The Ramped Podcast

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [0:55] – Intro to James
• [5:37] – What's important for the future of work  
• [13:23] – A shifting workforce
• [19:35] – The power of automation
• [21:07] – Variance
• [27:39] – The future of sales
• [38:32] – James' professional mantra

MORE ON JAMES:

James Gross is a sales and marketing leader with emphasis in emerging trends and technologies. He currently focuses on working at the intersection of media, culture, and technology and how to bring safe and scalable platforms and solutions to brand marketers.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [1:51] – Intro to Mustafa
• [3:07] – The importance of having a professional coach 
• [5:03] – Mustafa's transition to sales
• [9:26] – Assumptions
• [14:08] – The most impactful person on Mustafa's career
• [16:00] – Knowing if your coach has positively impacted you 
• [17:10] – Overcoming fear

MORE ON MUSTAFA:

As VP of Sales, Mustafa Qutub leads the Nexkey, Inc. sales program, which comprises four groups: SMB, Growth, Strategic Business Development and Sales Operations. Prior to Nexkey, Mustafa led teams at Arkose Labs and Akamai. He draws on a diverse business and educational background to inform sales programs and strategies, with a focus on recognizing and amplifying the human element of business. When it comes to recreation, Mustafa divides his time between losing to his kids at Halo and cheering on the Green Bay Packers.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [1:11] – Intro to Joey
• [3:59] – The importance of your brand
• [8:22] – Choosing companies that develop great sales talent  
• [13:10] – Overcoming adversity
• [17:54] – The most impactful person on Joey's career
• [21:41] – Honest conversations with your manager
• [25:55] – Taking ownership of your own success

MORE ON JOEY:

Joey Nalevka is a Sales and Operations leader who specializes in setting up the infracture so sales reps, customers, and the company can win. Currently, Joey leads all revenue globally for Houzz, which is the #1 site for Home Design and Remodeling. His 1000-person works across the business's two main channels: 1) A SaaS business that provides the end-to-end digital tools to power a Home Professional's entire business, and 2) an eCommerce shop for homeowners and professionals. Previous to Houzz, Joey led Local Sales and Operations at Groupon where he scaled the sales organization responsible for curating amazing local experiences across every major city in the US and Canada. He started his career as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, and spent time leading sales for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He currently resides in Orange County with his wife Cheryl, and two energetic sons Shane, and Isaac. He's a passionate Toronto Raptors fan, avid (and mediocre) golfer, and loves to read, travel, and go for local hikes with his family.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [1:23] – Intro to Taylor
• [4:04] – The importance of grit
• [5:35] – Taylor's transition to sales
• [6:28] – Selling to high level decision makers early on
• [8:03] – Executing with the company's vision and values in mind
• [11:09] – The crucial traits when hiring SDRs
• [14:58] – Tactical advice on interviewing for your first sales role 
• [19:33] – The value in reaching out 

MORE ON TAYLOR:

Taylor Scotto helps stabalize global SDR organizations, grow enterprise outbound motions, and introduce the next level of process for pre-IPO companies.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorscotto

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [1:32] – This conversation starts with a free flowing discussion between Rhonda and Manoj
• [5:42] – The importance of disaggregated data
• [9:47] – Education in the U.S.
• [14:06] – Rhonda's take on the skills gap
• [14:50] – Racial diversity in the tech space
• [26:35] – Student loan debt
• [28:23] – Being wary of an Income Share Agreement (ISA)
• [32:42] – The lack of corporate investments in K-12 education
• [35:29] – How to question an ISA

MORE ON RHONDA:

Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe is the President and Founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. She is an economist and mathematician who analyzes large datasets to find the stories hidden in the aggregate and her research focuses on three areas: gender and racial inequality, the diversity of STEM, and the demography of higher education. Rhonda's research has been featured on the PBS News Hour, Marketplace, The Kerri Miller Show, The New York Times, The Economist, and The Washington Post. Rhonda was named a Black Scholar You Should Know by TheBestSchools.org and BlackEnterprise.com and has served on the faculty at Barnard College, Bennett College, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Duke University, and the University of Vermont. Rhonda holds master’s degrees from Clark Atlanta University (applied mathematics), Stanford University (operations research), and Claremont Graduate University (economics), and completed her doctorate in economics/mathematics at Claremont Graduate University.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [2:17] – Intro to David
• [3:42] – Focusing on learning and experience
• [8:22] – The impact of a leadership change 
• [10:25] – The importance of learning from failure
• [13:08] – Keeping things in perspective
• [20:06] – The most impactful people on David's career 
• [24:42] – Creating a higher performing sales team
• [26:07] – Embracing the unknown

