CRO CircleCI, Jane Kim: Leading with Vulnerability and Making Mistakes

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 GongLinks:Connect with Ryan LongfieldLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

3 Maj 202153min

When it comes to building startups from the ground-up, Brendon Cassidy knows it all: Having held some of the first sales leadership roles at LinkedIn, Echosign, and Talkdesk, Brendon helped position each company for success. Now, Brendon consults startups on go-to-market operations as founder of his own consulting firm, Cassidy Ventures. On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Brendon talk about what Brendon learned throughout his impressive career working at successful startups, as well as what Brendon looks for in new sales hires when building a team.In this episode, we cover:How Brendon became one of the first 20 employees at LinkedIn during the company's early days — and how he helped LinkedIn monetize its recruiting services. (3:17)The sales leadership lessons Brendon learned at LinkedIn and his departure from the company in 2008. (10:29)'I'm betting on me': How Brendon became VP of Sales at Echosign as one of the company's first employees after working at LinkedIn. (15:34)Startup number three: How Brendon helped build Talkdesk's sales operation as the company's first United States employee after working at Echosign. (20:26)Why Brendon looked for drive and commitment in new sales hires when building a team at Talkdesk. (23:58)'Don’t quit; don’t give up; be solution-oriented': Dealing with failure and hardship in business. (26:31)Hiring a VP of Sales: Brendon's take on stretch VPs and why "a diverse search" is key to the right hire. (38:58)How Brendon defines grit. (49:00)Links:Connect with Brendon CassidyLinkedInEmail: brendon@cosell.ioConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

26 Apr 202150min

As Chief Revenue Officer of cloud content management and file sharing company Box, Mark Wayland and his team have taken on a “land, adopt, and expand” business model to attract new buyers across various industries and locations.This strategy seems to be paying off — according to Box, 68% of the Fortune 500 currently use the SaaS company’s products.On today’s episode of Go To Market Grit, Joubin and Mark talk more about Box’s go-to-market strategy, as well as the importance of learning from failure.In this episode, we cover:The importance for a sales leader to hone sales operation and strategy skills. (3:01)How sales has changed as technology evolves. (9:37)How Box is changing how people work through cloud content management — and why sales leaders should focus on forging a positive workplace culture. (18:25)Selling across segments: Box's go-to-market strategy. (24:29)Why Box aspires to be a ‘trusted advisor’ to enterprise businesses. (27:16)How remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for Mark to make personal connections with his sales team. (31:27)'You have to fail a lot in order to succeed': How Mark defines grit. (33:58)'Land, adopt, and expand': Box's future plans for growth. (43:03)Links:Connect with Mark WaylandLinkedInBox’s websiteConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

19 Apr 202149min

Impossible Foods has a mission to eliminate the use of animals in the food system by 2035. With the growing success of the company’s plant-based meat products, such as the Impossible Burger, this vision is becoming reality.Feeling as though the company was “aligned with my own personal mission,” Dana Worth, former VP of Sales at Impossible Foods, joined the company in 2015 before it brought any of its plant-based meat products to market. Now, Dana has moved on from Impossible Foods, taking a position as SVP, Commercial at Plenty.On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Dana talk about how Impossible Foods’ go-to-market strategy changed as the company grew, as well as the company’s history.In this episode, we cover:'What makes meat, meat?': Why Impossible Foods is working towards eliminating the use of animals in the food system by 2035. (3:28)The factors behind Dana's decision to join Impossible Foods in 2015. (9:22)Partnerships with high-credibility and meat-forward chefs: Impossible Foods' early go-to-market strategy. (13:11)‘True believers’: The benefits of having a unifying mission as a company. (23:13)How Impossible Foods analyzed its organizational structure as its products became more commercially successful. (28:32)The supply and demand challenges Impossible Foods faced when the Impossible Burger 2.0 became a massive success in 2019. (31:28)Impossible Foods’ current strategy for selling its product direct-to-consumer — and why its main competition isn’t other plant-based meat companies. (39:18)How Dana defines grit. (45:33)Links:Connect with Dana WorthLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

