I frequently hear a question about what makes someone a good VP of Sales when companies are looking for one.  So below are some of the fundamental attributes of a successful and effective VP of Sales. (And also want to make a point – there is something specific that is…  Read More >

I’ve been a fan of the Farnam Street blog by Shane Parrish for the past 4-5 years.  One of his Principles is “Thoughtful Opinions Held Loosely”. This is based on what Paul Saffo introduced as “Strong opinions, weakly held” concept. Bub Sutton (who wrote Good Boss, Bad Boss) wrote about…  Read More >

The stage of growing sales revenue from $10M to $100M is really exciting.  I’ve had experience in this sales revenue range at 3 companies: AppAssure – we went from $10M to $25 Million in sales around the acquisition by DELL Acronis – we went from $19 Million to $100+ Million…  Read More >

The sales function at any company is very complex. A successful sales organization is the result of many variegated factors which are directly affected and also indirectly influenced by the sales leaders of those organization (i.e. a EVP or VP of Sales or the CRO – the executive who is…  Read More >

Every effective VP of Sales needs to create and use a tool known as a Skillset Matrix to validate the skills, knowledge, and proficiency of their sales teams. There are different types – one can be based on ratings which rate the skills available on the team.  And it will…  Read More >

If you are looking to accelerate your revenue with a new product launch or entering a new market, one of the key aspects of your Marketing Strategy must be a clearly defined Go-to-Market.  A Go-to-Market Strategy (aka “GTM”) is, at the most basic level, a plan of how you “go to…  Read More >

Here are some great books I read by professional sports coaches which I thought apply perfectly to Sales Leaders who want to learn the real art of coaching from the best: Bill Walsh – Finding a Winning Edge Bill Walsh – The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of…  Read More >

A couple of years ago, I was invited to present at the annual Inside Sales – Sales Acceleration Summit and I talked about “The Science of Sales” (InsideSales.com posted the presentation on Slideshare). It was fun to see that the other presenters at this event were the likes of Steve Young, a…  Read More >

Unlike a VP of Sales at a larger Mid-Market SaaS company, a VP of Sales at a $5M-$20M ARR Growth Stage SaaS business is more focused & hands-on: Sales motions Helps create or improve the optimal Go-to-Market (GTM) Develops the right Messaging for sales: Positioning, Unique Value Proposition, the Elevator…  Read More >