Revenue Builders
Force Management
Welcome to the Revenue Builders podcast, a weekly show featuring B2B sales leaders and executives. Hosted by Five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management’s Co-Founder John Kaplan, the show goes in the barrel, behind the scenes with the people who have been there, done that and seen the results. Revenue Builders covers the best practices for scaling and growing your business, while sharing the pitfalls to avoid. Great conversation. Solid interviews. Tangible takeaways to help you succeed. If…
Recent Episodes
Why Proprietary Data Beats AI Software for 2x Pipeline Growth with Ann Davis
Sep 17, 2026Ann Davis, Chief Revenue Officer at Crunchbase, discusses how proprietary data—not software—drives competitive advantage in AI-powered sales organizations. She shares her journey from defense systems engineering to leading enterprise sales transformations, and reveals how Crunchbase's private market dataset enables sales teams to achieve 2x pipeline growth in six months by identifying which customers to pursue, while detailing the launch of their headless MCP server that integrates Salesforce, Gong, and proprietary data into daily seller workflows.
The 90-Day Hiring Question Every Sales Leader Should Ask with Jason Forget
Sep 13, 2026Jason Forget, President and CRO of Cockroach Labs, discusses a critical hiring mistake many sales leaders make: evaluating candidates solely on capability without assessing whether they have the energy and genuine desire for the realities of the role. He shares a specific 90-day interview framework that helps candidates honestly self-assess fit, particularly in startup environments where resourcefulness and adaptability are non-negotiable. The episode explores how hiring requirements shift across company stages, from early transactional sales to scaled leadership, and emphasizes that energy alignment—not age or intellect—is the true predictor of long-term success.
Recruiting the Right People and Selling Real Differentiation with Brad Scott, VP of Worldwide Sales at Glean
Sep 10, 2026Brad Scott, VP of Worldwide Sales at Glean, discusses building elite sales organizations across three distinct growth stages (Snowflake, Veza, and Glean). He breaks down hiring for intellectual curiosity, resilience, and self-awareness, and addresses the complexity of selling AI-native products in a market saturated with AI-bolted solutions. Scott emphasizes that recruiting, onboarding, and process discipline are critical anchors when product, messaging, and market conditions change every 90 days.
Effective Business Planning and Weekly Accountability with Scott Rudy
Sep 6, 2026Scott Rudy, a three-time CRO and founder of Rudy Advisory, discusses how first-line managers can improve accountability and execution through proper business planning and weekly operating rhythm. He breaks down how second-line managers should coach first-line managers on setting clear expectations, prioritizing development over activity, and using structured weekly accountability meetings (WHAMs) to ensure reps get unstuck. Rudy shares frameworks like "Discipline Tuesday" and emphasizes that effective management is fundamentally about people development, pipeline creation, and results.
Strategy That Teams Actually Execute with Dr. Chuck Bamford
Sep 3, 2026Dr. Chuck Bamford, Managing Partner at Bamford Associates and adjunct professor of strategy at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, discusses why most corporate strategies fail to execute. He breaks down strategy into two halves: eliminating customer frustration (table stakes/orthodox elements) and developing 2-3 genuine competitive advantages. The conversation covers how to align strategy from the boardroom through compensation plans to daily sales activities, the importance of voice-of-customer research, and why companies must convert strategic KPIs into specific employee activities rather than expecting behavior change through top-down mandate alone.
The ROI of Multi-Persona Selling with Daniel Simon
Aug 30, 2026Daniel Simon, Enterprise Account Executive at Glean, discusses how to build compelling multi-persona business cases for enterprise AI deals. He shares a real e-commerce deal where he moved beyond the CTO to engage product managers, engineers, finance, legal, and an AI program lead—quantifying use cases like PRD drafting, HR onboarding, and variance analysis to demonstrate a 50-100X ROI. Simon emphasizes that AI deals stick when multiple stakeholders can connect the solution to their own workflows and measurable outcomes, not just executive enthusiasm.
Why Great CROs Stop Managing Numbers and Start Building Systems with Sam Costello
Aug 27, 2026Sam Costello, CRO at Harness, discusses how great revenue leaders shift from managing pipeline numbers to building the systems and people that produce them. Over 7.5 years, he scaled Harness from under $1M to $100M ARR by recruiting elite talent, running disciplined sales processes (the 'Duplo' approach centered on champion identification), structuring proof of value around business outcomes, and fostering radical candor. The conversation covers multi-threaded deal navigation, technical validation tied to business impact, and building a company culture where people stay to build something meaningful rather than chasing OTE.
AI Selling Rewards Curiosity | Workflow Discovery with Seong Park
Aug 23, 2026Seong Park, SVP of Customer Support & Services at Cursor, discusses how AI adoption has fundamentally shifted go-to-market strategy from selling certainty to embracing curiosity, experimentation, and workflow discovery. He explains why the real work begins after contract signature, how to guide customers from AI exploration to business-critical adoption, and the challenges of change management at scale. The conversation covers talent sourcing for this new era, the importance of understanding customer workflows, and how revenue leaders must balance technical credibility with business outcome alignment.
How to Hire Better Salespeople Than Yourself and Lead Them to Win
Aug 20, 2026Michelle Bove, AVP of East Sales at Wiz, discusses her journey from soccer referee to enterprise software sales leader across PTC, AppDynamics, and Zscaler. She breaks down the mechanics of high-performing sales teams, emphasizing likability, human connection, and discipline over motivation. Bove shares her approach to hiring talent better than yourself, coaching authenticity in frontline managers, and the unique challenges of being a young female leader in cybersecurity sales.
The SNL Lesson on Talent and Fit with Lindsay Shookus
Aug 16, 2026Lindsay Shookus, a four-time Emmy Award-winning producer from Saturday Night Live, discusses talent fit, team dynamics, and performance under pressure. Drawing from 20 years at SNL, including 10 years as a producer overseeing talent booking and cast recruitment, she explores why strong performers sometimes struggle in certain environments while thriving in others. The conversation covers cultural fit, psychological safety, trust-building, and how leaders can create conditions for teams to perform at their best.
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