CRO Spotlight: Recent Episodes
Warren Zenna and Lupe Feld
A B2B podcast for current and aspiring CROs, CEOs and other leaders. In each episode revenue experts Warren Zenna and Lupe Feld are joined by a guest as they set out to explore every last area of a business that you can leverage to generate revenue and drive meaningful change. Warren and Lupe speak your language - join their revenue crew.
In the latest episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, we talk with Hiedi Messer, Founder and CEO of Collective[i] an AI-enabled revenue forecasting platform.
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In this indepth episode, I spoke to the great Kevin KD Dorsey about how "revenue" is distinct from Sales and how Revenue Functions can activate their partnerships to maximize their expertise.
This episode is brought to you by Growth Forum
Growth Forum is a place to Connect, Learn and Grow.
Join Now
The program is usually valued at $2500, but if you sign up to Growth Forum now, you will receive access to this program for free! https://www.growthforum.io/
It's time to talk about some likely neglected parts of your revenue engine, and how they help you turn dreams into reality. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Eddie Reynolds, CEO and Revenue Operations Strategy Consultant at Union Square Strategy, and host of the RevOps Corner podcast. They tackle the topics with no easy answers including: why we don't do things we know are important, why planning, testing and proving with data are fundamental to whole-of-businesssuccess, the art of getting leadership buy-in on that, aligning your revenue silos, the perils of cold outreach, where RevOps fits into the C-Suite, and the barriers that tops people from doing things differently. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Eddie on https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardreynolds/ (LinkedIn), or at the Union Square Consulting https://www.unionsquareconsulting.com (website). You'll also find Union Square Consulting on YouTube and TikTok. Listen to the RevOps Corner podcast https://www.unionsquareconsulting.com/podcast (here). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Be CRO-ready from day 1 with Warren's CRO Accelerator course https://www.salesiqglobal.com/courses/cro-accelerator (here).
CRO is a new job title, but that doesn't mean there's a lack of knowledge on how to succeed as one. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder at scaleMatters. Join them as they discuss a key thing sales-centric CROs are often light on (and what landed them in that CRO seat), how to stop throwing money away by finding your product-market-message fit faster, the problem with data, bringing the whole team in on experimenting, what we're forgetting when we embrace failure, why you need a safe environment to improve the company, and the two things Scott would ask when interviewing for a CRO role. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Scott on https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-stouffer-313a346/ (LinkedIn), or by email. scaleMatters' podcasts are The Data Room, and Go To Market Excellence. You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Be CRO-ready from day 1 with Warren's CRO Accelerator course https://www.salesiqglobal.com/courses/cro-accelerator (here).
Metrics are essential to measure, manage, and predict performance in revenue. But when almost everything is trackable these days, exactly what do you need to keep your finger on? In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Ray Rike, Founder and CEO (Chief Evangelism Officer) at RevOps Squared. They discuss the staple and expanded metrics sets for every CRO, explain how you can use metrics to help better understand and align your revenue teams (and why CEOs are responsible for clearing that path), three actions to include during your CRO-prep years, how to transition your metrics, who should be a CRO's right hand person on metrics, plus why you need to check you're collecting and actioning your metrics right. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Ray on https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayrike/ (LinkedIn). Find out more about SaaS Metrics Palooza https://www.revopssquared.com/saas-metrics-palooza (here). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Be CRO ready from day 1 with Warren's CRO Accelerator course https://www.salesiqglobal.com/courses/cro-accelerator (here).
Regardless of your department, stepping up and out of it into the C-Suite puts you in a lot of new territory. You wouldn't have taken it if you didn't want a challenge, but you still want to avoid any missteps you can–you're about to find out how. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Stephanie Valenti, CRO at SmartBug Media. Follow her adventurous footsteps to the CRO role (featuring networking, touring via alternate perspectives, and growing as a leader), how to stay in your lane so you succeed at your job, where to start when you land behind the desk, and protecting yourself from becoming a CRO In Title Only. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Stephanie on https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentis/ (LinkedIn). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Be CRO ready from day 1 with Warren's CRO Accelerator course https://www.salesiqglobal.com/courses/cro-accelerator (here).
The more your company scales in size, the more it needs to scale in every other way too–especially stability. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Nancy Maluso who is VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester. Join them as they consider why alignment needs to be the first thing you get right, tips to structure your week for success, the other 'S word' to think about as you grow, and why delegation and data are the ex-sales CRO's best friends. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Nancy on https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancymaluso/ (LinkedIn). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Want to be a CRO? Join Warren's CRO Accelerator course https://www.salesiqglobal.com/courses/cro-accelerator (here).
