Guy Yalif is a seasoned B2B SaaS executive with over 20 years of go-to-market experience. As the co-founder and CEO of Intellimize (acquired by Webflow), Guy brings a unique perspective from his journey through iconic companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Twitter, as well as his background in aerospace engineering. Guy holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Learnings from each major company in Guy's 20+ leadership career: Microsoft, Tradeweave (first employee and executive committee), Yahoo, Twitter, BrightRoll and Intellimize. 
• Building 'opinionated products' and the importance of customer intimacy
• Lessons learned from scaling Twitter's ad business from zero to $650 million in three years.
• The challenges and rewards of founding and growing a startup for nine years.
• Strategies for building relationships with PR outlets, reporters, and analysts.

Highlights:
(5:22) The power of customer intimacy in product development.
(15:41) Scaling Twitter's ad business and managing hyper-growth.
(26:54) The existential dread of being a startup founder.
(37:56) Building relationships with PR outlets and reporters.
(45:40) Debunking the myth of sacrificing personal life for startup success.
(49:07) The effectiveness of small group events in go-to-market strategies.
(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Guy thinks is bull$***
(49:07) One thing that is working for Guy in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Guy Yalif):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyalif

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):
Website: https://gtmnow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/SalesHacker
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_now
The GTM Podcast (on all major directories): https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/

Resource we Recommend:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start?

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Martin Roth is the former CRO of Levelset, where he led the company from its first dollar in ARR to a $500 million acquisition by Procore in 2021. Currently, he's the founder of MartinRoth.com, specializing in helping startups scale from $1M to $10M in ARR. Martin brings a wealth of experience in building and scaling sales teams, developing effective go-to-market strategies, and navigating the challenges of startup growth. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• Martin's journey from selling flip-flops to leading a $500M exit
• The challenges and lessons learned in scaling Levelset from $1M to $25M+ ARR
• Insights on building effective sales playbooks and team structures
• The importance of in-person customer interactions in today's digital world
• Debunking myths about cold outreach and micromanagement in sales

Highlights:
(08:58) Building the first SaaS product and transitioning to recurring revenue.
(14:58) The evolution of Levelset's sales motion and pricing strategy.
(29:06) The importance of sales playbooks and codifying the sales process.
(35:30) Optimal team structures for SMB sales organizations.
(52:25) Why in-person sales environments are crucial for early-career development.
(53:46) Debunking the myth that cold outreach is dead.
(57:57) The effectiveness of in-person field events and road shows.
(52:25) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Martin thinks is bull$***(57:57) One thing that is working for Martin in go-to-market right now

Guest Speaker Links (Martin Roth):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinrothsaas/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: https://gtmnow.com/tag/newsletter/

Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):
Website: https://gtmnow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/SalesHacker
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_now
The GTM Podcast (on all major directories): https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/

Resource we Recommend:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start?

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Mark Kosoglow is the Co-Founder and CEO of Operator.ai, a company incubated by GTMfund. Mark was employee #1 at Outreach and former SVP of Global Sales, where he helped grow the company from zero to over $200 million in revenue. He is joined in this special edition podcast episode by Max Altschuler, Founder and General Partner of GTMfund.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The fallacy of "what got you here won't get you there" in revenue leadership.
• The current state of sales technology and its impact on buyer engagement.
• The vision for Operator and how it aims to revolutionize the sales process.
• The importance of personalization and relevance in sales outreach.
• Strategies for breaking through the noise and attracting buyers into conversations.

Highlights:
(1:35) Mark's journey from Outreach to founding Operator.
(4:33) Challenging the notion of constantly changing leadership in growing companies.
(10:00) The problem with current sales automation and AI strategies.
(20:25) The concept of "the great ignore" in sales messaging.
(24:11) How Operator aims to change the day-to-day activities of salespeople.
(37:47) The importance of creativity, connection, and focus in sales.
(45:48) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mark thinks is bull$***.
(47:48) One thing that is working for Mark in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Mark Kosoglow)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now. 

If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.

