Episode 39- Christmas Cognoscenti Interview: Mark Sherwood-Edwards

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Back in the summer, Louis and Simon spoke to the Summer Cognoscenti and they’re closing out the year chatting with another set of leading thinkers spanning go-to-market with the Christmas Cognoscenti mini-series.

We kick off our with sales-side lawyer Mark Sherwood Edwards from Clearview Legal. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  If you've ever wondered why your MSA reads like the Dead Sea Scrolls, why procurement becomes the pantomime villain in Q4, or why half your legal clauses contradict your own product, you’re about to find out what to do about it.

Listen on as we learn how a lot of SaaS companies create friction that slows deals and confuses customers with legal frameworks that don't reflect how their business actually works. Simplicity, proportionality, and clarity dramatically improved deal velocity, reduce negotiation pain and build trust with procurement. In the absence of a robust approach to handling contracts and the myriad other legal considerations facing SaaS revenue leaders, there’s a considerable risk of everything going to pieces.

Other mentions in this episode:

Mark’s Oh Lawdy! Newsletter

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Episode 38 - Setting-up for FY26

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Louis and Simon tee-up this week’s conversation by reflecting on their experience of companies’ fiscal years starts. Most run January to December, according to Simon’s research, although there are notable exceptions! When is yours?

Regardless of whether or not your fiscal year starts in January, this week we take a look at how to get the year off to a good start. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: You can finish the year well and still start the next one badly. Q4 isn't about landing the number, it's about creating strategic clarity, capability, and momentum that your team will carry into the new financial year. So great leaders don't wait for January to set direction, they use Q4 to build it.

Listen on to find out why closing the year is all about execution, while preparing for the next one is all about leadership, and the best revenue leaders don't separate the two. Q4 isn’t just a race to the finish line, it’s the leadership window that defines the first 12 weeks of the new financial year. While most organisations focus exclusively on closing the year, high-performing GTM leaders use the final weeks to reset strategy, rebuild clarity, re-energise teams, and set the early momentum for the next fiscal year.

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Episode 37- Andy Champion & Wayne Starritt

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Louis and Simon give a shout out to friend of the show Helen Sutton who is publishing a “5 Best (and 5 Toughest) Things About…” LinkedIn post series, which just arrived at Revenue Operations. Needless to say, Simon is very pleased for his people to be recognised!

This week we are joined by Wayne Starritt and Andy Champion to look at the CROs Who Succeed report that Wayne's firm, Bullingstone Associates has just published. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  We're going to explore what operating partners have learned from seeing dozens of revenue leaders succeed and fail across their portfolios and discuss the six traits that truly predict CRO success today.

Listen on as Louis discusses with Wayne and Andy why many CROs fail and how organizations can reverse the trend. Short tenures often stem from misaligned expectations and outdated hiring practices that prioritise pedigree over adaptability. The report identifies six traits that predict success, and of course we couldn’t not mention Andy’s “Three Cs”! Ultimately, companies that hire for traits rather than titles, define roles based on context, and foster diagnostic discipline will create revenue leadership that thrives beyond the 18-month cycle.

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Episode 36- ART of Winning Beyond the 5%

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Simon Danielsand guest co-host Ian Truscott. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Louis is on the road to Porto so Simon is joined by B2B tech go-to-market advisory consultancy, Velocity B’s Ian Truscott as guest co-host on this week’s episode! Ian explains that he and his partner Alex Simonson help primarily smaller and growth B2B tech organizations accelerate their sales and marketing, with a particular focus on alignment across the “revenue department” as well as wider corporate objectives. Ian is right at home on this podcast!

This week we talk about how to approach the long tail of buyers who are not actually in market. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Create ART - Awareness, Revenue, and Trust - to beat your competitors to address the 95% of your future buyers who are not currently in market.

Listen on as Simon and Ian explore how B2B marketers can win beyond the 5% of buyers currently in-market by addressing the 95% who are future buyers. Ian emphasizes that early-stage decision-making now happens before sales engagement, making brand-building essential. Over-focusing on short-term lead generation neglects the long-term benefits of awareness and trust, which reduce friction and amplify revenue efforts. Ian’s ART framework - Awareness, Revenue, Trust - offers a balanced approach: educate and build visibility, drive demand for active buyers, and foster trust through advocacy and consistent experiences. Companies that invest steadily in brand see significant long-term gains, positioning themselves to convert tomorrow’s buyers into loyal customers.

