Selling Intelligence (formerly Selling the Cloud)

Latest Episodes:

Operating Partners, Part 1 with guest Joseph Zito, CEO of (X)Form Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of this 2-part episode of the “Selling the Cloud” Podcast, RevOps edition, we are joined by Joseph Zito, founder of (X)Form, a company that partners with C-level executives to tackle ambitious goals amidst challenging revenue, profit, and operations dynamics. In this episode, we discuss executing effective company strategies, mobilization techniques to unite teams, and the impact of having an Operating Partner for the C-suite.

Joseph shares his journey from coder to executive, his experience across various roles in startups and large enterprises, and the founding of (X)Form. We delve into defining strategy, the challenges organizations face in strategy development, and how refining strategy can significantly impact operations.

Show Notes:

Co-hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Katerina Ostrovsky

Guest: Joseph Zito, CEO of (X)FORM

Mentions: Rumelt Strategy Chain

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The Evolution of Enterprise Sales, Part 2, Rob Schilling, SVP, ERP Sales N.A. @ Oracle Jul 19, 2024

Show notes

In the second part of this engaging conversation, Rob Schilling addresses the common challenges companies face when transitioning to a data-centric sales model. He shares candid experiences where a data-driven approach may fall short and offers his perspective on how AI is reshaping the “art of sales.” With a keen eye on the future, Rob discusses the evolving role of AI and data-driven sales, the risks of over-reliance on AI, and the lessons he has learned from selling abroad, particularly in Japan. Wrapping up, Rob provides invaluable guidance for emerging Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) in the AI era, emphasizing the importance of cultivating skills akin to those of a "sales data scientist."

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Show Notes:

Co-Hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Cathy Minter

Guest: Rob Schilling, SVP, ERP Sales NA, Services Industries at Oracle

Mark talks about the book: Challenger Sale

Rob mentions the book: The Coming Wave, Mustafa Suleyman

Essential tool for every CRO: ChatGPT

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The Evolution of Enterprise Sales, Part 1, Rob Schilling, SVP, ERP Sales N.A. @ Oracle Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Selling the Cloud, co-hosts Mark and Cathy sit down with Rob Schilling, SVP ERP Cloud at Oracle, to delve into the pivotal moments that have shaped his career in enterprise sales. Rob shares insights into the fundamentals of sales, emphasizing the importance of being the "CEO of your own territory," focusing on the customer, and selling business value. Additionally, Rob explores today's access to data and metrics and the balance between a customer-centric buyer's perspective and data-driven sales strategies, offering practical advice on encouraging teams to adopt this two-sided approach.

Co-Hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Cathy Minter

Guest: Rob Schilling, SVP, ERP Sales NA, Services Industries at Oracle

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The Future of Revenue Enablement and the Impact of Data, Steve Richards, SVP Revenue Enablement Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Selling the Cloud, we sit down with Steve Richards from Mediafly to discuss the future state of sales enablement. We explore the balance between leveraging data and maintaining the human element in sales, strategies to alleviate friction points in the sales funnel, and the critical role of cross-functional collaboration among high-performing leaders and companies.

Guest: Steve Richards, SVP Revenue Enablement at: Mediafly

Co Hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre

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Show mentions:

Gold Rush, with Tony Beets

Doug May

The book: The Family Board Meeting

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Full-Funnel Insights with Toni Hohlbein, Part 2: Efficiency, Digital Twins, and SaaS Trends Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our conversation with Toni Hohlbein, we delve into how macro trends in the markets are forcing changes in the way we operate SaaS companies, with a focus on doubling down on efficiency and prioritizing effective channels. We discuss how incremental improvements in the funnel compound over time and can significantly impact revenue growth. Toni also highlights geographic differences in maturity between US and EMEA companies, discusses which C-suite persona feels these pains the most, and where RevOps should sit in the organization to have the most impact.

Co-hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Katerina Ostrovsky

Guest: Toni Hohlbein, Growblocks

------- Mentions:

Clay, data enrichment platform

Mark Roberge, The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million

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Full-Funnel Insights with Toni Hohlbein, Part 1: Efficiency, Digital Twins, and SaaS Trends Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of this episode of "Selling the Cloud," we sit down with Toni Hohlbein, CEO and co-founder of Growblocks, to explore the transformative power of full-funnel visibility in revenue operations.

Toni shares insights on the evolving role of RevOps, leveraging factory-like efficiency in B2B SaaS, the impact of digital twins on business planning, and navigating the current SaaS recession. We discuss the importance of precise metric tracking, the pitfalls of indiscriminate cost-cutting, and how Growblocks helps companies optimize their go-to-market strategies.

Guest: Toni Hohlbein, CEO of Growblocks

Co Hosts of Selling the Cloud: Katerina Ostrovsky and Mark Petruzzi.

Tony mentions CaC Payback quite a bit so let's define:

Customer Acquisition Cost Payback period is: How many months it takes to recoup the cost of acquiring a customer.

CAC Payback Period is calculated as:

Fully Loaded Sales and Marketing Expenses to Acquire New Customers

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x 12

(CARR¹ from New Customers * Subscription Gross Margin Percentage)

¹CARR is Contracted Annual Recurring Revenue

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And for those of you wondering, yes, my cat likes to make an appearance in these podcasts. And yes, he is not starving; he is well-fed despite his complaints.

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The Pivitol Alignment between Strategy and Sales - Frank Cespedes, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to today's episode of the 'Selling the Cloud' Podcast! We are thrilled to have Frank Cespedes as our guest. Frank is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Unit at Harvard Business School. With a wealth of experience in running businesses, serving on boards for start-ups and corporations, and consulting globally, Frank brings a unique perspective to our discussion. He is the author of six books, including our topic for today, Aligning Strategy and Sales.

In this episode, we dive into these key areas:

The importance of clear communication of strategic choices to sales teams.
Common challenges in aligning sales with strategic objectives and ways to overcome them.
Integrating internal performance management factors with external market characteristics.
Strategies for recruiting and developing salespeople who can execute the strategy effectively.
Key considerations for developing metrics that evaluate and reward performance in line with strategic goals.

Frank Cespedes, Author "Sales Management that Works"

Co Hosts Mark Petruzzi and Cathy Minter

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Data observability within RevOps Pt. 2 - Lindsey Meyl, CEO and Cofounder of RevAmp May 29, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to part two of the RevOps edition of "Selling the Cloud," featuring Lindsey Meyl, CEO of RevAmp. In this episode we explore how companies can leverage their data for a competitive advantage, manage business strategy around a shared set of metrics and an ICP, and execute on recommended growth levers based on data signals in a scalable manner. Lindsey also discusses overcoming obstacles in data integration, the critical role of RevOps in handling priorities, and the shift towards viewing revenue as a science. Tune in for actionable insights on optimizing your RevOps strategy and driving business growth.

Books mentioned on the show:

Data & Diagnosis Driven Selling, by Mark Petruzzi, Robert Scarperi, Ray Rike, and Paul Melchiorre

The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge

Ecosystem Led Growth, by Bob Moore

Revenue Architecture, by Jacco van der Kooij

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Tom Chavez, CEO of superset

Lindsey Meyl, Co-Founder RevAmp

Accelerant Growth Solutions

Co-host: Katerina Ostrovsky

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Data observability within RevOps Pt. 1 - Lindsey Meyl, CEO and Cofounder of RevAmp May 22, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of the "Selling the Cloud - RevOps Edition" podcast, Lindsey Meyl, co-founder of RevAmp, discusses optimizing go-to-market strategies through comprehensive data insights. Key topics include the importance of a dynamic data strategy, the transformative role of observability in RevOps, and leveraging AI for competitive advantage.

Lindsey explains how many GTM leaders struggle with data confidence, comparing traditional CRM data processes to agile software development, and highlighting the need for a more dynamic approach to data collection and analysis.
We delve into how observability can transform revenue operations by integrating various data signals, such as website activity and email interactions, to provide deeper insights and actionable recommendations.
Lindsey discusses the difference between AI that enhances productivity and AI that drives a competitive edge, emphasizing the importance of organizing and utilizing unique data assets.

As mentioned in the show: to build GTM infrastructure supporting data-driven decisions, you need to understand what data you have. Greg Meyer recently published a great maturity framework on LinkedIn, found HERE.

Lindsey Meyl

RevAmp

Co-Hosts: Mark Petruzzi and Katerina Ostrovsky

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Data Driven and Metric Based Selling in B2B Pt.2 - Kevin Knieriem, President, Strategic GTM at Clari May 15, 2024

Show notes

This is Part 2 of Data Driven and Metric Based Selling in B2B, Kevin shares insights from his career journey, highlighting pivotal moments where AI and data-driven strategies made a significant impact.

And we continue to cover these topics:

Data-Driven Companies: We delved into what it takes for companies to become truly data-driven in today's landscape.
AI and B2B Sales: Exploring the evolving role of AI and machine learning in shaping the future of B2B sales.
Metric-Based Sales Culture: We discussed how revenue leaders can seamlessly blend metric-based business approaches with people-driven sales cultures.

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