Daniel Weiner is a former agency executive turned Founder. He started YouShouldTalkTo in 2020 amidst the madness of the pandemic and 3 years later has turned it into a 7-figure business. He also hosts a podcast and private CMO dinners in Atlanta. Outside of work he enjoys all things food/cooking, playing basketball, and working on renovating his loft.What You Will Learn:How to assess what type of external support is the best fit is for you (agency/fractional/freelancer). Insight behind the story of founding a company during the 2020 pandemic. Why your network is your net worth and tactics for navigating business with this philosophy. Advice for posting on LinkedIn consistently. A playbook for vetting agencies upfront andmaking process as efficient as possible.Highlights:(3:18) Starting with a strong foundation in order to partner with external support.  (4:43) The danger of asking peers which agencies / fractional / freelancer partners they work with. (18:39) The two biggest mistakes that brands make. (22:22) The use case for fractional work compared to agency work. (28:04) Daniel's journey starting YouShouldTalkTo, which began in 2020.  (34:16) The biggest lesson learned in growing his business. (36:18) Advice for posting on LinkedIn, derived from three years of putting out content. (40:46) Tactical advice for vetting agencies upfront and how to make the process as efficient as possible. (48:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Daniel thinks is bull$***.(50:00) One thing that is working for Daniel in go-to-market right now.  Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielweinerPodcast: podcast.youshouldtalkto.comWebsite: www.youshouldtalkto.com Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisiNewsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.comSponsor: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.

May Habib is CEO and Co-Founder of Writer, the full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises. Writer empowers your entire organization to accelerate growth, increase productivity, and ensure compliance. May has worked in NLP and ML for 10 years, and before Writer, she founded and built Qordoba, a localization software company. She is an expert in AI-driven language generation, AI-related organizational change, and the evolving ways we use language online.She sits on the board of TechWadi, an organization that bridges MENA-based entrepreneurs with Silicon Valley-based VC and talent networks, and is a MELI Fellow with the Aspen Institute.May graduated from Harvard University and spends her time between San Francisco, where Writer is based, and London, where her two children live.What You Will Learn:May's perspective on the economy now compared to that of 2008/2009. Writer's decision to make PLG table stakes and how they leverage their motion to secure enterprise customers. AI use cases - what they are and how they continue to progress. Tips for recruiting the best possible team members and how patience factors into that. Career insight from years of operating. Highlights:(6:12) May’s learnings from Lehman Brothers and the economic crisis of 2008/2009.(14:11) How much attention the average business leader should spend thinking about AI and how much of a near-term impact AI will have.  (25:17) Writer's PLG motion, including self-serve and sales-assisted, and how it's used to turn small downloads into big enterprise accounts.(31:07) A consultative sales process and messaging considerations. (36:56) May's strategy for recruiting A players. (42:55) Personal career learnings distilled by May.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-habib/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.

Ang McManamon is a tenured sales leader who puts culture first, helps build high-performing SaaS teams, and executes with urgency across all areas of an organization. She is currently the VP of Sales at Crunchbase, where she leads a high-growth team out of New York City. She previously served as a sales leader for Amazon, Knotel, and Stack Overflow.What You Will Learn:Retrospective sales career and overall career insight. Ang's 5 Ps: Professionalism, Preparation, Process, Performance, Play - and why they are important. Inspiration for women leaders and aspiring leaders.Go-to-market perspectives.Highlights:(9:28) Ang’s 5 Ps - 5 principles that make up her foundation, created to remind herself of who she wants to be and how she wants to lead to then expose team to them to make sure there is transparency and trust.(13:37) How to approach preparation, including in a remote-first workplace. (30:12) An impactful career story on becoming a strong woman leader. (38:43) Advice to women facing challenges with fellow women in the workplace. (40:28) What Ang would do differently now being able to reflect retrospectively on her career. (43:46) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Ang thinks is bull$***.(47:15) One thing that is working for Ang in go-to-market right now.  Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angenyc/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.

Mike Vichich is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wisely, which he successfully sold to Olo for $187 million in 2021. Currently contemplating his next move, it will involve embarking on the journey of being a second-time founder. With the experience of building Wisely under his belt, he is looking to avoid making mistakes from his first venture and avoid common traps. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and three sons.   What You Will Learn:Insight on the behind the scenes to Mike’s journey building a company that sold for $187M. What worked and what did not in building Wisely. How to evaluate product-market fit from experience trying to find it for 4.5 years, including early indicators.  Tactics to encourage resilience and determination and how Mike maintained a strong mindset throughout the journey, even when times got tough. Highlights:(3:45) Evaluating entrepreneurial ideas, including Mike's process of moving from first-time to second-time founder.(6:33) Mike's entrepreneurial journey. (9:46) Differentiating product-market-timing fit from product-market fit.(14:58) The Wisely story - building and growing the company. (21:22) Balancing personal life and self-identity when cash is running out and times get tough. (28:54) Leveraging a network of decision making, rather than a hierarchy of decision making.(31:37) Defining moments and things that Mike got right while building Wisely. (38:41) First things Wisely did to accelerate growth once product-market fit was found. (47:05) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mike thinks is bull$***.(51:49) One thing that is working for Mike in go-to-market right now. Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikevichich/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resource:Article by Jason Lemkin (SaaStr): The 48 Types of VP Sales. Make Deadly Sure You Hire the Right One. 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.

During Sean's most recent operating role he spent 4.5 years as SVP, Global Sales at Klaviyo. He helped scale the sales organization from 15 to 300 people, while growing annual recurring revenue from $25m to over $450m.  Prior to Klaviyo, Sean served in enterprise sales roles at Localytics, Yammer (acquired by Microsoft for $1.2B) and SuccessFactors (IPO & acquisition by SAP for $3.4B). He was one of the first few reps hired at Yammer to sell into the Fortune 500, responsible for closing some of their largest, 7-figure contracts. In 2022 Sean made the switch from operator to investor, currently serving as Managing Partner at Perkins Cove Partners. Over the last few years he has advised and invested in many B2B SaaS companies, particularly focused on helping with Go-To-Market. What You Will Learn:The importance of leveraging your connections.Strategically pulling in every sales team within your org to orchestrate deals.How to hire the best AE’s for your company.How to be an effective storyteller.Optimizing different parts of your funnel in order to extract incremental dollars.Highlights:(2:57) Sean Marshall’s success attributor.(5:35) Moving up to enterprise from a PLG focused company.(9:36) Starting sales conversations - effectively positioning enterprise reps. (14:10) Knowing when you’re ready to go upmarket.(19:28) The makeup of enterprise pods that were set up at Klaviyo.(22:05) Why CSM’s should be apart of the early deal cycles and not just post sales.(23:45) A pivotal story that led Sean into Sales.(29:39) How to evaluate an AE effectively in an interview. (34:09) What it means to be a strong story teller.(39:00) How to create a more efficient sales engine. (47:35) Always offer your customers optionality.(50:18) The importance of leveraging your referrals in a sales cycle.Guest Speaker Links:Sean’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmarshall82/Sean’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeanMarshall1Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resource:An article by Andy Raskin: The Greatest Sales Deck I've Ever SeenThe 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.

