This episode, Tony Erickson, Managing Partner of SBI Growth Advisory, sits down with Nicole Rogas, President of RevSpring, to talk about what it really takes to make an impact fast in today’s commercial leadership roles. She challenges the old idea of a six-month “listening tour” and shows how AI accelerates impact, while sharing how leaders can balance speed, accountability, and relationships in a high-pressure environment.
Key takeaways:
Why leaders can’t afford six months of listening and how to make moves in the first 30 days.
How AI can pinpoint GTM friction quickly, while human leadership drives the fixes.
Why relationships remain the ultimate advantage, even in an AI-powered future.
In the latest episode of the GTM Value Creation Corner Podcast, JD Miller, author of The CRO’s Guide to Winning in Private Equity, joins Anthony Erickson, SBI’s Managing Partner, to share actionable insights for navigating boardroom conversations with confidence.
Key takeaways from the episode include:
- Preparing for tough questions and concerns.
- Communicating effectively with the limited day-to-day context of the board.
- Striking a balance between transparency and strategic intent.
In this episode, Anthony Erickson, SBI Managing Partner, hosts JD Miller, author of “The CRO’s Guide to Winning in Private Equity,” to explore the critical role predictability plays in achieving consistent growth in today’s fast-moving business environment. Together, they break down the common challenges business leaders face when trying to predict outcomes and provide practical solutions for improving forecasting. Key Takeaways: • Game-changing tools and frameworks for improving forecasting reliability.• Striking the right balance between trusting the numbers and listening to your intuition.• Prioritizing predictability across all levels of an organization is key to drive alignment.
In this conversation, Mike Hoffman speaks with Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and CEO of SolarWinds, about the role of AI in IT and business and the challenges of commercial efficiency and productivity. Sudhakar shares insights on how SolarWinds has integrated AI into their products to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. They also discuss the importance of talent management and how AI can assist in identifying and enabling better talent within organizations.
Key talking points:
AI integration and its role in Go-To-Market Strategies
Talent Management and how AI has developed better talent for companies
Challenges in commercial efficiency and productivity since the pandemic
Join Mike Hoffman and Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, as they discuss the importance of customer success management as a driver of commercial efficiency and focusing on its role in enhancing customer retention and expansion for sustainable growth. Their conversation highlights AI's impact on streamlining interactions and personalizing experiences, boosting satisfaction. Additionally, they discuss the need for businesses to regularly reevaluate their strategies is emphasized to adapt to evolving market dynamics and customer expectations for greater efficiency.
Key Talking Points:
• The role of customer success in driving Commercial Efficiency at Gainsight
• AI's transformative impact on customer interactions
• How CEO’s can reevaluate business strategies for enhanced efficiency
Taking the helm of a carve-out can be a substantial shift for CEOs accustomed to leading larger organizations. Though the challenges may appear daunting, success starts with a thoughtful evaluation of the available talent and resources, followed by a focus on executing high-impact goals that accelerate your return on go-to-market. Join Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Jeff Williams, Aptia President and CEO, as they discuss the critical priorities for carve-out organizations and share the unexpected insights Aptia gained on their path to independence. Key Talking Points: • The three key focal points for starting out in a carve-out • How understanding the operating model helps you make the right investments • Ways to effectively drive ROI on go-to-market spend
Businesses across a wide range of industries are adopting AI as a key driver of growth. While it has brought unprecedented levels of success for some, the prevalence of AI also highlighted critical shortcomings in the grid infrastructure that is struggling to keep up with the energy demands of today’s cutting-edge technologies. Listen in on the discussion with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Jerry Kent, Chairman and CEO of Cequel III and TierPoint, as they uncover how the data center operations business has leveraged the AI boom to drive growth and the challenges faced by the industry as a result of the increased power demand. Key Talking Points: • How TierPoint helps businesses outsource data operations effectively • The current state of energy demand and future projections • Why a shortfall in power availability could limit growth potential
The importance of effective communication in today's dynamic market cannot be overstated, especially for publicly traded companies. CEOs must master the art of conveying their message to the street while managing their reputation and risk. Tune into the discussion with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Tom Ryan, Co-Founder and CEO of ICR Inc., discussing managing expectations and setting realistic goals to drive success. They will share strategies for crisis management, maintaining transparency, and dealing with activist investors. This discussion is essential for CEOs looking to enhance their communication strategies and achieve sustained success. Key Talking Points: • Effective communication is essential for managing reputation and risk • Setting realistic goals is crucial for driving valuation and success • Having a crisis plan and transparent communication during crises is vital • A balanced approach to capital allocation ensures long-term value creation • Building relationships with top shareholders can help avoid activist investors
For CEOs who just got back into the seat in our post-COVID business environment, unpredictability and rising costs seem to hinder the efforts of any growth strategy. Today’s market leaders have clear, focused segmentation supported by streamlined commercial processes, helping their businesses drive consistent profitability. Tune into the discussion with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Jeff Kiesel, Chairman, CEO, and President of Restaurant Technologies, as they explore how the shifting thought processes of a CEO in a post-Covid business environment and how the right plan can help them bounce back to sustainable growth. Key Talking Points: • How effective segmentation drives predictable growth • Why being more direct in client communications can speed up deals • What sales processes are needed to help raise commercial productivity
CEOs who succeed the founder of a company must lead the company differently from how the founder did it to ensure that the company scales sustainably. But without much of a roadmap or guide, how do these ‘second CEOs’ get it right without having to resort to costly trial and error? Join Mike Hoffman, CEO of SBI, as he meets Matt Sharrers, Executive Chairman of SBI, to discuss his new book, “The Second CEO”. Written based on learnings from his own experience as a CEO succeeding the founder of SBI, as well as from conversations with other second CEOs, the book highlights reasons why founder CEOs are not always the best at helping their companies scale and how second CEOs need to take a different approach to company leadership. Key Talking Points:
Many CEOs and CROs often see their sales teams gaming the compensation system, but the reps only do what they are incentivized to do. By focusing sales reps on driving behaviors leaders want, CEOs can capture higher quality deals and increased revenue from existing customers. Continue the conversation with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Chris Cabrera, Founder and Board Member of Xactly, as they explore how growth dynamics can affect key decisions and how the right incentives enable sellers to excel in capturing greater value. Key Talking Points: • Why sales reps game the compensation system • How to capture more value from customer renewals • Aligning CEO and board expectations of growth versus value
Amidst pressure from the board and an increasingly volatile market, many CEOs make the mistake of pursuing growth at all costs when they should be building a resilient and sustainable business instead. Find the right balance between growth and profitability, then build up the talent to drive quality revenue streams.