MORE ON DAVID:

David McCollum leads the strategic sales org at Block. As Head of Strategic Sales, David leads the organization responsible for selling and supporting Block's largest customers. The team includes Business Development, Sales, Project Management, and Strategic Partnerships. Prior to joining Block, David was Vice President of Sales at DoubleDutch (Now part of Cvent). David is a Bay Area native who currently splits time between California and Idaho. He has a wife, two young kids, and a pug named Benson.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [2:41] – Intro to Jen
• [5:26] – Selling something you believe in
• [8:47] – The importance of listening over talking
• [11:24] – Becoming a better listener
• [14:07] – Optimizing for long-term success in sales
• [17:20] – The most impactful people on Jen's career 
• [22:08] – Treating interviews as two-way streets
• [23:14] – The value in finding the right work setting 

MORE ON JENNIFER:

Jennifer Burke is the Head of Sales and Account Management at Faire, where she helps oversee the growth and expansion of the brands and retailers on the marketplace.  Since she's started, Jen's teams have helped grow the brand base from 5,000 brands and 30,000 retailers in the US to 40,000 brands and 300,000 retailers globally.  Previously, she was the VP of Partnerships at ClassPass where she helped build the supply network from 100 to 15,000 partners and expanded the geographic footprint from 1 to 60+ markets globally. Previous roles include Bain & Company, McCann Erickson and The Walt Disney Company. She holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Brown University.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [2:11] – Intro to Tahirih
• [3:13] – The importance of curiosity
• [6:26] – Tahirih's biggest surprise 
• [9:36] – Bringing abstract value to a sales team
• [12:20] – The balance between a quantitative and qualitative impact
• [15:48] – Critically reflecting on your past
• [18:52] – Appreciating constructive feedback
• [20:28] – The impact of your actions today six months out 

MORE ON TAHIRIH:

Tahirih launched her sales career at Square and currently heads up Sales Development at Figma where she’s responsible for growing their outbound sales motion. Tahirih spends her time outside of work mentoring folks early in their sales careers, volunteering at farmer’s markets, and hiking around Marin County.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [2:05] – Intro to Don Robertson
• [5:35] – Workforce changes from a talent perspective 
• [9:58] – Addressing a skills gap
• [13:40] – Bridging together companies and employees
• [17:15] – Don's appreciation for skills
• [20:42] – Shift in workforce expectations
• [24:42] – Changes in employee expectations
• [33:30] – Don's excitement for the future

MORE ON DON:

Don J. Robertson joined Northwestern Mutual in July 2018 to lead employee experience, driving organizational vision through the power of its people. He is responsible for advancing the company’s people strategy and employee value proposition, as well as the overall employee experience. Don leads an organization that comprises Human Resources, change management, campus facilities, and meeting events. Throughout his career, Don has held senior HR leadership roles during times of transformation in companies ranging from Fortune 50s to maturing start-ups. 

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

• [2:12] – Intro to Tenbound
• [3:33] – The importance of self-care
• [6:12] – The transition to independence 
• [12:07] – Ego being the enemy
• [15:40] – The most impactful people on David's career 
• [19:38] – Value from trying new things
• [23:13] – Not beating yourself up
• [24:04] – The diverse pathways that stem from sales 

MORE ON DAVID:

David is a Sales Development program building specialist with deep experience building highly successful Sales Development (SDR) programs from scratch for technology companies. He is also the host of the Sales Development Podcast, the only audio forum dedicated to helping the Sales Dev Community get better, and Founder/CEO of Tenbound. At a strategic level, David has the ability to effectively blueprint the entire Sales Development function. From there, recruit, hire, build, mentor, inspire and lead a team of Sales Development Representatives to exponentially grow new business revenue and new logo attainment for start-ups or more established companies. He considers himself a lifelong student of this craft.

MORE ON RAMPED:

• Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
• Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at [email protected]