Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success

01/30/25 • 27 min

To connect with Paul Wilson go to: [email protected]

https://www.massivegrowthpartners.com/

Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success

“You can't scale a business if the CEO is involved in every new business pitch. Transitioning from founder led sales to a team driven approach is essential for sustainable growth. It's not just about delegating.

It's about empowering your team, showcasing their expertise and building trust with prospects. When a client sees a collaborative team approach, they feel confident they're hiring a company, not just a single leader.

This shift not only frees up the CEO to focus on strategy and thought leadership, but creates a scalable sales process that drives long-term revenue success. That's a quote from Paul Wilson and a sneak peek at today's episode.

Hi there. I'm Kerry Curran, business growth consultant, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost, a marketing podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive revenue growth for all businesses.

Founder-led growth is all the buzz today, but what do you do when it's time to scale? In this episode, Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success. I'm joined by sales expert, Paul Wilson, founder of Massive Growth Partners, who shares his proven framework for scaling revenue with a team-driven sales approach. We discuss how CEOs can transition from founder-led sales to a scalable process that empowers their teams to drive growth.

Paul's actionable insights provide a roadmap for winning at every stage of the sales process. So whether you're a CEO, sales leader or marketer, this episode is packed with strategies to drive sustainable revenue success. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.166)

So, welcome, Paul. Please introduce yourself and tell us all about your background and expertise.

Paul (00:07.675)

Thanks, Kerry. Great to be here today. I’m Paul Wilson. I have over 20 years of experience as part of an executive team running sales and marketing.

I joined a company when it had 40 people, and we grew to 750 people, from $4 million to $75 million, through a successful acquisition. I then moved to RKG, a small search marketing agency in Charlottesville, Virginia, where we grew from $5 million to $30 million over three years and sold the company to Merkle.

Five years ago, I started a consulting firm helping CEOs of early-stage digital agencies and software companies grow revenue and scale their businesses. I focus on teaching a process called Winning Every Stage of the Sales Process, which emphasizes qualifying leads and defining your ideal customer profile (ICP). Who is your ideal customer? How do you qualify them? How do you conduct a discovery process? How do you leverage your learnings into the presentation? And how do you close more revenue?

Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:22.38)

Excellent, thank you! I’m excited to speak with you today. Fun fact for our listeners—Paul was my longtime boss and mentor. He taught me a lot of what I know and is responsible for much of my success. So, thank you, Paul! We’re excited to have you on.

As you mentioned, you speak with a lot of CEOs today. What are you hearing from them? What business challenges are they facing? What do they need—whether they realize it or not? What are they asking for?

Paul (01:58.053)

Right. When I speak to CEOs, one of the most common things I hear is, "I've been leading sales. How do I step out of it and still have the company grow and prosper?"

When they’re used to running every aspect of the business, it’s manageable at 5, 10, or even 15 people. But if they want to scale to 50 or 100 people and grow revenue from a few million to $15, $20, or $50 million, they need to put a process in place to scale.

They’ll ask me, "How do I do that? How do I develop a go-to-market plan? How do I step back while staying involved in thought leadership and key client relationships, while letting sales be handled by someone else?"

When I ask them about their sales performance, like "What are the top three reasons you win a new client?" or "What are the top three reasons you lose?", many CEOs don’t have clear data. So, I often start engagements by analyzing their sales data—why they win, why they lose—and reviewing recorded sales pitches. One of the great things about Zoom and Teams is that presentations are recorded, so you can analyze them.

What I often find is that sales calls aren’t conversations—they’re one-sided pitches. Sellers aren’t uncovering information or asking open-ended questions to understand the client’s real needs.

So, to answer your question, CEOs want t...

To connect with Paul Wilson go to: [email protected]

https://www.massivegrowthpartners.com/

Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.166)

So, welcome, Paul. Please introduce yourself and tell us all about your background and expertise.

