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 strategiesBalancing strategic planning with day-to-day sales executionTactics for breaking down silos between marketing, sales, and customer successThe myth of work-life balance and finding personal equilibriumStrategies for incentivizing sales teams and driving desired behaviorsThe danger of seeking "silver bullet" solutions in sales leadershipHighlights:(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/gtmAlmost 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 BarkerThe 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 requestsHow Crunchbase adapted to the rise of ChatGPT and generative AIThe value of conducting ongoing customer tours to inform product development and strategyInsights on career growth and taking risks in professional developmentThe future of sales management in the age of AI and rev tech platformsHighlights:(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 nowGuest 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 behaviorThe importance of accountability and performance management in salesThe role of AI in sales and potential risks of over-automationStrategies for effective sales management in the current economic climateThe value of "back to basics" approaches in sales, including pipeline generationHighlights:(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 softwareCreative ways companies can build out their PLG motionHow social proof and PLG are merging to influence buying decisionsAdvice for early-stage founders looking to set up a PLG motionThe realities of working in venture capital and how to break into the industryHighlights:(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-simonHost 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/retentionadamHost 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.

Austin Hay is the Co-Founder of Clarify, a new intelligent CRM built as a platform that developers love. He is also a Partner and MarTech Teacher at Reforge, as well as a MarTech Advisor and GTM Investor at HBE Ventures. With a background leading marketing technology teams at high-growth startups like Ramp, Branch, and mParticle, Austin brings a wealth of expertise on the evolving MarTech and RevTech landscape.Discussed in this Episode:The current state of MarTech and RevTech, and why we're headed for a "great contraction" after years of expansion.The future of CRMs and what a next-gen system should look like to unify data and provide more out-of-the-box functionality.Advice for founders and leaders on being selective with tools, focusing on a few things done well, and the importance of treating people with respect.Austin's journey building Clarify and his perspectives on brand, culture, and community.Highlights:(5:46) Why the MarTech and RevTech space is a "mess" right now.(13:05) Fundamental building blocks for an effective GTM tech stack.(21:15) The problem with how most companies are assembling their RevTech stack today.(36:45) The future of CRMs as systems of action, not just systems of record.(44:48) The most impactful lesson from Austin's career on how to treat people when they leave your company.(52:25) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Austin thinks is bull$***.(59:18) One thing that is working for Austin in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Austin Hay):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinahay/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by 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.Brought to you by 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.

Leandra Fishman is the Chief Revenue Officer at Apollo.io, a leading go-to-market solution for sales and marketing teams. Apollo.io is one of the fastest-growing companies in SaaS, with 9x ARR growth since 2021 and currently valued at $1.6 billion. Leandra brings over 30 years of experience to Apollo.io. Most recently, Fishman was the CRO at Intercom, which during her tenure ranked No. 35 on the 2022 Forbes Cloud 100 List with over $200 million in annual revenue. Previously, as the SVP of Sales and Success for SendGrid, she led the company through a successful IPO and helped double its market cap in its first year as a public company. As an executive consultant, she has executed projects ranging from developing sales and marketing strategies for startups to creating business plans and serving in an advisory role for venture capitalist firms and board members. Discussed in this Episode:Apollo's product-led growth (PLG) model and how it enables a great customer experience.Balancing self-serve and sales-assisted motions to drive growth across segments.The role of AI in enhancing sales productivity rather than replacing salespeople.Advice for salespeople on redefining success and being kind to yourself.Leandra's unconventional journey to becoming a CRO and lessons learned along the way.Highlights:(10:25) The power of Apollo's PLG model in driving growth.(13:13) Balancing self-serve and sales-assisted motions.(18:01) How larger deals can come through with minimal sales interaction in a PLG model.(23:47) The future of AI in sales as an enhancement rather than replacement.(29:46) Leandra's journey from starting in sales to becoming a CRO.(44:15) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Leandra thinks is bull$***.(49:30) One thing that is working for Leandra in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Leandra Fishman):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leandra-fishman/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by 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.Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. 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.

Dennis Lyandres is currently an Advisor at Iconiq Growth. Before that, Dennis spent 8.5 years with Procore during which time Procore grew from $10m to over $900m+ in revenue and went public on the NYSE. Dennis started at Procore as EVP of Sales in 2014, before moving to the CRO role in 2018 where he was responsible for driving revenue across all customer-facing functions including Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Rev Ops, Procore.org and Business Development. Before joining Procore, he held various sales and sales management roles at Cloudera and Pentaho. Discussed in this Episode:Applying the concept of Price's Law to identify and maximize the impact of top talent in an organization.Go-to-market strategies for vertical SaaS companies to win in their market, such as going hyperlocal and focusing on multi-product.The importance of hiring for potential and experience with scale over domain expertise.Personal growth lessons on reframing your relationship with drive and ambition.Highlights:(13:23) Applying Price's Law to identify and maximize top talent.(18:13) Overcoming HR pushback on programs for top performers.(28:35) Rallying the whole organization around key customer accounts.(32:02) Go-to-market strategies for vertical SaaS: going hyperlocal and focusing on multi-product.(55:15) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Dennis thinks is bull$***.Guest Speaker Links & Referenced Resource (Dennis Lyandres):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlyandresICONIQ Report: Sales Leadership, A Hiring Blueprint Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Sponsors:Brought to you by 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.Brought to you by 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. Visit vanta.com/gtmnow to learn more.Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. 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 Ghermezian co-founded Braze (BRZE) and led the company as it’s founding CEO, pioneering a new category. He is also the Founder and General Partner at m]x[v Capital, and Co-Founder and CEO of Gynger and Tildei, two companies that he incubated through the venture firm. He is a serial entrepreneur and successful investor with 20+ years of experience in founding, building, and investing in early-stage SaaS startups. Discussed in this Episode:Learnings from growing Braze .The behind the scenes on incubating two companies. How to identify and hire problem solvers who can execute independently.The value of delegating effectively to scale and empower your team.Navigating the challenges of raising funding and finding product-market fit.Building a strong internal BDR team versus outsourcing sales efforts.The role of conviction and intuition in entrepreneurship and investing.Highlights:(7:10) The domino effect of luck, timing, and key decisions in Braze's success.(21:55) Mark reflects on the humbling experience of taking Braze public and the role of his team.(28:30) Advice for founders on structuring their cap table and choosing the right investors.(36:41) Raising Gynger's Series A and how it differed from Braze's early fundraising.(45:09) A pivotal moment in Mark's leadership journey and learning to delegate effectively.(49:04) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mark thinks is bull$***.(51:44) One thing that is working for Mark in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Mark Ghermezian):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markgher/m]x[v Capital: www.mxv.vc/Gynger: www.gynger.io/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. 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.

