Episodes
Welcome back to the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In today's episode, we delve into the world of content marketing and thought leadership strategies with a special focus on chief revenue officers and B2B businesses. Our guest, Steve MacDonald, founder of Content Strategies, shares valuable insights on the importance of creating content based on input from prospects and sales teams, rather than solely relying on marketing-generated material. We explore the significance of thought leadership content...
Published 01/22/24
Welcome to the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In this episode, we dive into an insightful conversation between host Warren Zenna and guest Anastasia Pavlova, a seasoned CMO and startup CRO with extensive experience in technology marketing. The discussion centers around the critical importance of aligning marketing, sales, and revenue operations within a company, notably through the role of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Anastasia and Warren explore the challenges and opportunities in implementing...
Published 01/11/24
Welcome to the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In this episode, we dive into the world of chief revenue officers and organizational growth with a focus on goal setting and OKRs. Our guests, Paul Niven and Chris Wollerman, bring a wealth of experience in strategy execution and performance measurement, offering valuable insights for managing growth and complexity. From the importance of customer-centric strategic planning to the challenges of aligning culture in mergers and acquisitions, our speakers...
Published 01/01/24
Welcome to the CRO Spotlight  Podcast! In this episode, we dive into the world of revenue operations with our special guest, Tamara McMillen. Get ready to explore the dynamic roles of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) we discussed the ideal structure for revenue operations. From insights on organisational design for future growth to the challenges of customer acquisition versus customer outcomes, this episode offers valuable perspectives on building sustainable...
Published 12/17/23
Welcome to the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In today's episode we delve into a thought-provoking conversation between Warren Zena, CEO of the CRO Collective, and Julia Nimchinski, founder of Hype Cycle and the Hard skill Exchange. The discussion centers around the vital role of chief revenue officers (CROs) in integrating sales, marketing, and customer success functions within businesses. Together, they explore the challenges of hyperbolic growth, the impact on customer neglect, and the necessity...
Published 12/08/23
Welcome back to another episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In today's episode, we dive deep into the world of Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) and their impact on B2B businesses. Our guest, Dwayne Default, is a seasoned CRO coach and go-to-market adviser, bringing a wealth of experience and insights to the table. We discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by CROs in today's ever-changing business landscape. Throughout the episode, we explore the misconceptions surrounding product-led...
Published 11/22/23
Welcome to the CRO Spotlight Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the dynamic world of revenue enablement with special guest Teri Long, VP of Sales and Revenue Enablement at Mindtickle. Throughout our conversation, we explore Teri's fascinating career journey and her passion for driving success in organizations. We also discuss the evolving role of sales and revenue enablement in the context of changing buyer behaviors and the enduring importance of human interaction in sales. Join us as...
Published 11/10/23
Welcome back to the CRO Spotlight Show! In today's episode, Jim Wexler joins the show and we dive into the realm of sales and the importance of genuine connections in the modern business world. Jim shares his insights on salesmanship, the art of building relationships, and the challenges faced by Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) in today's highly competitive market.  From pioneering gamification to creating memorable experiences, Jim's journey will inspire you to rethink your approach to sales...
Published 10/24/23
Welcome back to another episode of the CRO Spotlight Show, where we dive deep into the world of sales and revenue optimization. In today's episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Carlos Nouche and Lisa Schnare, industry experts in value selling methodology. Join us as we unpack the power of asking compelling questions, uncovering buyer motivation, and shifting the conversation from constant pitching to understanding customer needs. We'll explore how this cross-functional approach helps...
Published 09/25/23
Welcome back to CRO Spotlight Show, the podcast where we delve into the world of sales, startups, and revenue growth.  In today's episode, we explore the complexities of career progression within the sales field and the intriguing role of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). From understanding motivations and skill gaps to the challenges of leadership and decision-making, we uncover valuable insights about finding success in these positions. Join us as we dive into the intricacies of sales...
Published 09/16/23
In the latest episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, we talk with Hiedi Messer, Founder and CEO of Collective[i] an AI-enabled revenue forecasting platform. This episode is brought to you by Growth Forum Growth Forum is a place to Connect, Learn and Grow. Join Now The program is usually valued at $2500, but if you sign up to Growth Forum now, you will receive access to this program for free! https://www.growthforum.io/
Published 07/07/23
In this indepth episode, I spoke to the great Kevin KD Dorsey about how "revenue" is distinct from Sales and how Revenue Functions can activate their partnerships to maximize their expertise. This episode is brought to you by Growth Forum Growth Forum is a place to Connect, Learn and Grow.  Join Now The program is usually valued at $2500, but if you sign up to Growth Forum now, you will receive access to this program for free! https://www.growthforum.io/
Published 07/06/23
In this great episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, we talk to Jackie Rousseau-Anderson, CRO of BlueConic about how data analytics leaders make great CROs - and how they tackle the "sales stigma" that comes with the role.  Connect with Jackie:LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiera/  Other places to connect: https://twitter.com/jaranderson?s=20 This episode is brought to you by Growth Forum Growth Forum is a place to Connect, Learn and Grow. Join now to access the Skalable Growth...