12 Apr 202147min

Just take it from website security industry executive Chris Merritt — the internet was not designed with security and performance in mind. As President of Field Operations and CRO of Cloudlflare, Chris and his company are dedicated to fixing this problem by protecting websites for a more secure and reliable internet. On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Chris discuss how Cloudflare’s go-to-market strategy has evolved, as well as how Cloudflare helps prevent bad actors from conducting internet attacks.In this episode, we cover:How Chris' current company, Cloudflare, is creating a more secure and reliable internet network. (3:44)Chris' experience working at Cloudflare during the company's early stages. (8:23)The evolution of Cloudflare’s go to market strategy. (13:18)Content-driven strategy: How Cloudflare uses an engineering blog to help enable its freemium model. (17:54)Stopping DDoS attacks: How an increase in security awareness among the general public benefited Cloudflare. (25:03)‘A community watch’: Why Cloudflare’s large and diverse user base enables a better and more competitive product. (31:17)Change management: The incremental and careful process of bringing Cloudflare up-market. (36:37)The qualities Chris looks for in new hires. (44:23)How Chris defines grit. (50:10)Links:Connect with Chris MerrittLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

5 Apr 202152min

After 18+ years working in multiple high-level sales positions at Salesforce, Mike Wolff knows what makes a good leader. On this week’s episode of Go To Market Grit, Mike and Joubin talk about the leadership lessons Mike learned as he rose through the ranks at Salesforce from a sales development rep to the company’s Senior Vice President of Global ISV Partners.In this episode, we cover:How Mike landed a job as a sales development rep at Salesforce during the company's early stages in 2002. (1:13)The factors that led to Salesforce’s rapid growth in the early 2000s. (9:02)The interview methods Mike uses when hiring salespeople. (16:19)How Mike ended up in sales leadership after working as an individual contributor. (19:39)The importance for a business to be constantly adapting. (22:40)How dealing with difficult personal experiences can make you a better and more resilient person. (26:00)The importance of having clear values as a business and an individual. (30:33)Authenticity, transparency and communication: The leadership values Mike tries to embody. (34:44)'Your team is always watching you': Why leaders need to stay even-keeled and focused. (41:01)Why Mike conducts a 'chronological interview' when hiring salespeople. (43:32)How Mike defines grit. (49:02)Links:Connect with MikeLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

29 Mars 202150min

Leadership is in Peter Kim’s DNA. Since he got his first management job running a Subway on the weekends when he was 14-years-old, Peter has built successful sales teams at companies such as LinkedIn and Advent Software.Now, Peter works as Senior Vice President of Sales at Relativity, a company that is transforming the legal discovery process by streamlining the collection, processing and review of legal evidence.On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Peter talk about methods for evaluating new talent, as well as the values of a “people-centric” leader.In this episode, we cover:What Peter's nine-month stint at ride-sharing company Scoop Technologies taught him about the importance for sales leaders to have 'personal passion.' (7:02)Peter's experience working as a sales leader at LinkedIn during the company's early stages. (11:50)The Skill vs. Potential Scale: How Peter evaluates new talent when building a team. (16:52)'The experiential game film': Why Peter looks at a person's past experiences with adversity to gauge potential. (23:46)How Peter's current company, Relativity, is streamlining the collection, processing and review of legal evidence. (26:37)Methods for building a productive and people-centric sales culture as a leader. (32:07)The importance for leaders to establish 'first principles' before making decisions. (37:57)Embracing vulnerability to become a more authentic leader. (43:15)How Peter defines grit. (47:32)Links:Connect with Peter KimLinkedInEmail: peter.kim@relativity.comConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

22 Mars 202147min

Dave Justice knows a lot about crisis leadership. Over his almost 21 years in sales, he’s successfully navigated through the dotcom and housing bubble crashes — and now, the COVID-19 pandemic. After 18 consecutive years working in various sales roles at Cisco, Dave became Executive Vice President of North America Enterprise Sales at Salesforce before transitioning in 2020 to his current role as Chief Revenue Officer at PagerDuty, a company that produces an incident response platform for IT departments.On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Dave talk about the leadership lessons Dave learned while working through crises, the opportunities and challenges for PagerDuty’s go-to-market operation, and how to successfully transition into a company as a new leader.In this episode, we cover:Dave's sales career before joining PagerDuty. (3:27)'The platform for real-time work': What is PagerDuty? (12:09)Market opportunity and happy customers: Why Dave left Salesforce for PagerDuty. (14:44)The importance for leaders to rally an organization around a shared vision. (18:36)Go-to-market challenges: Learning how to articulate a product's business value to the customer. (22:17)Go-to-market opportunities: The 'virality' of PagerDuty's business model. (28:00)The value of listening to employees and customers before making decisions as a new leader in a company. (34:05)Why Dave believes leaders must own their own personal development and career. (37:28)Communication and empathy: How to successfully lead through a crisis. (40:05)How Dave defines grit. (48:45)Links:Connect with Dave JusticeTwitterLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

15 Mars 202151min