Jay Johnston’s Post

At our sales kickoff for Google Public Sector in Orlando this month, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA champion and business leader and investor. He shared invaluable lessons on winning big, and also managing failure. There are so many fascinating things about his story given his lifetime of achievement in both sports and business. To me the following takeaways stood out to me: 1) Great leaders who win, listen. They listen to peers, teammates and counterparts. You can never win a championship by yourself. 2) If you want to win big you need to focus. There may be a lot of opportunities but great players and teams have a vision, train ruthlessly to realize their goals and execute. 3) If you're in a position of success or influence, be kind and of service to others. Treat everyone with respect, regardless of their status or position. At Google Public Sector, we're taking these insights and applying them to our mission of empowering the public sector to accelerate digital transformation by applying technology to mission.

🫱 Onboarding new hires in Sales Career 🫲 Support and guidance are crucial aspects of a business's offering. The leadership must execute by providing *daily* support and guidance to new hires, which is even more important than just offering these services initially. Our Leaders, do this very well, said differently - we offer this. ❖ Are you interested? Message me directly or place a comment here.

How the Summer months could change your year, and maybe your career We've all been there as sellers: July and August roll around, prospects disappear, and meetings get rescheduled for post-summer. Entire countries seem to shut down. Great for them. Terrible for you as sellers and sales leaders. You still have targets to hit. You still have a job to do. If you're proactive, you've already planned for this period, with decisions pending and maybe even a deal or two ready to go. As a sales leader, you might have already tempered expectations with softer forecasts for the next two months, which may or may not go down well! But there’s no denying it: July and August are a slog in B2B sales. Always have been. Yet, there's a way to make this time count and potentially change your year. Instead of telling everyone to “peddle harder,” focus them on goals that will move the needle in the longer term: Learning goals. The summer months are an unbelievable opportunity to focus on seller and leadership development. Use July and August to upskill your team, ensuring they gain something in these next two months that changes their trajectory (and yours) and gives them hope while knocking on doors that might not open for a few weeks. Here's how: 1. Take stock: Assess where your sellers are in terms of capability. Rate them on key aspects of their role and ask them to do the same. Meet to discuss and coach a way forward. 2. Evaluate coaching impact: Review the impact of any coaching and development they have received so far. What works for them as individuals? Do more of that. 3. Encourage sharing: Have the team share their learnings from H1 and swap war stories. 4. Set learning goals: Challenge each team member to create (max) 3 learning goals for July and August. Build tailored development plans to help them achieve these goals. Turn up the heat on learning for the next few weeks so that when the masses return from the beach, your people have levelled up and are ready to rock. Time doesn’t stop. All you can do is make it count. If anyone wants the assessment tool I use for sellers to help with point 1 above, add “It’s coming home” in the comments or DM me, and I will send it to you for free, because I’m that kind of guy! I just want you and your people to win. The summer can be invested or wasted. It’s your business…. #leadership #sales #management 

Starting a new business, sales role, or career path can be challenging. It's essential to remember that success doesn't happen overnight. Reflecting on my first year at Spectrum Enterprise, I recall being part of a new division with a team of inside sales distributors, navigating wins and losses while learning and growing. While I didn't hit all my targets that first year, I focused on building the brand and relationships. This dedication laid the foundation for my consecutive President's Circle awards. The initial year was crucial in setting the stage for future achievements. For those embarking on a new venture or role, remember that progress takes time. Don't give up before experiencing the fruits of your labor. Embrace the journey and keep pushing forward. #BusinessJourney #CareerGrowth #SuccessTakesTime

🫱 Onboarding new hires in Sales Career 🫲 Support and guidance are crucial aspects of a business's offering. The leadership must execute by providing *daily* support and guidance to new hires, which is even more important than just offering these services initially. Our Leaders, do this very well, said differently - we offer this. ❖ Are you interested? Message me directly or place a comment here.

