E174 - Transition from CMO to CRO to President featuring Dave Grant, President of Nasuni

08/03/24 • 41 min

In this episode of Tech Sales Insights, Randy Seidl is joined by Dave Grant, President of Nasuni, to discuss his impressive career trajectory from CMO to CRO and now President. Dave shares his journey, key insights, and the importance of a holistic go-to-market strategy. The conversation covers the role of rev ops, the importance of a strong corporate culture, and the significance of balancing short-term execution with long-term strategy. Key takeaways include leveraging sales and marketing symbiosis for better outcomes, focusing on transparency within the company, and the value of building a supportive network. Notable quotes from industry leaders highlight Dave's unique blend of strategic and tactical skills. This episode is sponsored by Sandler and Sales Community.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Career Progression: Understand the key skills and mindset shifts necessary to transition from a CMO to a CRO and ultimately to President.
Sales and Marketing Alignment: Learn about the importance of integrating marketing efforts with sales to ensure cohesive go-to-market strategies and successful outcomes.
Company Culture: Discover how Nasuni's transparent and team-oriented culture contributes to its success and employee satisfaction.
Strategic Partnerships: Gain insights into how Nasuni leverages partnerships with hyperscalers and channel partners to enhance its market presence and drive growth.
Challenges and Opportunities: Hear about the challenges in brand awareness and the strategies Nasuni employs to overcome them and capitalize on its market potential.

QUOTES

Dave Grant on Team Dynamics: "I think team translates into what goes on in the workplace. As long as you're a good teammate, most of it, the rest of it plays out."
Randy Seidl on Marketing Metrics: "MKLs are great, but what's it doing to turn into an SQL and something that's really trying to add value?"
Dave Grant on Company Culture: "Paul Flanagan puts it best when he says you take care of your employees. They take care of customers and everything else follows."
Dave Grant on Nasuni's Growth: "We believe we have the potential with the addressable market we have in front of us... We can be a standalone publicly traded company."

Find out more about Dave Grant through the link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgrant4/

This episode is sponsored by Sandler. Sandler is a world leader in innovative sales, leadership, and management training. For more than 50 years, Sandler has taught its distinctive, non-traditional selling system and highly effective sales training methodology, which has helped salespeople and sales managers take charge of the process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Career Progression: Understand the key skills and mindset shifts necessary to transition from a CMO to a CRO and ultimately to President.
Sales and Marketing Alignment: Learn about the importance of integrating marketing efforts with sales to ensure cohesive go-to-market strategies and successful outcomes.
Company Culture: Discover how Nasuni's transparent and team-oriented culture contributes to its success and employee satisfaction.
Strategic Partnerships: Gain insights into how Nasuni leverages partnerships with hyperscalers and channel partners to enhance its market presence and drive growth.
Challenges and Opportunities: Hear about the challenges in brand awareness and the strategies Nasuni employs to overcome them and capitalize on its market potential.

QUOTES

Dave Grant on Team Dynamics: "I think team translates into what goes on in the workplace. As long as you're a good teammate, most of it, the rest of it plays out."
Randy Seidl on Marketing Metrics: "MKLs are great, but what's it doing to turn into an SQL and something that's really trying to add value?"
Dave Grant on Company Culture: "Paul Flanagan puts it best when he says you take care of your employees. They take care of customers and everything else follows."
Dave Grant on Nasuni's Growth: "We believe we have the potential with the addressable market we have in front of us... We can be a standalone publicly traded company."

Find out more about Dave Grant through the link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgrant4/

Previous Episode

E173 - Sales Leadership at Small vs. Large Companies

In this episode of Tech Sales Insights, Chris Scanlon, CRO at human, discusses the nuances of sales leadership across small and large companies. Sponsored by Alexander Group, Scanlon shares insights on building sales culture, the importance of enablement, and aligning executive teams. He also delves into his career journey, including roles at Accuvant, Optiv, and Checkpoint, and the significant impact of his mentors. Additionally, Scanlon talks about the challenges of defining ideal customer profiles and leveraging a comprehensive sales tech stack, including tools like Clary, Sixth Sense, and ZoomInfo. The episode emphasizes the evolution needed for sales leaders to become effective operators in both startup and large organizational environments.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Different Dynamics in Sales Leadership: Understand the contrasting challenges and opportunities in sales leadership within small startups versus large corporations.
Building a Winning Culture: Learn the importance of creating a positive, engaging culture to attract and retain top talent.
Staying Customer-Centric: Discover the value of staying close to customers, regardless of company size, to drive sales and innovation.
The Evolution of Cybersecurity: Gain insights into the growth and specialization within the cybersecurity industry and its impact on sales strategies.
Leadership Lessons: Chris shares his experiences and lessons learned from merging companies, managing large teams, and maintaining a hands-on approach to sales leadership.

QUOTES

"At the end of the day, it's about creating a culture where people want to work and thrive."
"You go from knowing everything about your customers to just checking people's homework. Staying close to the front line is crucial."
"In cybersecurity, it's not just about antivirus and firewalls anymore. The landscape has evolved dramatically."
"Leading by example is vital. If you want your team to do more sales calls, you have to show them it's possible by doing it yourself."
"Building a winning culture starts with hiring the right people and giving them the environment to innovate and succeed."

Find out more about Chris Scanlon through the links below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cscanlan/

This episode is sponsored by The Alexander Group, our GTM & Sales Compensation Partner. Alexander Group provides revenue growth consulting services to the world’s leading sales organizations. When clients need to grow revenue, they look to Alexander Group for data-driven insights, actionable recommendations, and results.

Next Episode

E175 - Coaching Sales Skills featuring Paul Salamanca

In this episode of Tech Sales Insights, Randy Seidl is joined by Paul Salamanca, co-founder and CEO of the Top 1 Percenter Academy. They discuss the importance and challenges of sales coaching, share insights on leveraging tools like Gong and Clary, and emphasize the role of resilience, mindset, and discipline in achieving sales success. Paul's journey from door-to-door sales to creating a successful coaching business is highlighted, along with his focus on the top 1% performers. They also touch upon the evolution of sales practices, the impact of COVID on coaching cultures, and the importance of maintaining strong relationships in the sales process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sales Coaching Culture: Creating a true coaching culture goes beyond occasional feedback; it requires structured, consistent, and scalable approaches.
Coaching at Scale: Effective sales coaching must be continuous and integrate with existing sales methodologies to drive better performance across the board.
Maximizing Top Performers: Investing in the development of top performers can yield significant returns and set a strong example for the rest of the team.
Sales Tools: Leveraging tools like Gong can enhance coaching efforts by providing actionable insights into sales conversations.

QUOTES

"Creating a coaching culture isn’t about occasional feedback—it’s about consistent, scalable coaching that everyone can learn from." - Paul Salamanca
"Investing in your top performers not only boosts their performance but also sets a powerful example for the entire team." - Randy Seidl
"The key to successful sales coaching is making it a continuous, integrated part of your team's daily routine." - Paul Salamanca

Find out more about Paul Salamanca through the link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toponepercenter/