The Ramped Podcast: Recent Episodes
Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna
The Ramped Podcast is built for early-career professionals. Join hosts Manoj Jonna and Danny Leonard as they sit down with industry heavyweights to uncover what it takes to launch a successful career in sales, technology, finance, and many other industries.
This podcast is presented by Ramped. Ramped is on a mission to democratize job access through learning and career discovery.
Thank you for tuning in!
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
02:04 - Who is Angela? In her own words
02:55 - What are some ways to level up in preparation for your first role in the job market
05:45 - Is working from here to stay? What will work look like 5 or10 years from now?
09:40 - Not everybody wants to go back to the office, even though there are some specific benefits to the office environment
15:29 - Who are some people Angela refers to when thinking about the future of work
17:40 - The specific appeal of Harvard and why people want to go there
21:26 - What should companies do to face the current crisis effectively and to come out better on the other side
24:27 - The importance of transparency in the workplace and how to evaluate companies for this quality
26:52 - How should an early career professional position themselves right now for the next 5 to 10 years
29:09 - How to reach out to Angela
MORE ON ANGELA:
Angela Cheng-Cimini joined Harvard Business Publishing as Senior Vice President, Talent & Chief Human Resources Officer in 2021. In this role, Cheng-Cimini leads the Human Resources and Facilities & Administration units, spearheading efforts to develop a talent roadmap that supports the business strategy and creates a deeply engaged and diverse workforce. Angela brings over 25 years of both generalist and specialist Human Resources experience, having worked across consumer product goods, professional services, and high-tech as well as nonprofits. She has shepherded businesses through start-up, growth, and maturity with key responsibility for helping organizations identify and build the necessary organizational capabilities. Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, Angela was at ClearMotion, Inc. an automotive technology startup where she accelerated the evolution of the HR function from administrative to strategic. Previously, she served as the Global Head of Human Resources for Crabtree & Evelyn, where she led an international team spanning four continents and prepared the brick-and-mortar business to go completely digital. Angela earned her undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
01:45 - Who is Steve Travaglini in his own words
02:31 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why?
06:19 - How have Steve's views on sales changed over the years?
10:52 - One mistake Steve made early in his sales career and how did it impact him going forward
16:49 - Who has had the biggest impact on Steve's sales career and why?
19:43 - With the benefit of hindsight, what would Steve say to an early careers sales person?
23:03 - Where to reach out to Steve
MORE ON STEVE:
As Chief Revenue Officer of LinkSquares, Steve Travaglini drives all Sales, Customer Success, and Business Development strategies. Steve is passionate about leading LinkSquares to over $100M ARR while developing 20 future CROs from within his teams. Steve first met the LinkSquares founding team while working together at Backupify, which was later acquired by Datto. Steve lives in Reading MA, with his wife Julia and their two children.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
03:00 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why?
06:37 - How have Daisy's views on sales changed over the years?
09:55 - One mistake Daisy made early in her sales career and how did it impact her work
14:50 - Who has had the greatest impact on Daisy's career?
18:01 - If Daisy were to go back in time, what advice would she give herself when just starting out?
21:34 - How to reach out to Daisy
MORE ON DAISY
Daisy Chung is a Director of Sales at Orum with 7+ years of software sales and management experience. She was once SDR of the year and broke company records at 400%+ to goal and AE of the year also breaking company records closing $3.3MM ARR. She has a growing YouTube channel focused on sales best practices and is passionate in helping others accelerate their sales goals and career development.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here:
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
03:00 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why?
06:37 - How have Daisy's views on sales changed over the years?
09:55 - One mistake Daisy made early in her sales career and how did it impact her work
14:50 - Who has had the greatest impact on Daisy's career?
18:01 - If Daisy were to go back in time, what advice would she give herself when just starting out?
21:34 - How to reach out to Daisy
MORE ON DAISY
Daisy Chung is a Director of Sales at Orum with 7+ years of software sales and management experience. She was once SDR of the year and broke company records at 400%+ to goal and AE of the year also breaking company records closing $3.3MM ARR. She has a growing YouTube channel focused on sales best practices and is passionate in helping others accelerate their sales goals and career development.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here:
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
01:39 - Who is Chad? In his own words
02:53 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why
09:34 - How have Chad's views on sales changed over the years?
15:29 - One mistake Chad made early in his sales career
21:05 - Who has had the greatest impact on Chad's sales career?
24:47 - If Chad were to go back in time, what would he do differently?
28:49 - How to reach out to Chad
MORE ON CHAD:
Chad specializes in Enterprise Sales of Software, IOT, AR, CAE, 3D CAD, Wireless, PDM, PLM, FEA, Sales Management, Sales Development, SAAS, Cloud Computing. He's a long-time sales leader and an avid golfer.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here:
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
01:39 - Who is Chad? In his own words
02:53 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why
09:34 - How have Chad's views on sales changed over the years?
15:29 - One mistake Chad made early in his sales career
21:05 - Who has had the greatest impact on Chad's sales career?
24:47 - If Chad were to go back in time, what would he do differently?
28:49 - How to reach out to Chad
MORE ON CHAD:
Chad specializes in Enterprise Sales of Software, IOT, AR, CAE, 3D CAD, Wireless, PDM, PLM, FEA, Sales Management, Sales Development, SAAS, Cloud Computing. He's a long-time sales leader and an avid golfer.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here:
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
01:28 - Who is Leslie? In her on own words
03:28 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make and why?
07:51 - How have Leslie's views on sales changed over the years
11:08 - What is one mistake Leslie made early in her career and how did it impact her current work
14:53 - Who has had the biggest impact on Leslie's career?
19:00 - If Leslie were able to go back in time, what would she do differently?
22:12 - Closing thoughts and how to reach out to Leslie
MORE ON LESLIE:
Leslie Standlee is a relentless encourager who believes bringing people together helps solve the most complex business problems while having some fun. Currently she is the Director of Emerging Markets at nCino, focused on growing the brand and building a new business model in new locations around the world.
Prior to joining nCino Leslie was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America where she served in various roles all focused on improving the customer and employee experience through process re-engineering and software delivery. Leslie holds a patent for delivering the Global Treasury Monitoring System a risked based application that protected the firm during the 2008 financial crisis and has previously led large global teams. She received her BBA from Texas A&M University in Management and Information Systems.
Leslie lives in Dallas, Texas with her rescue pup Homer. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, Scuba diving, cheering on the Texas Aggies/Dallas Mavericks and/Dallas Cowboys, and serving on the board for Children’s Cancer Fund in Dallas.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliestandlee/
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
02:14 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why?
07:43 - How have John's views on sales changed over the years?
13:44 - One mistake John made early in his sales career and how did it change how he operates today
18:44 - Who has had the greatest impact on John's career and how?
20:39 - If John were to go back in time, what would he do differently?
26:00 - How to reach out to John
MORE ON JOHN:
John has 20+ years in Sales, Marketing, Branding, and Communications. He is currently focused on building the Club Colors brand, media presence, communications style, messaging, and culture building to drive internal success and external awareness. John has trained and managed hundreds of salespeople, driven growth for multiple brands, and designed strategies to build culture, recruit talent, and retain clients and staff members. John has transitioned from traditional sales practices to a new style of social media, communication, and content creation to create brand awareness and brand attention that drives lead generation and influences prospective clients to buy, over being sold. John is not only driven within his career, but he is also passionate about motivating and supporting young athletes to be their best by coaching for his son's baseball and football teams.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
01:53 - Who is Caroline Riley? In her own words 03:22 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why? 06:39 - How have Caroline's views on sales changed over the years? 12:06 - One mistake that Caroline made early in her sales career 16:40 - Who has had the greatest impact on Caroline's sales career? 19:05 - If Caroline could go back in time, what would she do differently? 23:08 - Where to contact CarolineMORE ON CAROLINE:
Caroline is a visionary executive helping organizations navigate their digital transformations. She understands how to build and balance high performing teams that can thrive within the ever-evolving tech landscape. Caroline is a culture and innovation fanatic and draws upon a deep understanding of neuroscience to guide her leadership style. She leads teams with high levels of empowerment, personal accountability and respect to drive the most impactful business outcomes.
