3 days ago

#10 We Read 50+ Cold Emails From a CMO’s Inbox. Here’s What We Found: Lauren Berkemeyer, YuLife

We sit down with Lauren Berkemeyer, CMO at YuLife, to follow the B2B buying journey from the invisible top of the funnel to the close. We read 50+ cold emails and event invites from her inbox to see what erodes trust, what earns it and why sales and marketing now have to own the whole journey together. Asked what she said most in her high school yearbook, Lauren’s quote was just one word: “Why?” It’s a question that still shapes how she approaches customers, marketing and growth. LinkedIn Profiles: Lauren Berkemeyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenberkemeyer/Lewis Stock: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-stock/00:00 - Intro. Lauren’s 24 years in B2B marketing, from magasines and the Wall Street Journal to scale-ups and YuLife 03:17 - The Invisible Funnel. Why buying is no longer linear and buyers increasingly want to research without talking to sales 05:26 - The New Role of Sales. Educated buyers, stronger preparation, and why a sales call should feel like a concierge experience 09:14 - Inside a CMO’s Inbox. What 50 cold emails reveal about “hope you’re well”, fear tactics, and lazy personalisation 13:29 - Where Marketing Fits. How poor outreach damages the brand and why the linear handoff no longer exists 15:22 - Give Before You Take. How to add value first and why replying fast creates opportunities 18:02 - The Event Invite Problem. Pay-to-play invitations, generic outreach, and how one personal email made a table of senior leaders connect 23:07 - Building Repeatable Events. How YuLife approaches fireside chats and webinars, and what Lauren has learned from Clay 27:10 - Ask for Advice. Why featuring customers and asking for their expertise builds advocates 29:11 - Be Curious. The yearbook quote and why being interested beats being interesting 30:36 - Building on LinkedIn. How Lauren approaches consistency, customer advocacy, and balancing personal and commercial content 39:15 - Reviews and AI Discovery. Why investing early in Trustpilot reviews is now helping drive AI referrals 41:05 - Sales and Marketing at the Close. The squiggly buying journey, shared context, and building buyer confidence 45:07 - The First Three Things a CMO Should Do. Why to hold off on spending, check the unit economics, and learn from lost deals

24 Jul

#9 The Last Moat Is Your Data: Takeshi Aida, Founder & CEO RevComm

Shay sits down with Takeshi Aida, Founder and CEO of RevComm, the Tokyo-based AI voice intelligence company behind MiiTel, to explore why he believes data is the last real moat in the AI era, and what building a self-coaching sales culture from the ground up can teach any organisation trying to close the gap between its best performers and everyone else. LinkedIn Profiles: Takeshi AidaShay KhosrowshahiLewis StockNXL Company Page 00:00 - Intro. From automotive M&A and government deals at Mitsubishi Corporation across the Middle East, Ukraine and the Caucasus, to the sales productivity problem that wouldn't go away no matter how much training TK threw at it 02:44 - The 20-60-20 Problem. Why coaching, shadowing and playbooks never closed the performance gap and the moment TK realised nobody could actually see what happened on the call 04:59 - Betting on Voice AI. The two-lens framework for choosing what to build, and why "Attention Is All You Need" gave TK the conviction to leave a comfortable executive career in 2017 07:47 - Building Ahead of the Category. Cloud telephony, improving speech recognition, and Japan's labour shortage - and why the hardest early challenge was creating a market category from nothing 09:52 - Is SaaS Dead? TK's four-layer view of the AI stack, and why he believes each company's data - not the application - is the only moat that survives commoditisation 13:05 - KGI vs KPI Data. Why text captures the conclusion but voice captures the process, and why leading indicators will matter more than lagging ones 14:42 - RevComm Eating Its Own Cooking. How MiiTel runs self-coaching and real-time AI assistance inside TK's own sales team 17:51 - Building a Self-Coaching Culture. Why the best MiiTel customers treat the platform as a daily ritual, not a management dashboard 20:07 - Selling in Japan vs the West. Consensus-driven decisions, reading between "we'll consider it" and an outright no, and why a slow start builds the most durable relationships 22:42 - Hiring Hunters, Not Order-Takers. What TK looks for beyond product pitching, and how to spot reps who build their own internal champions 25:29 - What Real Sales Coaching Looks Like. Why most "coaching" is really just pipeline inspection, and what evidence-based coaching actually requires 27:17 - Scaling from 5 Reps to 50. Standardising the interview bar across managers, and the offboarding advice from a US investor that changed how TK protects company culture

1 Jul

#8 Innovating to ¥6 Trillion Revenue in a Century Old Business: Stephen Barnham, CDIO Dai-Ichi Life

