My name is Stuart Watson, owner of East Peak Podcast. We help tech companies stand up, operate, and scale inside sales organizations and on this podcast I speak with the go-to-market leaders and operators who make the start up world go round.
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7 recent
March 12, 2024Episode 750 min
Conversation with Vignesh Shanmuganathan of Rivian, formerly of Tesla and Apple
In this episode, Stuart interviews Vignesh Shanmuganathan, who has worked for notable companies like Tesla, Apple, and Rivian. Vignesh shares his journey from studying hard sciences in India to pursuing a master's degree in mechanical engineering in the US. He discusses his work with glass and mirrors at Tesla, including his involvement in the production of the Model S, Model X, and Model 3.
January 16, 2024Episode 633 min
Conversation with Matt Slotnick, Co-Founder and CEO of Poggio Labs
Summary In this episode, Stuart interviews Matt Slotnick, co-founder and CEO of Poggio Labs, an AI sales workspace. Matt shares his journey from investment banking to venture capital to founding Poggio Labs. They discuss the importance of relationships in sales, the potential for AI to automate repetitive tasks, and the current state and future of AI in sales. Matt also talks about the benefits of building in public and engaging on LinkedIn, the influence of cycling on his work and life, and the value of a board and choosing board members. Takeaways The core of the sales job is about relationships and earning the trust of customers. AI has the potential to automate repetitive tasks in sales and provide leverage for salespeople. The adoption of AI in sales is still in the early stages, and there is a lot of market development to come. Startup advice should be taken with caution, as it is often overfit and may not apply to every situation. Having a board of directors can provide valuable guidance and help answer the hard questions in building a company. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Matt Slotnick and Poggio Labs 01:29 The Unique Perspective of a Founder Serving Salespeople 05:07 Insights from Talking to Sellers and Go-to-Market Professionals 08:07 Areas Ripe for Disruption in Selling 09:26 Automating Repetitive Tasks in Sales 15:12 The Current State and Future of AI in Sales 21:53 Building in Public and Engaging on LinkedIn 24:31 The Influence of Cycling on Work and Life 26:31 Bad Advice in the Startup World 28:13 The Importance of a Board and Choosing Board Members 30:36 How to Connect with Matt Slotnick and Poggio Labs
January 2, 2024Episode 543 min
Jacob Warwick on Harnessing the Power of Negotiation
Summary In this episode, Stuart interviews Jacob Warwick, a negotiation and executive consulting expert. Jacob shares his insights on negotiation and how it can be applied to various aspects of life, from business to personal relationships. He emphasizes the importance of understanding boundaries and drivers in negotiations and highlights the pitfalls of overconfidence. Jacob also discusses the value of creating instead of consuming and the role of disc golf in his negotiation skills development. He recommends resources such as the book 'You Can Negotiate Anything' and emphasizes the need for practical negotiation approaches tailored to individual situations. Takeaways Negotiation is a crucial skill that can be applied to various aspects of life, from business to personal relationships. Understanding boundaries and drivers is essential in negotiations to ensure successful outcomes. Overconfidence can be a pitfall in negotiations, and it is important to be open to different perspectives and possibilities. Creating instead of consuming is a valuable mindset that can lead to personal and professional growth. Disc golf and the importance of slapping some chains. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:29 How Jacob Helps Customers 02:03 The Importance of Negotiation 05:08 The Compensation Gap in Sales Roles 07:14 Choosing the Right Leadership 09:01 Taking Chances on Startups 11:00 Transition from Marketing to Negotiation 14:05 The Value of Creating Instead of Consuming 16:43 Common Failure Modes in Negotiations 17:07 The Importance of Understanding Boundaries and Drivers 19:47 The Pitfalls of Overconfidence in Negotiations 21:00 The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in Negotiations 26:14 Helping People Prepare for Future Roles 28:35 The Value of Having a Partner in Negotiations 31:38 Recommended Resources for Negotiation 36:29 Common Bad Advice in Negotiation 39:16 The Role of Disc Golf in Negotiation Skills 41:24 How to Get in Touch with Jacob
December 18, 2023Episode 439 min
Conversation with Lauren Volpi, SVP of Marketing at DataGrail
Summary In this episode, Lauren Volpi, SVP of Marketing at DataGrail, discusses the role of marketing in today's business landscape. She emphasizes the importance of balancing brand and demand generation, and highlights the three areas of focus in marketing: product marketing, brand marketing, and demand generation. Lauren also shares insights on being more efficient with budgets and meeting the demands of executives. She discusses the market outlook and opportunities in the compliance space, and offers advice for aspiring marketers. Link to the MKT1 Newsletter from Emily Kramer and Kathleen Estreich: https://newsletter.mkt1.co/ Takeaways Balancing brand and demand generation is crucial in marketing. The three areas of focus in marketing are product marketing, brand marketing, and demand generation. Being more efficient with budgets and meeting the demands of executives is a challenge in marketing. The compliance space offers market opportunities for companies like DataGrail. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:00 Role and Mission of DataGrail 03:18 Evolution of Marketing 04:14 Balancing Brand and Demand Generation 08:39 The Three Areas of Focus in Marketing 10:19 Being More Efficient with Budgets 12:13 The Importance of Brand in Marketing 14:13 The Power of Integrated Campaigns 17:40 Doing More with Less 25:34 Meeting Budget Demands 29:46 Market Outlook and Opportunities 35:25 Advice for Aspiring Marketers 36:45 Contact Information
December 11, 2023Episode 342 min
Jim Rose on the Power of Sales Enablement
Summary In this episode, Stuart interviews Jim Rose, a sales enablement veteran, about his journey and insights into sales enablement. They discuss the importance of sales enablement in driving rep productivity and unit economics. Jim shares his background in sales and how he transitioned into enablement. They also explore the reporting structure for enablement and the integration of learnings from sales and educational science. Jim highlights the challenges of measuring success in enablement and the need for alignment with sales leadership. They discuss the impact of remote work on enablement and strategies for minimizing loss in communication. The episode concludes with advice for those interested in pursuing a career in enablement. Takeaways Sales enablement offers high leverage opportunities for organizations to improve rep productivity and unit economics. Transitioning from sales to enablement requires aligning native skill sets and personality profiles. Enablement is most effective when closely aligned with sales and reporting to sales leadership. Measuring success in enablement can be challenging, but correlating enablement activities with outcomes can provide valuable insights. Building strong relationships with product marketing and product teams helps minimize loss in communication and ensures effective enablement. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:21 The Importance of Sales Enablement 03:17 Transitioning from Sales to Enablement 06:47 Roles and Responsibilities in Sales Enablement 08:23 Reporting Structure for Enablement 09:17 Integrating Learnings from Sales and Educational Science 15:44 Bottlenecks in Sales Enablement 17:52 The Impact of Remote Work on Enablement 22:30 Measuring Success in Enablement 28:33 Navigating Prestige and Buy-In in Enablement 31:10 Involvement in Annual Planning 32:50 Minimizing Loss in Communication 37:13 Advice for Pursuing a Career in Enablement
November 7, 2023Episode 234 min
Sean Bennett on His Journey from Pro Cyclisting to Tech Sales
East Peak Advisors helps companies build, scale, and optimize SDR and inside sales teams. Whether you're looking to optimize existing SDR processes, stand up an entirely new program, or seeking fractional leadership and coaching, East Peak Advisors can be your guide. On this episode of the East Peak Podcast, I interview Sean Bennett, former World Tour professional cyclist, who’s recently transitioned to start up life.
October 27, 2023Episode 155 min
Interview with Raf Garcia, co-founder and former CTO of Clever
In this inaugural episode, Stuart interview Raf Garcia, former CTO and co-founder of ed-tech company Clever. In the podcast Stuart and Raf discuss what role a suite at the Fairmont hotel played in the company's inception, moving out of San Francisco AND scaling your business sustainably before it was cool, whether winning the Ohio state amateur championship road bike race or having a $400m plus exit was a bigger deal, and more.
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