Caroline is currently leading the Corporate Central Region at Okta as the Area Vice President of Sales. She loves engaging with customers to evolve their organizations and is excited to be influencing the market transformation underway relative to identity.
Prior to joining Okta, Caroline served as the Head of Sales for Google Cloud for ~4 years. She also held Cloud leadership roles at IBM and spent 6 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in regulatory and risk management. Caroline holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carthage College.
Caroline lives in Chicago with her husband and two children. She is passionate about education and serves on the Board of Directors for Altus Academy, an inner city school for underserved youth. Caroline also serves on the Presidential Advisory Board for Northern Illinois University (NIU).
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboard...
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
02:01 - Who is Ari Levine? In his own words
03:07 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can do for themselves and why?
08:38 - How have Ari's views on sales changed over the years and why?
15:05 - One early career mistake Ari made and how did it shape him
19:39 - Who has had the greatest impact on Ari's career?
25:45 - If Ari were to go back in time, what would he do differently?
29:25 - Where to reach out to Ari
MORE ON ARI:
Ari is a connector, a dad, a plant grower, and an exceptional leader. He focuses on brands and ads at Tumblr. Ari has spent 15+ years shaping and shipping digital media products and content driven advertising solutions. Early in his career, he focused on working with superstar talent and music.
MORE ON RAMPED:
Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboard...
Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 01:59 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why?
- 08:54 - How has Sofie's view on sales changed over her career and why?
- 13:22 - One mistake Sofie made early in her career and how it impacted her
- 21:42 - Who has had the greatest impact on Sofie's career?
- 26:51 - If you could go back in time what would you do differently?
- 30:02 - Closing thoughts and how to reach out to Sofie
MORE ON SOFIE
Sofie Peedu is currently Senior Director of SMB Sales at Box, overseeing an organization of Account Executives, Managers and Directors. She started her Box career in 2012 as an Account Executive, and through the years moved through a number of different roles and took on a number of challenges including being a founding member of the renewals team, relocating to Europe to build out the renewal motion overseas, and managing across varying segments from the Enterprise to Emerging.
Along the way, she has been a President’s Club winner 5 times and has helped grow the SMB segment 30%. Seeing the company grow in both revenue, from ~$200m to ~$900m, and employee count, from ~400 to ~2100, has given her a deep understanding of how a company and a sales organization evolves into a mature operation in the Tech space.
Prior to Box, she has 5 years experience selling hardware and SaaS at Granicus, a San Francisco start up. Sofie is passionate about coaching and developing her team to become future sales all-stars and leaders, making customers wildly successful and creating a top performing, highly collaborative and engaging place to work.
She received her education - a Masters of Political Science - from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, where she was born and raised. A 29 year resident of the Bay Area, she currently lives in San Francisco with her partner, Esteban, and in her free time enjoys going to see live music, being outdoors camping, hiking and skiing, and visiting her sister, niece and nephew in Southern California.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 02:18 - Who is Tim? In his own words
- 10:01 - What does the future of work look like within the next 5, 10, 25 years?
- 18:59 - Which jobs are in danger of being automated away and which ones are here to stay?
- 24:39 - What does the future of SALES look like specifically?
- 28:09 - What are some further resources to look up in order to think effectively about the future of work?
MORE ON TIM
Tim Gerend is executive vice president and chief distribution officer at Northwestern Mutual where he leads the career distribution, marketing, and strategic communications organizations to bring the company’s value proposition, brand and story to life. Gerend also serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, which oversees Northwestern Mutual’s strategy, execution and operations.
As the leader of the company’s distribution system, Gerend’s focus is to accelerate a positive transformation of the company by bringing together advanced technology and the most trusted advisors to improve the overall client experience. This also means growing the largest and most diverse field of advisors that reflects the markets the company serves.
Gerend joined Northwestern Mutual in 2002 and has held a variety of leadership positions spanning Law, Field Compensation & Planning, Enterprise Compliance, and campus planning. As lead for campus planning, Gerend oversaw the planning and design of the company’s state-of-the-art Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, which opened to the public 2017.
In addition to his leadership at Northwestern Mutual, Gerend is a thought leader in the Financial Services Industry. He is an advocate of professionalism and high standards and for developing the next generation of financial advisors. Gerend previously served on the Advisory Board for the Center for Ethics in Financial Services and on the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning. He now serves as Trustee of the American College.
Before joining Northwestern Mutual, Gerend was an associate in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. He is a graduate of Butler University with a B.S. in economics and received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
In the community, Gerend is passionate about supporting opportunities for young people to grow toward their potential. He serves on the board of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the board of Milwaukee College Prep, a leading charter school that serves Milwaukee’s inner city.
Gerend and his wife Sandy have four children. They are active members of St. Monica’s Parish in Whitefish Bay. For fun, Gerend enjoys all sports and anything outdoors, especially cheering for and supporting his kids in their various activities.
- Northwestern Mutual LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwestern-mutual/
- Tim’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-gerend-67753425/
- Northwestern Mutual Twitter - @NM_Financial
- Northwestern Mutual Website - https://www.northwesternmutual.com/
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 01:53 - Who is Marilee Bear in her own words
- 05:14 - What is the best investment an early career sales person can make for themselves and why?
- 09:21 - How has Marilee's view of sales changed over the span of her career so far - and why?
- 15:28 - One early career mistakes that shaped the way Marilee operates today
- 20:55 - Who has had the greatest impact on Marilee's career
- 26:21 - If Marilee could go back in time, what advice would she giver herself?
MORE ON MARILEE
Marilee Bear is Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales, North America at Zendesk. With over 20 years experience in the Enterprise selling space, Marilee has extensive knowledge of SaaS, Cloud Computing, CX, eCommerce and Cloud Security. Prior to Zendesk, Marilee spent 13 years at Akamai Technologies in a variety of sales leadership roles. Her high-performing teams contributed to building out the eCommerce industry vertical and growing Akamai's Cloud Security business from zero in revenue to over $1B ARR in 2021. Marilee thrives on building successful, turbo-charged sales teams while leading with empathy, optimism and a big heart. As a midwestern transplant, Marilee is based in Marin County, CA and resides with her twin boys and rescue dog.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 02:01 - Who is Kirsten Kuykendoll?
- 10:41 - The winners of the pandemic era were those who recruited with empathy
- 17:07 - What are some ways for an early career sales person to boost their career?
- 21:37 - Who will be the winners in the future work environment?
- 24:45 - The democratization of the job market
- 27:51 - Closing thoughts and further resources
MORE ON KIRSTEN
Kirsten Kuykendoll is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Fidelity Investments.
Kirsten and her team are responsible for hiring and committed to increasing
the diversity of our workforce – one that reflects today’s customers, suppliers,
and businesses. At Fidelity, we are deliberate about considering individuals
from all industries and sectors as we hire people who have a variety of
experiences, thoughts, and skills by thinking beyond traditional recruiting
strategies.
Kirsten is a strong leader, committed to associates and their experience, has
an analytical mindset, and proven operational background. She excels at
working across multiple disciplines, and her prior Fidelity Investments
experience is a testament to her dedication to “thinking and working across
Fidelity.” She has an impressive track record as a strategic leader who can
manage large-scale, enterprise-wide programs and transformation initiatives.
Kirsten has been with Fidelity Investments for 15 years. Prior to her current
role, she was Head of Associate Experience where her team was responsible
for listening to associate feedback across various channels, using that insight
to shape our programs, and bolstering associates’ confidence that their voice
is heard.