Not "Holy Grail Advice" - but 2 Key learnings for not burning out in GTM. For 25 years, I have been asked about the keys to success in the SaaS GTM space and how to avoid burning out. I have always said the same basic tenets:   Keep improving or "Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat" - "Knowledge crowns those who seek her." Who knew I would remember the old Syracuse University Motto and intertwine it in my life? Since leaving college, I have continuously sought new learnings in how to do better at my job and my life. This has helped me weather several significant turns in the software industry and my personal life. Ask yourself, are you pushing yourself to learn something new? Why not? Find the time.   Keep building friendships - Have genuine empathy and friendliness for people around you so you can continually grow. I got into sales because I always felt that I could help people with what I was selling, and for over 25 years, I have seen multiple people I have worked with get ahead because of the bets they made on the solutions we architected together. As I have moved up the ranks of the GTM function, I have had the same pleasure of seeing people grow into new careers that I was lucky to have been a part of. Remember that going higher in an organization makes you more dependent on people. Building solid friendships in the company, with peers, and even outside the organization is critical for growth. They can provide a lot of insights and context to any situation that may arise.   As I stated in the beginning, these are not "hidden holy grail" moments, but we quickly forget them. With these two themes, I have weathered great heights and lows, and even recently, they have guided me on my next gig. Make sure you put time aside for both as you plan for next year. 

"You are bigger than your fear," the quote I resonate the most currently. This month had been full of learnings. Recently, I completed my training stints & landed in a final role for next 6 months.  From a person who was hell scared of sales to getting shaped into the one who says, let it come, what may, had been an incredibly transformative. Sales is never linear; there are peaks & dips. But, numbers do hit hard.   Throughout my journey, I've had breakthrough moments that propelled me forward—significant wins, successful deals closed against all odds, and moments of personal growth and realization. But, agreeably enough, more than the company where you work, the company with whom you work matters. I can't thank my team enough for their unwavering support. Here's to embracing the non-linear path, celebrating resilience, and finding success in the face of adversity. Cheers to the journey ahead! #Growth #Learnings #Journey #Sales #Schindler

SMB leaders: You have two jobs if you want to win in this space. 1️⃣ Be operationally flawless—create a frictionless purchasing model. If it's hard to buy from you, you’re doomed. 2️⃣ Make marketing the core of your strategy. If you get these two things right, you will win. Many leaders try to build enterprise-style sales orgs to reach the SMB market, but that’s a recipe for disaster. There are 400 Million SMBs worldwide. There’s not a single company that can build a sales organization to reach 400M entities. That's why you need channel partners, and you need a good marketing strategy to help those partners bring your message to the masses. In your experience, what’s more challenging: perfecting operations or building a scalable marketing strategy? #SMBStrategy #ScalableGrowth #ChannelMarketing #PartnerMarketing

Ever wondered why top talent fails to deliver? It’s not about their skills or dedication. It’s about the environment they're thrown into. Imagine this: You have the best Formula 1 driver in the world. They've won championships, mastered every track, and have the fastest reflexes. But then you put them in a car with a faulty engine and worn-out tires. No matter how skilled they are, that car isn’t crossing the finish line. The same goes for your revenue leadership team—your CRO, CMO, and others. ▶ The problem? We’re expecting them to fix the car while racing. ⇨ You need to fix the problem, not just the symptoms. Analyzing business performance involves examining various metrics at different organizational levels. Here's how to gain a holistic view: • High-Level Indicators: Focus on growth rates, sales, and the percentage of net new annual recurring revenue (ARR). These signal overall operational health. • In-depth Analysis: Look at total ARR, net new ARR, churn, and expansion. This helps in understanding sales effectiveness metrics like velocity and conversion rates. • Efficiency Metrics: These are often miscalculated or overlooked, but are crucial for understanding ROI in sales and marketing. This comprehensive approach helps identify offer issues, product reception, and process inefficiencies. So before blaming the "driver," ask yourself: Is your car ready to compete? ♻️ Repost to help your network. Follow Andrés Marquina Gonzalez for daily posts like this.