#115 - Adam Jay - Founder and CEO of Adam Jay Consulting - Redefining Startup Success

In this episode of Revenue Today, Adam Jay,  the founder and CEO of Adam Jay Consulting and the host of the Revenue Reimagined podcast, discusses the common misconception that hiring a VP of Sales will solve all revenue problems for early-stage startups. He emphasizes the importance of building a solid sales process, understanding the ideal customer profile and buyer persona, and validating product-market fit before scaling the sales team. Adam also shares his insights on the future of fractional leadership and the need for responsible growth in the startup ecosystem.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Hiring a VP of Sales is not a solution to revenue problems without a well-defined sales process and understanding of the ideal customer profile.
• Founders should focus on building a solid sales process, validating product-market fit, and understanding their buyer persona before scaling the sales team.
• Fractional go-to-market leaders can help founders transition from founder-led sales by building out processes, validating assumptions, and hiring the right talent.
• The future of fractional leadership is promising, with more VCs recognizing the value and benefits of bringing in fractional leaders to help early-stage startups.
• Responsible growth and consolidation in the B2B tech space are expected, with companies focusing on building strong products and providing value to customers.

QUOTES

• "Hiring a VP of sales is not going to solve your problem. Hiring people and throwing people at the problem isn't going to solve your problem." - Adam Jay
• "You have to have that brain dump from the founder to build out the sales process. What I find happens is a lot of AEs will get hired and it's 'Oh, go sell.' That is not the sales process." - Adam Jay
• "If you are not passionate about what you are selling, I think it radiates. I think people can tell. I think it appears as if you're going through the motions." - Adam Jay
• "The best sellers genuinely believe in the product and the people they are selling to. There is a reason that I never went to sell paper clips for Office Depot because it would not excite me in the slightest." - Adam Jay
• "The future of fractional leadership is promising, with more VCs recognizing the value and benefits of bringing in fractional leaders to help early-stage startups." - Adam Jay

Connect with Adam in the link below:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambjay/

Ways to tune in:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/40b665df-1a4f-455a-a514-ef599fd1a106
• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revenue-today/id1626063261
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38z3wZIAcpoAYF5LQ65xON
• Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV2ZW51ZXRvZGF5LmxpdmUvZmVlZC54bWw
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/6KEho9RSaHs