Prior to joining HR, she was Head of Global Procurement Operations where
her global teams were responsible for end-to-end process improvements that
improved the procurement experience and minimized risk to the firm. She
also worked in Investment Operations within Asset Management, where she
led cross-departmental initiatives and facilitated multi-year strategies. She
started her career leading end-to-end initiatives to improve the client
experience in Fidelity Institutional.
Kirsten volunteers as a coach in the MyCareer Center. She is an ally and active
member of all affinity groups and currently serves as a Texas Regional Leader.
She was named D CEO Dallas 500 publication for 2021 and serves on the
Kappa Delta Foundation board.
She enjoys traveling with her husband Dustin and spending time with her
beloved dogs Maggie and LouLou. She is a graduate of Miami University of
Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and is a certified Six Sigma Black
Belt.
Connect with Kirsten via Fidelity here:
- Fidelity Careers
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 01:47 - Who is Dave Simon?
- 03:52 - Question #1: What is the best early career investment a salesperson can make?
- 09:00 - Question #2: How has your view of sales changed over the years and why?
- 14:22 - Question #3: What is one mistake you made early in your sales career and how has it affected you in the present?
- 18:22 - Question #4: Who has had the biggest impact on your career and why?
- 22:01 - Question #5: If you could go back in time what would you do differently?
MORE ON DAVE:
Currently VP of Sales at Viant Technology, Dave is charged with leading Sales & Strategy across a multi-leveled 6 office territory that includes the Central and Southwest regions of the US. Driving vision for hiring, training, talent development, product roadmap, cross-team collaboration & customer growth, focusing on the adoption of Adelphic, our omnichannel DSP. Prior to Viant, Dave was at Convoy, where he was Head of Mid-market and Small Business sales. Prior to Convoy, Dave was at Cuebiq, a location measurement & analytics startup where he led the Programmatic Sales team as well as standing up their Partnerships team. Prior to Cuebiq Dave spent over 10 years at BrightRoll, and then Yahoo!/Oath via their acquisition of BrightRoll. At BrightRoll he led their Midwest sales team. Post acquisition, Dave pivoted to building the newly created Agency-focused DSP Sales team, eventually leading it for all of North America. He held a similar, US role, at Oath/Verizon Media after Yahoo was acquired by AOL. Dave will be based in Chicago and will oversee the central region as well as the Texas and Colorado offices. Outside of work, Dave can be found on his bike, on the golf course, or in his home gym. Dave lives in River Forest, a Chicago Suburb with his wife Sendy and their two kids, Avery & Luke.
Connect with Dave here:
- https://twitter.com/DaveSimon18
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesimon1/
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 02:32 - Question #1: What is the best investment an early career sales person can make and why?
- 10:00 - Question #2: How has your view of sales changed over the years?
- 15:02 - Question #3: What is a mistake you made early in your career and what did you learn from it?
- 22:10 - Question #4: Who has had the greatest impact on your career?
- 26:01 - Question #5: If you could go back in time with the benefit of hindsight what would you tell yourself?
MORE ON DANIELLE:
Danielle Lemieux was born and raised in the Bay Area and began her technology sales career back in 2013 after graduating Cum Laude with degrees in Drama and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College. She is currently a Regional Vice President of Sales at MongoDB. Within four years she rose through the ranks and was promoted from AE to VP running 1 of 3 Corporate regions in North America.
Danielle’s work ethic, boundless energy, competitive spirit, and charismatic personality has helped her to thrive in sales and successfully motivate her team (and now teams) quarter after quarter. Her passion for helping women in technology also has led her to found “Sell Like a Girl” at MongoDB in order to help create an inclusive community for women in sales to network, share stories, challenges, and ultimately connect at MongoDB.
In her free time, Danielle enjoys hiking with her corgi Maggie, traveling the world, performing on any stage she can find, and enjoying good food and wine with family and friends.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 01:55 - Question #1: Who is Kyle Asay?
- 03:05 - Question #2: What is the best investment and early career salesperson can do for themselves and why?
- 08:54 - Question #3: What is one mistake you made early in your sales career?
- 11:55 - Question #4: Who has had the biggest impact on your career?
- 15:41 - Question #5: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
- 20:26 - Further resources & closing thoughts
MORE ON KYLE:
Kyle spent his early career at Qualtrics. He was hired as an SDR and promoted through AE and leadership levels into his final role, a second-line leader responsible for all SaaS revenue in the Midwest corporate market and the North American SMB region.
Accomplishments include finishing years as the #1 corporate AE, #1 corporate team lead, and #1 corporate sales manager for an $8 billion+ tech company. He qualified for President’s Club five consecutive years as an AE, front-line leader, and second-line leader.
His proudest achievement at Qualtrics was helping ten individuals promote into leadership roles while consistently managing the orgs with the lowest attrition rate in the company.
The next chapters of his career will be written at MongoDB starting in August 2022.
Kyle lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and three children. He loves leisure time with family, reading, building lego kits with his kids, and is convinced NFL Red Zone is the greatest invention in world history.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- 03:07 - Question #1 What is the best investment an early careers sales person can make and why?
- 07:11 - Question #2 How has your view of sales changed over the years and why?
- 12:33 - Question #3 What is one mistake you made early in your sales career and how did it shape your thinking about sales?
- 18:21 - Question #4 Who has had the biggest impact on your career and how?
- 22:12 - Question #5 If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
- 26:08 - Closing thoughts
MORE ON SARAH:
Sarah is an MM AE at Gong. She is a big fan of taking the knowledge she's learned from her peers and mentors and sharing it with others to help up-level sales professionals. When she's not working up the courage to make a cold call, you can find her attempting to cook dinner, walking her dog, or convincing herself that going on a run is good for her health. She also likes to self deprecate and speak in the third person.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://www.rampedcareers.com/onboarding/signup
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:45] – Intro to KD
- [4:17] – The importance of reading
- [8:14] – Not having it all figured out
- [11:43] – Outworking versus working hard
- [14:24] – Being your true self
- [20:09] – Winners being great quitters
- [25:37] – Finding a great mentor
- [29:08] – Building on your own sooner
MORE ON KD:
Awards and Recognition
- InsideSales top 10 Sales Leader
- Pavillon 🗣 Lecturer of the Year
- Salesforce Top 16 Sales Influencers to Follow
- Ambition Top 100 Sales Coaches
- SalesLoft Rev Star
- TOPO Sales Development Exec of the Year
- LinkedIn Top Sales Voices
- LinkedIn Sales Star
- The Modern Sale Top 100 Global Sales Leaders
- Crunchbase Top Sales Leaders You Should Know
KD believes in focusing on the "person" in "salesperson." As he's grown as a leader, KD has a better understanding of what truly drives behavior, motivation, and long term success. If he can make better people, the sales will follow. KD loves scaling sales teams - he's built teams from 0-150+ reps and revenues from 0-100M+ ARR (and counting). KD believes in processes and systems, paired with skill development, as the code to success. He consults all sorts of different companies and people as they look to improve their results, and mentors and consults early, mid, and late-stage SaaS companies all across the world. KD has spoken at top conferences across the country, mentors/coaches start up's across the country, and loves sharing as he goes. If there is a book on sales, psychology, or influence KD has probably read it. He is a voracious learner and is constantly pushing himself and his team to reach new heights of achievement. Because of KD's own internal desire to learn and grow, that also gets translated out to his team with non-stop growth, coaching, and training.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:32] – Intro to Mike
- [4:12] – Investing in yourself
- [6:07] – Experience versus results
- [9:47] – Sales forecasting
- [14:43] – Learning from mentors and sales reps
- [17:08] – Holding on to your options
MORE ON MIKE:
Mike's passion is coaching people and evolving systems through those changes to ensure they exceed their highest goal. He is an experienced Sales Director, Manager, Representative, and Analyst with a proven track record of coaching, building great relationships throughout the organization, and exceeding growth and retention goals. This is done with a passion for: building smarter methods of targeting prospects, nurturing relationships throughout the customer lifecycle, taking the time to get to know internal stakeholders, and a healthy dose of humor. With a history in a wide variety of industries, Mike believes most people that he has worked with would describe him as an upbeat, hard-working, intelligent guy with a good sense of humor and strong desire to help others succeed.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:14] – Intro to Josh
- [3:10] – The importance of listening and reading
- [5:42] – Recognizing hard work
- [8:12] – Focusing on your customers
- [11:27] – Dealing with constructive feedback
- [15:39] - Empathetic sales leaders
- [20:15] – Evaluating companies the way they evaluate you
MORE ON JOSH:
Josh is a sales leader, coach, and builder with over 12 years of experience in sales. Josh builds and lead teams to drive revenue and exceed quotas year over year. Fun Fact: Josh have made over 100,000 cold calls in his IC career!