Scott Gifis is currently the CEO at NoFraud, formerly the President and COO at frame.io (bought by Adobe) and prior to that, he was the president at AdRoll for 6 years.  Scott is an experienced executive operator, investor, advisor, and board member with a proven track record of building and scaling great companies, globally, from near zero to $100M plus. Today Scott advises for nearly a dozen SaaS companies.What You Will Learn:Stop and celebrate your wins.The power of your influence.Unlocking team building successfully as a leader.Knowing when to part ways with your early employees.When to bring on a COO / Head of RevOps and the common pitfalls.Highlights:(4:51) balancing work / life priorities. (10:03) Impactful moments in Scotts career that led him to run large behemoths. (16:01) Flying back to his younger self.(22:18) Knowing where your influence affects your employees.(29:32) The best team building strategies. (42:48) When to bring on a COO / Head of RevOps. (54:37) The problems with hiring an enterprise leader to run your startup.Guest Speaker Link:Scott's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpgifis/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/ Our SponsorToday’s episode is sponsored by Demandbase, Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources. How? By using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. They combine your sales and marketing data with our validated B2B data and AI to create Account Intelligence that informs every step of your buyer’s journey. They deliver accurate company, contact, technographic, engagement, and intent data right where you work every day – CRM, collaboration tools, browsers, and more. Start spotting opportunities earlier and orchestrate smarter sales and marketing motions with Demandbase. See this live in action: https://www.demandbase.com/product-tour/sales-intelligence/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.

Sophie Buonassisi is the Vice President of Marketing at GTMfund, overseeing GTMnow - the media arm of the GTMfund brand - and the internal community. She’s passionate about empowering go-to-market leaders and founders with access to insight through GTMnow’s channels, like this podcast, the newsletter, and more. Before joining the GTMfund team, she built and scaled GTM at a predictive conversion optimization company. She enjoys advising SaaS companies as they build out and optimize their marketing and overall GTM strategies.What You Will Learn:How to be proactive with your references.The need for speed throughout your interview process.Showcasing skill and character effectively.Highlights:(3:45) Who’s Sophie and how she ended up at GTMfund.(6:31) How Sophie stood out during an application process of 400+ people.(11:15) How to be proactive about finding a new role when you haven’t identified what that role is exactly.(17:21) Knowing how to navigate the interview process systematically.(22:41) How to leverage your community to endorse you.(26:49) How to effectively nail a take home assignment.(32:30) The importance of understanding your future employer deeply.(35:35) How to hit the ground running before your start date.(40:05) Top tips for landing page conversion optimization.Guest Speaker Link:Sophie's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Sponsor:Today’s episode is sponsored by Demandbase, Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources. How? By using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. They combine your sales and marketing data with our validated B2B data and AI to create Account Intelligence that informs every step of your buyer’s journey. They deliver accurate company, contact, technographic, engagement, and intent data right where you work every day – CRM, collaboration tools, browsers, and more. Start spotting opportunities earlier and orchestrate smarter sales and marketing motions with Demandbase. See this live in action: https://www.demandbase.com/product-tour/sales-intelligence/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.

Zach Lawryk is currently the Head of Global Solutions Consulting at Rippling, previously the VP of Solutions Consulting at Slack, Director of Sales Engineering at Box, and really began his career in tech at Salesforce as a Sales Engineer in 2005.What You Will Learn:The importance of building long-term relationships at work.The beginning of SaaS SE’s.How the SE/SC role will evolve with AI.Knowing when to bring in SE's as a founder.Highlights:(3:41) How Zach has successfully landed at powerhouse companies and how to identify those companies.(8:16) Zach’s snowball effect of building relationships in the workplace.(11:10) The energy you put out always comes back to you.(19:30) When the sales engineer role got pioneered.(21:43) The SE/SC role evolving with AI.(29:11) AI experiments that Rippling is currently running.(34:49) When to invest in solution engineers.(37:30) Benchmark for the bump in win rate after bringing in SC/SE’s.(42:07) Gauging the complexity high water marker.(44:35) Practicing transparency with the value you provide.(48:07) The power of video content that Rippling is currently leveraging.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zlawryk/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Our SponsorToday’s episode is sponsored by Demandbase, Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources. How? By using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. They combine your sales and marketing data with our validated B2B data and AI to create Account Intelligence that informs every step of your buyer’s journey. They deliver accurate company, contact, technographic, engagement, and intent data right where you work every day – CRM, collaboration tools, browsers, and more. Start spotting opportunities earlier and orchestrate smarter sales and marketing motions with Demandbase. See this live in action: https://www.demandbase.com/product-tour/sales-intelligence/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.

This week we have a special 2 guest episode, with the best hiring guru's in the game, Chuck Brotman & David Teichner.Chuck is the co-founder of Blueprint Expansion, a GTM roles recruiting firm that has helped over 50 VC-backed companies make amazing Sales, Marketing, & Customer Success hires. Prior to starting Blueprint in 2020, he worked for over fifteen years in various sales and sales management roles, building teams across presales, partnerships, SMB, Mid-Market, & Enterprise Sales. Chuck lives in the Bay Area with his wife and has two daughters, a junior at UCLA and a freshman at UC Santa Barbara.David has 25 years under his belt as a serial entrepreneur. Built and exited companies in MarTech, FinTech and Media. He's invested and advised for over a dozen companies, and launched AccelerateHC seven years ago to help companies think through the organization they need and ultimately help them recruit high performing talent.What You Will Learn:Understanding your business goals before expanding your team.Utilizing a ‘White Board’ exercise throughout the interview process.How to hire the most ethereal talent in an oversaturated market.Knowing which role to hire for when budgets are tight.How to avoid making a bad hire at the early stages.Highlights:(1:35) How Chuck initially started his career in recruiting.(4:40) How David got drawn into recruiting.(9:10) Generalists vs Specialists for Seed/SeriesA startups, which should you pick?(14:00) How to decrease the chance of making a bad hire at the early stage.(21:00) The importance of implementing a strong process when hiring talent.(22:38) Maximum number of skills/behaviours you can test for during an interview process.(25:27) Optimal length for an interview process.(30:05) How to test for ethereal factors that you can’t put on paper in an interview.(35:10) When budgets are tight, who do you opt in for, another AE or a sales leader.(38:29) How to navigate the ‘lead’ roles / player coaches.(40:50) Hot Take: The “Hire slow and Fire fast” mentality no longer serves us.(41:45) Hiring people for their titles and hot logo’s on their resume does not guarantee success.Guest Speakers Links:Chuck Brotman's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbrotman/David Teichner's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dteichner/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resources:If you're looking for any help with your hiring process, fill out This 3 Question Typeform and we'll connect you directly with Chuck and David.If you're a talented go-to-mThe 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.

We have a special episode this week, a community mashup with the best community leaders in the game! Pavilion's SVP of Marketing, Kathleen Booth, The founder of Salesforce's Trailblazer's Community, Erica Kuhl, and The Former Director of Community for Salesforce's Trailblazer Community as well as The Former Head of Global Community at Atlassian, Holly Firestone.What You Will Learn:The importance of community in 2023.How to stand out as a community in an oversaturated market.How to maintain quality members in the community as you scale.Centralizing user groups for the community: how to scale, track, and optimize for monumental growth.Highlights:(1:15) Kathleen Booth explains why community is more important than ever.(6:34) How to advise early-stage SaaS companies on how to leverage community to drive revenue and demand.(16:00) Erica Kuhl unpacks the oversaturation of community today and how to overcome that.(20:00) Maintain quality members as you scale.(25:07) Building Salesforce Trailblazers: walking through what worked and what didn't.(33:00) Holly Firestone's time at Atlassian: scaling, tracking, and optimizing for significant growth.(42:00) Some mistakes that Holly made as the Director of Community with Salesforce's Trailblazers.(46:20) Mistakes that Erica Kuhl made during her time at Salesforce.Guest Speakers Links:Kathleen Booth's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenslatterybooth/Erica Kuhl's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericakuhl/Holly Firestone's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollygfirestone/ Host Speaker Links: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.