Published 04/17/23
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, we are joined by Rosalyn Santa Elena, Founder, and CEO of The RevOps Collective.  Rosalyn is the leading voice in the RevOps space and has an enormous amount of insight into the meteoric growth of the RevOps model and how it is impacting B2B businesses. This episode is brought to you by Growth Forum Growth Forum is a place to Connect, Learn and Grow. Join now to access the Skalable Growth Prospecting Program. Join Now The program is usually valued...
Published 04/16/23
During this episode of the CRO Spotlight show, Warren chats with Steve Schmidt who shares his experience as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and discusses the importance of fully understanding how revenue functions within an organization. Steve, shares his journey of becoming a CRO and how he learned to navigate the role through a baptism by fire in 2020. He emphasizes the significance of the CRO role and its various functions, including outbound and inbound motions, retention motion, and...
Published 04/05/23
How do you prospect in a declining market? Prospecting is evolving. Top of funnel pipeline creation is essential to enabling growth but the strategies that worked yesterday need to change in order to be successful in 2023 and beyond.  During this episode of the CRO Spotlight Show, Warren is joined by Mike Schumann, who is the CRO at Revenue Base and has spent the last decade as a revenue leader for venture-backed companies. Mike shares his background and how he became a CRO. Main Takeaways...
Published 03/07/23
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Published 12/09/22
What's fundamentally different about selling a service vs selling a product? Let's find out. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Greg Lewis, Chief Growth Officer - Communications at Syneos Health Communications. They take a deep dive on what's different about selling a service vs a product, from go-to-market strategy to the sales cycle. They also cover the value of relationship building, and how to insulate your sales function from staff turnover. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Greg on...
Published 10/18/22
It's time to talk about some likely neglected parts of your revenue engine, and how they help you turn dreams into reality. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Eddie Reynolds, CEO and Revenue Operations Strategy Consultant at Union Square Strategy, and host of the RevOps Corner podcast. They tackle the topics with no easy answers including: why we don't do things we know are important, why planning, testing and proving with data are fundamental to whole-of-businesssuccess, the art...
Published 10/11/22
CRO is a new job title, but that doesn't mean there's a lack of knowledge on how to succeed as one. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder at scaleMatters. Join them as they discuss a key thing sales-centric CROs are often light on (and what landed them in that CRO seat), how to stop throwing money away by finding your product-market-message fit faster, the problem with data, bringing the whole team in on experimenting, what we're forgetting when we...
Published 10/04/22
Metrics are essential to measure, manage, and predict performance in revenue. But when almost everything is trackable these days, exactly what do you need to keep your finger on? In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Ray Rike, Founder and CEO (Chief Evangelism Officer) at RevOps Squared. They discuss the staple and expanded metrics sets for every CRO, explain how you can use metrics to help better understand and align your revenue teams (and why CEOs are responsible for clearing...
Published 09/27/22
Regardless of your department, stepping up and out of it into the C-Suite puts you in a lot of new territory. You wouldn't have taken it if you didn't want a challenge, but you still want to avoid any missteps you can–you're about to find out how. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Stephanie Valenti, CRO at SmartBug Media. Follow her adventurous footsteps to the CRO role (featuring networking, touring via alternate perspectives, and growing as a leader), how to stay in your lane...
Published 09/13/22
The more your company scales in size, the more it needs to scale in every other way too–especially stability. In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Nancy Maluso who is VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester. Join them as they consider why alignment needs to be the first thing you get right, tips to structure your week for success, the other 'S word' to think about as you grow, and why delegation and data are the ex-sales CRO's best friends. 🔗 LINKS Connect with Nancy on...
Published 09/06/22
Although it's hotly debated, sales leadership seems to be emerging as a staple position in the career path to CRO. But at what cost? In this episode, Warren and Lupe are joined by Serkan Honeine, Chief Revenue Officer @ Certn. They chat about how deeply roles other than sales leadership can uniquely qualify you to lead revenue, how leading an international team from the other side of the world can be simple, the biggest challenge CROs face (and the cause), why you need to find metrics that...
Published 08/02/22
Marketers today have more power in revenue than ever before, with their wealth of data key to identifying how buyers behave. This data is a double-edged sword though, with attribution-anxiety sometimes disincentivising the marketing team from pushing into new territory. How do you strike the right balance? This week Warren and Lupe are joined by The Marketing Starter Tim Hines. Tim is an iCMO, founder, author, speaker, podcast host, and all round expert in all things marketing. In this...
Published 07/26/22