Although it's hotly debated, sales leadership seems to be emerging as a staple position in the career path to CRO. But at what cost? In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Serkan Honeine, Chief Revenue Officer @ Certn. They chat about how deeply roles other than sales leadership can uniquely qualify you to lead revenue, how leading an international team from the other side of the world can be simple, the biggest challenge CROs face (and the cause), why you need to find metrics that matter, and the power of saying thank you in the remote-first world. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Serkan on https://www.linkedin.com/in/serkanhoneine/ (LinkedIn), or at the Certn https://certn.co (website). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Empower your sales team to transform their sales. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
Marketers today have more power in revenue than ever before, with their wealth of data key to identifying how buyers behave. This data is a double-edged sword though, with attribution-anxiety sometimes disincentivising the marketing team from pushing into new territory. How do you strike the right balance? This week Warren and Lupe are joined by The Marketing Starter Tim Hines. Tim is an iCMO, founder, author, speaker, podcast host, and all round expert in all things marketing. In this episode they look at marketing as it enters the post-digital era, from how marketing can claim their space at the table using data, and the importance of communication, to why marketing should be viewed as a laboratory, not a factory. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Tim on https://www.linkedin.com/in/tnhines/ (LinkedIn), or at his https://www.tnhines.com (website), or at GrowPowerful.ai. His podcast is called https://www.tnhines.com/podcast/ (The Marketing Starter Podcast), and his book is called https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Starter-Entrepreneurial-Spirit-Marketer/dp/0578353865/ (The Marketing Starter). You can listen to Warren on Tim's podcast https://marketingpodcasts.net/2022/06/marketers-must-learn-to-be-more-cro-centric-with-warren-zenna/ (here). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Empower your sales team to transform their sales. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
In a role as complex as the CRO, it's impossible to have expertise in every area. So, how do you respond right when you're entering a new territory. In this episode Warren and Lupe are joined by Todd Heger, CRO @ Digilant. They cover why coachability and humility are essential skills for CROs, the power of seeking advice, a quick hack to diffuse team tensions, the importance of managing talent, and why you need to insist on transparency during the interview process. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Todd on https://www.linkedin.com/in/advertising-tech-executive/ (LinkedIn) or at the Digilant https://digilant.com (website). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Empower your sales team to transform their sales. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
You know that healthy relationships with your team, company, customers, and peers lead to strong short and long term outcomes. But how high do they really rank on your list of priorities? In this episode Lupe is joined by Christina Woronchak, CRO at Deem, Inc. This episode is packed with simple, effective ways to improve business outcomes using a human-centric approach. They also cover the dynamic nature of the CRO remit, what it was like weathering COVID in the travel industry, and how moving abroad can invigorate your career. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Christine on https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-woronchak-2910457/ (LinkedIn) or at the Deem https://www.deem.com (website). Find https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Empower your sales team transform their sales. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
In a sales career spanning 5 decades you see a lot change, and a lot stay the same. Get ready to hear the most important parts of both. In this episode Lupe is joined by John Smibert, co-author of The Wentworth Prospect. In this episode Lupe and John talk about revenue operation in the pre-CRO days, the role of culture in change, what both sides of the table must consider when filling the CRO seat, plus the power of storytelling and selling the outcome. 🔗 LINKS Connect with John on https://www.linkedin.com/in/smibert/ (LinkedIn). His book is called The Wentworth Prospect and you'll find it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Wentworth-Prospect-novel-guide-success-ebook/dp/B09DPDL9FX (here). Find https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Empower your sales pros transform their sales. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
Sometimes our goals coming true result in unexpected outcomes, and the CRO role is no different. It's time to do get some deep-dive insights on what's really awaiting you in the C-Suite. In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren and Lupe are joined by Avi Zimak, Chief Revenue & Strategy Officer at The Arena Group. Avi has had a fascinating revenue career spanning more than 20 years (featuring New York Magazine, Time Inc, and Condé Nast). He'll be sharing his invaluable knowledge and experience, including how he 'hopscotched' to his CRO role, seeking to understand the role beyond the title, when the right time is for a CRO, the CEO:CRO relationship, and ideal personality traits of a CRO. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Avi on https://www.linkedin.com/in/avi-zimak-440b69a/ (LinkedIn). Find https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) on LinkedIn. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
In under an hour, you're going to feel like you've had the best GTM mentoring session of your revenue career. In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Warren is joined by Sangram Varje, best-selling author, and Co-Founder and GTM Advisor at Terminus. In this episode they look at an array GTM issues that you need to know about: who owns go to market, symptoms of product/market fit that needs work, what the Most Important Metric is for revenue teams, why churning C-Level executives is not a GTM fix, and the importance of setting expectations to succeed as a CRO. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Sangram on https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/ (LinkedIn). Find his book MOVE: The 4-question Go-to-Market Framework https://www.amazon.com/MOVE-4-question-Go-Market-Framework/dp/1544523378/ (here). His podcast is called MOVE: The Go To Market Podcast (previously Flip My Funnel). Find https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) on LinkedIn. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
In the noise of the digital landscape, the primary challenge has become sifting out the highest impact opportunities and threats. With this administrative burden eating into selling time, is there not a better answer? In this episode Warren and Lupe are joined by Jamie Shanks, CEO at Pipeline Signals and best-selling author. Working at the frontier of social selling for more than a decade, Jamie's current focus is on helping you find the golden needles in the digital haystack. Join Warren, Lupe and Jamie as they consider how the right tech can help across your entire revenue function by maximising selling time, prioritising the highest-value targets, and leveraging or managing career moves within your TAM. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Jamie on https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestshanks/ (LinkedIn), or at the Pipeline Signals https://pipelinesignals.com (website). Find https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) on LinkedIn. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