Mark Cranney is an enterprise go-to-market operator and three-time unicorn creator. Most recently, he was the COO at Skydio. He's also a founding operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and has been involved in the acquisitions of Opsware and Aster Data Systems by HP and Teradata, respectively. Mark specializes in developing winning playbooks, cultures, and strategies that put his competition on the back foot.What You Will Learn:How to create a winning culture.How to keep your competition at bay.How to hire talent that culturally fits your organization.Highlights:(03:48) The books that shaped Mark's winning culture.(10:39) How to keep your competition at bay.(14:10) Three questions to ask when scouting for culture-fit talent.(15:46) How to keep recruited talent motivated.(16:16) "Process triumphs heroics." How Mark created and used playbooks to create winning cultures.(23:00) Why you need to get more granular in your competitive strategy.(35:17) How to create a winning culture without turning your team's culture toxic.(37:18) "If it's not a competitive environment, for me, that's toxic."(39:09) Mark's parting advice.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcranney/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resource: Books by Ben Horowitz: The Hard Thing About Hard Things & What You Do Is Who You Are.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.

Dan Reich is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and writer and has been building companies since he was a teenager. Some of the companies that he founded include: TULA Skincare which was acquired by Proctor & Gamble - Troops.ai which was acquired by Salesforce - Spinback which was acquired by Buddy Media and then acquired by Salesforce. Dan is now a co-founder of Dibs Beauty, which is backed by LCatterton and is building more companies. He also invests through his family office, Reich Capital. He has a background in electrical engineering and volunteers as a member of national ski patrol.What You Will Learn: The power of influencer marketing.Leveraging B2C strategies for B2B companies.Maintaining authenticity across all business plays.The importance of building strong relationships in business.How to keep your team motivated when momentum takes a hit.Highlights:(6:33) Influencer marketing in B2B.(8:34) Tactics and strategies that B2B companies can steal from B2C companies today.(13:00) How Dan structured a designated BDR team for influencer marketing.(17:00) How to maintain authenticity when partnering with influencers.(21:32) How to effectively compensate influencers: Equity vs Cash.(24:20) Dan’s experience with 2 M&A exits.(30:08) How to keep your team motivated in moments of momentum loss.(32:28) How each acquisition began its first conversations.(42:30) Why email marketing is dead today.(44:50) Finding gratitude and happiness within yourself will ultimately lead you toward success.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danreich/Website: https://danreich.comDIBS Beauty Website: https://dibsbeauty.comHost Speaker Links: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.

Sam McKenna is the founder of SamSalesConsulting, previous to that she spent 6 years at On24 ending up as their VP of Enterprise Sales, She then jumped over to LinkedIn as their Head of Enterprise Sales. Sam is also an advisor for high growth companies. She now leads an all women team of 11, has over 180 clients, multiple million dollars in revenue, all under 4 years.What You Will Learn:Knowing when to outsource talent as a founder.Using strategic hooks to capture engagement on social.The power of dark social and leveraging it to increase impressions.How to monetize your social presence.Learning to scale things you do well effectively.How to effectively implement the "show me you know me" framework in sales.Highlights:(3:40) Why building your digital footprint is more important than ever for founders(8:30) How to carve out time for thought leadership throughout busy times.(13:00) Strategies from Sam’s playbook that people should implement when building their social.(20:00) High-impact strategies that Sam used to excel throughout her sales career.(26:00) Walking the line between doing what works for you vs following playbooks given by your leaders.(29:00) A framework for “show me you know me” in Sales.(33:42) Hot take: Shorter e-mails are not the way to earn your ICP’s time.(35:51) How to successfully hire for key roles.(40:30) Hot take: Cold calling isn't the way to approach your ICP anymore.(44:10) How to leverage data to prospect efficiently.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsalesli/SamSalesConsulting: https://www.samsalesconsulting.comSam's LinkedIn Influencer Playbook: https://shorts.samsalesconsulting.com/courses/linkedin-influencer-playbook  Host Speaker Links: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.

Melanie Fellay is the CEO and Co-Founder of Spekit, a just-in-time platform that is transforming how we learn at work. Spekit meets reps with the process guidance, enablement and knowledge they need, right when they need it, in their flow of work to help them be more efficient, drive more revenue and eliminate the friction of change.She’s a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, Top 100 Female Entrepreneur to watch (Entrepreneur) and has been featured across Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Business Insider and more. Mel co-founded Spekit with Zari Zahra to solve a simple challenge: how do we make sure employees know what they need to know, when and where they need to know it. Hundreds of the world's most innovative companies, including Uber Freight, Snowflake, Southwest Airlines and Invesco, rely on Spekit to empower their employees with real-time knowledge and training, without disrupting their day-to-day workflows.The company has raised $60M in venture funding from notable investors Craft Ventures. Felicis, Operator Collective, Matchstick Ventures, Renegade Partners, Foundry Group and Bonfire Ventures and more.What You Will Learn:Narrowing the playing field and going where people aren't as a founder.Always be strategic and intentional when you go wide.The importance of customer-facing as a founder.Making hard decisions faster will only benefit your team's success long term.Product momentum comes from working well as an executive team.Highlights:(2:40) The importance of allowing your mind to rest.(9:37) Mel’s founder journey that inspired her to build Spekit.(15:44) How to go-to-market with a tool that tackles multiple categories.(22:33) Customer-facing as a founder shouldn't be overlooked.(24:10) How Mel ended up having to step in as Spekit's CTO during the pandemic and her experience sitting in the engineering seat.(34:08) How Mel took the mental strength to show up for her team when things were difficult.(39:38) What Mel would tell her 25-year-old self.(42:06) The importance of networking and building your brand as a first-time founder.(46:44) Figuring out how you work best as an executive team to increase product momentum.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniefellay/Spekit's Website: https://spekit.comHost Speaker Links: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.

Meka Asonye is a Partner at First Round Capital based in San Francisco. Before moving into venture, Meka was an active angel investor backing companies such as Coda, Alchemy, Rimeto (acq. by Slack), Snackpass and Stytch.Previously, he served as the VP of Sales & Services at Mixpanel, where he ran the more than 100-person global revenue team. Before Mixpanel, Meka spent four years at Stripe and scaled and matured its sales organization during the company's rapid growth from 250 to 2000 people. Prior to joining Stripe, Meka served as Case Team Leader at Bain in San Francisco, partnering with the C-Suites of Fortune 50 companies across different verticals.Meka started his career working in Player Development & Baseball Operations for the Cleveland Indians. Meka earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Economics and Finance from Princeton and his MBA from Harvard Business SchoolWhat You Will Learn:Long-term orientation for lead distribution at Stripe.Investing in the person, and then the product, is most important in angel investing.Best tips to start out in angel investing.Compensation structures that early-stage companies should implement.Highlights:(3:44) How Meka started his career in player development and baseball ops for the Cleveland Indians.(8:50) Meka’s biggest challenges during his time at Stripe as the Head of Sales.(10:15) How the SMB team measured success at Stripe and how it evolved over the years.(13:14) Balancing lead distribution at Stripe.(16:28) Practicing “Dumpster Diving” at Stripe.(18:00) Setting up long-term incentive structures at Stripe.(22:48) How Meka began angel investing.(28:10) What Meka learned from his first angel investing experience.(36:22) The best way to start out in angel investing.(39:42) Why traditional sales compensation models at early-stage companies are flawed.(42:00) The importance of educating your customers effectively through each touch.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekaasonye/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BigMekaStyleEmail: [email protected] Host Speaker Links: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.