We sit down with Stephen Barnham, Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Dai-ichi Life Group, to explore what high performance really looks like inside one of the world's largest life insurers and what 124 years of history teaches you about the speed required to survive the next decade. A quote from Stephen which has inspired a life of world adventures, continuous learning and adventure... "We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring, Will be to arrive where we started, And know the place for the first time." T.S. Eliot LinkedIn Profiles: Stephen BarnhamShay KhosrowshahiLewis StockNXL Company Page Stephen sits on the Council for JA Asia Pacific - one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. For more details check out their website. 00:00 - Intro Stephen's journey from computer science to technologist across Japan, China, India, Singapore and the US, and what drew him from investment banking into life insurance 02:46 - About Dai-ichi Life Japan's largest listed life insurer, the road to ¥6 trillion, and why a 124-year-old company thinks of itself as a three-year-old startup 06:48 - What High Performance Looks Like. The Hiroshima sales office and why the best performers build complete financial ecosystems around a single customer relationship 11:49 - Revenue Targets and Startup Mindset. Bold ambition at every stage, what Stephen looks for in early-stage companies, and why missing a target is not the end of the road 16:56 - AI and the Legacy Problem. How AI is making it feasible to modernise decades-old life insurance infrastructure faster than anyone thought possible 21:50 - The Biggest Internal Blocker. Why mindset rather than technology is the hardest thing to change, and the management principle that stops organisations automating what they should have stopped doing entirely 26:16 - What Separates Winning Startups Speed, lack of bureaucracy, and why the best Silicon Valley teams have stopped writing manual code altogether 34:34 - The JA Asia Pacific AI Council Junior Achievement, the digital divide, and why AI risks widening inequality for the next generation if education does not keep pace 37:28 - The Philosophy Degree Returning to university after three decades and why the best leaders study things that have nothing to do with their job 42:34 - Leadership and Closing Reflections. Two ears, one mouth, what Stephen would tell his younger self about runway, and why we should never stop exploring

24 Jun

#7 AI, Accounting & Scaling Start Ups Smart: Vlad Sharuda, Co-Founder Scrooge AI

We sit down with Vlad ex CMO, now Founder, to unpack what it really takes to build a lean, AI-enabled service business in one of the world's fastest growing startup hubs. LinkedIn Profiles: Vlad SharudaShay KhosrowshahiLewis StockNXL Company Page00:00 - Intro Vlad's background, his journey from finance and consulting into startups, and how he ended up in Dubai 03:33 - Battle Wounds Lessons from scaling and failing across travel, hospitality and digital accounting startups 12:57 - The Scrooge Model How AI is transforming the unit economics of professional services and why tech-enabled service businesses are the next big wave 19:50 - Growing from Zero Early stage growth tactics, warm outreach, events, and why founders must sell first 27:36 - Building the Revenue Machine CRM discipline, AI in the sales process, signals-based outreach and coaching through call recording 37:42 - Life as a Founder The mindset shift from CMO to co-founder, extreme ownership, and why sales is the skill every founder needs

10 Jun

#6 - Enterprise Sales Across Cultures: Ike Tateyama, General Manager Asana Japan

Enterprise Sales Across Cultures: Ike Tateyama, General Manager Asana Japan Shay sits down with Ike to unpack what it really takes to win in one of the world's most complex B2B markets. From navigating the Ringi process to building high-performing teams. This episode is essential listening for anyone scaling revenue for Enterprise Sales teams around the world. LinkedIn Profiles: Ike TateyamaShay KhosrowshahiLewis StockNXL Company Page00:00 - Intro Ike's introduction, his journey from the US to Japan, and his role at Asana 03:33 - Selling in Japan Enterprise sales differences between Japan and the US, the Ringi process, budgeting cycles, and the role of executive alignment 12:57 - Proving Value Demonstrating ROI to CEOs and the importance of customer success in driving retention and expansion 19:50 - Building the Team Hiring strategies (hunters vs. farmers) and navigating early-stage sales challenges 27:36 - Running the Machine Sales manager coaching, compensation design, methodologies, and forecasting techniques 37:42 - Pipeline & GTM Pipeline generation strategies, balancing sales teams with support functions, and staying close to the field

23 Apr

Getting to 50 B2B Clients in Japan from Scratch - Scaling Japan Republished

This episode is Republished from The Scaling Japan Podcast, hosted by Tyson Batino https://scalingyourcompany.com/the-scaling-japan-podcast/ Most foreign SaaS companies struggle to land even a handful of enterprise clients in Japan. Shay Khosrowshahi helped scale Yulife to 50+ B2B customers in just 18 months. In this episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast, we break down how he did it. Shay is now the Co-Founder of NXL and former Managing Director of Yulife APAC. After a $100M investment, he was sent to Japan to launch and scale the business in one of the most credibility-driven markets in the world. We explore what partnerships really mean in Japan, how to align incentives with distribution partners, and why most founders underestimate the level of commitment required to succeed here. Shay shares tactical insights on discovery calls, partner qualification, internal champions, cultural misalignment and how to create momentum that compounds over time. If you are a SaaS founder, CRO, or GTM leader, this episode offers a practical partnership blueprint grounded in real execution. In This Episode, We Cover: What a partnership actually means in the Japanese marketDistribution partners vs strategic alliancesWhy hunger and ambition matter more than brand sizeThe 70/30 discovery framework for qualifying partnersHow to forecast revenue impact to align incentivesManaging harmony culture while still driving urgencyWhy early wins create long-term momentumWhen to double down or exit a partnershipWhy getting direct customers first gives you leverage Guest Appearance: 🔗 🌐 NXL : www.yournextlevel.io Show Notes : 00:01 Introduction to Shay and his Japan scaling journey 02:09 Defining partnerships in the Japan context 03:11 Types of partnerships that worked 06:39 How to vet partners and why hunger matters 10:47 The 70/30 discovery call framework 17:21 Training partners and building internal champions 29:20 Cultural hurdles and harmony-driven challenges 38:21 Measuring partnership health beyond revenue 45:32 Final advice on commitment in Japan

15 Feb

#4 - Inside a C-Suite Breakfast: NXL Dubai Event Reflections

Lewis and Shay reflect on hosting 35 C-Suite leaders at a private breakfast in Dubai. The discussion centered on a singular challenge: "Deploying AI Workers for Revenue Growth". In this episode, we dive into Shay’s keynote on the "Revenue First" framework and why core business principles matter more than ever amidst the AI noise. We also share key insights from our panel of experts who are currently building AI-native businesses. From the shifting math of CAC and LTV to the practical deployment of Voice AI, we break down exactly how to move from AI experimentation to tangible ROI. LinkedIn Profiles: Shay KhosrowshahiLewis StockNXL Company Page 00:00 NXL Podcast Intro 00:36 Dubai Trip Reflections 01:56 NXL Dubai Breakfast Event Debrief 02:32 Core Business Principles - Revenue Engines 17:48 Practical Steps to Build an AI-First Business 35:55 The Future of AI in Business

23 Jan

#3 - The Best SDR We’ve Worked With: Will AI replace the role or 10x the impact?

This is part of a mini series diving into the best performers across Go To Market teams. We want to uncover what defines the best, and how we can build AI products that recreate their impact. In this episode, we explore the characteristics of high performing SDRs, building an AI outreach system and the future of the role. Linkedin Profiles: Shay Khosrowshahi Lewis Stock NXL Company Page Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:30 What is an SDR and what makes up the best? 14:16 Applying AI to supercharge Outbound Sales 21:35 The Future of the SDR Role 31:53 The Verdict

14 Jan

#2 - The Best Content Marketer We’ve Worked With: Will AI replace the role or 10x the impact?

This is the first in a new mini series diving into the best performers across Go To Market teams. We want to uncover what defines the best, and how we can build AI products that recreate their impact. In this episode, we explore the characteristics of high performing content marketers, the importance of authenticity in creation and how to build AI systems that actually enhance content effectiveness. Linkedin Profiles: Shay Khosrowshahi Lewis Stock NXL Company Page Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to AI in Go-to-Market Strategies 0:36 Identifying High Performers in Content Marketing 10:26 The Importance of Authentic Content 13:24 Leveraging AI for Content Creation 16:42 Ensuring Authenticity in AI-Generated Content 25:17 Practical Applications of AI in Content Marketing 29:01 The Verdict

4 Jan

#1 - Why AI? Why Now? How AI Accelerates Revenue Growth

On this podcast you will get the latest in AI technology for Go To Market teams, hearing from leaders and exploring how to use the evolving opportunity for generating Revenue for your business. It is hosted by Shay Khosrowshahi & Lewis Stock. Over the past 5 years they have built a $20 million revenue engine for one the top startups in the UK and most recently used the latest in Revenue tech to launch a business in Japan where in 9 months we won 50 B2B clients and $200k of revenue. Most Recently they have founded NXL an AI Revenue business This episode discusses the practical examples of how they built their AI revenue engine in Japan. Chapters: Why AI, Why Now?Practical Uses of AI in GTMThe Importance of Context in AI If you are a Marketing, Sales and RevOps leader or executive this podcast is for you.

The NXL Podcast

Episodes

#10 We Read 50+ Cold Emails From a CMO’s Inbox. Here’s What We Found: Lauren Berkemeyer, YuLife

#9 The Last Moat Is Your Data: Takeshi Aida, Founder & CEO RevComm

#8 Innovating to ¥6 Trillion Revenue in a Century Old Business: Stephen Barnham, CDIO Dai-Ichi Life

#7 AI, Accounting & Scaling Start Ups Smart: Vlad Sharuda, Co-Founder Scrooge AI

#6 - Enterprise Sales Across Cultures: Ike Tateyama, General Manager Asana Japan

Getting to 50 B2B Clients in Japan from Scratch - Scaling Japan Republished

#4 - Inside a C-Suite Breakfast: NXL Dubai Event Reflections

#3 - The Best SDR We’ve Worked With: Will AI replace the role or 10x the impact?

#2 - The Best Content Marketer We’ve Worked With: Will AI replace the role or 10x the impact?

#1 - Why AI? Why Now? How AI Accelerates Revenue Growth

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