The Ramped Podcast

Jessica Orozco is the VP of Sales, Americas & APAC at Platform.sh and optimistic, encouraging, and caring sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Jessica to discuss her journey in sales. They cover tons of topics, including: 

• Got laid off from first job & found a career coach who helped her find her path in sales
• Worked her way up from an inside sales rep to management
• Choosing a positive attitude in sales is a premium
• Put herself in uncomfortable situations - cold calling - to up her game; reflected on every call
• Every "no" = closer to a "yes"
• Constantly pushing herself to look to the future for what she wants to be in 1 year, 5 years, etc
• Taking time to travel with her husband gave her perspective on life: we’re all the same and we all want to be happy
• Caring about people super important to leading teams
• Focusing more on the prospect and their business over your personal success

Outside of work, Jessica is one of four sisters & she grew up in Inglewood, CA. We know you'll love learning from her!

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Jordan Evans is the Head of Sales at Unibuddy and an energetic, competitive, and empathetic sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Jordan to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a bunch of topics, including: 

• 10+ years as sales professional in tech
• Work to live, not live to work
• Jumping in professional soccer was rewarding & realized he’s super coachable
• Had to learn sales from the ground up; evolved with the times
• Sharing personal experiences of hardship, including loss of his father to suicide, to develop empathy with folks at his company
• Deep dive into empathy and empathetic sales
• Being selfish in a good way - focus on the things that are truly important for yourself first

In a previous life, Jordan was professional soccer player, and he played collegiate soccer at UVA, where he won a national championship. We know you'll love learning from him.

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Matt Grossbard is the Director of Sales at Electric AI and a hard-working, competitive, and energetic sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna sit down with Matt to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including: 

• Sports taught him that he loves to win / hates to lose & sales directly relates to his love of competition 
• Belief that hard work is a skillset
• Took on sales job in college and outsold all the competition
• Read a tweet online to find his first sales job at SinglePlatform
• Mentors at SinglePlatform gave Matt the push he needed to outwork other folks at the office
• Jumping into management, managing peers, making mistakes & learning from mistakes
• SinglePlatform set him up for success at Electric AI
• Cold calling best practices (hint: it’s still alive and well!)
• Great salespeople understand how to manage the emotional ebbs and flows of the sales process
• Enthusiasm and patience are critically important

Outside of work Matt's a Sports fan, loves basketball & played in college. He now lives in NYC with his fiancé. We know you'll love learning from him.

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Tom Hanrahan is the Head of US Sales at Square and an impactful and determined sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Tom to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a bundle of topics, including: 

• Tom's long grind in sales over the past 15 years
• How the Aramark training program helped shape his sales career
• His love for coaching and developing people
• Overcoming the ‘sales stereotypes' and stigmas in his head
• Mentors along the way who helped Tom thrive
• Breaking through imposter syndrome as a 22 year old
• Transitioning from player to coach at LivingSocial
• Keith Rosen’s Book: Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives
• Breaking out and simplifying the levers for early-career salespeople
• Hire great people first, then teach them how to sell the product
• Why it’s important to never bad mouth your company in an interview
• Being patient with yourself and trusting the process

Tom is originally from NYC, and made his way out to California. He's an avid sports fan & passionate about the Knicks. 

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Lauren Hodson is the Director of Sales at Vena Solutions and a driven, thoughtful sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Lauren to discuss her journey in sales. They cover a bunch of topics, including: 

• Growing up in Toronto, our first Canadian on the podcast
• One of four children, parents taught her to be independent, work hard, earn money on her own
• Father built career in sales, helped guide her to sales
• The importance of taking pride in what you sell
• Why having a great manager can help boost your career
• How to crush the interview process as an early salesperson
• Building empathy for your customer
• Selling into and understanding customer pain
• Maintaining focus on your current job instead of always focusing on the future; don’t let ambition control your day to day 

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Max Lowenbaum is the SVP Sales at Provi and a driven, thoughtful sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Max to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including: 

• Who he is as a sales leader
• The decision early in his career to pivot away from law school into sales
• When he realized sales was natural for him: the sales math at Modern Luxury
• Early mentors who inspired Max; first boss talking about work/life balance
• Developing a framework and process to selling early in his career
• Setting yourself up to be promoted into management on day one at Groupon
• Structuring career and promotion paths based on best fit for the role
• The importance of building a well-rounded sales culture
• What makes an effective recruiting process
• Why curiosity is a key factor when screening SDR candidates
• Be present, enjoy the ride, and connect with co-workers

Outside of work, Max lives in Chicago with his wife and young daughter, and he's originally from the St. Louis area.

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Lee Rozins is the Head of Growth at Onaroll and an eternally positive sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna and Danny Leonard sit down with Lee to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including: 

• How growing up in a household w/parents who ran a bagel shop shaped his business perspective
• His passion for getting others to share in what he loves
• Turning negatives into positives at an early age
• Why excitement is critically important to the sales process
• The culture at SinglePlatform & why they were so successful at building exceptional salespeople
• Transitioning from individual contributor to management and managing peers
• Making everyone aware of culture and how important it is to maintain
• The importance of focusing on data early in your career

Outside of work, Lee lives in NYC and has a truly optimistic view on life. He considers himself an extremely competitive person and loves to share his excitement with the world.

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!

Kyle Parrish is the VP Sales at Mixmax and a methodical sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna and Danny Leonard sit down with Kyle to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a plethora of topics, including: 

• Starting off in sales after watching friends on water polo team going that way
• Background as college athlete helped develop fearlessness for rejection
• The “Yes, and…” principle 
• How he crushed his first sales job interview
• Finding mentors early in his career at Oracle
• The need to find a way to give back to others 
• There will be a ‘next quarter’ - taking learnings from a bad quarter and applying them to future quarters (asking for help)
• How he found his mojo at startups
• More early career guidance for junior salespeople

Outside of work, Kyle lives in the Bay Area and has a passion for athletics

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Asher Mathew is the VP Revenue and Operations at DemandMatrix and a methodical sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Asher to discuss his journey in sales. They cover loads of topics, including: 

• His start in a technical role and transitioning over to sales
• Moving over from the Middle East and jumping into Computer Science and Tech
• His belief in sticking with the same company and moving up within that company
• Having great mentors around who guided you in your early career
• A framework for early career professionals: education, exposure, and experience 
• Why it’s important to surround yourself with people you learn from 
• Developing a champion for your business
• Advice for himself in his early days: be more aware

Outside of work, Asher loves spending time with family and friends. His parents taught him at an early age about why relationship building is so important. 

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Matt Rolnick is the VP Sales at Yaymaker and an enthusiastic sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Matt to discuss his journey in sales. They cover bunches of topics, including: 

• His long career in sales
• Why he's always been enthusiastic about sales and marketing
• Staying young at heart
• Leading with passion before deciding on a company
• Transitioning into digital advertising
• Passion about the customer and customer experience 
• Jumping back into an AE role from Manager at Groupon
• Screening for resilience when hiring SDRs
• Learning from Darren Schwartz (mentor)
• Always Be Learning as a sales philosophy
• Thinking hard about where you want to brand yourself

Outside of work, Matt flips homes with his wife and lives in the suburbs of Chicago.

Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!