Paul (00:07.675)

Thanks, Kerry. Great to be here today. I’m Paul Wilson. I have over 20 years of experience as part of an executive team running sales and marketing.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:22.38)

Paul (01:58.053)

Right. When I speak to CEOs, one of the most common things I hear is, "I've been leading sales. How do I step out of it and still have the company grow and prosper?"

So, to answer your question, CEOs want t...

Previous Episode

Revenue Strategy Redefined: Audits, Optimization, and Company Alignment

“Sales is a whole company responsibility. When organizations embrace that mindset, they perform better. It's not just about the sales team. It's about aligning every function from marketing to customer success to drive sustainable growth. That's a quote from Hannah Adjikawo and a sneak peek at today's episode.”

Hi there, I'm Kerry Curran, business growth consultant, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive revenue growth for all businesses.

In “Revenue Strategy Redefined, Audits, Optimization, and Company Alignment”, I was joined by the brilliant Hannah Adjikawo, CEO and founder of Revenue Funnel.

We discuss how B2B scale-ups can supercharge their Go-to-Market strategies and unlock untapped pipeline opportunities. Hannah shares her expertise in identifying gaps across the entire revenue funnel from marketing to customer success and offers actionable insights for achieving measurable growth.

So whether you're a startup founder or seasoned executive, this episode is packed with practical tips to drive results fast. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.186)
Welcome, Hannah! Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background and expertise.

Hannah Ajikawo (00:07.291)
Thank you, Kerry. I’m excited to be here, so thank you for inviting me on. I’m Hannah Ajikawo, CEO and founder of Revenue Funnel, a go-to-market consulting firm. We specialize in helping B2B scale-ups unlock up to 4x more pipeline in just a few weeks. It’s a big claim, but I’m proud to say it’s one we’ve consistently delivered on.

My background is in sales—I’ve been immersed in it throughout my career. Early on, I realized that not all sales environments are created equally. I became curious about why some teams underperformed while others excelled. This curiosity expanded to exploring what was happening with product, pricing, strategy, and marketing. It led me to focus more on holistic business strategies, though my heart is still firmly rooted in sales.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:08.15)
That’s fantastic! We’re cut from the same cloth—both passionate about helping companies grow revenue and identifying gaps in their processes. It’s such an important mission. Can you tell us a bit more about your consultancy and what challenges your clients typically face when they call you?

Hannah Ajikawo (01:49.669)
Absolutely. At Revenue Funnel, we focus on delivering outcomes, not just advice. We’re uniquely positioned to address challenges across the entire revenue funnel—from marketing and strategy to sales and customer success.

Typically, when clients reach out, they’re facing surface-level issues like missed revenue targets, ineffective sales processes, or underperforming customer success teams. But underneath those issues, there’s usually a mix of fear and anxiety—leaders worried about hitting targets or keeping their jobs.

What sets us apart is our ability to audit the entire funnel, uncover hidden blockers, and address them quickly. For example, we often hear leaders say their customer success teams aren’t revenue-driven or their sales teams need more training. But what’s really happening might be cultural issues or deeper process gaps.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:38.336)
I love how you integrate customer success into the go-to-market strategy. You’re right—it’s not sustainable to bring in new customers if you’re losing them just as quickly. It truly is a company-wide responsibility.

Hannah Ajikawo (03:41.393)
Exactly. Sales is a whole-company responsibility. The most successful companies recognize that. It’s not just about one team—it’s about aligning everyone behind the same goals.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:22.132)
You’ve built an incredible track record of turning businesses around. Tell us more about your bold claim of 4x pipeline growth. How are you achieving that?

Hannah Ajikawo (04:48.113)
It’s all about finding and fixing the hidden blockers. Leaders often don’t know what they don’t know—it’s like ignoring a backache until it turns into something serious.

Our process starts with a comprehensive audit of the entire funnel, from brand awareness to customer advocacy. We identify what’s missing and create a detailed plan to fix it. This includes everything from change management and training to reshaping teams and processes.