Eli Rubel is the CEO of MatterMade and NoBoringDesign, and has served as a Marketing advisor for companies like Dropbox, Loom, Productboard, Calm, and many others. Prior to MatterMade & NoBoringDesign, Eli was the founding CEO of Glider.com which he led through a successful acquisition to FPX.What You Will Learn: The importance of leveraging Demand Efficiency for your business.Being aware of the bad actors that exist in business.Extreme diligence on contract work should not be overlooked.Setting yourself up successfully post-acquisition changes.Highlights:(3:39) Defining Demand Efficiency.(7:30) Shared data around good efficiency through channels.(10:10) Common micro-surfaces that are often overlooked.(13:10) Companies revisiting their brand guidelines and brand identity.(15:24) Good conversion rates on ad spend for B2B SaaS companies.(17:10) Things people should think about when analyzing their demand efficiency(18:10) Eli’s acquisition that went wrong.(25:30) How to combat against acquisitions going wrong.(28:00) Post-acquisition shift - how to set yourself up.(30:10) Founder Question: What your first marketing hire should look like.(25:00) Hot take: LinkedIn is dying!(38:00) Operational excellence will set your team up for success every time.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elirubel/MatterMade's Website: https://www.mattermade.coNoBoringDesign Website: https://www.noboringdesign.comHost Speaker Links: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.

This is a revisited episode from the early GTM Podcast days, and our highest streamed episode. So much value to take away from the Pioneer of the BDR name!Lars Nilsson is the VP of Global Sales Development at Snowflake. Prior to Snowflake, Lars was the CEO of SalesSource, a premier RevOps consulting firm. Before that he was the VP of Global Inside Sales for Cloudera. Lars and his team at Cloudera developed the Sales methodology known as Account-Based Sales Development, which has transformed how businesses approach high-value targets, and is an integral part of most teams playbooks today.Lars has also served in sales exec roles at ArcSight, Hewlett Packard, Riverbed Technology, and Portal Software, all three of which achieved IPOs.Lars starts this episode by sharing what he learned early in his career at Xerox and the world-famous Xerox Management Training Program. He then talks about Cloudera's account-based sales development method, including how it started and why it was successful.What You Will Learn:How to use personalization to your advantage.How to speak among people in a way that brings them together.What to look for when hiring a BDR.Highlights:(05:00) Insights on nurturing young talent while fostering loyalty.(14:40) Cloudera's account-based sales development methodology: origins and early successes.(21:40) Insights on the power of personalization.(27:30) How to create a lasting impression in front of people and bring them together.(31:00) Why you should express gratitude or tell a story in front of people more often.(32:49) How to overcome fear and nervousness and find the courage to speak among people.(38:03) Things to look out for when hiring a BDR.(41:26) Summary of Lars’ career learnings.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: 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.

Dave Gerhardt worked as a Senior Marketing Manager at Drift in 2015 and quickly grew into their VP of Marketing. Dave left Drift in 2019 to join Privy as their CMO for just under 2 years, then returned to Drift as a Chief Brand Officer. Dave now runs Exit Five, The #1 community for B2B Marketers.What You Will Learn: How to successfully set yourself up as a one-person team.Evolving your strategy and goals as your company's goals change.How to nail your company's messaging.Effectively building a founder brand.The importance of niching down to drive growth.Highlights(3:25) Shifting from a ‘Yes mindset’ to a ‘No mindset.’(12:10) How Dave grew into a VP-level role at Drift.(12:58) How Dave started his career at Drift.(24:00) Moments in Dave’s career where he didn’t achieve his goals.(28:48) Aligning revenue goals between Sales and Marketing.(31:50) Getting people excited and engaged in Drift’s product at an early stage.(36:50) The pros and cons of starting a founder brand.(40:39) How Dave measured success for his podcast as they started out.(43:00) Hot take: Measuring everything in Marketing is no longer relevant.(45:00) The importance of niching down to drive growth.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt/Exit5 Community: https://www.exitfive.com Host Speaker Links: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.

Anna Baird started her career in Accounting helping with IPOs of companies like Google. She then moved to become an SVP at McAfee and when they sold to Intel she decided to work at start-ups so that she could help build the foundations at scale from the beginning. She became a CFO and then a COO and finally a CRO. Anna is now working on Boards to help other executives take advantage of the opportunities that they saw earlier and avoid some of the mistakes that she's faced at early stages. ◡̈What You Will Learn:The importance of leveraging your relationships to bring in revenue.Practicing resilience to surpass those who doubt your capabilities.Knowing when to walk away from a company.Understanding where your hires' skillsets are to be successful within your organization.Highlights:(6:13) What Anna has learned throughout her career selling into large strategic accounts.(11:45) A walk through of Outreach’s deal review calls as a successful strategic tactic.(15:45) How to prepare folks to make a strong ask that garners results.(19:20) Anna’s impactful story that fueled her.(22:55) A moment in time where Anna faced a struggle with misalignment.(32:40) Anna’s advice to female leaders struggling to get promoted.(37:40) Understanding where your hires' skillsets are to be successful in your organization.(42:10) Working in silos no longer works.Quotes:“I just wanna work with interest people, solving interesting problems, with people I enjoy and respect being around.”“The only reason why we exist as a company, is because we’re solving a pain. Never lose track of why you exist and what is it that you’re building for.”“Everyone wants to work for a place where they feel has a great foundation of innovation, great ideas, and different perspectives, and I feel that’s what the younger generation is excelling at.”Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-baird-38966513/ Host Speaker Links: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.

Justin Welsh helped scale ZocDoc as the Director of Strategic Sales, and later joined PatientPop as the SVP of Sales. Justin currently has over 440k followers on Linkedin and Twitter, and 150k subscribers on the Saturday Solopreneur Newsletter. Justin is also an Angel investor and an advisor for early stage startups.Justin has bundled all of his learnings into 2 courses that he offers today: The Operating System Digital Course, teaching you how to build a viable meaningful business on Linkedin and the The Content OS Digital Course, which gives you a more holistic strategy around content.What You Will Learn:How to nail your LinkedIn presence and strategy.Common mistakes and misconceptions folks come across when building their social presence.How to navigate burnout.How Justin cracked the Twitter code on growth.The importance of giving yourself KPIs as a thought leader.The best hacks on how to use your social channels to drive an abundance of inbound leads.Highlights:(3:18) The evolution of Justin’s career growth as a solopreneur.(4:48) The courses Justin built on how to excel as a thought leader on LinkedIn.(6:33) How to crack the Twitter code.(13:25) Outsourcing creativity.(14:50) Using a scheduler for content - which platforms Justin uses for scheduling.(16:40) Justin’s take on threads.(19:15) The impactful results that Justin saw as he kickstarted his solopreneur journey.(22:17) Tips for executives and founders looking to build on LinkedIn.(25:00) Common mistakes that folks should avoid on LinkedIn.(27:00) Justin’s experience with burnout before he decided to bet on himself.(31:35) Justin’s best advice to his younger self.(33:26) How to motivate your hires to be more active on social.(37:48) Hot take: Fire Fast!(41:55) Actionable tips that SaaS teams can implement to drive more inbound.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwelsh/Twitter: https://twitter.com/thejustinwelshWebsite: https://www.justinwelsh.me Host Speaker Links: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.

