SaaSy Talk Unfiltered

About The Guest(s): Steven is a seasoned sales leader with extensive experience in the tech industry. He started his career at Discover Org (now ZoomInfo) and played a crucial role in scaling the organization from 4 reps to 400 reps. Steven has a deep understanding of sales processes, team composition, and the importance of specialization in driving success.

Summary: Steven shares his journey into the tech industry, starting from a Craigslist posting at Discover Org. He discusses the challenges and learnings he faced while scaling the organization, emphasizing the importance of specialization in sales roles. Steven explains the role of segmentation in sales and how it contributes to the success of the organization. He also highlights the grading system used to measure the performance of account executives and the impact it has on lead routing. Steven discusses the concept of playbooks in sales and how they help streamline processes and improve performance. He shares insights into maintaining performance and growth in a scaling business, emphasizing the importance of open communication and continuous improvement. Steven also discusses the alignment between sales and marketing and the role it plays in driving success. He shares his thoughts on forecasting and the importance of data-driven decision-making. Finally, Steven talks about the future of ZoomInfo and the focus on building a modern go-to-market strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• Specialization is key in sales roles to ensure maximum efficiency and performance

• Segmentation of sales roles, such as new logo acquisition and CS, helps drive success and maximize value

• Grading AEs based on performance metrics allows for better coaching and development

• Playbooks are essential in sales to streamline processes and ensure consistency across the team

• Open communication and a culture of continuous improvement are crucial for maintaining performance and growth in a scaling business

• Alignment between sales and marketing is essential for driving success and achieving revenue goals

• Data-driven forecasting and decision-making are crucial for accurate planning and execution

• The future of ZoomInfo focuses on building a modern go-to-market strategy that leverages data, software, and automation to drive success

Quotes:

• "We made a bunch of mistakes early on… just continually iterating, measuring, bifurcating roles, figuring out the best motion."

• "One of our advantages was always that segmentation and bifurcation of some of the roles."

• "The AE scorecard is the backbone of how we measure and stack rank our account executives."

• "Data allows us to figure out how we onboard, how we enable, and then how we consistently coach."

• "The best companies have a mix of people who've been there for a long time and understand the why of the company, and people who've done it before." - Sean

• "Forecasting is one of the areas where we're constantly looking to improve… it's a big math equation."

• "We've shown up differently and are more focused on meeting the customer where they are today."

• "No matter where the SDR sits, targets and alignment matter."

Chapters 00:00 Introduction

00:55 Challenges and Learnings in Scaling the Org

02:26 The Importance of Specialization in Sales

02:41 The Role of Segmentation in Sales

03:48 Grading Sales Reps and its Impact

06:16 The Role of Data in Sales Performance

16:11 The Concept of Playbooks in Sales

18:02 Maintaining Performance and Growth in a Scaling Business

21:19 Open Communication and Growth

21:29 Aligning Sales and Marketing for Success

22:07 The Importance of Setting Targets Together

23:25 The Art of Negotiation and Collaboration

23:51 The Challenges of Being a Public Listed Company

24:11 The Art and Science of Forecasting

24:38 Understanding Win Rates and Their Impact

28:21 The Importance of Keeping Opportunities Open

30:21 Adapting to Changes in the B2B SaaS Selling Environment

36:52 The Role of SDRs in an Organization

38:06 The Future of ZoomInfo

39:40 Quick Fire Round