CRO Gong, Ryan Longfield: Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable: Redefining Failure
Grit3 Mai 2021

CRO Gong, Ryan Longfield: Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable: Redefining Failure

In 2008, when Ryan Longfield took a contracted account executive position at LinkedIn without any prior sales experience, he knew he had to be “all-in.”


“‘I’ll sleep under my desk if I have to,’” Ryan remembers telling a recruiter who asked if he was worried he won’t be able to hit $50,000 in sales in only three months.


Now, after an almost 10-year run at LinkedIn where he worked in five different sales positions, Ryan serves as Chief Revenue Officer of Gong, a revenue intelligence platform for B2B sales teams. On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Ryan have a wide-ranging discussion about the importance of pushing boundaries as well as failure.


In this episode, we cover:

  • 'I was all-in': Ryan's experience as a contracted account executive at LinkedIn in 2008 having never previously done sales — and what motivates him. (2:52)
  • The importance of setting boundaries and creating a healthy work-life balance. (9:46)
  • Why Ryan believes that 'constantly remaining uncomfortable’ is key to career acceleration. (17:10)
  • Learning from the process that led to failure versus focusing solely on the failure itself. (20:43)
  • Imposter syndrome, insecurity, and the benefits of having diversity of perspective. (27:16)
  • Why Ryan believes that quotas should "represent a minimum bar for effectiveness" in sales roles. (37:03)
  • How Ryan's current company, Gong, gives leaders insight into the sales conversations reps have with buyers. (39:17)
  • Coachability; previous history of success; intelligence and business acumen; grit; and curiosity: Attributes of a great sales rep. (48:01)
  • How Ryan defines grit. (51:35)


Guest: Ryan Longfield, Chief Revenue Officer of Gong


Links:

Episoder(281)

#160 CEO Grammarly, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury: Better, Not More

#160 CEO Grammarly, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury: Better, Not More

Guest: Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, CEO of GrammarlyDriven by generative tools like ChatGPT, artificial intelligence is hot — but Grammarly CEO Rahul Roy-Chowdhury wishes that “AI” stood for something else: “...

16 Okt 20231h 2min

#159 CEO 1Password, Jeff Shiner: Chief Eliminator of Obstacles

#159 CEO 1Password, Jeff Shiner: Chief Eliminator of Obstacles

Guest: Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1PasswordFar from the Silicon Valley bubble, in Waterloo, Ontario, they try to do things a bit differently, says 1Password CEO Jeff Shiner. “Our mantra has been, build a goo...

9 Okt 20231h 4min

#158 CRO Anduril Industries, Matt Steckman: On Defense

#158 CRO Anduril Industries, Matt Steckman: On Defense

Guest: Matt Steckman, CRO of Anduril IndustriesWalk into one of Anduril Industries’ offices and it might take a minute for you to realize: This is a defense contractor. “It feels like a tech company, ...

2 Okt 20231h

#157 CEO Udemy, Greg Brown: The Plunge

#157 CEO Udemy, Greg Brown: The Plunge

Guest: Greg Brown, CEO of UdemyEvery night before he goes to bed, Greg Brown makes a to-do list. He has to because, as the CEO of the online learning platform Udemy, setting his priorities helps ensur...

25 Sep 20231h 1min

#156 CRO Snowflake, Chris Degnan: Part 2

#156 CRO Snowflake, Chris Degnan: Part 2

Guest: Chris Degnan, CRO of SnowflakeChris Degnan was a teenager when his world got turned upside-down: His stockbroker father was revealed to be a serial liar & fraudster and was sent to prison; the ...

18 Sep 202353min

#155 CEO Yahoo, Jim Lanzone: Brand Rejuvenation

#155 CEO Yahoo, Jim Lanzone: Brand Rejuvenation

Guest: Jim Lanzone, CEO of YahooJim Lanzone doesn’t waste time thinking about what other people think of him ... or the companies he has run. After helping to rejuvenate Ask.com in the early 2000s, he...

11 Sep 20231h 7min

#154 Remix: Tornadoes, Unicorn Meat, and Hypergrowth Sales

#154 Remix: Tornadoes, Unicorn Meat, and Hypergrowth Sales

In this special episode of Grit, Joubin looks back at what five past guests had to say about building a sales operation inside rapidly-growing companies:Intro (00:30)Stripe’s Mike Clayville on first p...

4 Sep 20231h 7min

#153 COO & CRO Weights & Biases, Yan-David Erlich: ML’s Moment

#153 COO & CRO Weights & Biases, Yan-David Erlich: ML’s Moment

Guest: Yan-David Erlich, COO and CRO of Weights & BiasesAfter starting four companies, Yan-David Erlich had found happiness and success as a GP in Coatue’s venture fund — but then, after investing in ...

28 Aug 20231h 12min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengesnakk
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
finansredaksjonen
pengepodden-2
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
liberal-halvtime
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
okonomiamatorene
rss-politisk-preik