#204 Founder & Former CEO Blue Bottle, James Freeman: After the Exit

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

When Matt Heinz took a quota-carrying sales job in 2011 after having worked in sales leadership, he knew that “it was a step back, from the way that you look at it on a piece of paper.” But in the end, Matt saw success as he helped turn a company doing $11 million a year in revenue to one that sold for over $5 billion. Now, Matt serves as the Chief Revenue officer of Amplitude, a leading company in product analytics.In this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Matt discuss the many leadership lessons Matt learned throughout his career, go-to-market strategies and what a successful relationship between a sales engineer and a sales rep looks like.Links:Connect with Matt HeinzLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

8 Mars 202147min

If a customer doesn’t understand how a product will provide a positive impact to their business, will they buy it? It may seem like a simple question — but for Jay Snyder, identifying and communicating such areas of value to customers is a crucial aspect of keeping a business growing.On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Jay and Joubin discuss ways to build respect as a new leader, how to effectively communicate a product’s value to a customer, and why simplifying a business is crucial to successfully scaling it. Links:Connect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

1 Mars 202140min

No matter how advanced sales technology gets, it’s still imperative for Kevin Knieriem to listen to his gut intuition when it comes to making business choices. And for good reason — his “Spidey senses,” as he jokingly calls them, are always accurate. But that doesn’t mean that artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics can’t help him and his team make better decisions. In fact, as Chief Revenue Officer of Clari, a company that makes software to help businesses visualize revenue operations, Kevin’s seen firsthand how getting a handle on data can make an organization thrive.In this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Kevin talk about the various ways data analytics has changed sales as well as what Kevin looks for in new sales hires.Links: Connect with Kevin KnieriemEmail: kevink@clari.comConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

22 Feb 202148min

If you ask Ross Biestman about the highest-performing environment he’s ever been a part of, you might be surprised to hear nothing of his time as an investment banking analyst or as a salesperson at Adobe. Instead, Ross points to his time on the University of California, Berkeley rugby team — an organization that he says instilled team values that he still brings to every company he works with. In addition to his position as Chief Revenue Officer of ServiceTitan, Ross currently serves as the CRO Executive in Residence at Bessemer Venture Partners.In this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Ross talk about how to motivate sales teams and increase their overall performance, the shared characteristics of high-performing people and how ServiceTitan is pushing full steam ahead on its go-to-market strategy.Links: Connect with Ross BiestmanLinkedInConnect with JoubinTwitterLinkedInEmail: gtmg@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner PerkinsServiceTitan: https://www.servicetitan.com/ServiceTitan Careers: https://www.servicetitan.com/careers

15 Feb 202152min