Read more on this topic in Ian’s blog post on the Velocity B website.

Other mentions in this episode:

Rockstar CMO podcast

Ian’s newsletter edition discussing the role that Marketing should play in sales methodologies

The Long and the Short of it: Balancing Short and Long-Term Marketing Strategies by Les Binet and Peter Field

Uncensored CMO

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Episode 35- Closing Out 2025

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Louis announces the new website for his consultancy business Magnitude 10 Associates and invites feedback on his web coding handywork! In addition to outlining his offerings GTM advisory, strategy, sales enablement, and propositions, Louis is also building out the site with back issues of the What's Broken in GTM blog together with episodes of the podcast. Over time, this should become a pretty handy resource for all things go-to-market`

This week we look towards the end of the year and discuss how to successfully close out 2025. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: In that final stretch of Q4, every SaaS revenue leader feels the tension between managing the number and leading the team. The instinct is to double down on inspection. More meetings, more dashboards, more pressure. But the leaders who actually land the year successfully don't manage harder, they lead better.

Listen on as Louis and Simon emphasise that finishing Q4 strong is less about frantic activity and more about disciplined leadership. Panic-driven over-inspection undermines trust and creates chaos, while maintaining cadence, clarity, and confidence ensures stability. Leaders should focus on proactive deal management - rigorous qualification, stakeholder engagement, and clear action plans - without abandoning established processes. Enablement and RevOps must support consistency rather than last-minute fixes, and frontline managers should model calm, composed behaviours. Ultimately, how teams are led in Q4 shapes organizational culture for Q1: fear breeds dysfunction, while confidence builds momentum. Success comes from leadership that prioritizes clarity, cadence, and coaching over heroics.

Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.

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Episode 34 - Sales Methodologies pt7 - Dinner Party Discussion

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

This week we bring our sales methodologies series to a close with a fantastic dinner party discussion when we're joined by Ambre Jeanneau, Ian Truscott and Helen Sutton. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: We've been breaking down the major sales methodologies in quite a lot of detail. Each one solves a very different problem, but in the real world, most organizations don't need just one, they need to design the right blend for their motion, their maturity, and their market.

Listen on as the discussion highlights that while sales methodologies like MEDDPICC, Challenger, JOLT, and SPICED offer valuable frameworks, their success depends on clarity, cultural fit, and cross-functional alignment. Over-engineering and treating methodologies as administrative tasks undermine adoption. Effective implementation requires strong leadership, integration into daily operations, and clear value for teams. Context is critical – start-ups need flexibility, while enterprises benefit from structured approaches such as MEDDPICC combined with Challenger. Marketing’s involvement and revops orchestration are essential for consistency across the revenue lifecycle. Ultimately, methodologies should enable predictability, growth, and collaboration, not create friction.

Other mentions in this episode:

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

Marketing in the STARS – Ian’s Rockstar CMO Podcast episode on the STARS context model

Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Episode 33 - Sales Methodologies pt6 (SPICED)

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Simon shares exciting news about his new role, bringing a revenue operations capability to account based marketing consultancy MomentumABM. Louis and Simon agree that ensuring ABM has solid operational underpinnings is crucial to success.

This week as the sales methodology series draws to a conclusion, we move on to the Winning By Design model, SPICED, designed specifically for recurring revenue businesses.. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: SPICED aligns every touchpoint to customer impact, and that's not just for the first order. It overlays the bow tie model, so you sell, deliver, and then re-earn value as a customer.

Listen on as Louis explains that SPICED, developed by Winning By Design, is a customer-centric sales methodology tailored for recurring revenue businesses. Unlike traditional funnels that stop at “closed won,” SPICED spans the entire customer lifecycle, ensuring recurring impact through acquisition, retention, and expansion. The acronym for Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision, guides diagnosis and solution design, emphasising both rational and emotional outcomes. Integrated with the bow tie model, SPICED enables seamless handoffs between marketing, sales, and customer success, reducing churn and driving growth through upsell and cross-sell opportunities. By complementing frameworks like SPIN, MEDDICC, and JOLT, SPICED provides a unified approach that aligns all functions around measurable impact and customer success, making it a powerful tool for SaaS and subscription-based organizations.

Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.

Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Episode 32 - Summer Cognoscenti Interview: Sarah Rhodes (repeat)

Welcome to episode 32of What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

This week Louis is unable to join us for personal reasons, and so we're taking the opportunity to hear again the fabulous Summer Cognoscenti conversation we had with Sarah Rhodes, recruitment director and co-founder at go-to-market recruitment specialists, n8talent. Here’s the original TL;DL (“ Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Sarah shares some candid insights into the shifting recruitment landscape, the impact to market conditions on hiring behaviours, and what it really takes to find, hire, and retain top SaaS sales talent.

Sarah discusses how market conditions have shifted, influencing hiring behaviours across the SaaS landscape. In a more cautious or volatile market, companies may hesitate to invest in top-tier talent or delay hiring decisions, despite the ultimately negative impact on growth. Another key point Sarah raises the importance of senior sales talent in SaaS. Hiring at this level isn’t just about filling a role; it’s about finding individuals who can drive revenue, shape culture, and scale operations. The businesses willing to take some risks in their approach to growing teams and bringing on new talent, Sarah tells us, are the ones that will succeed. And don’t forget, interviews are a two-way process with the candidate evaluating the employer just as much as the other way round!

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Episode 31 - Sales Methodologies pt5 - MEDDPICC with Pim Roelofsen

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

This week we continue the sales methodology series as we move on to MEDDPICC, which focuses on deal qualification, and we're joined by Pim Roelofsen, Chief Revenue Officer at MEDDICC. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Most sales teams say they qualify deals, but in reality, they're just forecasting hope. MEDDPICC is one of the most rigorous qualification frameworks in sales, and when it's applied properly, it transforms win rates, forecast accuracy, and deal pipeline.

Listen on as Pim Roelofsen explains why MEDDPICC is far more than a deal qualification checklist. Rather, he says, it’s a strategic common language that unites marketing, and sales, customer success, and even product teams to deliver cohesive value throughout the customer lifecycle. Originating as a framework to understand why deals are won or lost, MEDDPICC now addresses silos, improves onboarding, and reduces churn. Pim highlights decision criteria as the most impactful element, advocating for proactive shaping rather than reactive collection. He stresses that champions must be cultivated with power, influence, and vested interest, and that qualification is an ongoing process, not a stage. Operational success depends on leadership-driven cadences, cultural trust, and consistent application, avoiding the pitfalls of tick-box usage. Ultimately, MEDDPICC delivers its greatest dividends when adopted organization-wide as a shared language, enabling better buying journeys and stronger revenue outcomes.

Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.

Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Episode 30 - Sales Methodologies pt4 - The JOLT Effect with Ted McKenna

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

While putting together a presentation on his favourite topic of buying groups Simon discovered a word apparently missing from American English compared to British English, namely “scuppered”. A quick Friday afternoon LinkedIn post confirmed this is the case, while invoking an interesting etymological discussion! What does this have to do with buying groups? Well, the point is to make sure you identify all of your buying group members early on in the process in case any late comers scupper the deal…

This week we return to our sales methodology series, and not only are we discussing the JOLT Effect, which helps buyers overcome indecision, we are joined by one of its creators, Ted McKenna, to do so. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen)”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Most deals don't die because of a competitor. They die because buyers do nothing. We sat down with Ted, the co-author of the JOLT Effect, to explore why fear of messing up paralyses deals, and how sellers can use JOLT to help buyers move forward with confidence.

Listen on as Ted McKenna emphasises that indecision - rooted in the fear of messing up - is the primary reason deals stall, not competitive pressure. His research shows that 40–60% of opportunities die because buyers do nothing, often due to options overload, information overload, and unrealistic expectations. The JOLT framework (Judge indecision, Offer recommendations, Limit exploration, Take risk off the table) equips sellers to proactively address these fears rather than relying on pressure tactics, which typically backfire. McKenna stressed that indecision is a hidden competitor in every pipeline, requiring both sellers and managers to adapt their strategies, forecasting, and coaching. In an era of SaaS and AI-driven solutions, where uncertainty is high, JOLT provides a structured approach to build buyer confidence and move deals forward.

Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.

Other mentions in this episode:

Ted’s latest book The Activator Advantage on how today's best professional service partners win, retain, and grow client relationships.

Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.