Presenting you with a very special bonus episode this month...Max Altschuler hits us with a very special announcement, Co-Hosted by the CEO and CoFounder of Outreach, Manny Medina  Tune in to hear it in full!Hosts Speaker Links:Max's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/Max' Twitter: https://twitter.com/HackItMax Manny's LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/medinism/Manny's Twitter: https://twitter.com/medinismThe 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 Isilay founded Cognism a B2B sales intelligence company together with Stjepan Buljat in 2015. James had previously worked as a quantitative trader and analyst and studied Information Systems Engineering. Cognism helps you identify your ideal customers globally, find others like them, and reach out when they are most likely to buy.What You Will Learn:The power of networking as you build your career.The importance of making top-tier hires when scaling your business.Scaling internationally is how you win in today's market.Why SDRs should be working in the office.Highlights:(3:05) James’ career journey that led him to become a founder.(8:09) Factors that drew James into being a financial trader early on in his career.(14:55) James’ inflection point quitting his 9-5 to start Cognism.(18:12) James’ learnings from his early days building Cognism.(20:33) How James calibrated excellence across his team.(27:08) Cognism's take on in-office vs remote work.(31:28) Listener question: The “need to haves” on a go-to-market tech stack.(36:40) Hot take: Every company should be expanding and building a sales capacity globally.(42:38) Value loops and ungated content are the way to succeed.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-isilay/Cognism's Website: https://www.cognism.comHost Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resource: Book by Alice de Courcy (Cognism): The Diary of a First Time CMO.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.

Nicole Wojno Smith is the VP of Marketing at Tackle, where she oversees the strategy and execution across brand, demand gen, content, product, customer, and partner marketing. She’s passionate about building GTM programs aligning cross-functional teams while scaling revenue. Before Tackle, she built and scaled the marketing team from the ground up at two previous SaaS companies.She enjoys advising early-stage SaaS companies as they build their marketing team and strategy.What You Will Learn:The importance of taking ownership as a business and leaning on your team for support.Building the strongest possible cross-functional team in order to collectively tackle the problem you're solving.Nicole's 4-part framework: 1 shared revenue goal, executing integrated campaigns across the org, and a multi-touch attribution model.The importance of infusing an integrated theme across the organization.Highlights:(3:17) The meaning of alignment between sales, marketing, & partnerships.(5:35) The framework Nicole built to create better alignment between sales & marketing.(11:03) How to extract data and diagnose a breakdown where problems are happening.(13:10) The impact on Nicole’s company after rolling out her framework.(16:08) What led Nicole to make changes within the sales and marketing org.(17:45) How Nicole motivated her team to adjust to these changes.(20:40) The importance of leading with data in every situation.(23:47) Nicole’s operational shift error.(26:53) Nicole’s biggest learnings and takeaways.(28:07) Listener question: Where to allocate marketing dollars in demand gen today.(30:15) Decreasing ad performance in today’s market.(31:35) Hot take: 1 Marketer with 10 different roles isn’t the way to succeed.(33:59) How to leverage AI for every possible role today.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolewojno/ Host Speaker Links: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.

Adam Schoenfeld is the Co-Founder & CEO at Keyplay, as well as the Co-Founder & Analyst at PeerSignal.org. Adam is a 4th time SaaS founder. His past includes Siftrock (acquired by Drift), Simply Measured, Product & Strategy VP at Drift, and a board member at Bizible.What You Will Learn:The importance of having alignment with your cofounder.The concept of building a media channel as a part of every brand.Being overly structured doesn't bring you the best outcomes over time.Never stop interfacing with your customers as a founder.Highlights:(2:57) The thinking and execution behind Keyplay.(6:06) How to get people to care about your early-stage startup.(10:28) Adam’s advice to founders building a Media and community arm.(13:50) Adam’s pivotal career story.(20:44) The importance of the Co-founder relationships.(23:30) Not losing track of your customer.(27:25) How to get past the 1M mark as a startup.(33:30) Gating content is no longer needed in tech.(36:30) What's replacing gated content.(38:17) Offering a free version of your product will help your company's growth at the earlier stage.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenahutchison/KeyPlay's Website: https://keyplay.ioPeerSignal Website: https://peersignal.org Host Speaker Links: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.

Guest appearance from the one and only Paul Irving again this month as him and Scott discuss the general trends in the macro environment, predictions and paving the path forward for todays economy. They also dive into the asset class comparisons and their latest US Trade Mission trip to HongKong... Don't miss out!Highlights:(0:45) Little Summer Update.(2:14) Why the VC landscape is different this year.(5:00) Paul’s take on the private and public markets right now.(8:44) Scott and Paul’s recap on the US Trade Mission in Hong Kong last month.(13:45) Last month's GTM dinners in Toronto and NYC.(15:57) A GTMfund Portfolio Company story/update from Paul.(21:00) Expanding on the concept of “flight to quality.”(26:00) Whether founders are going to start rethinking their value propositions.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsirving/ Host Speaker Links: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.

Elena Hutchison has over 15 years of B2B SaaS experience, including a 10-year run at Customer Experience leader Medallia where she supported the company's growth from Series B through IPO.As Medallia's Chief Strategy Officer, Elena led Product Marketing, Analyst Relations, and PreSales functions, and contributed significantly to the company's M&A and product strategy. Elena has particular expertise in scaling global PreSales functions - she joined Medallia as one of its first Sales Engineers and eventually led the 150-person org.S he has also built a reputation as an elite Analyst Relations practitioner, with multiple leading Forrester Waves and Gartner MQs under her belt.Prior to Medallia, Elena spent 5 years in Professional Services and Customer Success roles. (She also earned some phenomenal stories from her days as a political pollster and focus group moderator).What You Will Learn:How to stay motivated and stick with a company for 10+ years.Defining the role of Analyst Relations.Learning to step into an era of “yes” and an era of “no” equally in business.The importance of a peer group that gives you strength.Distinguishing which companies need Sales Engineers and which don’t.Highlights:(3:48) How Elena built her way up from Sales Engineer to C-Suite at Medallia.(7:22) How to fill the gaps when starting a new role.(13:10) Elena’s transition from engineering to analyst relations at Medallia.(18:24) Defining analyst relations.(25:16) Analyzing the concept of “Pay to Play”.(30:00) The metrics that matter for analyst relations.(31:41) Elena’s biggest mistake sitting at the executive table.(35:00) The power of outside mentorship.(37:20) The importance of bringing on Sales Engineers early on.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenahutchison/Elena's Consulting: uprightar.comHost Speaker Links: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.

Manny Medina is the CEO and Co-Founder at Outeach. Prior to Outreach, Manny was employee number three on Amazon's AWS team, and led the Microsoft mobile division from launch to $50M in annual revenue. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.What You Will Learn:How to stay driven and motivated while building a multi-billion-dollar company.The importance of staying small in headcount as you begin to scale.Finding product-sales fit as fast as you can as a first-time founder.Manny shares his first sale that helped pivot the company from recruiting to sales.Why managing by forecast has changed in the last year.The best sales fundamentals to help founders succeed in today’s down market.Highlights:(2:42) Where Manny’s sustained motivation to win comes from.(5:14) Manny’s take on AI’s impact on rev tech.(9:35) Manny’s take on the competitive landscape with the emergence of AI.(19:40) An impactful story that happened to Manny recently came across.(27:24) How to maintain a strong company culture as you start to scale.(33:35) Manny’s valuable advice to first-time founders.(35:03) The story of Manny’s first memorable sale.(37:08) 2 fundamental things that have changed in SaaS over the last couple of years.(40:40) Best tip to founders.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/medinism/Twitter: https://twitter.com/medinismHost Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/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.