Josh has a passion for sales and sales development. Josh created SDRDefenders as a passion project. Outside of the office, you can find Josh walking or hiking with his dogs and fiancé. Josh loves to travel and snorkel and has a passion for marine mammals. On Saturdays in the fall you can find Josh at Autzen Stadium, in front of a TV or screaming in another venue for the Thunder Green Lightning Yellow Ducks of Oregon! Josh's two dogs are Bronson and Marvel, and they're very good dogs (Marvel is a bit mischievous though).
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:30] – Intro to Conor
- [13:34] – Voicing your internal drivers
- [17:47] – Location strategy
- [21:57] – Working models
- [26:44] – Finding the balance in work
- [30:11] – Leveraging your skills
- [33:29] – The future of people leaders
MORE ON CONOR:
Conor Sweeney is Senior Director, Global Head of People Programs at Volta Charging (VLTA). In this role, he sits on the People Leadership Team and oversees the team dedicated to delivering the companies People Programs strategy and roadmap which includes building and managing critical infrastructure connected to performance management, leadership development and employee engagement. Prior to joining Volta, Conor was Principal, Chief of Staff, and Head of Business Operations for the Global Finance and Operations organization at Box, Inc. (BOX) where he directed organizational health & performance, business operations, executive communications and strategic program management across a 400+ person global G&A organization. Sweeney also served in a variety of business operations and corporate communications leadership roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Walmart eCommerce. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and happily resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife.
Drop Conor a line on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorsweeney207/ he'd love to hear from you!
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:14] – Intro to Jacob
- [3:35] – Documenting your sales journey
- [8:07] – Embracing rejection
- [11:39] – Taking on more responsibility
- [14:23] – The greatest impact on Jacob's career
- [16:38] - Identifying a mentor
- [18:14] – Learning from the best
MORE ON JACOB:
Jacob serves as the Vice President of Sales for Whip Around. A true SaaS and scaleup, Whip Around (whiparound.com) aims to keep the world's fleets moving with their fleet inspection and maintenance app. With almost 10 years of sales and leadership experience, Jacob is passionate about helping those around him become the best version of themselves and offers sales leadership consulting as a John Maxwell Team Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer. Outside of work, you'll find him spending time with his wife Kayla and 4 children - Gianna, Jude, Luca, and Leo! You can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobciccarelli.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [1:59] – Intro to Alessandro
- [3:50] – The power of influence
- [6:29] – The importance of listening
- [9:26] – Focusing on the right systems and processes
- [13:59] – The greatest impact on Alessandro's career
- [16:22] – Finding the person you want to emulate
- [18:33] – Being direct
MORE ON ALESSANDRO:
Alessandro Chesser is the VP Sales at Carta. He's held sales and executive roles at Quantcast, SVB Bank, and Bank of America. Alessandro graduated from San Jose State University in 2008 and is currently based in the in SF Bay Area.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [3:21] – Intro to Paul
- [4:56] – Efficiency in sales
- [7:04] – The importance of a mentor
- [8:36] – The biggest surprise in Paul's career
- [12:38] – The dangers of control
- [15:09] – Storytelling
- [19:00] – Thinking many steps ahead
MORE ON PAUL:
Paul has been a leader for over 25 years starting/working for companies that support and empower small businesses to grow and scale. As an entrepreneur he co-founded Integrated Telemanagement, a telecom reseller, in 1994 and co-founded Employer Services Corporation, a human capital provider (payroll service) in 1999. In 2011 Mr Rosen joined On Deck, a fintech company which was the first company to provide small business loans online with automated underwriting. The company grew from a 15M run rate to 370M over his 6 years as Chief Sales Officer. In 2018 Paul joined ShipBob as the Chief Revenue Officer, which has grown by almost 10X since joining. Mr Rosen is an advocate of servant leadership.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [0:55] – Intro to James
- [5:37] – What's important for the future of work
- [13:23] – A shifting workforce
- [19:35] – The power of automation
- [21:07] – Variance
- [27:39] – The future of sales
- [38:32] – James' professional mantra
MORE ON JAMES:
James Gross is a sales and marketing leader with emphasis in emerging trends and technologies. He currently focuses on working at the intersection of media, culture, and technology and how to bring safe and scalable platforms and solutions to brand marketers.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [1:51] – Intro to Mustafa
- [3:07] – The importance of having a professional coach
- [5:03] – Mustafa's transition to sales
- [9:26] – Assumptions
- [14:08] – The most impactful person on Mustafa's career
- [16:00] – Knowing if your coach has positively impacted you
- [17:10] – Overcoming fear
MORE ON MUSTAFA:
As VP of Sales, Mustafa Qutub leads the Nexkey, Inc. sales program, which comprises four groups: SMB, Growth, Strategic Business Development and Sales Operations. Prior to Nexkey, Mustafa led teams at Arkose Labs and Akamai. He draws on a diverse business and educational background to inform sales programs and strategies, with a focus on recognizing and amplifying the human element of business. When it comes to recreation, Mustafa divides his time between losing to his kids at Halo and cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [1:11] – Intro to Joey
- [3:59] – The importance of your brand
- [8:22] – Choosing companies that develop great sales talent
- [13:10] – Overcoming adversity
- [17:54] – The most impactful person on Joey's career
- [21:41] – Honest conversations with your manager
- [25:55] – Taking ownership of your own success
MORE ON JOEY:
Joey Nalevka is a Sales and Operations leader who specializes in setting up the infracture so sales reps, customers, and the company can win. Currently, Joey leads all revenue globally for Houzz, which is the #1 site for Home Design and Remodeling. His 1000-person works across the business's two main channels: 1) A SaaS business that provides the end-to-end digital tools to power a Home Professional's entire business, and 2) an eCommerce shop for homeowners and professionals. Previous to Houzz, Joey led Local Sales and Operations at Groupon where he scaled the sales organization responsible for curating amazing local experiences across every major city in the US and Canada. He started his career as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, and spent time leading sales for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He currently resides in Orange County with his wife Cheryl, and two energetic sons Shane, and Isaac. He's a passionate Toronto Raptors fan, avid (and mediocre) golfer, and loves to read, travel, and go for local hikes with his family.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [1:23] – Intro to Taylor
- [4:04] – The importance of grit
- [5:35] – Taylor's transition to sales
- [6:28] – Selling to high level decision makers early on
- [8:03] – Executing with the company's vision and values in mind
- [11:09] – The crucial traits when hiring SDRs
- [14:58] – Tactical advice on interviewing for your first sales role
- [19:33] – The value in reaching out
MORE ON TAYLOR:
Taylor Scotto helps stabalize global SDR organizations, grow enterprise outbound motions, and introduce the next level of process for pre-IPO companies.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorscotto
MORE ON RAMPED:
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [1:32] – This conversation starts with a free flowing discussion between Rhonda and Manoj
- [5:42] – The importance of disaggregated data
- [9:47] – Education in the U.S.
