Ownership without over spending
MORE ≠ BETTER
Series A is too early for a full time VP. Good execs are expensive and lots of early sales work is straightforward. Most VPs have fossilized playbooks, and it takes 9 months to tell if they are solid.
NIMBLE AND PRECISE
For the hard parts that remain, you want someone who specializes in experimenting to find the right sales, pricing, and business models and building a pitch and playbook to support them.
A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT I DO
I can help with pitches, leads, and qualification, sales process, models and playbooks, partners, vendors, CRM, hiring, training and managing, or closing a few big deals to increase velocity.
About Me
I’ve got a lot of scrappy sales history under my belt, as an individual contributor, sales executive and CEO/founder. I’ve broken and held records, been nationally recognized and increased sales volume over predecessors by 8x or more in multiple roles. I have led teams to large increases in pipeline (73%) and deal sizes (55%), conversion from leads to opportunities (73%), and leads to closing ratios (334%).
In all cases, I’ve drastically outperformed my peers or punched above the circumstances when there were no obvious peers. I’m also pretty quick when it comes to learning and sorting out complex problems in new markets. I have a JD with Honors from Harvard as well, so I’m not intimidated by complex dealmaking or regulatory regimes.
I have sold deals from $200 transactions with mortgage brokers to contracts with Fortune 10s and 100s, and plenty of the nine and ten figure companies in between. I know sales, strategy, and management. I also know what it is like to be a founding CEO losing sleep, clawing your way to the next success, and trying to maximize your learnings and revenue while you work your way through the fog of early ambiguity.
Read About My Services
Messaging
Most early stage startups cannot clearly communicate the pain they solve and the solution they offer. Nor have they honed their understanding of their buyers and the people influencing the sale. I can take your pitch to the next level.
Business Model
It takes experimentation and insight to figure out if your sale is a license, SAAS, pay-as-you-go, or something else. It takes work to figure out the pricing, lead generation and closing patterns. I can help you accelerate your learning.
Sales Playbook
Execution happens in tactics. We start with what drives decision makers, their process for deciding, and how to qualify or disqualify leads. With repetition, comes a process: staging, follow up plans, pipeline management, CRM, metrics, targets, and contract management.
Hiring
Hiring successful salespeople is hard. We’ll define OKRs, identify skills, build comp and quota, fill the pipeline with candidates. I’ll train teams to interview, interview alongside them, manage loop debriefs, and close candidates. We will uncover the best people and remove barriers that stop diverse candidates from succeeding.
Management
If you don’t know how to train, manage, motivate, and evaluate salespeople, or drive a pipeline forward, I am happy to jump in and help. I can do it myself or teach you how.
Evangelism
I love speaking in public, teaching and giving keynotes, as well as coaching others on their presentation skills. If you want to prep for a podcast or send a proxy to speak on your behalf, this is my happy place.
GET IN TOUCH
Does this seem like a fit? Please reach out and I’ll get back to you. I will keep all answers confidential.
Shark Warning!
Be wary of people who want to “help” startups. We aren’t all sharks, but the waters are infested with predators that lurk around meetups or send you solicitations on LinkedIn. If you found my website by chance, don’t be foolish enough to believe what I’ve written about myself here. This site is supposed to be a place where people who already have a reason to respect me come for more information. If you didn’t come that way, look at my LinkedIn and see if we have mutual contacts. Reach out to them and see what they say. Please be careful of getting into dangerous waters. Your startup is precious and you’ve got to be smart.