As Upland's Chief Revenue Officer, Matt Breslin oversees customer success, demand generation and communications, sales, revenue enablement, and revenue analysis, supporting our Shared Services Organization. Matt has 25 years of experience in the software industry, most recently leading a $700 million business at Infor. Prior to that, he held senior leadership positions at SAP and Oracle, driving incredible results across the board. Matt started his career as a Certified Public Accountant for Price Waterhouse and Kraft Foods.Discussed in this Episode:The importance of avoiding blind spots in the sales process and aligning the sales process with the customer's business pains and processes.Lessons learned from closing a multi-million dollar deal early in his career, including the value of attention to detail and building strong customer relationships.The benefits of focusing sales teams on specific sales motions, such as new logo acquisition or account expansion.Highlights:(14:10) Challenging the belief that 3-5X pipeline coverage is the answer to sales problems.(18:44) The story of driving to a customer's child's soccer game to close a multi-million dollar deal.(26:01) The biggest surprise when transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader.(41:06) The importance of aligning sales teams to the right motions.(44:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Matt thinks is bull$***.(45:23) One thing that is working for Matt in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker (Matt Breslin):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-breslin-09a4354/Sponsors:Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by Vanta. Your deal is almost closed, and all that’s left is the security review. But when it comes to those lengthy security questionnaires, the endless back and forths can often cause deals to stall out, leaving your deal at risk and dollars on the table. With Vanta Questionnaire Automation, GTM teams can complete security reviews up to 5X faster. Over 8,000 global companies use Vanta to streamline security questionnaires and close deals fast. Register for an upcoming webinar with live Q&A here. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. 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.

Adriana Gil Miner is CMO at Iterable, the AI-powered customer communication platform. Passionate about customer engagement, her leadership has contributed to Iterable's success in helping brands like Redfin, Priceline, and Volvo deliver individualized, harmonized and dynamic communications at scale. Prior to her role at Iterable, Adriana held influential senior leadership positions at Tableau, where she significantly contributed to the company's remarkable growth from $250 million to over $1 billion, culminating in the successful Salesforce acquisition. Her leadership also left an indelible mark on Qumulo, a data storage startup, and Artefact, with its spinoff—10,000ft—acquired by Smartsheet in 2019. Gil Miner’s 20+ years of marketing experience span prominent names like American Express, Digitas, and Weber Shandwick. Discussed in this Episode:Leveraging AI and ChatGPT for creative, high-volume ad testing and optimization.The importance of post-sale marketing and customer lifecycle management.Applying B2C marketing strategies to enhance B2B customer engagement and retention.Emerging B2B marketing trends, including SMS as a core communication channel.Building authentic influence through community, word-of-mouth, and organic channels.The declining relevance of traditional PR and analyst relations in the face of digital influence.Highlights:(13:45) Using ChatGPT to generate and test 300+ ads, breaking demo request records.(20:25) The untapped potential of post-sale marketing and customer lifecycle in B2B.(25:30) SMS predicted to become a key B2B engagement channel.(29:56) Iterable's marketing team now has a dedicated expansion pipeline goal.(33:39) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Adriana thinks is bull$***.(36:47) One thing that is working for Adriana in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Adriana Gil Miner):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agilminer/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Sponsors:Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. Whether you want advice, have one hard to fill role or a team buildout, we can't recommend IPS enough. 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.

Andrew Johnston is currently the Head of Sales at Superhuman, where he leads the go-to-market strategy as part of the executive team. Previously, he built the Mid-Market and PLS motion at Scale AI and led the global sales team at SendGrid following its acquisition by Twilio and its IPO. Discussed in this Episode:The key differences between product-led growth (PLG) and product-led sales (PLS).When and why companies should consider transitioning from PLG to PLS.The challenges of combining distinct sales teams during an acquisition.How to effectively enable sales reps during a product expansion.The importance of understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP) for successful PLS.Strategies for moving upmarket, such as implementing paid pilots.Creating career paths and incentives for sales reps in different segments.Highlights:(9:50) Andrew's definition of product-led growth and how it differs from product-led sales.(12:16) The triggers for considering a transition from a PLG to a PLS approach.(25:00) The challenges faced when combining SendGrid and Twilio's sales teams post-acquisition.(32:49) How Twilio's unique "estimated ARR" commission structure impacted sales behavior.(35:55) Using SendGrid as a "trojan horse" to expand Twilio's presence in customer accounts.(42:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Andrew thinks is bull$***(47:09) One thing that is working for Andrew in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Andrew Johnston):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfoxjohnston/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks. Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. Whether you want advice, have one hard to fill role or a team buildout, we can't recommend IPS enough. 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.

Sam Blond is the former Chief Revenue Officer at Brex, where he scaled revenue from $1M to hundreds of millions in ARR. Prior to Brex, Sam served as VP of Sales at Zenefits, growing revenue from $1M to $70M in just two years. After his operating roles, Sam joined Founders Fund as an investing partner before leaving to co-found a new startup.Discussed in this Episode:Why investing early in sales ops and rev ops is critical for scaling revenue.How to generate demand through creative campaigns and a "concentric circles" approach.The risks of scaling sales teams too quickly based on flawed hiring models.What VCs look for in a compelling founder pitch, beyond just business metrics.Why focusing on generating pipeline is often better than optimizing conversions.How to leverage customer marketing and "raving fans" as an early acquisition channel.Highlights:[5:00] – Sam's incredible track record scaling Brex and Zenefits from $1M to $100M+ ARR.[13:58] – Outlining the most creative and successful demand gen campaigns run at Brex.[20:17] – The importance of sustaining a culture of creativity in marketing as you scale.[33:35] – Mistakes made at Zenefits: investing in rev ops too late, deprioritizing customer experience, hiring too fast.[43:45] – What VCs look for in founders when metrics alone aren't enough to get the deal done.[52:15] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Sam thinks is bull$***[60:21] – One thing that is working for Sam in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Sam Blond):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-blond-791026b/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.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.

Ralph Barsi is the VP of Sales at Kahua, a leading construction management platform. Prior to Kahua, Ralph held executive roles at Tray.io and ServiceNow. While at ServiceNow, he built and led a team of 230 people across the globe, during thecompany’s growth from from $1 billion to over $4 billion in revenue. Prior to ServiceNow, Ralph was the VP of Field Operations at Achievers (acquired by Blackhawk Network) and the Manager of Sales Development at InsideView (acquired by DemandBase). Ralph serves as an advisor to go-to-market leaders at Aircover, Scale Venture Partners, TopHap, and others. He is also a growth stage investor with the GTMfund. Barsi dedicates much of his time serving others. In addition to his work at Kahua, Ralphmentors and advises a host of SaaS leaders and leadership programs.Discussed in this Episode:The importance of implementing systems and processes in sales and life.How frameworks like SCQA (Situation, Challenge, Question, Answer) and PAR (Problem, Action, Result) can improve communication.Strategies for delivering difficult messages, such as during a reorganization or reduction in force.The value of staying in touch with former colleagues and playing the long game in relationships.Tactics for maintaining a robust contact database and regularly checking in with people.How to motivate and guide reps who are facing a challenging selling environment.The significance of chronicling your work and keeping a record of your achievements.Highlights:(8:28) Introduction of the quote "Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets" by Edwards Deming.(14:33) Discussion on using frameworks to communicate effectively with a large or small audience.(24:27) Ralph's journey from Compliance360 to Kahua and the importance of maintaining long-term relationships.(31:55) The system Ralph uses to stay in touch with his extensive network of contacts.(35:41) Strategies for shifting focus and moving forward when facing challenges or setbacks.(41:45) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Ralph thinks is bull$***(48:15) One thing that is working for Ralph in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Ralph Barsi):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphbarsiHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/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.