- [14:06] – Rhonda's take on the skills gap
- [14:50] – Racial diversity in the tech space
- [26:35] – Student loan debt
- [28:23] – Being wary of an Income Share Agreement (ISA)
- [32:42] – The lack of corporate investments in K-12 education
- [35:29] – How to question an ISA
MORE ON RHONDA:
Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe is the President and Founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. She is an economist and mathematician who analyzes large datasets to find the stories hidden in the aggregate and her research focuses on three areas: gender and racial inequality, the diversity of STEM, and the demography of higher education. Rhonda's research has been featured on the PBS News Hour, Marketplace, The Kerri Miller Show, The New York Times, The Economist, and The Washington Post. Rhonda was named a Black Scholar You Should Know by TheBestSchools.org and BlackEnterprise.com and has served on the faculty at Barnard College, Bennett College, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Duke University, and the University of Vermont. Rhonda holds master’s degrees from Clark Atlanta University (applied mathematics), Stanford University (operations research), and Claremont Graduate University (economics), and completed her doctorate in economics/mathematics at Claremont Graduate University.
MORE ON RAMPED:
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:17] – Intro to David
- [3:42] – Focusing on learning and experience
- [8:22] – The impact of a leadership change
- [10:25] – The importance of learning from failure
- [13:08] – Keeping things in perspective
- [20:06] – The most impactful people on David's career
- [24:42] – Creating a higher performing sales team
- [26:07] – Embracing the unknown
MORE ON DAVID:
David McCollum leads the strategic sales org at Block. As Head of Strategic Sales, David leads the organization responsible for selling and supporting Block's largest customers. The team includes Business Development, Sales, Project Management, and Strategic Partnerships. Prior to joining Block, David was Vice President of Sales at DoubleDutch (Now part of Cvent). David is a Bay Area native who currently splits time between California and Idaho. He has a wife, two young kids, and a pug named Benson.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:41] – Intro to Jen
- [5:26] – Selling something you believe in
- [8:47] – The importance of listening over talking
- [11:24] – Becoming a better listener
- [14:07] – Optimizing for long-term success in sales
- [17:20] – The most impactful people on Jen's career
- [22:08] – Treating interviews as two-way streets
- [23:14] – The value in finding the right work setting
MORE ON JENNIFER:
Jennifer Burke is the Head of Sales and Account Management at Faire, where she helps oversee the growth and expansion of the brands and retailers on the marketplace. Since she's started, Jen's teams have helped grow the brand base from 5,000 brands and 30,000 retailers in the US to 40,000 brands and 300,000 retailers globally. Previously, she was the VP of Partnerships at ClassPass where she helped build the supply network from 100 to 15,000 partners and expanded the geographic footprint from 1 to 60+ markets globally. Previous roles include Bain & Company, McCann Erickson and The Walt Disney Company. She holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Brown University.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:11] – Intro to Tahirih
- [3:13] – The importance of curiosity
- [6:26] – Tahirih's biggest surprise
- [9:36] – Bringing abstract value to a sales team
- [12:20] – The balance between a quantitative and qualitative impact
- [15:48] – Critically reflecting on your past
- [18:52] – Appreciating constructive feedback
- [20:28] – The impact of your actions today six months out
MORE ON TAHIRIH:
Tahirih launched her sales career at Square and currently heads up Sales Development at Figma where she’s responsible for growing their outbound sales motion. Tahirih spends her time outside of work mentoring folks early in their sales careers, volunteering at farmer’s markets, and hiking around Marin County.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:05] – Intro to Don Robertson
- [5:35] – Workforce changes from a talent perspective
- [9:58] – Addressing a skills gap
- [13:40] – Bridging together companies and employees
- [17:15] – Don's appreciation for skills
- [20:42] – Shift in workforce expectations
- [24:42] – Changes in employee expectations
- [33:30] – Don's excitement for the future
MORE ON DON:
Don J. Robertson joined Northwestern Mutual in July 2018 to lead employee experience, driving organizational vision through the power of its people. He is responsible for advancing the company’s people strategy and employee value proposition, as well as the overall employee experience. Don leads an organization that comprises Human Resources, change management, campus facilities, and meeting events. Throughout his career, Don has held senior HR leadership roles during times of transformation in companies ranging from Fortune 50s to maturing start-ups.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:12] – Intro to Tenbound
- [3:33] – The importance of self-care
- [6:12] – The transition to independence
- [12:07] – Ego being the enemy
- [15:40] – The most impactful people on David's career
- [19:38] – Value from trying new things
- [23:13] – Not beating yourself up
- [24:04] – The diverse pathways that stem from sales
MORE ON DAVID:
David is a Sales Development program building specialist with deep experience building highly successful Sales Development (SDR) programs from scratch for technology companies. He is also the host of the Sales Development Podcast, the only audio forum dedicated to helping the Sales Dev Community get better, and Founder/CEO of Tenbound. At a strategic level, David has the ability to effectively blueprint the entire Sales Development function. From there, recruit, hire, build, mentor, inspire and lead a team of Sales Development Representatives to exponentially grow new business revenue and new logo attainment for start-ups or more established companies. He considers himself a lifelong student of this craft.
MORE ON RAMPED:
- Check us out at www.rampedcareers.com
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:03] – Intro to Basile Senesi
- [3:22] – Aligning personal success with a company’s success
- [4:37] – Different learning principles
- [5:10] – Diversity of opinion
- [9:17] – Basile’s biggest lesson learned
- [9:50] – The importance of tough conversations
- [12:29] – Basile’s hardest decision
- [16:04] – Assuming positive intent
MORE ON BASILE:
Basile Senesi is the Chief Revenue Officer at Hum Capital. Prior to Hum, he spent 10 years in fintech as VP of Sales and Operations for Fundbox helping it reach a $1.5B valuation, as a sales leader at Intuit, and as an advisor to a number of high-growth startups. Basile holds two bachelor's degrees in economics and political science degrees from the University of California, Davis.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [0:50] - Intro to Matt Clark
- [1:34] - The importance of storytelling
- [4:03] - Doing things from a critical lens
- [5:43] - Being open-minded
- [9:28] - Matt’s transition in career path
- [13:06] - The best advice Matt received
- [18:58] - Treating an interview in both directions
- [19:21] - Not settling for an abusive manager
- [21:51] - Seniority not always equaling maturity
MORE ON MATT:Prior to joining MasterClass in January 2021, Matt was Director of Worldwide Content and App Partner Engagement for Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services. Matt led a 150+ person team that drove business and technical engagement with video, gaming, social and productivity applications across Amazon devices. He was a member of leadership team that grew Fire TV to be the best-selling streaming device in North America, Western Europe, India, and Japan with over 50 million active users. Matt advised Amazon executive leadership on all aspects of video streaming and mobile/cloud gaming including business strategy, corporate development, product development, and marketing, and led distribution negotiations with all major streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Disney, NBCUniversal, HBO/Warner Media, and Spotify.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:15] - Intro to Kim Scott
- [4:42] - How Kim transitioned into technology
- [7:30] - Only about 10% of folks know what they want to do
- [11:23] - Giving your boss feedback
- [12:45] - The six second rule
- [15:17] - Responding well to feedback
- [20:30] - Sharing the things you appreciate about your boss...with your boss
- [26:08] - The Difficulty Anchor
- [31:50] - An overview of Kim's new book, Just Work
- [36:20] - Making sure you do not default to silence
MORE ON KIM:Kim Scott is the author of Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity as well as Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. She co-founded two companies that help organizations put the ideas in her books into practice. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. Kim previously held leadership roles at Apple and Google. Earlier in her career Kim managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimballscott
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimm4/
ABOUT JUST WORK:Are bias, prejudice, and bullying inevitable in the workplace? Of course they aren’t, writes bestselling author, operating executive, and CEO coach Kim Scott in JUST WORK: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity. It is possible to combat workplace injustice so that we can all do the best work of our lives and enjoy working together. Writing with the signature directness and unmistakable integrity that made her New York Times bestselling book Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity a worldwide smash hit, Scott boldly tackles a stubborn problem harming both individuals and the larger economy: we—all of us—consistently exclude, underestimate, and underutilize some people in the workforce even as we over-include, overestimate, and over-promote others. Scott offers practical suggestions for what we can do, today, to clear away the distraction, injustice and inefficiency of inequity so we can just work.