We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm

Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack.” With Apollo I believe you can accomplish both."  - Scott Barker

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Kim Peretti is an experienced Customer Success executive with over 25 years in the technology industry. Her most recent role was as Chief Customer Officer at Klaviyo, where she transformed the customer success organization during the company’s hypergrowth, and played a key role in preparing the company for its IPO. Prior to Klaviyo she was the Group Vice President of Customer Success at DocuSign, where she built and lead successful strategies that delivered key customer outcomes and results. Kim's extensive background also includes leadership positions in Customer Success at renowned technology companies such as Adobe, Qlik, and Symantec. Her career reflects a strong commitment to driving customer impact and achieving business results.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The importance of building a customer-first culture from day one
• Strategies for aligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams
• The role of data in understanding and driving customer health
• How to implement an effective voice of the customer program
• The misconception that customer success managers alone can solve churn
• The impact of shared compensation goals on cross-functional collaboration

Highlights:
(1:56) Kim's journey through top tech companies and the power of networking.
(5:39) The importance of customer experience from the first marketing touch.
(8:38) Shifting focus from new logos to customer retention and expansion.
(15:10) Implementing shared compensation goals across teams.
(20:37) Building a voice of the customer program.
(35:17) The role of partnerships in customer success.
(40:37) Using data to understand what makes customers healthy.
(45:58) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kim thinks is bull$***.
(47:58) One thing that is working for Kim in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Kim Peretti):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-peretti-2b719730/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: www.gtmnow.com/tag/newsletter/

Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now. 

If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.

We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm

Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack.” With Apollo I believe you can accomplish both."  - Scott Barker

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Phil Hernandez is the VP of Sales Services at TaskUs. He has spent the past 20 years skillfully building and transforming numerous Go-To-Market (GTM) teams. He possesses an unwavering commitment to mastering sales systems and demonstrates expertise in orchestrating organizational change aimed at cultivating high-performance revenue teams. His diverse industry background ranges from Tech/SaaS, Big Data, Adtech/Media, and CPG. He has implemented best practices in Startup, Scale Up, Public, and Private Equity operating environments as well as driving many transformational initiatives. As a revenue architecture expert, Phil specializes in operationalizing best practices and implementing scalable, data-driven solutions to elevate customer satisfaction throughout their buyer’s journey. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• The importance of cross-functional alignment in go-to-market strategies
• Balancing strategic planning with day-to-day sales execution
• Tactics for breaking down silos between marketing, sales, and customer success
• The myth of work-life balance and finding personal equilibrium
• Strategies for incentivizing sales teams and driving desired behaviors
• The danger of seeking "silver bullet" solutions in sales leadership

Highlights:
(2:49) Phil's journey from Coca-Cola delivery driver to sales leader.
(9:41) Challenges in aligning different go-to-market functions.
(14:12) Time-blocking strategies for sales leaders.
(20:26) How TaskUs increased opportunity conversion 4x through better lead engagement.
(24:20) Designing effective sales compensation plans.
(32:33) The importance of focusing on micro-wins rather than silver bullets.
(35:09) Phil's framework for evaluating go-to-market success: People, Process, Platforms, and Performance.
(38:05) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Phil thinks is bull$***.
(39:36) One thing that is working for Phil in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Phil Hernandez):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hernandezphillip/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Product Recommendation: Apollo
"The revenue tech stack is messy right now. 

If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of my list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over.

We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page. You can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm

Almost all I hear these days is “we need to figure out how to best leverage AI in our sales process” and “how can we consolidate/simplify our tech stack” - with Apollo I believe you can accomplish both." -Scott Barker

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Nealesh Patel is the Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase, an AI-powered platform that helps over 80 million dealmakers discover and prioritize the right opportunities using best-in-class company data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, Neal has a proven track record of executing progressive growth strategies, landing innovative partnerships, developing revenue streams, and building winning teams. As the leader of Crunchbase's go-to-market functions, and the de facto general manager of its data licensing business, Neal has a cross-functional and holistic understanding of how to provide value to customers and generate revenue. Under his leadership, Crunchbase has more than 4X'd its unique users, increased its annual recurring revenue by over 75x, and secured partnerships with large brands like S&P, LinkedIn, Meta, Oracle, NASDAQ, Amazon, and Snowflake. Neal is also an active board member, advisor, and investor in several high-growth startups.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The importance of listening to customers without blindly obeying their requests
• How Crunchbase adapted to the rise of ChatGPT and generative AI
• The value of conducting ongoing customer tours to inform product development and strategy
• Insights on career growth and taking risks in professional development
• The future of sales management in the age of AI and rev tech platforms

