SaaSy Talk Unfiltered | SaaSy Talk S02.08: Beyond the Corporate Ladder: Neil’s Leap into Fractional Leadership and Social Impact

SaaSy Talk S02.08: Beyond the Corporate Ladder: Neil’s Leap into Fractional Leadership and Social Impact

May 2, 2024 / 45:16/S2:E8

About The Guest(s): As the Founder of revenue•x, a GTM and revenue advisory providing fractional CRO services, Neil focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses build an efficient GTM motion that results in a full pipeline and recurring revenue through people, processes, and platforms.

Neil brings 25+ years of learning within B2B SaaS, technology, consulting and data businesses, where he has helped lead companies through different growth stages, including $0-$3M, $3-$6M, $20-$50M, and $100M-$200M+. Neil's other passion is PORCH, an exclusive community for immigrant entrepreneurs, which he founded with his son Hunter.

Neil speaks often on the power of community and go-to-networks to help businesses grow and practices what he preaches through his contributions as an Ambassador, and the Chair of the Fractional/Consultant/Advisor group at Pavilion, a Featured Thought Leader at Sales Assembly, and an Advisor at Gartner Sales Community.

His background includes leadership positions at RIWI (CRO), Environic Analytics (SVP of Marketing and Partnerships), Deloitte (VP), Dentus (SVP / Managing Partner), Rogers (Sr Director), and Nielsen (VP).

Always trying to live by the POP principles (Passionate, Optimistic, Perseverance), Neil prides himself on having a perfect say/do ratio.

Episode Summary: In this episode, Neil shares his journey from working in the corporate world to becoming a fractional CRO and founder of Porch. He discusses the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, the rise of fractional roles in the market, and the importance of building relationships in sales and marketing. Neil also talks about his passion for helping immigrant entrepreneurs and the mission of Porch to provide support and resources to this community.

Key Takeaways:

Fractional leadership is a growing trend in the business world, offering companies the expertise of experienced professionals on a part-time basis.
Building relationships and leveraging warm outreach strategies are becoming more effective than traditional cold outbound methods.
Events and in-person interactions are still crucial for building meaningful connections and driving business growth.
Porch is a community for immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada, providing support, resources, and networking opportunities to help them succeed in a new market.
Neil emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and staying up-to-date with new technologies and strategies in sales and marketing.

Notable Quotes:

"I think we all have different risk factors or different things that make us take a jump or not take a jump." - Neil
"Fractional CRO is about getting your hands dirty. I'm doing everything that a full-time CRO would do, just on a part-time basis." - Neil
"Outbound strategies are getting harder and harder. We need to focus on warm outreach and building relationships." - Neil

Chapters

00:09 Neil's Personal and Professional Journey

02:11 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship

04:31 The Rise of Fractional Roles and Neil's Current Ventures

04:51 Reflecting on Career Choices and the Impact of COVID-19

10:23 Exploring the Fractional CRO Role and Its Benefits

18:51 Giving Back: BeFractional and Porch Initiatives

23:16 Empowering Immigrant Entrepreneurs: The Forge Community

25:53 Shifting Gears: Go-to-Market Strategies and Business Insights

27:11 The Evolution of Outreach: Embracing Warm Strategies Over Cold

31:56 Navigating the AI Landscape: Strategies for Authentic Engagement

37:16 Looking Ahead: Neil's Focus for 2024 and Beyond