Hunters and Unicorns  By  cover art

Hunters and Unicorns

By: huntersandunicorns
  • Summary

  • Hunters and Unicorns shares the playbooks from leaders, founders, executives and investors from high growth technology companies. In this special edition series The 33 CXOs we investigate the greatest success story in the history of software sales. Discover how thirty-three sales execs from one organisation, BladeLogic, became CXOs in the world’s 100 fastest growing technology companies. We uncover the stories and playbooks of the most prolific sales leaders in the industry. ( https://www.somuchsoap.com/the-33-cxos )
    Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
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Episodes
  • The Playbook Universe Episode 17 | Josh Reiner - The United state of Europe
    Apr 25 2024

    Proven Career Journey in International Business

    The podcast episode profiles Josh Reiner, current VP of EMEA at SaaS company Wiz. He discusses his career path, having started at BMC where he was part of a reverse takeover by BladeLogic. Josh then transitioned to roles at AppDynamics and Zscaler, learning valuable lessons about collaboration under executives like Dally Rajic.

    Establishing Clear Goals and Optimizing Processes

    As the leader of Zscaler's UK team, Josh emphasized the importance of having a shared vision. Their goal was to gain 3 million users on the platform. To work as one global organization, he optimized handoffs between teams through open communication and incremental weekly improvements. By publishing regular updates on progress, the entire company remained aligned.

    Driving Accountability and Continual Learning

    Josh stresses that frequent coaching sessions and publishing performance metrics kept employees accountable to goals. This also supported continual self-improvement. He looks for candidates willing to learn when hiring and prioritizes diversity to foster new perspectives in teams.

    In Summary

    Through empathetic leadership, Josh achieved significant growth while unifying remote functions. His insights offer a blueprint for maximizing collaboration across borders and building high-performing global organizations.

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    51 mins
  • The Playbook Universe Episode 16 | Sam Costello - The North Star is the Customer
    Mar 22 2024

    Sam Costello shares his career journey and insights on reinventing oneself to achieve success in sales and leadership roles spanning banking, top tech companies, and startups. Influenced by his father and grandfather's sales backgrounds, Sam earned a finance degree but ensured his first job involved sales. Early days working for his brother's landscaping business shaped Sam's customer-first mindset. This focus on customer success became central to his approach. A chance encounter opened Sam's eyes to tech sales. He pivoted to CA Technologies and learned enterprise software sales. Sam credits CA with providing his sales foundation. Major successes followed at Oracle, including a $30 million deal. But it was a conversation with that client's CIO that sparked Sam's interest in startups. He joined Perfecto Mobile and embraced mentorship from sales gurus Keith Butler and Rob Watson. Their MEDDIC mindset approach to sales transformed Sam's perspective to always focus on customer success. Sam stresses the importance of seeking feedback and remaining coachable to drive continual growth. Even today, he focuses on enabling his team. After Perfecto, Sam saw joining Harness and its mission as his next opportunity to make an impact. Though Sam remains dedicated to driving Harness's success, his broader purpose is helping people through work and philanthropy. He may start a foundation someday. For now, building something great at Harness motivates him. Key Takeaways: - Start with the customer's needs to drive success - Pivoting into new opportunities can unlock potential - Embrace mentorship from sales experts to evolve - Remain coachable and seek feedback to grow - Find purpose beyond your company's mission - Take risks to reinvent yourself throughout your career Sam's story provides inspiration for achieving success by putting customers first, leveraging mentorship, and continually reinventing your career. His insights apply to sales and beyond. It's a must watch!

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    51 mins
  • Special Edition | Rick Kickert - Enablement Formula For Success
    Mar 8 2024

    The conversation between Ollie, Simon, and Rick covers the evolving landscape of sales enablement and its crucial role in driving revenue growth. Rick emphasizes the need for sales teams to adapt to changes in technology and buyer behaviour, leveraging data and insights effectively to succeed in a competitive market. He discusses the productive capacity model, highlighting key components such as hiring, onboarding, pipeline generation, conversion, and customer expansion. Rick also shares insights into Rev-Logic's approach to providing revenue enablement as a service, leveraging technology and industry expertise to drive sales effectiveness. Throughout the conversation, there's an emphasis on the importance of continuous learning and collaboration within the sales community to stay ahead in a rapidly changing environment. The discussion concludes with reflections on the impact of enablement in driving predictable and repeatable success in sales and the value of learning from industry experts and peers through platforms like podcasts. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights into the critical role of enablement in driving sales success and supporting continuous learning and adaptation within sales organizations.

    Key Takeaways from the Entire Podcast:

    1. **Introduction and Background**: Rick Kickert, co-founder of Rev-Logic, brings extensive experience in revenue enablement, having worked with influential leaders such as Dali Rajic. Simon and Ollie, introduce Rick, highlighting his energy and promise for an insightful discussion.

    2. **Enablement Dynamics**: Enablement is defined as aligning with business goals and integrating them into the company's DNA. Rick's journey from a buyer to an enablement expert was driven by the opportunity to expand his skill set and professional network.

    3. **Sales Evolution**: The focus should shift towards buyer enablement, adapting to changing buying behaviors, leveraging technology, and emphasizing product-led growth to provide unique and context-rich communication.

    4. **Enablement's Role**: Establishing robust enablement programs, even in early-stage organizations, is crucial for scalability and long-term success. Continuous evaluation and adaptation are necessary to maintain productivity and reduce attrition.

    5. **The Formula for Success**: Rick emphasizes making the go-to-market team as productive as possible to achieve revenue goals. The productive capacity model includes hiring, onboarding, pipeline generation, conversion, and customer expansion or consumption.

    6. **Rev-Logic's Approach**: Rev-Logic aims to provide revenue enablement as a service, leveraging experienced operators in the field to help companies achieve their revenue goals. Continuous learning and collaboration within the sales community are emphasized for shared knowledge and insights.

    Overall, the podcast provides valuable insights into the critical role of enablement in driving predictable and repeatable success in sales, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and collaboration within the sales community.

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    1 hr and 15 mins

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