Being CRO of a company scaling to $100m is no mean feat. This episode's guest has made a career of it. In this episode Warren is joined by Zorian Rotenberg, Sales & GTM Advisor at Charlesbank Capital Partners, and the two seasoned revenue professionals dive deep into the anatomy of the Chief Revenue Officer role. They consider the key components you need to crack $100m, traits essential to being hired AND succeeding as a CRO, how and when to bring on a CRO, and a whole lot about getting leadership right. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/zorian/ (Zorian) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) on LinkedIn. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
The traditional revenue motion see the customer flow from marketing to sales to success, with their needs at each stage being specially handled by those best equipped to handle them. But how sure are you that they are all still the best fit for the need? In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren is joined by Nelson Gilliat, author of The Death of the SDR: And the Birth of Buyer Centric Revenue. Warren and Nelson explore what's broken with the status quo selling motion, how it originated, why it broke, and where you should start if you're ready to pivot your revenue model. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Nelson on https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelson-gilliat/ (LinkedIn). You'll find his book The Death of the SDR: And the Birth of Buyer Centric Revenue on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Death-SDR-Birth-Centric-Revenue-ebook/dp/B09GT562GL/ (here). You'll find https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn too. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
The positive impact of valued employees extends far beyond lower turnover. In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren and Lupe are joined by Steve Travaglini, CRO at LinkSquares. In this episode they dive the task of operationalising revenue, the beauty of the career journey, and why keeping your people in the forefront of your mind with every strategy decision is a major key to success. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetravaglini/ (Steve), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Help your sales team succeed by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
Careers today typically to spring from one platform to the next in quick succession. But when we leap are we missing opportunities to deliver truly extraordinary results? In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren and Lupe are joined by Monique Pintarelli, CRO at Teads. Reflect with her on what a 20 year/3 company career has taught her about consistently delivering results, how to be job-ready for your career next-step, and the importance of community (especially in roles with a close to 9:1 gender ratio). 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquepintarelli/ (Monique), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Help your team be job-ready by helping them become the best professional salespeople they can be. Find out more about the Create Pipeline course from Sales IQ https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
In the growth-at-all-costs market today it can seem idealistic to want values at the forefront, but what if we can have both? In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren and Lupe are joined by senior advisor and board member Susan Sobbott. Spending 18 years of her career at American Express, Susan has a deep understanding of both what is usual, and what is important, when it comes to businesses balancing values and revenue. Find out the question you should be asking at every job interview, how to shine values into a role even in an challenging environment, and the number one skill that will help you rise in your career. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/susansobbott/ (Susan), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. If a self-generated pipeline is what's valued at your company, empower your team to do it with the Create Pipeline from Sales IQ. Find out more https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
An expert in payments with over 30 years experience, President of Worldwide Payment Services Oscar Muñoz, has witnessed boundless change in how businesses pursue (and receive) their revenue. This episode is foundational listening for all CROs and anyone CRO-adjacent, as Oscar covers: COVID-triggered revenue shifts, the two CRO types, the art of building diverse teams, six steps to winning in any c-suite role, and the how and why of breaking down revenue silos. Join Warren and Lupe as they explore Oscar's diverse, sometimes surprising, experiences, interests and talents, and discover why he values happiness, both at work and at home, above all else. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/mposexpert/ (Oscar), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Equip your team to build the pipeline of their dreams with Create Pipeline from Sales IQ. Find out more https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
Join Warren and Lupe in welcoming their guest for this episode, Dave Norton. Currently CRO of Eltropy, Dave has played a role in the building four different unicorn companies in the tech space, as he followed his passion for growth. This episode covers a lot of gem-laden ground including: exactly what a CRO is (and is not), the value of professional stubbed-toe moments, how to find the right C-Suite hire, a failproof three-step for bedding down executive relationships, when the right time is to make those hires, and just what's so special about the Silicone Slopes of Utah. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidnorton21/ (Dave), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Dave's email is dave@eltropy.com Sales IQ can help your people rediscover their curiosity, see how https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).
The ideal career path for a Chief Revenue Officer is still hotly debated. But one thing is for sure: no matter who you put in the role, they need a very wide-angled lens. In this inaugural episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast Warren Zenna and Lupe Feld are joined by CEO and Co-Founder of Sales IQ Global, Luigi Prestinenzi. They explore the makings of the modern revenue model, including: ✅ The tech and data revolution + its impact. ✅ Why curiosity is your most important soft skill. ✅ The argument against 'scale at all costs.' ✅ Which market segment has the most to gain, and why the time to jump is now. ✅ Must-haves for driving results as a CRO. ✅ What's broken with the traditional compensation model. 🔗 LINKS Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigiprestinenzi/ (Luigi), https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenz/ (Warren) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/lupefeld/ (Lupe) on LinkedIn. Sales IQ can help your people rediscover their curiosity, see how https://www.salesiqglobal.com/create-pipeline (here).