Stephen Morse, founder of the Sales Engineering Leadership Institute, brings three decades of experience to this discussion about AI’s impact on go-to-market strategies. Having lived through the client-server, cloud, and now AI paradigms at companies like Siebel and Salesforce, Stephen offers unique perspectives on how this transformation differs from previous technology shifts.

The conversation explores why AI feels more disruptive than past innovations, automating human functions rather than just enhancing productivity. Stephen and James dive deep into the convergence of pre-sales and post-sales roles, discussing how solutions engineers are increasingly taking on full customer lifecycle responsibilities and transitioning into account executive positions.

They also examine emerging trends like outcome-based pricing and what skills matter most as AI handles more tactical functions. Stephen argues that while technology will automate the “speeds and feeds,” human skills like emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and trust-building will become the key differentiators. 

Tune in to hear insights on:

• (12:30) Why AI represents a more profound shift than previous tech revolutions

• (18:45) The breakdown of pre-sales vs. post-sales silos

• (28:20) How solutions engineers are becoming natural AI candidates

• (35:40) The emergence of outcome-based pricing models

• (42:15) What solutions engineering will look like in five years

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morsestephen/ 

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In this game-changing episode, Craig Rosenberg, Chief Platform Officer at Scale Venture Partners, explains why we’re experiencing the most revolutionary period in go-to-market history. With 25 years of experience and a front-row seat to GTM innovation through Scale’s 60+ portfolio companies, Craig reveals how AI has forced even the most experienced executives to completely rethink their approach.

Craig shares incredible stories of founders like David Boscovich who rebuilt their entire sales process from scratch, using AI to generate 30-page prospect research reports and hiring unconventional profiles like theater actors for demo specialists. He explains why the traditional discover-before-demos approach is dead and how buyers now expect the hyper-personalized experiences that AI finally makes possible at scale.

The conversation dives deep into the “over the hill” phenomenon affecting GTM veterans, the emergence of revenue-efficient AI-powered teams, and why venture-backed startups are becoming the proving ground for sales innovation. Craig also explores which human elements will remain essential as AI transforms the landscape and predicts what will still be true in five years.

Tune in to hear Craig’s insights on:

• (05:32) Why this GTM revolution is fundamentally different from past cycles

• (11:07) How founders are completely rebuilding sales processes with AI

• (26:09) The incredible speed of AI implementation and automation

• (33:00) The coming revolution in revenue per employee metrics

• (38:53) What trends will survive the next five years of change

Follow Craig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrosenberg/  

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The go-to-market playbook has fundamentally changed, and Gal Aga, CEO of Aligned, is helping to lead the charge. In this episode, Gal shares his journey from 17 years in sales to building a digital sales room platform that’s revolutionizing buyer enablement.

Discover how a single 440K AAR deal revealed the secret to top sales performance, why the traditional “closer” mentality is dead, and how buyer-centric approaches are the future. Gal breaks down his LinkedIn strategy that generates 700K-1M weekly impressions and drives 65% of Aligned’s leads, proving that founder branding isn’t vanity — it’s a growth engine.

Learn why transactional sales approaches are being replaced by AI, how to facilitate buying journeys instead of pushing products, and the exact framework for building authentic LinkedIn content that creates real business impact.Tune in to hear:

• (02:47) Gal’s transition from CRO to startup founder

• (06:12) The deal that revealed buyer-centric selling secrets

• (14:09) Why SMB vs. enterprise categories are broken

• (20:13) How Gal built his LinkedIN presence from scratch

• (32:54) Real numbers: LinkedIn impressions and business impact

• (38:56) Three-step framework for LinkedIn success

Follow Gal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gal-aga/ 

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The traditional go-to-market playbook is dead. Brett Queener, who literally wrote the original SaaS playbook at Salesforce, explains why everything we’ve learned about GTM over the past 20 years is becoming obsolete in the age of AI agents. 

As Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures, Brett invests in the seed-stage companies that are building the future of software — products that actually do work for you instead of making you hunt and peck across databases. He reveals why Solutions Engineers are perfectly positioned to become the dominant sales role, how AI is eliminating the need for traditional sales hierarchies, and why the gap between software and actual job completion is finally closing.

Brett shares insights from his unique journey: from running a factory in California to becoming an early Salesforce executive who built the go-to-market machine that scaled from 10 reps to a multi-billion dollar platform. Now he’s investing in the AI-native companies that will make that playbook irrelevant.

Tune in to hear:

• (02:21) How Brett build the original Salesforce GTM playbook with no roadmap

• (09:25) The exact moment Brett realized AI would change everything

• (16:58) Why software interfaces should be “as least as possible”

• (20:45) Why SEs do 80% of selling work but AEs get the credit

• (31:58) Why vertical AI beats horizontal every time

Follow Brett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/ 

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In this episode of The New GTM Playbook, host James Kaikis sits down with Zach Lawryk, Solutions Leader at OpenAI, for a deep dive into AI-native selling and the future of go-to-market strategies.

With 25 years of experience spanning Salesforce, Box, Rippling, and now OpenAI, Zach provides unique insights into how AI is fundamentally changing the way companies approach sales, pricing, and customer success. Unlike previous technological shifts that simply improved productivity, AI requires a complete mental model transformation in how we interact with technology and approach work. 

Zach reveals how OpenAI operates as “AI-native sellers,” using deep research capabilities that often impress executives more than their own internal teams. He discusses the evolution of sales roles, why consumption-based pricing works better than outcome-based models in most scenarios, and his bold prediction that we’ll see 10-person companies generating billion-dollar revenues through agent-powered operations.

Tune in to hear about:

• (05:16) Zach’s AI “aha moment” while using ChatGPT at Rippling

• (12:19) How OpenAI’s sales team uses AI for comprehensive customer research 

• (20:04) The changing profile of sales professionals in the AI era

• (28:45) Why consumption pricing works better than outcome-based models

• (39:00) Future predictions: Agent-powered micro-companies at massive scale 

Follow Zach on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zlawryk/ 

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Bart Fanelli has lived through multiple hyperscale journeys, including Splunk’s incredible growth from $60M to $1.5B revenue in seven years. In this episode, he reveals why go-to-market fundamentals consistently outperform the latest trends and tactical experiments.

The conversation dives deep into operational discipline, realistic capacity planning, and cross-functional alignment as the foundation for sustainable growth. Bart shares tactical examples from Splunk’s success model with virtually no quota over-assignment and how full lifecycle teams with aligned compensation transformed customer experience.

This isn’t about avoiding innovation; it’s about building the proper infrastructure first. Bart emphasizes that while AI and new technologies can enhance proven methodologies, they can’t replace fundamental processes. Tune in to hear:

• (02:19) The hyperscale journey at Splunk and OutSystems

• (10:28) Splunk’s success model with single-digit over-assignment

• (13:51) Running sales and solutions as one unified team

• (21:10) Building enablement programs that actually work

• (25:43) The dangerous disconnect between boards and field teams

Follow Bart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartfanelli/ 

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In this episode, Jordan Crawford breaks down go-to-market engineering — a role that’s becoming critical as companies need data moats in the AI era. Unlike RevOps professionals who consume business strategy, GTM engineers drive strategy by connecting bespoke data insights to execution channels. 

Jordan shares his framework for moving beyond spray-and-pray outbound tactics toward segment-specific targeting with what he calls “permissionless value propositions:” messages that deliver independent value before asking for anything. He explains why horizontal companies must verticalize their motions and introduces his systems of intelligence model that will reshape how CROs operate.

The conversation reveals why most CROs are disconnected from ground-level execution and provides a practical roadmap for leaders to understand their customers deeply enough to orchestrate AI-powered GTM systems.Tune in to hear about:

• (06:16) Why companies need go-to-market engineers to build data moats

• (10:29) How GTM engineering differs from traditional RevOps roles

• (18:21) Jordan’s customer-backwards framework for modern outbound

• (20:39) Real examples of permissionless value propositions in action

• (29:59) What the future “Jedi CRO” role looks like

Follow Jordan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordancrawford/ 

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In this episode James Kaikis, Chief Revenue and Experience Officer at TestBox, sits down with Kyle Norton, CRO at Owner.com, to uncover how modern revenue leaders are driving transformative growth. Drawing from his experiences at Shopify and Owner.com, Kyle shares tactical insights on scaling SaaS businesses, fostering customer-centric growth, and building efficient, innovative teams.

Kyle opens up about leading Owner.com to a 10x revenue growth in just two years, leveraging unconventional strategies like centralizing lead research for BDRs and designing compensation plans tied to customer outcomes. He reflects on the critical importance of enablement, rev ops, and continuous learning in creating a high-performing revenue organization.

James and Kyle dive into the evolving role of CROs, why transitioning trust post-sale is essential for long-term success, and how businesses can avoid the pitfalls of “spreadsheet scaling.” 

Key Takeaways:

Jump into the conversation:

(02:00) Kyle’s Background in GTM (07:30) The Case for Early Investments in Enablement (15:45) Building a Customer-Centered Sales Team (27:15) Transitioning Trust and Long-Term Success

Follow Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylecnorton/

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In this episode James Kaikis sits down with Josh Aranoff, VP of Global Solutions Engineering at Procore Technologies, to discuss the evolution of the solutions role in SaaS. Drawing from his extensive experience at Salesforce and Procore, Josh shares insights on how solutions professionals are becoming essential strategic partners in driving revenue growth and predictability.

James and Josh delve into how the solutions role has expanded from technical demos to influencing business strategy, bridging gaps between sales, customer success, and product teams. Josh shares his innovative approach to forecasting, including implementing deal scoring and creating alignment between solutions and sales teams to improve predictability and customer outcomes.

Josh also explores the integration of presales and post-sales functions, highlighting the rise of hybrid roles and the need for solutions engineers to balance technical expertise with business acumen. He shares the importance of enabling teams with the right training, tools, and incentives to align with evolving customer expectations.

Key Takeaways:

Tune in to hear Josh’s take on: 

Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josharanoff/

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In this episode James Kaikis sits down with Jesse Dailey, SVP of Solution Engineering and Field CTO at People.ai, to talk about the critical importance of aligning go-to-market (GTM) functions to drive customer value and business growth. Drawing from his extensive career at Salesforce, Mixpanel, Talkdesk, and People.ai, Jesse shares insights on breaking down silos between sales, solution engineering, and customer success teams.

Jesse also shares his innovative approach to team collaboration, where pre-sales and post-sales functions work together as part of a unified account team. He also highlights the importance of staying engaged with customers beyond the sales process and creating a seamless journey through value checkpoints, ensuring customer goals are consistently met. He explains how aligning GTM teams improves efficiency, increases customer retention, and fosters long-term growth.

Key Takeaways:

Tune in to discover how to foster collaboration, scale success, and build a GTM strategy for the future.(06:45) Why aligning GTM teams is critical for customer value(12:30) Breaking silos: Sales, solution engineering, and customer success(19:20) The role of value checkpoints in improving retention(32:50) Lessons on risk-taking, team-building, and scaling efficiently

Follow Jesse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dailey/

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