.
• Incubating a company within GTMfund.

Highlights:
(4:00) Mark's background at Outreach and the early days of sales automation.
(6:41) The problem with relying solely on basic contact and account data for outreach.
(8:41) How Operator uses AI to find unique insights for personalizing outreach
(14:01) The vision for Operator: going from 20 sales touches to book a meeting back down to 2. 
(27:58) The founding story of Operator and how the team came together.
(32:47) Comparing Operator's approach to other sales tech tools and their shortcomings.
(38:00) The dangers of AI-powered spam and the need for more targeted, relevant outreach.

Guest Speaker Links (Mark Kosoglow):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/

Host Speaker Links (Max Altschuler):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsor:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
Visit gtmnow.com to see more content and subscribe.