Drew Sechrist is the Co-founder and CEO at Connect The Dots. Drew spent over 10 years at Salesforce.com as the VP of their High Tech vertical. He started his career in late 1999 as employee number 36 at Salesforce, beginning as the number one AE globally, and later to the number one Sales Manager globally.What You Will Learn:The importance of having a centralized point of contact who can act as a trusted liaison for your business.Leveraging your network to drive revenue.Knowing when to make strong asks in sales.Introducing a Sales Ambassador role in your company.Highlights(2:50) The premise behind Connect The Dots & Drew’s story building his career.(12:56) The evolution of LinkedIn and problems we face with it today.(19:05) The importance of patience and creativity to elevate your career.(21:05) Scott's infamous play that he rolled out at Outreach that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars.(27:35) How they built Connect The Dots.(32:25) Drew’s successful play he ran at Salesforce.(39:34) Knowing when to leverage your network.(42:15) Introducing a Sales Ambassador to your sales organization.Guest Speaker Links:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewsechrist/E-mail: [email protected] The Dots Website: https://www.ctd.aiHost Speaker Links: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.

Episode SummaryThere's no doubt that companies must become more data-driven if they want to stay relevant in the market. However, in reality, that data sits in silos while the data team and marketing or sales teams rarely communicate. Therefore, companies must bridge the gap between these departments by enabling teams to access and use data in their preferred tools. In this episode of Sales Hacker, we welcome Kashish Gupta, the co-founder and co-CEO of Hightouch, a simple tool enabling businesses to transfer customer data from warehouses to their tools of choice. Kashish discusses the mission and vision of his company and why they decided to be an inbound-driven business, at least at the early stage. He also shares his take on AI and whether teams, especially sales teams, should use tools like ChatGPT. Finally, Kashish explains how his teams use Hightouch internally and the sales team's role as consultants in providing value, building trust, and maintaining long-term customer relationships. Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Kashish Gupta💡 What he does: Kashish is the co-founder and co-CEO of Hightouch.💡 Company: Hightouch💡 Noteworthy: Along with his team, Kashish is on a mission to help businesses transfer customer data easily from their data warehouses to their chosen tools.💡 Where to find Kashish: LinkedInThe 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.

Elissa Fink serves on several not-for-profit and corporate boards. Retired from  Tableau Software in 2019 after 11+ years as their CMO, she helped grow the company from ~$5 million to over $1 billion in revenue and helped lead it through IPO and enterprise growth, leaving right before acquisition by  Salesforce. She earned a BA in English and an MBA in Marketing. She now enjoys time with her husband, teenaged daughter and 9 year old son.What You Will Learn:Exercising the power of no.The importance of surrounding yourself with exceptional individuals.Always hire folks whose best years are ahead of them.Highlights:(4:00) What made Elissa stay at Tableau for 11 years.(7:27) Elissa explains her experience as a leader at Tableau and having to adapt as a marketer.(12:56) What Elissa attributes her career growth to.(17:42) Elissa explains Tableau’s decision to start the Tableau conference at 12M in revenue.(33:10) The importance of exercising the power of no.(36:08) Elissa’s vital mistake attacking a competitor.(39:37) How to make a big impact in your first 90 days at a new role.(44:27) A brand touch is a demand touch.(46:57) How to hire the best folks.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissafink/Host Speaker Links: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.

Max Altschuler back at it this month leading our monthly bonus episode solo while Scott & Paul take Hong Kong for a US trade mission. Max hits us with some internal company updates, this months PortCo announcements, qualities that we're looking for in founders as we invest in new early stage startups, and a little topical discussion around moats and distribution.Don't miss out!Highlights:(1:30) Update on the fund, network & candidate growth.(3:03) Tailwinds, economic changes, and micro qualities that we continue to look out for at the fund.(4:30) Types of entrepreneurs/founders that stand out to us when evaluating an investment.(6:22) PortCo announcements.(7:04) "We have no moat, and neither does OpenAI." Unpacking the concept of moats and how to succeed through distribution.(9:13) Max's 4-part Series on the GTM Newsletter (Decoding Community).Host Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/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.

Episode SummarySales teams use various methodologies, including MEDDIC, MEDDPIC, and NEAT, and often switch between them based on the dominant trend. But, as our guest Richard Harris says, one size doesn't fit all, and it's not as simple as rip-and-replace if a process doesn't bring immediate or quick results. In this episode of Sales Hacker, Richard shares how he approaches processes from creation to implementation. Richard also discusses manager-employee relationships and how we can learn plenty, even from bad leaders. Richard may be the founder of The Harris Consulting Group, but he is still fighting impostor syndrome. As a result, he reminds everyone — including himself — to be kind and friendly to themselves, prioritizing self-care and mental health. Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Richard Harris💡 What he does: Richard is the founder of The Harris Consulting Group and the co-founder of Surf and Sales.💡 Company: The Harris Consulting Group💡 Noteworthy: Richard is a seasoned SaaS sales leader, inside sales trainer, and advisor with 20+ years of experience. 💡 Where to find Richard: LinkedInThe 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.

Scott Leese is a 6x Sales Leader, 4x Founder, 3x Author, a Sales Consultant, Advisor, Solopreneur, and Community Builder. Scott Leese Consulting was founded in 2016 with a focus on companies scaling from $0 - $25m ARR. Scott founded Surf and Sales in 2017 with the mission to bring valuable events and conferences around the globe to help sales professionals and executives grow and expand their skills. Most recently Scott founded GTM United, which is a private community of go-to-market professionals united by a mission to put their development first. Get feedback, ask questions, practice self-care, and make real connections.What You Will Learn:How to land advisory work & how to hire the best advisors.Identifying which early-stage startups to join.The importance of asking deeper questions in your career.The 'Go-To-Network' approach.Highlights:(4:40) Defining advisory work in SaaS.(7:57) What to look for when bringing on an advisor.(11:07) How to land an advisory role.(17:21) The big resume blip that Scott encountered in his career.(25:50) Building strategies to discover different sales archetypes.(32:35) Earning the right to side hustle.(34:45) What Scott would've done differently throughout his career.(41:30) Scott's advice on hiring the best sales individuals.(44:20) Hot take: Go-to-market strategies won't be relevant in a couple of years.(48:54) Creating a partner channel to accelerate your business.Guest Speaker Link:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottleese/GTM United: https://www.gtmunited.com/join-nowScott Leese Consulting: https://scottleeseconsulting.comSurf and Sales: https://www.surfandsales.comHost Speaker Links: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.

Episode SummaryIn this insightful episode, Colin Campbell of Sales Hacker engages Lauren Bailey from Sales Bar, Factor Eight, and Girls Club in a thoughtful discussion on the dynamics of the sales industry. They delve into the underrepresentation of women in sales and the initiatives aimed at bridging the gender gap. The conversation emphasizes the importance of mentorship and community in fostering a more inclusive and diverse sales force.Lauren Bailey shares personal experiences in the sales industry, discussing the challenges and triumphs that have marked the journey. The conversation also explores imposter syndrome, a common occurrence among sales professionals, and ways to overcome it. Lauren Bailey highlights the essential role of confidence in navigating sales.The episode wraps up with a light-hearted discussion about the prospect of men joining initiatives traditionally designed for women, underlining the importance of inclusivity in all professional development programs. This episode is a must-listen for sales professionals seeking to understand and navigate the complexities of the sales landscape.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Lauren Bailey💡What they do: Founder and President💡Company: The Sales Bar, Factor Eight, Girls Club💡Noteworthy: Lauren Bailey builds happy teams, powerful online experiences, learning cultures, engaging workshops, and solutions to help people fall in love with sales and look forward to coming to work.💡 Where to find them: LinkedInThe 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.