Annelise Osborne is Chief Business Officer at Kadena, a Layer 1, POW blockchain where she is focused on upgrading finance. Annelise has 20 years of experience in traditional finance and seven years in digital assets. She is a thought leader, board advisor, university lecturer and author. Her book, From Hoodies to Suits: Innovating Digital Assets in Traditional Finance, hit shelves in June. Annelise holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics from The College of William and Mary.Discussed in this Episode:The impact of cryptocurrency market fluctuations on the adoption of blockchain technology.How digital assets and blockchain are upgrading finance and why it matters for businesses.The changing demographics and demands of Millennial and Gen Z investors.The potential for blockchain to revolutionize the future of work and compensation.Advice for transitioning from traditional finance or software to a career in Web3.The importance of community building and learning from others in the blockchain space.Highlights:[3:47] – Annelise explains the relationship between blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.[11:10] – The archaic nature of traditional finance and the need for modernization.[18:01] – How companies can generate revenue and find opportunities in the Web3 space.[26:02] – The main themes of her book "From Hoodies to Suits." [31:49] – The potential for blockchain to democratize access to venture investing.[41:49] – How millennials invest differently and the future of fractionalized investments. [44:11] – Blockchain's ability to trace data and enable real-time performance-based compensation. [51:17] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Annelise thinks is bull$***[52:27] – One thing that is working for Annelise in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Annelise Osborne):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annelise-osborne-7611176/Book: From Hoodies to Suits: Innovating Digital Assets in Traditional FinanceHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/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 Greenberger leads CHEQ’s North America sales team. CHEQ is a cybersecurity platform primarily focused on protecting the Go-to-Market organization (preventing fake leads to sales team, skewed analytics from bots/malicious users etc). David is well-versed in building and perfecting Go-To-Market processes both from $0 and at 100 y/o companies. CHEQ is David’s 5th startup. Directly before CHEQ, David was in a leadership capacity at Hitachi Vantara, in the deep-enterprise Big Data / AI space. Prior to that he's built teams at Foursquare, Yext, Angi and Splash. Discussed in this Episode:The importance of trust in building effective go-to-market strategies.Navigating the transition from startups to large enterprises in sales roles.Strategies for hiring and developing sales talent with non-traditional backgrounds.The value of long-term relationships and "compound interest" in professional growth.Balancing internal and external relationships in large organizations.The resurgence of old-school, in-person tactics in modern sales approaches.Addressing challenges of invalid traffic and bots in digital marketing.Highlights:[13:35] – Insights on managing generational differences and career development in sales teams.[22:05] – David's experience transitioning from startups to a $90 billion organization.[25:50] – The story of a successful SDR who rapidly progressed to closing multi-million dollar deals.[37:49] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that David thinks is bull$***[40:04] – One thing that is working for David in go-to-market right nowGuest Speaker Links (David Greenberger):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgreenberger/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.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.

Nick Dolik is a NYC-based investor, currently the Managing Director at TriplePoint Capital, and is focused on supporting founders and funding high-growth technology companies. Nick is passionate about entrepreneurship and has spent the past ~10 years backing various startups, including multiple unicorns.Discussed in this Episode:The current state of the financing environment for startups.Venture debt: what it is, how it works, and why it exists.Advantages of venture debt for founders and when to consider it.The importance of building long-term relationships in the venture capital world.Nick's unconventional path into venture capital and lessons learned.The value of getting "closer to the sun" when pursuing a career in VC.Common misconceptions about the founder-investor relationship.Highlights: [12:26] – The current financing environment for startups. [24:45] – Nick explains venture debt and its benefits for founders. [39:30] – Nick shares his journey from credit derivatives to venture capital.[47:22] – The importance of getting "closer to the sun" in pursuing a VC career.[51:30] – Advice for founders approaching their first fundraise. [59:41] – One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Nick thinks is bull$***[1:04:01] – One thing that is working for Nick in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Nick Dolik):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ndolik/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.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.

In this milestone 100th episode, Scott is joined by Sophie Buonassisi, VP of Marketing at GTMfund and GTMnow and a key architect behind the media brand's growth. Sophie leads media, marketing and community across the fund and the media company. Discussed in this Episode:The evolution of GTMfund's media strategy to multi-channel brand.Insights on building a profitable media company within a venture capital firm.Key metrics and growth strategies for the GTMnow brand and assets.Lessons learned from acquiring and rebranding a media property.The power of community-driven content and in-person events.Highlights:2:45 - Reflecting on the podcast's journey.6:05 - Importance of in-person events.14:04 - Reacquiring Sales Hacker and rebranding it as GTMnow.16:15 - Content and metrics behind the media brand.23:48 - Failed experiments and learning experiences.28:34 - Leveraging ecosystem for distribution.34:01 - Importance of in-person feedback.36:39 - Content creation process and tools behind the media brand. 46:09 - Which episodes were the 10 podcast episodes!Guest Speaker Links (Sophie Buonassisi):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/GTMnow Website: www.gtmnow.com/ Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Flex. Flex is a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.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.

Jon Dick is the Global SVP of Customer Success at HubSpot where he’s focused on helping millions of organizations grow better. Prior to customer success, Jon led marketing teams at HubSpot, Trunk Club, and Klout. He has a background in improvised comedy and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School.Discussed in this Episode:The rising importance of customer success in the age of AI and efficiency.Balancing proactive and reactive strategies to serve 200,000+ customers.The evolution of content marketing from "clicks to conversations".Choosing people over product and finding passion in your work.The power of generalists and the pitfalls of over-specialization in CS.Go-to-market tactics that are working for HubSpot, from chatbots to intent data.Highlights:3:22 - John's experience with improv comedy and how it applies to business.9:45 - Is an MBA still relevant for today's fast-changing market?13:44 - The new age of customer success and rising importance of AI.18:49 - Balancing proactive and reactive strategies to serve 200,000+ HubSpot customers.24:25 - The shift from "clicks to conversations" in content marketing.34:29 - The power of working with people you like and Jon's HBS reunion story.42:09 - Structuring customer success teams for series B companies.48:15 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Jon thinks is bull$***: obsessing over lead volume instead of lead value.50:49 - One thing that is working for Jon in go-to-market right now: leveraging chatbots and intent data to drive conversions.Guest Speaker Links (Jon Dick):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondick/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.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.

Elizabeth Pemmerl currently serves as GitHub’s Chief Revenue Officer, where she oversees all facets of the company's go-to-market strategy and customer engagement, including sales, support, and operations. She joined GitHub in 2015 after a career in the public sector, and has since held leadership roles in nearly all aspects of GitHub’s enterprise business.Discussed in this Episode:The journey from individual contributor to CRO and the lessons learned along the way.The impact of AI on GitHub's business and the future of software development.Strategies for pricing new products and cross-selling within an existing customer base.Insights on hiring, retention, and the power of promoting from within.Highlights:(9:13) Transitioning from IC to sales leadership and driving a forecast cadence.(18:20) Navigating the acquisition of Semmle and lessons learned in M&A.(25:58) Advice for startups on pricing strategy and identifying core buyer personas.(30:58) The future of AI in business and the emergence of the Chief AI Officer role.(42:08) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Elizabeth thinks is bull$***.(44:07) One thing that is working for Elizabeth in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Elizabeth Pemmerl):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pemmerl-9172485/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.Brought to you by Orum. Orum is an AI-powered live conversation platform designed to supercharge sales activity, connect sales teams, and drive more revenue over the phone. Orum’s platform includes an AI-dialer that automates the manual aspects of calling and get sales reps into more conversations, a virtual sales floor for teams to build camaraderie and learn from one another, as well as analytics and coaching tools to help teams improve together.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.

