Preface: I first met Alex Shootman when he was running sales at Eloqua. We had talked on the phone a few times, but our first meeting was on the exhibit floor at Dreamforce. While his time was probably better spent talking to customers, he took time to have a great conversation. Since then, we talk, periodically, sharing ideas. He’s a master at building companies, including Apptio, Workfront, and now as CEO of Alkamai. Several years ago, he published a fascinating book about his learning as a leader, Done Right, How Tomorrow’s Top Leaders Get Things Done. Here’s Alex’s take on […]

Preface: Mitch Little is a close friend and “sparring partner.” We often get into discussions and debates about the future of selling and how to drive high performance. (I guess sparring is overstated, he and I are almost always in wild agreement). Mitch should know, as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Client Engagement at Microchip, he ran one of the highest performing organizations I’ve seen. He is passionate about everything in selling and engaging customers. As a demonstration of that passion, some years ago, he wrote “Shiftability, Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantage In Selling.” Here’s Mitch’s take: Why did I get interested […]

Preface: Wolrad Claudy is a great friend and client. I first met him years ago when he ran global sales for Tekelec (acquired by Oracle). He’s one of the most fascinating sales leaders I’ve worked with. Since Tekelec, he has been involved in a number of technology start-ups, has developed a specialized fund, providing seed capital to some start-ups. And, on the side, he has a winery. Here’s Wolrad, I love his creative approach in answering my question. My friend, Dave Brock challenged me to explore, “why I’m obsessed with selling.’ First, I asked Chat GPT the question. Here is […]