fractional leadership

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

In this episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Natalie Stones, Fractional Head of Talent and Founder of Talent Refinery and Talent Collective.

Natalie shares her expertise around how Fractional HR Executives can provide a tremendous impact for organizations while being much more cost-effective than the traditional full-time role.

Whether you're a business owner, an HR professional, or an executive, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in to hear from Natalie and gain valuable knowledge on how to optimize your workforce and achieve exceptional results at a fraction of the cost!

Natalie's episode drops Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Be sure to subscribe to The Fractional Edge Podcast on your favorite platform!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/awesomehrexec/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhuett/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliestones/

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Ben Wolf is the founder of Wolf's Edge Integrators and the author of the best-selling book "Fractional Leadership: Landing Executive Talent You Thought Was Out of Reach." He has extensive experience in the entrepreneurial space, having built and grown multiple businesses. Ben now leads a team of fractional COOs who help businesses transition from chaos to control.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of The Disruptive Successor Show, Ben Wolf, founder of Wolf's Edge Integrators, discusses the role of fractional executives in helping businesses transition from chaos to control. He explains that fractional executives are not consultants or advisors, but rather leaders who sit on the organizational chart and are responsible for specific functions within the business. Ben emphasizes the importance of understanding whether a business needs a leader or a doer and highlights the value of fractional executives in providing high-level expertise at a fraction of the cost. He also introduces the concept of a "chaos to control" roadmap, which helps businesses prioritize and execute their goals.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

“We get people into good management habits so that they, you know, and obviously when there's a real emergency or something's truly temp sensitive, we'll address it right then. But a lot of times, it's not a lot of times. It's just that's what you just thought of a question. So you just ask it. But instead of addressing it, then we add it to our issues list for the weekly meeting or for the leadership team meeting, right?” - Ben Wolf

“You need to be very mindful about what do you truly need. Maybe that experienced executive who's run businesses before, or that CMO that runs a marketing team of 10 or 20 people already is like shooting a rabbit with an elephant gun. Like you just don't need you. Maybe you don't need that right now.” - Ben Wolf

Connect with Ben and learn more about his work:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwolf/
• Website: https://www.fractionalleadership.io/

If you enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe, review, and share with a friend who would benefit from the message. If you’re interested in picking up a copy of Jonathan Goldhill’s book, Disruptive Successor, go to the website at www.DisruptiveSuccessor.com

In episode #126 of The CXChronicles Podcast we welcomed Deb Coviello, Founder of Illumination Partners based in Cincinnati, OH.

As The Drop in CEO™, Deb brings 20+ years worth of experience and strategy in Quality and Operational Excellence roles to the table. She uses that knowledge in addition to 15 years in the Flavors and Fragrance industry to identify, assess, and solve the issues that are preventing your business growth.

Deb believes to get to the root of a problem, you have to be willing to think differently about how to solve it.

She also just released her first book "The CEO's Compass" filled with wisdom and knowledge from her personal leadership journey. 

This episode is incredibly valuable for some of you folks in the CX Nation that are focused on building & shaping your executive teams for the future of your business! 

Episode #126 Highlight Reel:

1.) Leaving your customers in a better place after working with them
2.) How to leverage your team's skills & interests 
3.) Setting your team up for success 
4.) Learning from your past efforts and mistakes while growing your business 
5.) Mastering delegation and gaining regular support as you grow

Huge thanks to Deb for coming on the show and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the Customer Experience & Customer Success space into the future

Click here to learn more about Deborah Coviello

Click here to learn more about The Drop In CEO

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