Robert Brooks IV has spent 12 years leading sales, marketing and customer success at early-stage startups. Typically, he has served as the first sales (and first non-technical) hire reporting directly to a technical founder. Robert started his career at Charles Schwab but joined Stack Overflow ($1.8B exit), then Tempo Automation ($900M IPO) and is now part of the founding team and VP of Revenue at Lambda ($1.5B valuation). Robert is an advisor to several top-tier VC firms and some of the most high-profile AI startups in Silicon Valley.Discussed in this Episode:The importance of deeply understanding your industry and product when selling AI.How to train your sales team to sell to highly technical buyers and decision-makers.Applying the concept of neural networks to enterprise sales processes.Strategies for turning around challenging customer relationships, with a case study on closing SpaceX and growing it from 0 to 10M ARR.The role of empathy, curiosity, and genuine care in successful sales and partnerships.Tactics for scaling revenue in tough economic times, from personalized executive briefings to strategic event presence.Highlights:(10:27) Robert's background and early involvement in AI startups.(15:09) Convincing technical founders to value go-to-market expertise.(19:06) Applying the concept of neural networks to enterprise sales.(25:25) The importance of comprehension and curiosity in sales hiring.(27:55) Delivering a crucial hardware project for SpaceX.(33:37) The role of genuine care in building trust with customers.(39:56) Balancing product training and sales process training.(44:39) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Robert thinks is bull$***.(49:02) The benefits of full-stack account executives in early-stage startups.(53:27) One thing that is working for Robert in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Robert Brooks):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boborado/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.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.

Kelly Hopping is currently the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Demandbase whereshe is responsible for differentiating the go to market platform, increasing brandpresence, and accelerating acquisition and conversion of potential customers.Prior to joining Demandbase, Kelly honed her start-up skills as the first CMO atHYCU, a series B, venture capital-backed data protection SaaS company. She nowcontinues at HYCU as an Advisor. Before HYCU, Kelly served as the Chief MarketingOfficer for the Digital Markets division of Gartner where she managed a portfolio ofbrands - Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice - to grow awareness and demand inthe market. In this role, Kelly and her marketing team drove 100% of the revenueacquisition for the $300M+ organization. Prior to Gartner, Kelly led at Rackspace and AMD. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science inIndustrial Engineering from Texas A&M University. Kelly serves on the board ofEmpowering Women as Leaders Austin, and she has spoken at various leadershipconferences. She is the author of the book Rising: How to Thrive as aCorporate Executive while Staying True to Yourself, which launched in 2023. Kelly resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.Discussed in this Episode:The three pillars of a modern go-to-market strategy that every revenue leader should know.How to create alignment and shared metrics between sales and marketing teams.Establishing a cohesive customer journey from initial interest to closed-won and beyond.Lessons learned from driving 100% of revenue acquisition at a $300M Gartner division.Insights on brand building, customer-centric marketing, and the power of organic search.Highlights:03:50 - How Kelly's marketing team drove 100% of revenue at a $300M Gartner division.13:20 - The three pillars of a modern go-to-market strategy.18:41 - Pillar 1: How to make sales love you as a marketer.30:15 - Pillar 2: Creating shared metrics for sales and marketing alignment.40:30 - Pillar 3: Establishing one cohesive customer journey.45:13 - Differences and similarities between B2C and B2B marketing.50:46 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kelly thinks is bull$***.54:32 - One thing that is working for Kelly in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Kelly Hopping):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhopping/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/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.

Daniel Zarick is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arrows, a collaborative customer onboarding tool built specifically for teams using HubSpot. With funding from Gradient Ventures, HubSpot Ventures, and GTMfund, Arrows. is well-positioned to become a major player in the HubSpot ecosystem.Discussed in this Episode:The benefits and challenges of going to market in a single platform ecosystem like HubSpotHow to gain traction and build relationships with key stakeholders in a crowded partner ecosystemStrategies for leveraging content marketing to punch above your weight as a startupThe power of focus and persistence in achieving outsized results with limited resourcesLessons learned from navigating a high-stakes fundraising process amid market uncertaintyThe future of the HubSpot ecosystem and where the biggest opportunities lie for emerging playersHighlights:08:46 - Benefits and challenges of going to market in a single platform ecosystem.12:01 - Strategies for gaining traction and building relationships in the HubSpot ecosystem.16:32 - The role of agencies and solutions partners in Arrows' go-to-market approach.21:09 - Leveraging content marketing to punch above your weight as a startup.25:43 - The power of focus and persistence in achieving outsized results.29:27 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Daniel thinks is bull$***.41:18 - One thing that is working for Daniel in go-to-market right now.43:51 - The future of the HubSpot ecosystem and emerging opportunities.Referenced:The Happy Customer Festival on June 4, 2024. Guest Speaker Links (Daniel Zarick):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielzarickHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.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.

Holly Chen is the Managing Partner of ExponentialX, a Marketing and Growth Advisory Collective for high-growth SaaS startups, advising companies like Miro, Loom, ServiceNow, Appsflyer in their growth journeys. She also guest lectures at Berkeley and NYU, teaches at Section and Maven, mentors at First Round Capital, and is an active angel investor. Previously, Holly was the Global Head of Digital Marketing at Slack, helping it grow $100M to $700M ARR and going public. She was the Head of Growth at Google Store and Global Head of Google B2B Websites. Holly also worked at Gucci, Deloitte Consulting. Kearny and the UN. In her spare time, Holly runs Ceiling Breakers, a group coaching program for underrepresented leaders. Holly lives in San Francisco and speaks Italian and Chinese fluently.Discussed in this Episode:Strategies for AI startups to differentiate, drive retention, and optimize pricingThe importance of strong branding and concrete use cases for AI market penetrationEvolving customer success models to maximize value in AI deploymentsTransitioning from sales-led to product-led growth and key considerationsThe rising role of influencer marketing in B2B and how to leverage it effectivelyHighlights:11:55 - Top 3 challenges facing AI startups today14:33 - Differentiating in a crowded AI market18:43 - Painting a concrete picture of AI use cases21:42 - The importance of getting hyper-specific with AI applications24:58 - Best practices for targeting personas and use cases27:58 - Tackling the challenge of retention in AI startups31:40 - Transitioning from B2C to B2B for better margins and retention33:44 - The evolving role of customer success in AI companies36:30 - Pricing strategies for AI: usage-based vs. seat-based38:11 - Making pricing tangible by tying tokens to outcomes43:54 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Holly thinks is bull$***.46:33 - One thing that is working for Holly in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Holly Chen):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.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.

Description:Noah Marks is a transformative growth leader focused on building GTM engines and scaling organizations for sustainable growth. He has been in the strategy & operations world for the last decade (with Udemy, WalkMe, Okta and Salesforce), and has spent almost the entirely of his career in the B2B technology market (with the lone exception being a slight deviation into the world of M&A investment banking). Noah currently resides in the Bay Area with his wife, three kids and 3 dogs, and spends as much time as he can in the mountains - fishing, hiking and skiing.Discussed in this Episode:The emergence of the "generalist specialist" as a critical skill set in techFostering a culture of experimentation and ownership across the orgMust-have metrics for a CEO dashboard that provides true business insightsBalancing the pursuit of perfection vs speed in a high-growth environmentApplying an investment banker's lens to GTM strategy and operationsTactics for rapidly ramping in a new leadership role at an established companyBuilding strategic alignment and efficient communication across departmentsHighlights:7:32 - Setting yourself up for success in a new executive role.12:10 - Navigating the current economic challenges facing tech companies.17:21 - The concept of a "generalist specialist" and how to empower teams to think that way.28:02 - Noah's experience working in investment banking and the lessons he learned.35:14 - How Noah keeps his teams honest when looking at data, even when it doesn't tell the desired story.44:16 - Must-haves in a CEO/executive roll-up dashboard.50:27 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Noah Marks thinks is bull$***.52:13 - One thing that is working for Noah Marks in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Noah Marks):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahmarks/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.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.

Description:Eric Gilpin is Chief Revenue Officer of G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace. In this role he oversees all aspects of G2's revenue generation, including global sales and customer success, enablement, partnerships, and revenue operations. An experienced leader with 20+ years of experience building and scaling large technology businesses, Eric joined G2 from Upwork, where he oversaw a global team of 400+ and helped lead the company to a successful IPO in 2018 (NASDAQ:UPWK) where the business scaled to north of $600 million in annual revenue in 2022 while serving 50% of the Fortune 500. Prior to his tenure at Upwork, Eric held a number of leadership roles at CareerBuilder, most recently as President of Vertical Sales. Eric also serves as a limited partner at the GTMfund investor network as well as an advisory board member at Sales Assembly. He’s been recognized as one of the Industry's top "40 under 40" by Staffing Industry Analysts in both 2017 and 2018 and as a Top 100 Global Sales Leaders in 2020 by The Modern Sale. Based in Chicago, Eric has a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.Discussed in this Episode:Strategies for earning the right to sell to enterprise customersHow to align product, marketing and sales to deliver customer outcomesThe importance of focus and ruthless prioritization in scaling a businessTactics for engaging C-level executives to cut through the noiseLessons learned from losing big deals and how to increase win ratesWhy being effective matters more than just being efficient in revenue orgsHow to develop business acumen in BDRs and SDRs to set them up for successHighlights:4:15 - Eric's lengthy tenures at CareerBuilder and Upwork.6:31 - Upwork's challenge of the status quo in hiring contract talent.9:40 - How Eric chooses the right companies to work for.14:09 - Challenges Upwork faced in breaking into the enterprise.17:53 - An enterprise strategy is a company strategy, not just a sales strategy.22:37 - How Eric coaches reps when pursuing sexy logos the company may not be ready for.25:48 - Deep diving into a $13M enterprise deal at CareerBuilder that led to $100M more.31:55 - Leadership lessons from managing a 400+ person team.34:33 - Aligning multiple go-to-market motions across market segments.37:00 - Listener question: Advice for improving enterprise win rates.41:28 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eric thinks is bull$***.46:18 - One thing that is working for Eric in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Eric Gilpin):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgilpin/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and 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.

Linda Lian is Co-Founder and CEO at Common Room, the all-in-one customer intelligence platform that automatically surfaces signals across 30+ channels, reveals the person and account behind the signal, and automates actions like email messaging and team alerts. Linda founded Common Room in 2020 to unlock siloed, previously untrackable signals to transform how organizations connect with people. Before Common Room, Linda led product marketing for serverless computing at Amazon Web Services, where she saw firsthand the impact connected data and person-level insights had on accelerating product adoption, earning new customers, and expanding account revenue.Discussed in this Episode:The evolution of customer intelligence from intent data to signal-based selling.Why a modern go-to-market approach requires moving beyond legacy CRM systems.How Common Room unifies siloed data to enable a 360-degree view of the customer.Lessons learned from scaling innovative products and go-to-market motions at AWS.Strategies for recruiting exceptional talent and building a customer-centric culture.The power of cold outreach and persistence in finding the right co-founders.Tactics for capturing untapped revenue by leveraging existing customer signals.Highlights:4:36 - Linda's background and the story behind founding Common Room.7:09 - The evolution of data collection and actionability in RevTech.11:07 - Differences between intent data and signal-based selling.14:38 - Is Salesforce's legacy architecture holding back the next evolution of RevTech?21:12 - Linda's strategy for recruiting and retaining exceptional talent at Common Room.24:25 - Transitioning from VC to operator: Linda's journey and lessons learned.32:49 - Challenges faced and insights gained during Linda's time at AWS.38:23 - The lightbulb moment that led Linda to found Common Room.42:47 - Advice for solo founders on finding the right co-founders.50:00 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Linda thinks is bull$***.52:41 - One thing that is working for Linda in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Linda Lian):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamlianHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.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.

James Kaikis currently serves as the Head of Go-To-Market and Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox, an innovative company revolutionizing the way buyers interact with product demos. Before his tenure at TestBox, James co-founded the PreSales Collective with Yuji Higashi. Under their leadership, the community became a pivotal resource in the presales domain until its successful acquisition in November 2021. James also has a rich history in solution-oriented leadership roles at prominent companies including Salesforce and Showpad.Discussed in this Episode:The power of presales in driving revenue growth and customer successStrategies for scaling a community-based business from zero to millionsThe future of B2B software demos and how TestBox is leading the chargeLessons learned from a successful startup exit in just 18 monthsInsights on go-to-market strategy, product-led growth, and customer-centricityHighlights:6:05 - Bootstrapping a community-based business to multi-million dollar revenue.8:35 - Secrets behind PreSales Collective's rapid growth and successful exit.11:05 - Transitioning from founder to Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox.13:35 - The future of B2B software demos and TestBox's innovative approach.18:35 - The untapped potential of presales in driving revenue growth.21:05 - Balancing product-led growth with customer-centricity.23:35 - Lessons learned from building, scaling, and exiting a successful startup.28:35 - The importance of aligning presales, sales, and customer success.31:05 - James' vision for the future of presales and B2B software demos.33:35 - Advice for entrepreneurs and revenue leaders looking to drive growth.45:05 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that James thinks is bull$***.48:09 - One thing that is working for James in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (James Kaikis):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskaikis/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous,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.