Over the past 20 years, Jamal closed multiple $50m deals as an individual contributor enterprise seller, authored the best selling book, Mega Deal Secrets, coached hundreds of ambitious sellers to sell the largest deals of their lives, and founded the Enterprise Sellers Community, a community of practice for individual contributors.What You Will Learn:The psychology on how to sell to executives.Knowing which deals to prioritize.Multi-threading and aligning your sellers to your product market message.Earning clout and respect from executives.Highlights:(3:09) Things to think about when starting to sell to larger enterprises.(5:48) The story behind Jamal's best-selling sales book “Mega Deal Secrets”.(9:36) How to get access to the right people in the room when closing a deal.(15:12) The framework for identifying and prioritizing the right deals.(18:00) How to earn clout and respect from executives.(22:31) How to keep executives invested in your relationship.(31:26) Key components necessary in an enterprise sales playbook.(36:30) Practicing patience in sales.(41:25) The importance of co-selling as a CEO.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamal-reimer/Jamal Reimer's Book: Mega Deal SecretsHost Speaker Links: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.

In the highly competitive B2B tech space, it's easy to market your offer with so many tools and channels available. But, we can't help but notice the increased interest in referrals as more and more companies realize that word of mouth is the path to growth. In this episode, we dive into this renewed trend with Tito Bohrt, the CEO of AltiSales, the one-stop shop for world-class sales development. Tito explains when it makes sense to prioritize customer acquisition vs. retention and vice versa. He also shares how company culture impacts productivity and morale, primarily within sales teams. Tito and host Colin Campbell also touch upon the concept of a sales champion and how to find the ideal champion within a prospect's organization. Finally, we asked Tito to talk about how he got into angel investing and his consulting endeavors. Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name:  Tito Bohrt💡 What he does:  Tito is the CEO of AltiSales. 💡 Company:  AltiSales💡 Noteworthy:  Tito is an expert in sales development and all things sales. 💡 Where to find Tito:  LinkedInThe 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 Jacobs is the founder & CEO of Pavilion and was Host of The Sales Hacker Podcast, Sam is focused on helping people unlock and achieve their professional potential. He believes there is greatness within all of us and sometimes it just needs a mechanism through which it can be brought forth. This philosophy led him to build a company called Pavilion and the purpose of that company is to help members, employees, and stakeholders realize the greatness within themselves.Pavilion is a paid membership for leaders of all levels dedicated to providing support, assistance, education, and career growth. They  are a global organization with over 9,000 members and hubs in every major city in the world. Sam created Pavilion based both on his personal experience and the experiences of friends, partners, and colleagues in the high growth community.What You Will Learn:Pre-negotiating your severance pay and equity when joining a company.Adjusting comp plans and aligning each contributor's goals to the company's.Pivoting away from the zero-interest rate era.Highlights:(3:16) SVB banking analysis.(11:06) Pavilion’s origin story.(15:00) Stepping into Pavilion's next chapter.(23:48) What people should be thinking about and negotiating for in their contract as they move into their next roles.(35:41) How to handle getting paid not at market rate.(41:29) Hot take: Sales people don’t actually generate the money in the business.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfjacobs/Pavilion's Wesbite: https://www.joinpavilion.com Host Speaker Links: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.

Writing good emails is vital in sales, and every salesperson has their own email tactic. But you only get one shot at getting your sales emails opened, so it's critical to do it right.In this episode of the Sales Hacker podcast, our host Colin Campbell welcomes Will Allred, the co-founder and COO of Lavender. They talk about the potential application of ChatGPT in sales, why frameworks are better than templates, and how to personalize your email sequence.Check out Will's killer series "1 email. 2 takes."https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGXnz4Tyz3-SFxoZNp8RijB-qnKWZMcNU Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and follow Sales Hacker on LinkedIn.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.

Stevie oversees Vanta’s go-to-market team to support the company’s rapid growth. Stevie brings over 20 years of sales and business development experience to the role, most recently serving as Vice President of Mid-Market Sales at Twilio, running a $425 million business for the market-leading cloud communications platform. Joining as one of their first account executives, Stevie played a pivotal role in establishing Twilio’s enterprise business with key Fortune 500 customers. She helped to grow the sales team from a dozen to over 1,000 team members. Stevie also supports startups, serving as an angel investor and advisor for the past decade.What You Will Learn:How to succeed in technical sales as a non-technical person and with a non-technical resume.How to look for curiosity in candidates when in the hiring process.Turning a lack of belongingness into an abundance mindset and greater success.Don't undermine the power of networking.Highlights:(1:48) What Stevie attributes her early success to.(4:20) How revenue leaders and their teams are currently using AI today - building a team for AI revops.(10:48) What made Stevie reach all-time success in sales during her time at Twilio & how to break into technical sales as a non-technical person.(13:30) 2 fundamental ways to test for curiosity in an interview process.(16:10) Stevie’s career-shaping story that turned rejection into fuel.(22:45) Transitioning from changing from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset.(26:35) Stevie’s mindset shift on the importance of networking in your career.(33:28) The struggle to hire talent in today's market.(35:47) Vantas open roles as of May 2023.(37:40) Hot take: Resumes don’t matter.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steviecase/Vanta's Wesbite: https://www.vanta.com Host Speaker Links: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.

Sales is a number-driven business. And if you want to win over your customers, you need to put in a lot of time, energy, and effort. But the only thing that will set you apart from your competitors is going the extra mile.In this episode of the Sales Hacker podcast, our host Colin Campbell welcomes Rex Biberston, the principal at No Fluff Selling. They talk about the importance of relevance and resonance, why you need to start with the fundamentals first, and how to stand out in the crowd.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.

Juan George (JG) is the Co-Founder of 858 Partners, a boutique restaurant technology management & investment firm that he Co-Founded with his former CRO in January 2023. 858 Partners provides go-to-market expertise, capital, and connections to restaurant technology organizations possessing the ingredients to achieve extraordinary success within the Enterprise Restaurant Vertical.Prior to launching his agency, JG was the former SVP of Enterprise Sales at Olo, the leading on-demand commerce platform for the multi-unit restaurant space. JG joined Olo as a Seed Stage start-up and over the course of a 15+ year run helped the company go public on the NYSE under the ticker OLO. During his tenure as an IC/Leader, Olo signed 71% of the Enterprise Restaurant Market (82,000 locations) and become the gold standard for enterprise software in the restaurant tech ecosystem. Olo’s growth story is a masterclass in focused, lean, and efficient GTM execution in a period of market excess. Of the 2021 vintage of SaaS IPOs, Olo was the single most efficient in 2 categories: 1) Lowest Sales to Revenue Ratio (8%) and 2) Lowest Burn Multiple (0.05%).What You Will Learn:Patience is a virtue in startup land.Know your buyer beyond what may be presented.Go lean in your team to win.The importance of saying no in sales.Why hiring good sales leadership is fundamental in scaling your company.Highlights:(3:05) JG’s background and experience at Olo.(11:53) Update on 858 Ventures and JG’s recent transition from Operator to VC.(21:00) Enterprise sales efficiency and the new vertical SaaS playbook.(35:44) How Olo began its winning streak straight into IPO.(43:02) JG’s biggest mistake as an operator hiring insider sales reps.(44:48) Biggest learning throughout JP’s 15-year stint at Old.(51:42) JG’s controversial claim that Outbound is dead.(54:29) Hot take: You better be using ChatGPT at all times of the day.Guest Speaker Link:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juangeorge/858 Partners Website: https://858partners.com/ Host Speaker Links:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Referenced Resource: Food on Demand Article about JG's: With New Venture, Ex-Olo Execs Launch 858 Partners.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.