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [2:14] - Taking an non-traditional route into sales
- [5:17] - Why it's important to hear the word "no" often
- [8:20] - Running sales calls retrospectives
- [10:58] - The importance of research in the sales process
- [13:03] - Taking the initiative on your own success in sales
- [17:51] - The impact the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People had on Shawn
- [22:02] - Becoming Bulletproof
We strive to be as accurate as possible with timestamps. They may off by a few seconds due to platform differences.
MORE ON SHAWN:
Shawn Rhodes leveraged his former life as a war correspondent to become an international expert in how the best teams continuously improve pipelines and performance. He's a Tampa-based TEDx speaker and his work studying teams in more than two dozen countries - some of the most dangerous places on the planet - has been published in news outlets including TIME, CNN, NBC, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and INC. His clients have included Deloitte, ConAgra, John Deere and dozens of similar businesses. Shawn is also a nationally-syndicated columnist with the Business Journals and author of the books Pivot Point: Turn On A Dime Without Sacrificing Results, Universal Export: A Guide For Overachievers in Working Less And Enjoying More, and newest book, Bulletproof Selling: Systemizing Sales For The Battlefield Of Business. You can also find him here: www.bulletproof-selling.com
MORE ON RAMPED:
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- [3:02] - Why due diligence is important when you make early decisions on where you work
- [6:01] - How to choose the right boss for YOU
- [8:55] - Evaluating company values
- [10:31] - Being motivated by your first commission plan
- [14:21] - What are the right "Whys" before jumping into a sales career
- [19:46] - Avoid falling for the title bait
We strive to be as accurate as possible with timestamps. They may off by a few seconds due to platform differences.
MORE ON CARLOS:
Carlos Delatorre has 25 years experience building high performance customer-facing teams at hyper-growth tech companies. As CRO of TripActions, Carlos oversees global Sales and Customer success. His previous roles include CEO of Vera, CRO at MongoDB (through IPO), SVP-Sales at ClearSlide, SVP-Sales at DynamicOps (acquired by VMware), AVP at BMC Software/BladeLogic and others. Carlos holds an M.B.A from Troy University as well as a B.A. from the University of Miami and lives in San Francisco with his wife, son, daughter and dog.
You can also find him on twitter here.
MORE ON RAMPED:
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Professional? Sign up here: https://rampedcareers.com/candidate-form/
- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:
- What it takes to stick with a career in sales
- How to uncover if you want to be a salesperson
- Democratizing sales hiring
- Learning from missteps in your career
- Taking a chance on yourself
- Exploring sales adjacent career paths
MORE ON REMHAT:
Rehm Kharal is the VP of Global Enablement at BigPanda. She joined the company to scale enablement, working with Sales, Pre-Sales, Product, Product Marketing and Customer Success to develop customer, field and channel enablement experiences. Prior to joining BigPanda, Rehm was Global Director of Sales Enablement at Rubrik where she ran Enterprise, Public Sector, and SDR enablement.
Rehm is a passionate seller who believes in connecting with and understanding the customer’s needs to create lasting value on all sides of the relationship. She trains teams to think like a buyer, sell like a consultant, and is highly metrics-driven.
Rehm started her enablement journey on the sales side at Lloyds of London. After moving to Silicon Valley, she joined Cisco Systems where she led the value engineering team and helped launch the John Chambers Customer Experience Center. Later, Rehm joined AppDynamics as Senior Enablement Manager.
Rehm believes community success means leading by example. Today, Rehm leads the Women In Tech initiative at BigPanda. Previously, she was a tech mentor to underprivileged girls during her time at Cisco. She has been a troop leader for over 14 years for the Girl Scouts of America and also received the Drum Major President's Service Award from Barack Obama for her work with schools, police departments and hospitals in dispelling bias against minority communities.
MORE ON RAMPED:
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- Interested in becoming a Ramped Corporate Partner? Email us at sales@rampedcareers.com
The Ramped Podcast is back in action with Season 2. Join us as we hosts titans from technology, finance, education and many more industries.
www.rampedcareers.com
Andrea Johnson is the Vice President of Sales at Beyond. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Andrea to discuss her journey in sales. They cover bunches of stellar topics, including:
- Interest in growing others careers
- Starting in car sales
- Decision to bet on yourself and move into merchant services
- The importance of grit
- Adapting sales scripts
- Important personality traits for sales
- Things you look for when hiring at Beyond
- Systemic improvement in the sales industry
- Advice for beginner salespeople
- Importance of organizational skills
- Betting on yourself
We know you'll learn a ton from Andrea's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Brandon Roberts is the Chief Commercial Officer - Boutique Fitness at Xplor. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Mr. Klein to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of fantastic topics, including:
- Former pro MLB player
- From CA, played all across the US for multiple pro baseball teams
- Left baseball & thought career was over, but adopted growth and practice mindset & reframed mentality for “second career”
- Jumped from pro baseball into SDR role & hated it, but saw leaderboard and wanted to be in first
- No grooms future leaders to be the best they can be at Xplor
- Must push yourself and elevate yourself to hit targets in sales; must evaluate about yourself before you take a sales role
- Why folks do not understand how hard sales actually is before they jump in to the role
- How to set up new people for success as junior sellers
- Continual development is a similar concept between sales and pro baseball
- Extreme ownership in sales
We know you'll learn a ton from Brandon's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Daniel Klein is the Head of US Sales at Firebolt On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Mr. Klein to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of fantastic topics, including:
- How he got to be the number one seller at Siren, Inc.
- Sold door to door in college
- SDRs today vs. SDRs 10 years ago
- Tailoring your message to your individual prospect
- Why it’s easy to sell when and only when you are being genuine to yourself
- Selling at Sisense shaped his careers as a manager
- Process oriented works but knowing how to sell and develop relationships also works
- Thinking through the sales process
- Understanding how to build a champion
- Being flexible in mentality and with sales process
We know you'll learn a ton from Daniel's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Mariah Donnelly is the Senior SDR Manager at Greenhouse Software. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Mariah to discuss her journey in sales. They cover bunches of exceptional topics, including:
- Hails from the great state of Minnesota
- Did not necessarily know she wanted sales in college at UW-Madison
- Moved to New York and jumped into an inside sales role
- Found Greenhouse & loved the culture and team there
- How to screen for exceptional SDRs
- Why the Sales Development team rocks
- Tips on how to be a high performing SDR
- Where she sees SDRs falling short & how they can avoid missteps
- How to crush the SDR role
We know you'll learn a ton from Mariah's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Karen Nguyen is the VP of Sales at Cobalt.io. On today's episode, Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna sit down with Karen to discuss her journey in sales. They cover many meaningful topics, including:
- Got into sales looking to pay bills and get out of debt during Great Financial Crisis
- Started in retail sales at Verizon
- Took every step in the sales ladder: BDR to AE to Manager
- Breaking down sales as a big math equation
- Practicing empathy in sales
- Making the transition from in-person management to virtual management
- Playing the sales game as a team sport & holding yourself and teammates accountable
- Looking for aptitude and curiosity around product and sales to determine if they’ll be great
- Great salespeople can come from anywhere, but they all have a high degree of emotional intelligence
- How to cut through the noise with outbound prospecting
- Be creative & go the extra mile
We know you'll learn a ton from Karen's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
James Stone is the Director of Sales - Mid Market at HubSpot. On today's episode, Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna sit down with James to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many compelling topics, including:
- Boston bred sales executive at HubSpot, lives right outside Boston with his puppy
- Started as an account manager at ad agency in Boston, realized he wasn’t happy there
- Realized he loved speaking with clients
- Started at HubSpot at employee 175
- Not rocket science to set yourself apart - get there early, be a sponge, don’t be selfish
- Selling with empathy is critically important, especially during the pandemic
- Marketing is a super power at HubSpot, makes our lives at salespeople easier
- Best BDRs: motivated, naturally curious, & have great business acumen
- Interviews folks on going above and beyond, what roles they’ve held in the past, times where they’ve taught themselves something, & what questions they have for me
- It’s ok to quit when the role truly does not feel right for you
We know you'll learn a ton from James' guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Gordon Lawson is the CRO at RangeForce. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Gordon to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many impactful topics, including:
- Went to college and went into the Navy; thought sales was the right choice over finance
- Started in defense contracting sales
- Naval Academy taught him about leadership, applied those skills in sales management
- Had a cousin who was in tech sales and his mother was education administrator; guided him into tech sales
- Always looking for the right people at the right time in a startup lifecycle; early employees differ from late stage employees
- Building a process around key indicators is the right way to scale up a team
- Read Tom Tunguz blog asap if you want to get in to SaaS sales
- LinkedIn is a platform that is still underutilized in sales
- Be radically open-minded, especially when someone gives you advice
Gordon has thrived as a process-oriented sales leader. We know you'll learn lots from Gordon's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Matt Toth is the Sr. Director at STOPit Solutions. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Matt to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many impactful topics, including:
- Teachers aid & parents pushed him towards teaching, did not love it
- Tech & customer service helped him gravitate towards tech and then sales
- Does not matter what your background is...if you want it, you will do great in sales
- Would love to see sales as a major; not only one way of doing it
- Great sales folks can come from anywhere with so many different personality types, not just your stereotypical Glengarry Glen Ross salesperson
- Great salespeople self-educate
- Creativity is a personality trait of great salespeople that is not well understood
- Always be learning, testing, and trying new things in sales
- Make sure you are tracking metrics, both personal and team based
- Don’t be afraid to come up with your own hypothesis and test it out
We know you'll learn a ton from Matt's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Steve Botz is the VP Sales at Jones Software. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Steve to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many great topics, including:
- Gravitated towards early stage technology companies
- Did not know what he wanted to do right out of college
- Jumped around from jobs and internships to after the financial crisis in 2008
- Sales is discipline; practice and hone your skills to succeed
- Took many practice reps to figure out what he was doing right / wrong
- Startups naturally fed his curiosity more than bigger companies
- Students do not get taught about aspects of the basic sales motion in schools, and they need to!