Tune into the first part of the conversation with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Chris Cabrera, Founder and Board Member of Xactly, as they explore the common pitfalls of an aggressive growth thesis and how leaders can navigate shareholder expectations while increasing profitability.
Key talking points:
Risks of solely focusing on achieving a high valuation
Navigating the pendulum scenario of growth versus profitability
How sales leaders can unintentionally hinder their talent’s success
Despite record-setting investments, marketing leaders have historically struggled with showing results. The divide between sales is clear: marketing needs to demonstrate how they contribute to the company’s revenue. Make ROI the primary objective, and create the dependencies necessary to drive effective growth.
Listen in the conversation in this episode with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Jeff Pedowitz, President and CEO of The Pedowitz Group, as they discuss the role of marketing in a B2B environment and explore how marketing leaders can reinforce their position as a key revenue driver.
Key Talking Points:
• Marketing as a cost-center vs. revenue generator
• Key dependencies to effective marketing
• How to design a holistic campaign model with sales functions
The playmakers and managers that worked well for you in the past may now be slowing you down. But it goes beyond tech augmentations and enablement, it is the fundamental hiring framework that is flawed. Cut through the noise and focus on what your customers want from your sellers to drive win rates and loyalty.
Join the conversation in this episode with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Nick Toman, SBI Chief Strategy and Product Officer, as they explore the evolving requirements of sales functions and how outdated talent frameworks could be slowing companies down.
Key Talking Points:
• The critical role of talent in driving growth and value creation
• How the sales role has evolved from the Great Depression
• What to look for in new talent, and who to potentially let go
The playmakers and managers that worked well for you in the past may now be slowing you down. But it goes beyond tech augmentations and enablement, it is the fundamental hiring framework that is flawed. Cut through the noise and focus on what your customers want from your sellers to drive win rates and loyalty.
Join the conversation in this episode with host Mike Hoffman, SBI CEO, and Nick Toman, SBI Chief Strategy and Product Officer, as they explore the evolving requirements of sales functions and how outdated talent frameworks could be slowing companies down.
Key Talking Points:
• The critical role of talent in driving growth and value creation
• How the sales role has evolved from the Great Depression
• What to look for in new talent, and who to potentially let go
Augmenting your sales with AI goes beyond automation and efficiency, it’s enabling your sellers to break down silos and approach more segments. Train your sellers to leverage a diverse skillset and capture the opportunities from stronger customer relationships.
In this episode, Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Services at SBI, sits down with Alfred Ojukwu, Co-Chair of Blacks at Microsoft (BAM), to discuss how Microsoft approached AI development and its use cases in developing customer relationships.
Key Talking Points:
• How AI makes the human element more crucial in sales
• Accelerate trust building with intelligent and informed information
• What a diverse team can do to drive organizational growth
Creating customer success is more than just sales, it’s about creating value before you arrive at the negotiating table. Give your customers a vision of what they would need, and demonstrate how you would be the best fit for them.
In this episode, join SBI Senior Partner and TMT Practice Leader, Tony Erickson as he resumes the discussion with symplr CEO, BJ Schaknowski and President, Nicole Rogas on how the provider of enterprise healthcare operations software and services succeeded in building a large, consolidated brand with a focus on customer success.
Key Talking Points:
• The current state of the healthcare industry and opportunities to come
• Adopting a consultative approach that creates positive impact for customers
• How symplr positions itself within customers’ existing investments
At the surface level, it seems obvious that top-line growth plays a big role in creating value for a company—but different conditions and factors may affect how much top-line growth affects value creation, and the strategies that can effectively generate that growth may also differ.
In this episode, SBI CEO, Mike Hoffman hosts Jake Silverman, CEO of Kroll and a Board Member at SBI, as the two discuss the role of top-line growth in value creation and contemporary topics on the minds of CEOs, including cybersecurity.
Key Talking Points:
Companies should never underestimate the value of customer success, which can significantly increase upsell and cross-sell opportunities. Invest in your customers, and your customers will invest in you.
In this episode, SBI Senior Partner and TMT Practice Leader, Tony Erickson talks with symplr CEO, BJ Schaknowski and President, Nicole Rogas to learn how the provider of enterprise healthcare operations software and services succeeded in building a large, consolidated brand with a focus on customer success.
Key Talking Points:
Episode 5: Empowering Sales with AI
AI development continues at a breakneck pace, with the number of use cases increasing by the day. This raises the question for many Go-to-Market leaders: how do we use AI to help sales? How do we ensure smooth adoption of AI? And what value does it bring to the business?
In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Services, Ray Makela meets Conor Grennan, Head of Generative AI at NYU Stern School of Business to take a deep dive into the state of generative AI today, its use cases, and key considerations in business.
Key Talking Points:
