Pillar Talk: Building Sales Leadership with Rick Smolen Rick Smolen

In this episode, Rick Smolen chats with Jonathan Pollack about his journey from an individual contributor to a leader in sales at companies like Intralinks, Shibumi, and Augury. They discuss the nuances of building a strong sales team, fostering a positive work culture, and maintaining team motivation in remote settings.
Key Points:
Career Growth: Jonathan's progression from hands-on sales roles to senior leadership positions, emphasizing the lessons learned and strategies implemented along the way.Leadership and Culture: Insights into creating a team culture that motivates and excels, even under minimal supervision or in overlooked business areas.Remote Team Dynamics: Challenges and strategies for leading a dispersed team effectively, ensuring high engagement and performance.Martial Arts and Leadership: How principles from martial arts help Jonathan manage business challenges and team dynamics.Jonathan shares valuable lessons on transparency, integrity, and the importance of setting clear expectations for team members and clients alike.
Subscribe to Pillar Talk on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more insightful discussions on sales leadership.
Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young

Welcome to another episode of Pillar Talk, where we delve deep into the foundations of sales leadership success.

In this episode, we're honored to have Brian Walsh from Force Management join us to share invaluable insights into the art and science of sales coaching.

Key Takeaways: 

Behavioral Influence of Senior Leadership: Senior leaders set the tone for the organization's coaching culture through their actions and priorities.

Importance of Coaching Coaches: Coaching at the managerial level is pivotal for consistent and impactful skill development across the sales team.

Coaching Skills for Success: Direct coaching on sales skills is where significant improvements in performance and outcomes are achieved.

This episode underscores the undeniable value of coaching in sales leadership, from the strategic influence of senior leadership to the hands-on coaching of sales skills by front-line managers. 

Remember, the impact of a leader is remembered not by what they did to or for their team, but often, by how they coached and led by example.

Thank you for joining us on this coaching journey in Pillar Talk. We look forward to bringing you more insights and stories that help build the foundations of sales leadership success in our next episodes.
Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young

In this episode of Pillar Talk, Rick Smolen is joined by Dave Kennett, the founder and CEO of ReplayzIQ, a pioneering sales call intelligence platform. 
With a rich background in sales leadership and a profound emphasis on coaching, Dave shares his extensive experience and invaluable lessons on building a robust coaching culture within sales teams.
Key Highlights:
Journey to Sales Coaching: Dave recounts his early career at WW Granger, where a significant investment in sales training led to pivotal insights on the importance of integrating learned skills into a company's fabric, sparking his lifelong commitment to effective sales coaching.
The Art of Role Plays: Discussing the transformative power of role plays, Dave emphasizes creating a safe and constructive environment, where sales reps can hone their skills through practice, feedback, and continuous improvement, even in challenging scenarios.
Embedding a Coaching Culture: The conversation delves into strategies for embedding coaching into the organizational culture, highlighting the necessity of regular call reviews, certifications, and a focus on practical, scenario-based training to ensure skill retention and application.
The Significance of Reflective Practice: Dave and Rick explore the critical role of self-reflection in sales proficiency. They advocate for sales reps to regularly analyze their calls, focusing on self-assessed strengths and areas for improvement, thereby fostering a culture of self-improvement and accountability.
Tactical Advice for Sales Leaders: Offering practical advice, Dave underscores the importance of starting simple with coaching initiatives, such as focusing on key aspects of sales calls or implementing bite-sized, manageable feedback practices to encourage consistent and incremental skill development.
Leveraging Technology in Coaching: Highlighting the role of technology, Dave discusses how platforms like Replayz IQ can provide objective, data-driven insights into sales calls, enabling more focused and effective coaching and contributing to the overall enhancement of sales performance.
Dave Kennett’s experiences and insights shed light on the transformative impact of dedicated sales coaching. By embracing a culture of continuous learning, reflective practice, and leveraging technology, sales leaders can profoundly influence their teams' effectiveness and success.
Listen to this episode to gain a deeper understanding of how mastering the craft of sales through committed coaching can lead to unparalleled growth and results in your sales organization.


Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young

Welcome to another episode of Pillar Talk with Rick Smolen, where we dive deep into the realms of sales leadership and uncover the strategies that define success.
This episode features Dan Head, the accomplished CEO of Phrasee, sharing his insights that guided from from a seasoned sales leader to CRO, and now CEO.

About Our Guest:
Dan Head has an impressive career trajectory, evolving from senior sales roles at giants like Salesforce and Infor to leading AppBoy through its transformation into Braze and its subsequent IPO triumph. 
Key Discussion Points:
Journey of Transformation: Dan’s transition from a CRO to a CEO, highlighting the challenges and milestones of leading a company through rapid growth and an IPO.Salesforce Impact: Insights into how Salesforce's high-velocity environment and operational rigor shaped his sales leadership skills.Leadership Framework: Dan introduces his values and standards of growth pyramid, emphasizing the importance of intrinsic commitment, individual accountability, belief in the product, and aligned intent.Operational Excellence: Exploring the significance of urgency, participation, continuous improvement, and knowing your audience in scaling sales operations effectively.Practical Application: Strategies for embedding these principles into daily operations, ensuring that the leadership vision is operationalized and truly lived within the organization.Mentorship and Impact: The critical role of mentoring in sales, with practical advice on how to elevate one’s impact as a sales leader through education, mentorship, documentation, and coaching.Dan’s narrative is a masterclass in sales leadership, offering a blend of strategic wisdom and practical advice. His framework provides a roadmap for aspiring leaders eager to escalate their impact and drive their teams to excellence.
Transform your sales leadership approach with the invaluable insights and experiences shared on Pillar Talk with Rick Smolen.


Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young

Welcome to this episode of the Pillar Talk Podcast, where we delve into the intricacies of sales strategies, business planning, and the importance of P&L fluency with our guest, Sam Jacobs, the CEO of Pavilion. 

Discover invaluable insights on navigating high-growth environments, the pitfalls of revenue-driven models, and the transformative power of understanding unit economics.
Key Highlights:
The Art of Business Planning:Explore the strategic importance of proactive business planning.Understand the challenges and solutions for staying ahead in high-growth scenarios.P&L Fluency: Essential for Modern Sales Leaders:Dive into why P&L understanding is crucial for today's sales executives.Learn how financial acumen can elevate your strategic decision-making.Evolving Sales Strategies:Insights into the evolving landscape of sales strategies in response to market dynamics.The significance of adapting sales approaches to ensure sustainable growth.Leveraging Partnerships and In-Person Engagements:Discover the untapped potential of partnerships and personalized customer engagement.Strategies for enhancing pipeline quality and customer retention through authentic interactions.Join us as we navigate the complexities of the sales world, armed with the wisdom and experiences shared by one of the industry's thought leaders.
Stay tuned for more episodes that equip you with the knowledge and insights to excel in your sales career. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Pillar Talk Podcast for more valuable discussions like this one.
Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young

In this episode of Pillar Talk, Rick Smolen chats with Kyle Norton, the CRO of owner.com, to explore operating rhythms in sales leadership.

Kyle, with his rich background in sales leadership roles across companies like Shopify, League, and now Owner.com, delves into how establishing a robust operating rhythm is crucial for sales teams to achieve targets today and in the future.

The discussion navigates through Kyle's personal journey and lessons learned, highlighting the importance of forward planning, the critical role of headcount planning, and the necessity of building a bench for future growth.

Gain insights into the challenges and strategies of managing high-velocity sales teams, the significance of daily, weekly, and quarterly rhythms, and the impact of coaching and developing teams for sustained success.

The episode also covers the transition from individual contributor to leadership roles, emphasizing the transformation required in mindset and approach to foster a motivated, accountable, and engaged team.

Kyle shares tactical advice on how to implement and maintain a monthly communication review cadence. 

Kyle also outlines the importance of top down communication across the organization, shares his process for putting his monthly reviews together, and describes the benefits including personal accountability at the top of the org.

HERE is Kyle's template for creating a weekly communication framework for his leadership team.




Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Music by Ben Cina & Ayler Young