Our approach is fast and outcome-focused. We partner with experts where needed to execute quickly. It’s all about identifying gaps, fixing them, and optimizing for continuous improvement.

Kerry Curran, RBMA...

Next Episode

Unlocking Revenue Growth: The Power of Discovery Calls and Buyer Insights

Unlocking Revenue Growth, the Power of Discovery Calls and Buyer Insights

“Discovery calls aren't just about making a sale. They're about truly understanding your buyer's world. It's about uncovering their challenges, learning their pain points, and showing them you genuinely care about their success. By asking thoughtful questions and actively listening, you build trust and create a connection that goes beyond the product or service you're offering.” That's a quote from Amanda Crooks and a sneak peek at today's episode.

In today's episode titled, Unlocking Revenue Growth, the Power of Discovery Calls and Buyer Insights, I'm joined by Amanda Crooks, Head of Sales and Marketing at Blink Metrics. Amanda and I had a great conversation where we discussed the critical role of discovery calls in driving revenue growth.

Amanda shares her expertise on how asking the right questions, actively listening and understanding buyer pain points can not only build trust, but also uncover opportunities to create tailored solutions that resonate with prospective clients. Stay tuned to the end where Amanda shares tips on using learnings from discovery calls for your website content strategy. This episode will leave you equipped to turn conversations into conversions and boost your revenue potential. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.557)

Welcome, Amanda! Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.

Amanda Crooks (00:08.814)

Awesome, Kerry! Thank you so much for having me on the podcast. You know I'm a huge fan, so I really appreciate the opportunity to be here.

I’m Amanda Crooks, the Head of Sales and Marketing for Blink Metrics, an automated KPI tracking solution for small businesses.

A little bit about my background—it’s been a curvy path. I’ve worked in sales and marketing for a long time, including roles selling sponsorships for live events. I joined Blink Metrics from a large marketing agency.

I’ve always been a curious person—I love puzzles, and I also love encountering challenges in the workplace. A big part of my journey has been finding problems that aren’t quite solved and figuring out how to fit the different pieces together to create a solution, improve efficiency, or make something easier. It’s been really fun to apply those skills in sales and marketing.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:18.347)

Thank you, Amanda! We’re very excited to have you on.

Amanda and I actually met on LinkedIn, where we connected over our shared focus on building the interconnectivity between sales and marketing in lean environments. I’ve learned a lot from your posts, Amanda, and I’m excited to have you join us today!

In our previous conversations, we talked about the importance of strong alignment between marketing and sales—how marketing needs to fuel sales by providing the right content, messaging, and materials.

We’re seeing more and more data reinforcing that we’re in a buyer’s market these days. Buyers—especially in B2B and considered purchases—are spending more time researching, shortlisting their options, and engaging with content before ever speaking to a salesperson.

Because of that, it’s critical to get into the buyer’s mindset—to craft the right content that speaks to their needs while uncovering their pain points. One of the most important ways to do that is through the discovery call.

Amanda, let’s dive into your strategy and philosophy on how to conduct an effective discovery call.

Amanda Crooks (03:07.51)

Yes! Discovery calls are such a vast topic, and I know we’ll get into the details.

A huge part of my job is getting on the phone with people, talking through their specific situations, and understanding their pain points. But before they even get on a discovery call, they’ve already interacted with our website and marketing—so the first hurdle is making sure we’re positioned on their shortlist.

Once we’re on a discovery call, one of the most important aspects is really understanding what they’re trying to solve—the challenges they’re facing in their business.

My approach to discovery calls is simple: it’s called discovery for a reason. It’s about learning.

I was thinking about this earlier—it’s almost like an archaeological dig. Ideally, you get on a discovery call and uncover an entire dinosaur skeleton—you realize this prospect is the perfect fit for your solution. That’s the best-case scenario.

But even if you only find a piece of a broken pot, that’s still valuable. Every discovery call—whether it results in a sale or not—helps you learn something about your prospect, your product, and who is or isn’t the right fit.