Highlights:
(03:45) The concept of "listening to customers without obeying"
(09:12) Crunchbase's response to the release of ChatGPT
(13:58) Developing predictive signals using Crunchbase's proprietary data
(19:32) Career advice: The importance of curiosity and authenticity
(22:15) Taking risks and daring to be "stupid" in your career
(25:37) The ongoing need for human sales managers in the age of AI
(30:42) Why traditional sales playbooks may become obsolete
(34:21) Institutionalizing customer tours as a core business practice
(37:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Neal thinks is bull$***
(39:47) One thing that is working for Neal in go-to-market right now

Guest Speaker Links (Neal Patel):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealeshpatel/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Apollo. The revenue tech stack is messy right now. All the leaders that I’m talking to are reevaluating their stacks from the ground up. Do we really need ten different solutions? If you are one of those leaders, I would recommend that you take a look at Apollo. Maybe you think you know Apollo, maybe you’ve taken a look at them in the past but I’ve looked under the hood recently and if your goal is to reduce and simplify your tech stack AND have best in breed data layered in with AI - they would be at the top of our list. There’s a reason Rippling and Stripe switched over. We worked with their team to create an interactive demo page - you can check it out at: https://www.apollo.io/gtm 

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. He currently leads Atrium, makers of sales performance management software to help organizations measure and improve sales performance. Previously, he founded TalentBin, a talent search engine and recruiting CRM that was acquired by Monster Worldwide in 2014. Pete also authored Founding Sales, a startup sales handbook, and established Modern Sales, the nation’s largest community for sales operations, leadership, and enablement. Modern Sales is an invite-only community with over 30,000 members from 10,000+ sales organizations focused on peer education in sales operations and management.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The impact of zero interest rate policy on sales performance and buyer behavior
• The importance of accountability and performance management in sales
• The role of AI in sales and potential risks of over-automation
• Strategies for effective sales management in the current economic climate
• The value of "back to basics" approaches in sales, including pipeline generation

Highlights:
(5:59) Analyzing the drivers behind decreased sales performance in software companies.
(11:03) The evolution of sales management roles and responsibilities.
(17:58) The importance of accountability in sales management.
(22:32) Potential risks of AI automation in sales skills development.
(26:45) The need for rigorous performance management across all levels of sales.
(34:35) Implementing "PG Tuesday" as an effective pipeline generation strategy.
(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Peter thinks is bull$***.
(34:26) One thing that is working for Peter in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Peter Kazanjy):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazanjy/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

David Knight is the Co-founder and CEO of Avarra, an AI-powered platform that simulates human-to-human interactions to accelerate sales onboarding and training. With over 30 years of experience scaling companies from tens of millions to billions in revenue, including WebEx and Proofpoint, David brings a unique perspective on the intertwined nature of product and go-to-market.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The power of AI simulations in providing experiential learning for sales reps.
• Designing products backwards from the go-to-market motion.
• Strategies for aligning product and sales teams to drive revenue growth.
• Rethinking ramp time: it's about at-bats, not arbitrary time periods.
• Shifting perspective from the sales funnel to the buyer's journey.
• The future of AI in sales training and enablement.

Highlights:
(02:24) Simulating human-to-human interactions with AI avatars.
(07:44) Creating a fun, engaging environment for sales training.
(13:26) Designing products from the go-to-market motion backwards.
(19:32) Helping sales leaders win deals as a product leader.
(27:08) Listening for pain points, not feature requests, from customers.
(31:07) Completely changing the go-to-market motion at Proofpoint.
(37:43) Aligning motivations between product and sales teams.
(38:43) Rethinking the sales funnel as a buyer's journey.
(41:50) Building customized simulations for qualified prospects.
(34:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that David thinks is bull$***.
(41:50) One thing that is working for David in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (David Knight):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrknight/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start? This free and ungated report has you covered. 

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Kyle Poyar is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner at Tremont, with over 8 years of experience at OpenView where he became a leading voice in the product-led growth (PLG) movement. Kyle shares his insights on the inevitability of PLG in an AI-driven future and reveals must-try tactics to accelerate growth using a PLG approach.