Back at it for another monthly Jam session but this time with an ultra special guest... The man, the myth, the legend; our very own Paul Irving. Not just a handsome devil but also the brains behind the GTMfund operation takes Max's seat this week to hit us with all the GTMfund updates in the last month.Talking AI's influence on the GTM stacking process, How partnerships and referrals are going to play a huge role in pipeline velocity, Paul's career advice to folks starting out in a role... and tons more!Highlights:(2:51) The truth behind Scott & Paul's friendship.(3:48) The birth of DormVIP, Scott & Paul's first business.(5:45) Paul's experience leading up to joining the GTMfund.(9:12) Unpacking common conversational themes discussed with our LP's and Founders at our latest GTM dinners.(14:57) Upcoming events including a dinner at the US Embassy in Hong Kong.(18:04) The new GTMfund rebrand.(20:10) GTMfund deals in April and the value in our community.(23:13) Paul's personal career advice to folks starting out in their new role and hoping to make an immediate impact.Guest Speaker Link:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsirving/ Host Speaker Links: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.

Sales leaders play a critical role in a business's success because they are responsible for driving revenue growth and developing and executing sales strategies. And some of the benefits of being a sales leader are high earning potential, the ability to impact the bottom line, and the opportunity for career advancement, flexibility, and building and leading a team. But, on average, revenue executives have a shockingly short tenure due to various factors, including the stressful nature of the job, the need for constant results, and the fact that sales leaders are often the first to be held accountable when revenue targets are unmet. In this episode we make a huge announcement and Sam Jacobs, the founder and CEO of Pavilion discusses the challenges facing sales leaders, how the Sales Hacker podcast helped his career, and how you can succeed with kindness.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.

Julia Gilinets is currently the Head of Sales at Pocus, also a go-to-market executive who has helped scale businesses from 0-100M across a multitude of different industry verticals. Julia has intentionally built the product led sales foundation before it was cool; Doing PLG before PLG was a thing. She brings data democracy to go-to-market teams everywhere and always out there advising, speaking, and teaching. What You Will Learn: The importance of forming deeper relationships within your companyUnderstanding trends for the greater good of your productThe positive outcome derived from the pursuit of data Resorting to discovery in order to better understand people’s behaviour Why outbound and the SDR role is outdated Highlights:(1:40) How Julia started doing PLG before PLG became widely known.(9:05) How to make sense of your product’s data.(12:06) Julia’s experience working in AdTech: going from 0-35 Million and later acquired by Twitter.(18:53) How to carve out equity for yourself after an exit.(26:48) How to overcome mismanagement by your CEO.(31:51) Hot take: Outbound in the SDR role is broken.Guest Speaker Links:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliagilinets/Pocus' Website: https://www.pocus.com Host Speaker Links: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.

Kevin Bailey is the Co-founder and CEO of Dreamfuel, a mental performance coaching platform for winning teams. Kevin Bailey is 3 time tech Founder who has done mindset coaching for over a thousand Sales professionals and currently completing his masters in applied neuroscience. What You Will Learn:Habit formation coaching.Best recovery tools to equip yourself for success.Guided visualization as a form of healing.How to guarantee success in your career through a flow state.Highlights:(2:32) Kevin’s philosophy and thinking of being a mental performance coach.(6:18) Kevin’s connection with mental performance and deep-rooted story.(13:01) Tools that Kevin used to turn his life around (including Wim Hof breathing).(17:03) Coaching people on habit formation.(25:45) A walk through of some of the best exercises to do when feeling mentally trapped.(27:38) Guided visualization as a mental performance exercise.(39:55) What good recovery looks like.(43:30) Hot take on grind culture.Guest Speaker Links:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjamesbailey/Deamfuel's Website: https://www.dreamfuel.com Host Speaker Links: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.

Kathleen Booth is the SVP of Marketing and member of experience at Pavilion, The modern union for go-to-market leaders. Prior to her time at Pavilion, she founded Quintain Marketing a full service marketing agency that she sold after over 10 years of operating.Kathleen has held a multitude of Marketing Leadership roles at VC backed B2B Tech companies. She continues to serve as an advisor to early stage SaaS companies and B2B startups. Kathleen shares a ton of tactical advice on B2B leadership, including how to show up in your community, how to properly draw lines when founding a company, and her biggest learnigs from her exit after operating Quinatain Marketing for 11 years. What You Will Learn:Best ways to overcome your Imposter Syndrome.How to leverage your community in order to elevate your career and drive pipeline.How to better understand your company's objectives.An in-depth explanation of Kathleen's entrepreneurial journey and the importance of drawing lines in the sand when starting out.Highlights:(6:20) The mission behind Pavilion and how Kathleen first kicked off her role with the team.(8:09) Strategies to overcome Imposter Syndrome.(12:33) Tips & tricks for managing a board.(15:47) Why community is more important than ever.(21:17) Who should be showing up in your community to drive actual revenue and demand.(27:45) Incentivizing your team to show up in the community.(31:11) Kathleen’s experience building and selling her company.(40:50) Tactical advice to founders who haven’t yet found product-market fit.(44:27) The importance of investing in your personal brand.Guest Speaker Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenslatterybooth/  Pavilion's Website: https://www.joinpavilion.comHost Speaker Links: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.

Justin Strackany is an early stage software vet, investor, GTM executive, and worked as the first employee at SecureLink for a total of 18 years. Throughout his career at SecureLink, Justin played a multitude of different roles including Director of CSM, VP of Sales, and most recently as their Chief Customer Officer. Justin shares an impactful story at SecureLink that led his CEO to bring him in as an acquisition partner. Discussing the journey of an acquisition through a private equity firm and the pivotal decision of rolling his shares post acquisition. What You Will Learn:Knowing your values when joining a company.The benefits of startup learnings and acquisitions.How to manage and level up in the private equity and venture capital space.The importance of relinquishing control as a leader.How to work within an executive team.How to manage up to a board & private equity firm.Highlights:(3:05) Hot take on Bitcoin’s trajectory.(8:33) Building and starting out SecureLink as an Acquisition Partner.(16:12) Knowing what your equity equates to when joining a company.(19:05) What Justin implemented on the Go-to-Market front after being brought on.(21:20) Blind spots encountered post acquisition.(29:47) What Justin did to triple sales post acquisition.(32:10) Things to do to set yourself up for a CRO role.(35:57) Actionable ways to improve revenue retention.Guest Speaker Links:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinstrackany/GTM Consulting: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmdotconsulting/Host Speaker Links: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.

Episode SummaryBen Dietz is the general manager of Mintel, a leading data and analytics company. The company operates across North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. In this episode of Sales Hacker, Ben recapitulates his first days in the company, the company's core services, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and are facing now, given the recession and other global events. Ben and host Sam Jacobs talk about the importance of trust and support in a crisis, both internally and externally. Ben discusses how you can be a realistic yet motivational leader and how giving and asking for feedback is critical for a manager to move his team and operations forward.  Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Ben Dietz💡 What he does: Ben is the general manager of Mintel.💡 Company: Mintel💡 Noteworthy: Ben began his career in logistics and supply chain with ConAgra Foods, then moved into supply chain consulting, and eventually pivoted to sales when he joined Mintel. He has held seven different roles across two continents through his 14 years at Mintel, during which Mintel has tripled in size.💡 Where to find Ben: LinkedInThe 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.