- Never underestimate your network
- Patience is a premium skill to have and learn early in your career
- Spent entire careers in sales, but fell into it like many others
We know you'll learn a ton from Steve's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Marla Freeman is the RVP of Sales Access Softek. On today's episode, Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna sit down with Marla to discuss her journey in sales. They cover bunches of topics, including:
- First sales job was selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door
- Had to make jokes to get through first sales job
- Must be strong willed to thrive in sales because it’s so emotional
- Must try hard to remove the stigma of being a salesperson when selling
- Motivation in sales come from having great conversations with other people
- Must treat your co-workers and direct reports with success
- Dealing with sexism on sales teams
- It’s easier to get in touch with people today versus when Marla started in sales
- Must stand up for yourself in sales
- Be human!
Outside of work, Marla lives in NJ with her lovely family
We know you'll learn a ton from Marla's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Jesse Osborne is the VP of Sales Development at Tipalti. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Jesse to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many topics, including:
- Took first sales gig because it offered a company car...jumped right in to it
- Liked sales because it’s on you to make it happen
- Got thrown out his first cold call drop in at a restaurant in Daly City
- Play the numbers game in sales
- Pulled lessons from Zig Ziglar
- Loves leadership because helps him understand the ‘why’ with people (e.g. why are you in sales?)
- Find a good leader, find a good company, and ride that wave
- Can’t teach work ethic; Jesse hires on work ethic
- Lessons on how to personalize at scale
- Be on top of changes, be a voice internally at your company
Jesse comes from a long lineage of reformers and inventors. His grandfather was a prison reformer, and one of his distant relatives was Samuel Morse. His family shaped who he is today.
We know you'll learn a ton from Jesse's guidance.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Nima Elyassi-Rad is a Fractional VP of Business Development and the Co-Founder of Eterno. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with his dear friend Nima to discuss his journey in sales. They cover many topics, including:
- Nima asks himself two high-level questions during every job: Am I Learning? & Am I Contributing
- Had entrepreneurial itch early in his career / college career
- First entrepreneurial experience working at Ian’s Pizza in Madison
- Read Brad Feld article and became interested in venture capital
- First sales job was selling $150 boomboxes, then became a telemarketer and learned a ton about getting rejected
- The Groupon experience - had incredible mentors and worked many roles
- Worked next to master salespeople at Groupon
- Jumped out to Silicon Valley, worked at a few startups and then became a venture capitalist under Ben Narasin
- How he fly to SLC to take a shot on meeting & working for one of his heroes (Bryce Roberts)
- Found Shippo and launched into a BD role - working mega deals and partnerships
- Learned proper BD from the legendary Holger
- Applying what he learned throughout his career to grow Eterno
Outside of work, Nima lives with his wife in SF. He loves soccer and scotch. We know you'll love learning from his guidance!
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Tim Teeter is the VP of Business Development at YayPay and a sales leader who cares deeply about relationships. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Tim to discuss his journey in sales. They cover bunches of topics, including:
- Worked at startups for last quarter of his career; first at Oracle and other big businesses
- Went to University of Wisconsin & worked at the famous Terrace as a student
- Studied accounting in college to give himself maneuverability
- Married interests with people and found sales
- Key advice: never burn a bridge
- Jumped to a small, but fast growing startup called Avalara and jumped into BD
- Build and nurturing relationships is a premium in your career
- Partnerships are like snowflakes: everyone likes to be treated differently
Outside of work, Tim is a marathon runner, who lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two daughters. We know you'll love learning from his guidance!
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Jessica Orozco is the VP of Sales, Americas & APAC at Platform.sh and optimistic, encouraging, and caring sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Jessica to discuss her journey in sales. They cover tons of topics, including:
- Got laid off from first job & found a career coach who helped her find her path in sales
- Worked her way up from an inside sales rep to management
- Choosing a positive attitude in sales is a premium
- Put herself in uncomfortable situations - cold calling - to up her game; reflected on every call
- Every "no" = closer to a "yes"
- Constantly pushing herself to look to the future for what she wants to be in 1 year, 5 years, etc
- Taking time to travel with her husband gave her perspective on life: we’re all the same and we all want to be happy
- Caring about people super important to leading teams
- Focusing more on the prospect and their business over your personal success
Outside of work, Jessica is one of four sisters & she grew up in Inglewood, CA. We know you'll love learning from her!
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Jordan Evans is the Head of Sales at Unibuddy and an energetic, competitive, and empathetic sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Jordan to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a bunch of topics, including:
- 10+ years as sales professional in tech
- Work to live, not live to work
- Jumping in professional soccer was rewarding & realized he’s super coachable
- Had to learn sales from the ground up; evolved with the times
- Sharing personal experiences of hardship, including loss of his father to suicide, to develop empathy with folks at his company
- Deep dive into empathy and empathetic sales
- Being selfish in a good way - focus on the things that are truly important for yourself first
In a previous life, Jordan was professional soccer player, and he played collegiate soccer at UVA, where he won a national championship. We know you'll love learning from him.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Matt Grossbard is the Director of Sales at Electric AI and a hard-working, competitive, and energetic sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard and Manoj Jonna sit down with Matt to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including:
- Sports taught him that he loves to win / hates to lose & sales directly relates to his love of competition
- Belief that hard work is a skillset
- Took on sales job in college and outsold all the competition
- Read a tweet online to find his first sales job at SinglePlatform
- Mentors at SinglePlatform gave Matt the push he needed to outwork other folks at the office
- Jumping into management, managing peers, making mistakes & learning from mistakes
- SinglePlatform set him up for success at Electric AI
- Cold calling best practices (hint: it’s still alive and well!)