Discussed in this Episode:

• Why PLG is becoming inevitable, especially with the rise of AI in software
• Creative ways companies can build out their PLG motion
• How social proof and PLG are merging to influence buying decisions
• Advice for early-stage founders looking to set up a PLG motion
• The realities of working in venture capital and how to break into the industry

Highlights:
(4:22) The evolution of PLG from an investment risk to a critical strategy.
(9:10) Will the vast majority of software companies have a PLG motion in the future?
(18:56) Using product data for marketing purposes.
(21:17) Offering an affordable entry-level package to land and expand.
(23:44) The increasing importance of social proof in PLG.
(31:41) Advice for early-stage founders setting up a PLG motion.
(37:43) Kyle's journey from consulting to VC and advice for breaking into venture.
(44:43) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***(47:59) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Poyar):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Newsletter: https://www.growthunhinged.com/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Cliff Simon is the CRO of Carabiner Group, a part of SBI Growth, an advisor, and fractional executive for several high-growth start-ups, where he utilizes his expertise in all things GTM and RevOps. He is an active leader in multiple GTM communities. With almost two decades of broad technology experience, he has anchored GTM teams in SaaS & Service industries including consulting, network & communications, software, e-commerce, and supply chain. Having worked in both Fortune 20 and High-Growth Startups, Cliff prefers the fast pace and the ability to deliver significant impact that comes with working in the startup space. Cliff is a recipient of the 2024 Modern Sales Leader award from HubSpot and a 2024Top 50 CRO to Watch by Pavilion. 

Discussed in this Episode:

• The power of community-led growth in driving customer acquisition and revenue.
• Lessons learned from growing and selling a bootstrapped services business.
• Navigating the challenges of rapid growth, including hiring and managing cash flow.
• The importance of RevOps and when to invest in a full-time RevOps hire.
• Predictions for the future of go-to-market, including the rise of micro-businesses and AI.

Highlights:
(15:43) Driving growth through community involvement and providing value.
(22:58) Hiring challenges during rapid growth. 
(27:34) Identifying potential acquirers and navigating the acquisition process.
(33:00) Lessons learned from the acquisition and what Cliff would do differently.
(38:27) Predictions for the future of SaaS businesses and go-to-market.
(42:16) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Cliff thinks is bull$***.
(44:55) One thing that is working for Cliff in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Cliff Simon):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-simon

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Attention. Attention’s AI-powered call recording platform ensures that your deals are executed flawlessly. It records your calls, generates next-step summaries, action items, and even creates scorecards for every single call, so your reps can continuously improve. But that’s just the beginning. Attention’s generalized insights allow you to ask any question across all of your conversations - think of it like ChatGPT for your sales calls. Attention also lets you build automated workflows tailored to your needs. For example, if a customer mentions they’re at risk of churning during a call, Attention can automatically loop in a sales director and solutions engineer to ensure that customer receives the full white-glove treatment, reducing churn and keeping your business thriving. Attention is helping companies onboard reps faster, increase the productivity of their existing teams, and giving revenue leaders unparalleled visibility into their pipelines—all while automating those tedious manual tasks.

The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Eli Schwartz is an SEO expert and consultant with over a decade of experience driving successful SEO and growth programs for both B2B and B2C companies. He has worked with major brands like Shutterstock, Gusto, WordPress, Quora, Mixpanel, and Zendesk to build and execute global SEO strategies that dramatically increase their visibility at scale. Previously, Eli led the SEO team at SurveyMonkey, growing organic search from nearly zero to one of the largest growth channels at the company.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The product-led SEO framework Eli used to drive SurveyMonkey from 0 to $100M+ in revenue.
• Why the old model of churning out SEO content is dead and how AI is disrupting the space.
• Eli's journey from getting rejected at top tech companies to becoming a thriving consultant.
• The power of deeply understanding your target user and building products for their needs.
• Actionable advice for making the transition from operator to successful consultant.

Highlights:
(4:14) Building SEO products tailored to the user intent, not just keywords.
(8:19) How Zapier unlocked massive growth with a product-led SEO approach
(17:15) Why AI content generation is not a silver bullet - it still requires a purposeful strategy.
(22:54) Examples of Eli's product-led SEO wins at SurveyMonkey, Tinder, and Coinbase.
(29:31) The biggest mistake people make with SEO is having a diminished understanding of what it can accomplish.
(41:28) Eli's best consulting gigs came from job interviews where he got rejected.
(44:33) To succeed as a consultant, develop a niche specialty and have customer success stories.
(52:23) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eli thinks is bull$***.
(54:49) One thing that is working for Eli in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Eli Schwartz):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

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The GTM Podcast
The GTM Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Scott Barker, GTMfund Partner, featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.