Daniel Ruiz has spent his career driving growth at high-velocity startups, serving as an early employee at multiple YC companies before co-founding Synch. As CEO, he has successfully raised funding from top investors like Haystack and Jack Altman in a challenging market. With Synch, Daniel is on a mission to streamline the go-to-market tech stack, helping revenue teams spend less time on sales ops and more time actually selling. He brings hard-won insights on leveraging investors, landing crucial first hires, and scaling with in-person sales. Most importantly, Daniel is a founder who leads from the front, always eager to hop on a plane to close a big deal.Discussed in this Episode:The shifting landscape of bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.Key lessons and tactics from Daniel's successful fundraising process.Extracting maximum value from VCs by making specific requests and following up.Why in-person sales and remote work philosophies are crucial considerations for startups.The misguided belief that "outbound is dead" and what's working in outbound sales.How to find and land a critical first sales hire as an early-stage startup.The power of "fake travel plans" for accelerating growth through in-person sales.Highlights: (04:10) - Bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.(08:36) - Daniel's fundraising process and lessons learned.(13:39) - Extracting value from investors.(17:57) - Daniel's "lightbulb moment" on leveraging investors.(21:10) - In-person meetings and building trust with investors.(24:35) - Synch's in-person vs remote work philosophy.(29:52) - When to let go of sales as a founder.(32:48) - Finding the right first sales hire.(36:52) - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Daniel thinks is bull$***(41:14) - One thing that is working for Daniel in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Daniel Ruiz):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ruiz-a73818aa/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & SalesThe 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 Lacy spent the last 17 years building, scaling, failing, and winning in high-growth software. He is currently serving the Jellyfish team as their CMO, and before joining the Jellyfish ‘bloom’, He had the pleasure of building a company called Lessonly, employing over 230 people and changed the lives of many more after the acquisition. He has also been fortunate to lead teams at Seismic, OpenView, Salesforce, and ExactTarget. Most importantly, he is the father of two wonderful boys, an energetic dog, and one too many books on World War II.Discussed in this Episode:Aligning marketing and sales is crucial for the success of a company, and marketers should focus on numbers and pipeline models from the early stages.Creativity in marketing should be balanced with alignment to sales goals and objectives.Building personal brands can be beneficial, but it's important to be mindful of what is shared on social media and how it may impact professional relationships.When choosing advisors, look for individuals with relevant experience in the stage and industry of your company.Curated dinners and high-quality content are effective strategies for building relationships and engaging prospects and customers.Highlights:(04:37) The importance of pipeline models and numbers for early-stage companies.(06:23) How Kyle gains equal footing with sales leaders(08:01) Winning over individual sales reps(09:57) Balancing proactive and reactive marketing(11:45) The story of winning a 7-figure deal against an incumbent(15:39) Using donor-choose gift cards in the sales process(17:00) Converting prospects by asking for feedback and interviews(18:18) Building a personal brand as a marketer(21:27) A personal branding misstep that got Kyle in trouble(24:30) What to look for when bringing on company advisors(29:10) A widely held belief Kyle thinks is BS(32:41) A marketing tactic that's working well now(34:55) Using Lego sets in the sales process(36:07) Roles Kyle is hiring for at Jellyfish(31:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***.(34:51) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Lacy):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kylelacy/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with 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.

Prior to founding AudiencePlus, Anthony Kennada served as the CMO of incredible companies like Hopin and Front. He was the founding CMO of Gainsight where he and his team are credited with creating the Customer Success category -- a novel business imperative, profession and software category that helps subscription companies grow sustainably by becoming customer obsessed. By focusing on human first community building, content marketing, live events and creative activations, they developed a new playbook for B2B marketing that built the Gainsight brand and fueled the company’s growth from $0 to $100M+ ARR, and eventual acquisition by Vista Equity at a $1.1B valuation.Discussed in this Episode:Owned media is a crucial component of go-to-market strategies, allowing companies to build direct relationships with their audience.Transitioning from a product-first approach to a distribution-first approach can lead to more effective marketing and audience building.The future of media lies in guided journeys and providing value to networks through relevant and personalized content.Building an audience and collecting subscribers can lead to higher conversion rates and provide valuable first-party data for better attribution.It is important to connect brand messaging to the software or product being offered to ensure a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.Highlights:(02:58) The Gainsight story: Creating a category and building a brand.(05:46) The power of owned media in B2B marketing.(17:51) The evolution of media: from content to software.(20:41) The challenge of measuring media's impact on revenue.(27:08) Learning from Gainsight: Successes and missteps.(38:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Anthony thinks is bull$***.(41:00) One thing that is working for Anthony in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Anthony Kennada):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus - see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline manaThe 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.

Katrina Wong is the Divisional CMO / VP Marketing at Twilio Segment. She has a proven track record for launching products in new markets and helping companies move up to the Enterprise. She has also created award-winning integrated campaigns with data storytelling. Prior to Twilio Segment, Katrina worked at Zuora, Salesforce and SAP. She started her career as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. With over 15 years of marketing experience, Katrina is passionate about helping companies through stages of substantial growth including helping 6 companies exit successfully – from pre to post IPO as well as notable acquisitions.Discussed in this Episode:Marketing plays a crucial role in preparing a company for a successful exit by building awareness, generating pipeline, and creating a compelling narrative.The ability to execute and operate day-to-day is essential for achieving results and improving performance.An operational mindset and execution excellence are key to the success of a company.Building cohesion within marketing teams and aligning on goals and strategies leads to better execution and business results.Hyper-specific messaging and an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy can break through the noise and make marketing efforts more relevant and effective.Highlights:(05:54) Unlocking the secrets to successful startups and exits.(08:19) Operational excellence: the key to startup success.(13:38) Marketing's pivotal role in preparing for a successful exit.(20:29) Narrowing down your ideal customer profile (ICP) without breaking the bank.(22:49) A time machine trip: innovative program implementation at Salesforce.(25:49) Unlocking potential: a leadership journey.(27:33) Challenging the 'fire fast' mentality.(32:35) The power of integrated marketing and team dynamics.(35:26) Navigating company acquisitions: strategies for success.(39:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Katrina thinks is bull$***.(43:00) One thing that is working for Katrina in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Katrina Wong):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katrinawong11/ Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.What you'll get at ELG Con:Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.A highly curated group of 20The 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.

Bob Moore is Co-Founder and CEO of Crossbeam, an Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) platform that helps companies use their partner ecosystems to generate leads, close deals, and grow faster. He previously co-founded the cloud data pipeline company Stitch (acquired by Talend in 2018) and business intelligence platform RJMetrics (acquired by Adobe by way of Magento Commerce in 2016). Prior to RJMetrics, Bob worked on the Investment Team of Insight Partners.Bob is a proud Philadelphian, where he serves as a Trustee of The Franklin Institute. He has also previously served as the Board Chair of Philly Startup Leaders and Board Member of Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT).As a writer and speaker, Bob has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Web Summit, TEDx, Business of Software, and many more.  He guest lectures regularly at Princeton University and The Wharton School.Discussed in this Episode:Ecosystem-led growth is about leveraging partnerships to make your go-to-market teams more successful. It involves creating a mesh of interconnected products and services that deliver a joint value proposition to customers.Product-market fit is not static, and both the product and the market need to constantly align. The SaaS industry is experiencing a transition from defense to offense, with leading indicators showing positive signs of growth.Lessons have been learned from previous market cycles, but the challenge lies in passing down this knowledge to future generations of founders and investors.The story of a $2.6 billion mistake that Bob made and lessons learned from it. Highlights:(7:40) Navigating the current SaaS landscape and macro trends. (12:26) Learning from the past: Market cycles and founder experiences.(17:15) The future of M&A: Ecosystems and strategic partnerships.(23:10) Diving into ecosystem-led growth (ELG).(24:14) The misconceptions and realities of partnerships.(27:41) Building initial partner relationships.Guest Speaker Links (Bob Moore):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robertjmoore/Bob's book, Ecosystem-Led Growth: www.robertjmoore.com/bookHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.What you'll get at ELG Con:Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.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.

Stephen Hakami is the Founder and CEO of Wiza - the most accurate way to find verified contact information for B2B prospects. Stephen started the company in 2019 after a sales career of being frustrated with bad data, and set out to build a prospecting tool that's powered by live LinkedIn data.Discussed in this Episode:The frustration with bad data and the inspiration behind building Wiza.The importance of email deliverability and strategies for improving it.The recent acquisition of Drift by Salesloft and the topic of consolidation in the sales tech stack.Stephen's journey from sales to CEO, highlighting the value of creative prospecting. The hardest lesson Stephen learned in sales.Effective tactics of cold email and deliverability.Highlights:(3:27) Strategies for email deliverability.(08:01) The journey from sales to entrepreneurship.(11:06) Sales technology and the consolidation.(20:41) Strategies for effective cold emails.(25:49) Understanding your competitors.(27:38) The importance of being a true consultant.(28:32) Redefining your competitors. (31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Stephen thinks is bull$***.(34:26) One thing that is working for Stephen/Wiza in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Stephen Hakami):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-hakami-5babb21b0/Website: www.wiza.co/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.What you'll get at ELG Con:Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.A highly curated group of 200 GTM leaders, 85% director level and above across Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships.Claim your tickets today, including a limited number of special two-for-the-price-of-one tickets.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.

Amanda Cole serves as Chief Marketing Officer, leading the execution of the company’s marketing strategy to drive further business demand and brand awareness. Amanda is a passionate marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience in helping SaaS companies build impactful brands, communicate differentiated value, and grow high-performing marketing teams. She previously served as the company’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, having joined in January 2021 through the acquisition of Exponea. Prior to joining Exponea, Amanda served as Vice President, Demand Generation at Blueshift, a Customer Data Platform, and before that served as Vice President of Marketing, Americas and Global Programs at Basware, a financial software company. Discussed in this Episode:The challenges of personalization in marketing and the role of AI in addressing these challenges. Insights on the future of AI in marketing and the importance of storytelling in building impactful brands.Personal journey lessons learned, emphasizing the value of mentorship and the power of vulnerability. Advice on navigating a company rebrand and challenges the belief that marketing generates pipeline. The importance of being a support function for revenue teams and the need for marketers to focus on storytelling and emotional connection.Highlights:(05:11) Challenges of personalization in marketing.(08:01) The role of AI in personalization.(10:44) Regulations and ethical considerations of AI.(16:04) The future of AI in marketing.(19:32) Lessons from personal journey.(23:09) Hiring and mentoring.(28:21) Navigating a company rebrand.(35:17) Shifting perspective on marketing's role.(40:04) Challenging the belief that marketing generates pipeline.(44:07) The power of storytelling in marketing.(34:21) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Amanda thinks is bull$***.(38:00) One thing that is working for Amanda in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Amanda Cole):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aelam/Website: www.bloomreach.com/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.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.

Helping founders with GTM Strategies and teaching sales reps how to earn the right to ask questions, which questions to ask, and when is the primary driver for Richard Harris. He brings 20+ years of experience, having done all the roles - SDR, AE, Manager, Director, VP of Sales, and Director of Sales Ops - to the table. His client list includes Zoom, Salesforce, Gainsight and 80+ SaaS start-ups. He is also the Co-Founder of Surf and Sales as well as the host of the Surf and Sales Podcast. What You Will Learn:Key strategies for handling sales negotiations, including preparing for negotiations with procurement departments, and delivering pricing effectively. Perspective on the future of AI in the sales industry.Common mistakes that Richard sees founders make and how to avoid them. The importance of sales coaching and role playing. Highlights:(5:13) Unveiling Richard's book: The Seller's Journey.(10:51) The art of negotiation: engaging with procurement.(19:52) Understanding pricing and commercial terms.(21:47) The art of negotiation: offering discounts. (25:31) The future of sales in the age of AI. (31:26) Common mistakes founders make and how to avoid them.(36:44) The importance of training and role playing in sales.(34:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Richard thinks is bull$***.(36:39) One thing that is working for Richard in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Richard Harris):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415/Phone Number: 415-596-9149 Book: www.thesellersjourney.co/the-sellers-journey-free-previewBook (Amazon): www.amazon.com/Sellers-Journey-Guidebook-N-T-ebook/dp/B0CV32BJ5K Surf and Sales Podcast: www.surfandsales.com/the-surf-sales-podcast Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Wiza. If you’ve used big-name prospecting tools before, you know that they all share one, massive problem: bad data. These tools are built on static databases, playing cat-and-mouse to keep up with job titles changes, employee turnover, and bouncing emails. As sales professionals and operators ourselves, we needed more. So, we built Wiza, the only prospecting platform that sources and verifies its data in real-time, the moment it’s requested, using LinkedIn as its source of truth.Wiza offers an accuracy-obsessed B2B contact database with 99% coverage of LinkedIn profiles as well as a powerful Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn and with Sales Nav. If you’re struggling with inaccurate data from clunky database tools, try Wiza for free today at 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.

Alexa Grabell is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pocus. Pocus is mission control for your pipeline. Pocus brings together product usage and other intent signals (customer, community, marketing data) to surface top leads, enabling reps to act fast. Alexa’s passion for democratizing data for go-to-market teams began when she led sales strategy & operations at Dataminr, where she built internal solutions to power sales teams with data.What You Will Learn:The evolving landscape of go-to-market strategies, including the concept of Go-to-Market 5.0.The significance of shifting from traditional 'predictable revenue engines' to data-driven, personalized, and intention-focused go-to-market strategies to enhance sales effectiveness.The critical role that data plays in tailoring sales approaches, and how certain companies have successfully implemented these strategies to achieve remarkable growth.The importance of incorporating automation and artificial intelligence in sales processes to increase efficiency and relevance in customer interactions.Strategies for fostering a strong, values-based company culture that supports innovative go-to-market strategies and empowers decision-making grounded in both data and intuition.Insightful advice on the initial hiring of salespeople, emphasizing the need for alignment with the company's culture and go-to-market vision.Highlights:(4:52) The story of how Alexa met her co-founder, Isaac, and the importance of picking the right co-founder. (6:38) The concept of go-to-market 5.0, including jobs to be done.  (12:48) Examples of companies that are doing a good job of figuring out which signals they should care about and what the playbooks are from there that they should run. (20:40) Getting to go-to-market fit and the importance of taking advice as a data point. (26:00) Demanding excellence while fostering an enjoyable experience, and Pocus' company values and expectations. (30:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Alexa thinks is bull$***.(32:12) One thing that is working for Alexa in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alexagrabell/ Blog Post: www.pocus.com/blog/building-your-signal-based-gtm-tech-stackHost Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Wiza. If you’ve used big-name prospecting tools before, you know that they all share one, massive problem: bad data. These tools are built on static databases, playing cat-and-mouse to keep up with job titles changes, employee turnover, and bouncing emails. As sales professionals and operators ourselves, we needed more. So, we built Wiza, the only prospecting platform that sources and verifies its data in real-time, the moment it’s requested, using LinkedIn as its source of trThe 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.

Andy Jolls is 25+ year executive with several years in CMO roles. As a full stack marketer, Andy has re-architected six brands and identities, and built three funnels from the ground up. He’s been a B2B leader in businesses from pre-revenue to $600MM. Andy co-Chairs the CMO group for Pavilion (6000+ GTM leaders) and is active in several marketing communities. He’s also a proud alum of Michigan and Northwestern. He began his ML/AI journey several years ago and has been working in Generative AI since August 2022. Currently, he operates his own consultancy helping leaders with marketing strategy and AI in GTM.What You Will Learn:Andy's entrance into machine learning and generative AI starting in 2018.Actionable use cases like localization/translation, SEO strategy development, analyzing CRM and other datasets.A framework for thinking about AI initiatives as quick wins, differentiated use cases, and transformational.Approaches for operationalizing AI learnings across go-to-market teams.Tactics individuals and startups can take to get started with generative AI tools.Highlights:(3:44) Andy’s journey into machine learning and AI. (6:08) Getting ChatGPT to write Andy's father's obituary. (8:26) AI's impact on go-to-market, including Gartner's 3-stage framework: quick wins, differentiated use case, and transformational initiatives. (14:25) Analysis paralysis and how founders can approach AI implementation. (26:00) Overcoming adversity in business school.(30:00) Tactical use cases for AI and examples of how Andy is leveraging it. (40:26) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Andy thinks is bull$***.(43:20) One thing that is working for Andy in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ajolls/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.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.

Amit Pande is CMO and EVP of Strategy at Aviso AI, a leading revenue intelligence platform. Previously, Amit led marketing efforts at startups like Tact AI (1st AI Assistant for Sales backed by AWS, Microsoft, and Salesforce), HP Inc (next-gen computing) and Spire AI (Human Capital SaaS). In a prior life, Amit also led product and UX teams at Yahoo and Oracle. Amit is a Stanford GSB alumnus and has served on its alumni board, and has also studied human-computer interaction and engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is a coffee loving techno-humanist, loves sci-fi and graphic novels, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.What You Will Learn:Challenges of entering crowded markets with large incumbents. Repositioning and reframing to differentiate from incumbents.Using events as a way to engage with customers and drive conversations.Building a successful marketing strategy with limited funding.Finding true north and surrounding oneself with inspiring ideas and people.Highlights:(13:38) Changing narrative and playing field to differentiate from incumbents.(21:12) Changing the playing field in a competitive market.(22:15) Competitive strategies against industry giants.(23:09) Strategies for hacking events to drive conversations.(27:49) Building a winning marketing strategy with a small budget.(35:57) Advice for startups entering a market with established incumbents.(43:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Amit thinks is bull$***.(45:45) One thing that is working for Amit in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amitpande/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.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.

Max Altschuler is the Founder and General Partner of GTMfund, an early-stage fund focused on B2B SaaS startup backed by the world’s best tech GTM leaders. Previously, he was the Founder and CEO of Sales Hacker, a global digital media company that he grew and successfully sold to Outreach in 2018. He then took over as VP of Marketing for rapidly growing Outreach. In 2023, Max acquired the company he once founded, SalesHacker, bringing it under the GTMfund umbrella and rebranding it as GTMnow. Max has been published by Forbes, Inc., HBR, MIT Review, Time, Salesforce, and Nasdaq, and was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices for Sales and Crunchbase’s 25 Sales Leaders to Follow. He is the author of three books and multiple Wiley publications, including bestselling books Hacking Sales and Career Hacking for Millennials.What You Will Learn:A recap of GTMfund's in 2023, reflected upon by both Max and Scott. Max's 2024 predictions, from topics like remote work to the mergers and acquisitions. Identification of the major beneficiaries of the AI revolution.The changing landscape of VC and go-to-market. Highlights:(00:33) GTMfund's recent team offsite in Scottsdale.(02:18) Reflecting on GTMfund's 2023 year.(04:30) Predictions for remote work in 2024.(05:15) Impact of remote work on different roles.(07:34) The future of offshoring.(09:34) Acceleration of mergers and acquisitions.(13:02) Which two companies Max predicts will be the first to IPO. (16:15) The biggest winners of the AI revolution in 2024.(20:34) The flight to quality in Venture Capital.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/Website: www.gtmfund.com/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.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.

Leena Joshi is Co-Founder & CEO of CloseFactor, a GTM strategy and execution platform that helps enterprise tech hone in on the exact right prospective customers and accelerates their conversion by helping your sales and marketing teams be contextually relevant to them. She has led GTM teams at high scale B2B companies such as Splunk, VMware, Redis and has a unique perspective on the convergence of sales and marketing into an efficient, high performing GTM organization.What You Will Learn:The differences in go-to-market motions across different stages of organizations. The theme for the year is go-to-market convergence.Leena's experience finding the right go-to-market motion at CloseFactor. Creating an outbound motion through inbound tracking. How selling value is a tactic that is working for CloseFactor.Highlights:(14:08) Maintaining focus on the ICP in the early days, including turning revenue down.(23:13) The importance of curiosity and a beginner's mindset.(25:38) Finding a leader who has your back.(28:19) Building a top-down sales strategy while maintaining a bottoms-up approach.(32:28) The importance of hiring the right salespeople and balancing long-term and short-term thinking in sales. (32:56) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Leena thinks is bull$***.(36:03) One thing that is working for Leena in go-to-market right now. Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ljoshi/Website: www.closefactor.com/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.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.

Mike Molinet is the Co-Founder of Branch (branch.io), where he was COO and President, leading the company to $100M in ARR. He oversaw all things GTM there, including G&A and Product. Now, he is the Co-Founder of Thena (thena.ai), a seed-stage startup backed by Lightspeed and First Round, where they're helping companies service and engage their customers in Slack. After taking Branch to $100M, he's doing it all over again, this time with a lot of learnings.What You Will Learn:The different micro-phases within each stage of growth (0-1M ARR, 1-10M ARR, etc) and how leaders need to level up and adapt through each one.Hiring the right roles at the right time - AES vs leaders.Maintaining an open and learning mindset even with growing success.Relinquishing control as you scale while still providing oversight.Balancing product requests from large customers vs your overall roadmap.Highlights:(7:21) How your success comes from the people you hire and retain. (9:10) Evolving through micro phases through rapid growth. (15:50) Threading the needle on when to ask design partners for money in the early 0 to $1M stage. (23:11) Heuristic framework of evaluation for taking on bespoke build requests. (31:29) How hiring great people makes you feel excited to relinquish control.(43:20) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mike thinks is bull$***.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikemolinet/Website: www.thena.aiHost Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.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.

Eran Aloni is the Executive Vice President of Product Strategy and Ecosystem at Gong.  He has been a leader at Gong for eight years, previously holding titles of Chief Customer Officer and Chief Operating Officer. What You Will Learn:Eran's career advice to younger go-to-market professionals. Two stages of AI advancements and which is more valuable. The role that data sets have in AI progressions. How to continuously solicit team feedback to level up as a leader. Highlights:(6:55) How AI solutions are still only scratching the surface in terms of driving deep, strategic value for customers.(10:00) The competitive advantage players have with their access to rich, proprietary data sets to train AI. (18:12) Eran's biggest personal surprise from growing with Gong has been constantly challenging himself to develop new skills as the company scales.(23:15) A story about early feedback Eran received as a young leader and how it shaped his future leadership.(28:19) Why having core operating principles permeate through all levels of an organization builds trust.(34:03) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eran thinks is bull$***.(37:22) One thing that is working for Eran in go-to-market right now. Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eranaloni/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.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.