- Great salespeople understand how to manage the emotional ebbs and flows of the sales process
- Enthusiasm and patience are critically important
Outside of work Matt's a Sports fan, loves basketball & played in college. He now lives in NYC with his fiancé. We know you'll love learning from him.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Tom Hanrahan is the Head of US Sales at Square and an impactful and determined sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Tom to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a bundle of topics, including:
- Tom's long grind in sales over the past 15 years
- How the Aramark training program helped shape his sales career
- His love for coaching and developing people
- Overcoming the ‘sales stereotypes' and stigmas in his head
- Mentors along the way who helped Tom thrive
- Breaking through imposter syndrome as a 22 year old
- Transitioning from player to coach at LivingSocial
- Keith Rosen’s Book: Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives
- Breaking out and simplifying the levers for early-career salespeople
- Hire great people first, then teach them how to sell the product
- Why it’s important to never bad mouth your company in an interview
- Being patient with yourself and trusting the process
Tom is originally from NYC, and made his way out to California. He's an avid sports fan & passionate about the Knicks.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Lauren Hodson is the Director of Sales at Vena Solutions and a driven, thoughtful sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Lauren to discuss her journey in sales. They cover a bunch of topics, including:
- Growing up in Toronto, our first Canadian on the podcast
- One of four children, parents taught her to be independent, work hard, earn money on her own
- Father built career in sales, helped guide her to sales
- The importance of taking pride in what you sell
- Why having a great manager can help boost your career
- How to crush the interview process as an early salesperson
- Building empathy for your customer
- Selling into and understanding customer pain
- Maintaining focus on your current job instead of always focusing on the future; don’t let ambition control your day to day
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Max Lowenbaum is the SVP Sales at Provi and a driven, thoughtful sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Max to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including:
- Who he is as a sales leader
- The decision early in his career to pivot away from law school into sales
- When he realized sales was natural for him: the sales math at Modern Luxury
- Early mentors who inspired Max; first boss talking about work/life balance
- Developing a framework and process to selling early in his career
- Setting yourself up to be promoted into management on day one at Groupon
- Structuring career and promotion paths based on best fit for the role
- The importance of building a well-rounded sales culture
- What makes an effective recruiting process
- Why curiosity is a key factor when screening SDR candidates
- Be present, enjoy the ride, and connect with co-workers
Outside of work, Max lives in Chicago with his wife and young daughter, and he's originally from the St. Louis area.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Lee Rozins is the Head of Growth at Onaroll and an eternally positive sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna and Danny Leonard sit down with Lee to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a slew of topics, including:
- How growing up in a household w/parents who ran a bagel shop shaped his business perspective
- His passion for getting others to share in what he loves
- Turning negatives into positives at an early age
- Why excitement is critically important to the sales process
- The culture at SinglePlatform & why they were so successful at building exceptional salespeople
- Transitioning from individual contributor to management and managing peers
- Making everyone aware of culture and how important it is to maintain
- The importance of focusing on data early in your career
Outside of work, Lee lives in NYC and has a truly optimistic view on life. He considers himself an extremely competitive person and loves to share his excitement with the world.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Kyle Parrish is the VP Sales at Mixmax and a methodical sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna and Danny Leonard sit down with Kyle to discuss his journey in sales. They cover a plethora of topics, including:
- Starting off in sales after watching friends on water polo team going that way
- Background as college athlete helped develop fearlessness for rejection
- The “Yes, and…” principle
- How he crushed his first sales job interview
- Finding mentors early in his career at Oracle
- The need to find a way to give back to others
- There will be a ‘next quarter’ - taking learnings from a bad quarter and applying them to future quarters (asking for help)
- How he found his mojo at startups
- More early career guidance for junior salespeople
Outside of work, Kyle lives in the Bay Area and has a passion for athletics
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Asher Mathew is the VP Revenue and Operations at DemandMatrix and a methodical sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Asher to discuss his journey in sales. They cover loads of topics, including:
- His start in a technical role and transitioning over to sales
- Moving over from the Middle East and jumping into Computer Science and Tech
- His belief in sticking with the same company and moving up within that company
- Having great mentors around who guided you in your early career
- A framework for early career professionals: education, exposure, and experience
- Why it’s important to surround yourself with people you learn from
- Developing a champion for your business
- Advice for himself in his early days: be more aware
Outside of work, Asher loves spending time with family and friends. His parents taught him at an early age about why relationship building is so important.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Matt Rolnick is the VP Sales at Yaymaker and an enthusiastic sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Matt to discuss his journey in sales. They cover bunches of topics, including:
- His long career in sales
- Why he's always been enthusiastic about sales and marketing
- Staying young at heart
- Leading with passion before deciding on a company
- Transitioning into digital advertising
- Passion about the customer and customer experience
- Jumping back into an AE role from Manager at Groupon
- Screening for resilience when hiring SDRs
- Learning from Darren Schwartz (mentor)
- Always Be Learning as a sales philosophy
- Thinking hard about where you want to brand yourself
Outside of work, Matt flips homes with his wife and lives in the suburbs of Chicago.
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Scott Samios is the CRO at Cube and a disciplined and thoughtful sales leader. On today's episode, Manoj Jonna sits down with Scott to discuss his journey in sales. They cover loads of topics, including:
- Scott's journey in sales, including how he found technology through Wired Magazine
- How Scott decided on sales after starting his career in product
- Finding great mentors like Darren Johnson
- The turning point in his career - seeing individual contribution as completely different than management
- Why it's important to nail the product and value proposition
- What he loves about Cube - being agile with forecasting and planning
- Why it’s important to press for equity in your company
- Have a personal stake in the mission of your company
Scott is a family man who learned from his grandfather to never take a job for the money...take it for the learning
Enjoy this episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell - thank you for tuning in!
Daren Tomey is the SVP Sales, North America at AllCloud and an enthusiastic sales leader. On today's episode, Danny Leonard sits down with Daren to discuss his journey in sales. They cover tons of informative topics, including:
- Daren's journey in sales, including how you found tech and why he stuck with it
- Deciding on a career in sales, including trying to emulate his father & his father's sales buddies
- Leading big teams to success
- Management style: giving folks the bullet points and letting them find their voice
- What Tony Dungy taught him about servant leadership
- How ExactTarget changed the trajectory of his career
- How BDRs and SDRs work together with AEs, what’s important re:relationships and setting up time together; hitting targets
- Investing in yourself earlier in your career
Daren also shares a bit more about his family and how his impressive children have gone on to achieve mega accolades in academics and athletics. We know Daren will inspire you today on this episode The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell.
Thank you for tuning in!
Courtney Griffin is the VP of Global Sales at Improvado and an inspiration to many salespeople around the world. On today's episode, Danny and Manoj sit down with Courtney to discuss her journey in sales. They cover tons of great topics, including:
- Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager
- How to lead a group of your peers
- Fighting for yourself in the workplace
- Finding the right boss & what makes a great boss
- Servant leadership
- How BDRs and SDRs work together with AEs
- Relying on yourself, finding a great mentor
- Trusting your gut
Courtney also shares a bit more about her family and how her father impacted her decision to pursue a career in sales. We know you'll learn a bunch from her on today's episode of The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell.
Keith Opp is VP of Sales and Business Development at millermedia7 and a great man. Manoj sits down with Keith to talk about his long career in sales. They cover Keith's early days as an outside sales rep at Sysco, how Keith found a mentor who changed the trajectory of his life, staying engaged with your customers, and driving accountability across the sales org. Keith also owns a horse stable, which he uses to help children with disabilities connect with animals.
We are honored to host Keith on The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell.
Jen Spencer is the VP of Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media and a stellar human. In today's episode, Manoj and Jen discuss what kickstarted her career in sales. They touch on her commitment to learning and embracing data, why she ties sales and marketing closely together, her competitive drive, and how to advocate for yourself in the workplace.
We are honored to host Jen as our inaugural guest on The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell.