The Agile Coach Podcast

In this episode of The Agile Coach Podcast, we sit down with Norman Rodriguez, a seasoned sales leader who shares his inspiring journey from political campaigns and B2C sales to thriving as an SDR (Sales Development Representative) at Google and eventually founding his own company.

Norman breaks down the nuances of the SDR role, offering practical advice for anyone looking to transition into high-paying B2B sales positions.

We explore the foundational skills needed to succeed in sales, the differences between B2C and B2B sales, and how resilience, energy, and coachability can set you apart in interviews. He also shares his insights on leveraging tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, crafting compelling cold emails, and building long-term relationships with clients.

Key Takeaways:

• What is an SDR? Understanding the role and why it’s crucial for businesses.
• B2C vs. B2B Sales: Contrasting high-pressure commission-only roles with salaried SDR positions.
• Norman’s Journey: How he landed an SDR role at Google without a college degree and used grit to succeed.
• Prospecting Basics: Researching ideal client profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas effectively.
• Outreach Techniques: Writing cold emails that stand out and optimizing subject lines for mobile readability.
• Qualifying Leads: Asking the right questions to ensure meetings are valuable for both parties.
• Mindset for Success: Why energy, resilience, and a learner’s mindset are key for landing your first SDR job.

Connect with Norman:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norman-rodriguez/

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Norman & his background
02:00 - What is an SDR? Breaking down the role
05:00 - Transitioning from B2C to B2B sales
10:00 - Norman’s experience as an SDR at Google
15:00 - Prospecting basics: Ideal client profiles & buyer personas
20:00 - Cold emailing tips: Subject lines & mobile optimization
25:00 - Qualifying leads effectively
30:00 - Mindset for success: Energy & coachability in interviews
40:00 - Tools for SDRs: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, LeadIQ, ZoomInfo
50:00 - Final thoughts & Norman’s advice for aspiring SDRs

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In this episode of The Agile Coach Podcast, we bring together a powerhouse panel of product management leaders: Diego Granados, Richard Seroter, Rajsi Rana, Neha Satya, and Parth Detroja. Each guest shares their unique journey into product management, offering firsthand perspectives from top companies like Microsoft, Oracle, Google, and beyond.

Our conversation explores how backgrounds in healthcare, finance, and data analytics can lead to thriving PM careers, emphasizing that a technical degree is not a prerequisite for success. The guests break down the core skills needed-critical thinking, emotional intelligence, cross-functional collaboration-and provide actionable advice for anyone aspiring to break into or advance within product management.

We also discuss the differences between PM roles at startups versus large enterprises, the evolving relationship between product managers and product owners, and how to lead through influence rather than authority. The episode is packed with practical strategies for interviews, panel preparation, and building daily habits that set PMs apart in a competitive field.

Featured Guests:

• Diego Granados
• Richard Seroter
• Rajsi Rana
• Neha Satya
• Parth Detroja

Key Takeaways:

• Diverse Backgrounds: Success in product management is possible from non-traditional backgrounds-technical degrees are helpful but not required.
• Foundational Skills: Critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and cross-functional teamwork are essential.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: PMs must drive clarity and connect customer needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility.
• Influence Over Authority: Product managers lead through storytelling, data, and consensus-not direct authority.
• Customer Focus: The best PMs relentlessly advocate for the customer at every product stage.
• Role Clarity: The distinction between product manager and product owner varies by company, but both require close collaboration with engineering and stakeholders.
• Interviewing & Preparation: Build rapport with recruiters, use relevant buzzwords, tailor your story, and research your interview panel.
• Continuous Improvement: Treat product management and interviewing as skills to be honed daily-write, practice, and seek feedback.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: Meet the guests and their journeys
• 02:00 – Do you need a technical background? Myths debunked
• 05:00 – What does a product manager really do?
• 08:00 – Core skills: Ambiguity, cross-functional work, and influence
• 12:00 – Defining your PM role and career growth
• 15:00 – Product owner vs. product manager: Real-world perspectives
• 20:00 – Leading through influence, not authority
• 24:00 – Building strong partnerships with engineering
• 26:00 – Interview tips: Recruiter calls and panel strategies
• 30:00 – Daily habits for PM success and continuous learning
• 32:00 – Final thoughts: Growth mindset and resilience in the PM journey

Landing your dream job straight out of school sounds great, but there's a big hurdle to cross first: the interview. It's not just a quiz about what you know; it's more about how you're ready to grow and handle challenges. Confidence plays a big role here, but let's face it, interviews can be nerve-wracking. The key is to build up your interview confidence like you would a muscle, with the right approach and mindset.

In this episode, we get into the nitty-gritty of job interviews with Neha, who's been through the wringer and come out on top. She's now a product manager and has some great insights on how to handle interviews, from the first handshake to the final questions. Neha's journey is pretty inspiring—starting off in business analytics, moving into the health tech industry, and now making waves at a company called Tree, where she's shaking up the influencer marketing world.

In this episode of The Agile Coach, host Vivek is joined back again with Adam Miner, an experienced Agile Coach with a background as a Scrum Master, to share his journey of breaking into his first Scrum Master role and transitioning into an Agile Coach role. He emphasizes the importance of personal growth and development outside of the nine-to-five job to set oneself apart in interviews. Adam also highlights the significance of understanding the company culture and team dynamics during the interview process. He advises candidates to focus on showcasing their unique experiences and perspectives to stand out from other candidates.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

• "If you can speak to personal growth outside of your nine-to-five in leadership, communications, discipline, success habits, you will probably set yourself apart from eight or nine out of ten other candidates in the process."
• "It's very much about what you are saying that another candidate is not saying."
• "You do not need a degree to succeed in corporate or agile. You don't have to have a technical background."

Get to know Adam and what she’s up to:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-miner-77793129/
Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

Vivek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/

Pabitra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/

The Agile Coach LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

Agile Coach Website: https://theagilecoach.com/

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at our website https://theagilecoach.com/

In this episode of The Agile Coach, Vivek is joined by Priyanka Gyawali, the Chief Technology Officer at Belong Technology. Priyanka digs into her journey in tech from software engineer to CTO and the immense value of upskilling to get there.

She shares her thoughts on what makes a good product owner/manager and the changes ChatGPT is ushering in the way we process work for the better. For agile, Priyanka also champions giving people space to be creative to bring their ideas to reality.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Changing and overlapping roles after going agile - Priyanka: "Things have changed like the number of roles in a project have changed. Previously it was the developer doing the designing as well, doing the QA, doing the BA, and then there was like a product owner. But like over time when things are more agile now, we have several roles, like people wear different hats, especially in my experience in the startup world."

Leaders should take the lead on implementing innovation - Priyanka: "Someone being a leader, they might not think about the things that are in the market, but then a developer who has hands-on experience and who might have already done that in another project, we can utilize their skill on that. So I guess it's about giving space to people in the team."

Get to know Priyanka and what she’s up to:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

• About Vivek
• About Pabitra
• About The Agile Coach
• Agile Coach Website

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at the link below:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc