In this episode of Sales is King, Dan Sixsmith interviews Mike Trkay, the Chief Information Officer at FICO. They discuss the evolving role of a CIO, the importance of customer engagement, and how technology decisions are made in a collaborative environment. Mike shares insights on differentiating in a competitive market, the significance of building trust with customers, and the lessons learned throughout his career. The conversation also touches on the changing expectations of buyers in the B2...
Jul 07, 2025•45 min
In this episode of Sales is King, Dan Sixsmith interviews Keith Pearce, CMO of Gainsight, at the Gainsight Pulse Conference. They discuss the evolution of customer success, the impact of AI on the industry, and the importance of marketing in driving demand. Keith shares insights from his personal journey, leadership style, and his definition of success in the current market landscape. Takeaways Gainsight is a leader in customer success and AI integration. AI is enhancing rather than replacing cu...
Jul 01, 2025•19 min
In Part 2 of their conversation, Seth Dallaire, Chief Growth Officer at Walmart joins Dan and reflects on his experiences in retail, technology, and leadership. He shares insights from the Consumer Electronics Show, discusses his career journey from Microsoft to Walmart, and emphasizes the importance of listening and understanding team dynamics in leadership. Seth also outlines Walmart's strategic priorities for the future, including the significance of retail media and the recent Vizio acquisit...
Jun 30, 2025•45 min
Summary In this episode, Dan Sixsmith interviews Anurag Goel, the Global Head of Business Value and Realization at Red Hat and one of the highest profile experts in the value engineering world. They discuss the importance of shifting the conversation from product features to business outcomes, the challenges of scaling business value, and the role of AI in enhancing value propositions. Anurag shares insights on navigating buyer confidence, the significance of customer success, and the value of p...
Jun 04, 2025•40 min
In this episode, Dan Sixsmith interviews Evanna Kearins, CMO for Europe at UiPath, discussing the evolving landscape of marketing, the integration of AI, and the importance of brand identity. Ivana shares insights on the dual nature of marketing as both an art and a science, the necessity of aligning marketing with sales, and her personal journey into the marketing field. The conversation also touches on leadership styles, team engagement, and defining success in a marketing role. Takeaways AI i...
Apr 28, 2025•40 min
In Part 1 of this conversation, Seth Dallaire, Chief Growth Officer at Walmart, discusses his new role and responsibilities, the importance of storytelling in business, and the challenges of meeting consumer expectations in a rapidly changing market. He shares insights on B2B selling, the significance of brand strategy, and lessons learned from his early career experiences. The discussion highlights the need for continuous improvement and adaptation in the retail landscape. Takeaways Seth's role...
Mar 31, 2025•42 min
In this engaging conversation, Dan Sixsmith interviews Bruno Bertini, the CMO of 8x8, discussing the evolving role of the CMO in today's business landscape. Bruno shares insights on branding, storytelling in B2B, and the importance of customer experience. He emphasizes the need for CMOs to be business operators, bridging gaps between marketing, sales, and customer success. The discussion also touches on leadership styles, personal growth, and the significance of mentorship in shaping one's caree...
Mar 10, 2025•52 min
In this engaging conversation, Dan Sixsmith interviews Patty Hager, the Vice President of Solutions for SMB at Salesforce. They discuss the evolving landscape of B2B sales, the importance of AI in enhancing sales processes, and the critical skills needed for success in sales. Patty shares her journey from wanting to be a flight attendant to becoming a leader in tech sales, emphasizing the significance of mentorship, structure in sales, and understanding client needs. The discussion also touches ...
Feb 10, 2025•46 min
2025 Premiere Episode: Dan Sixsmith speaks with Maranda Dziekonski, VP of Customer Success at ID.me, about the challenges faced in the tech industry during 2024, her transition to a larger organization, and the evolving role of customer success. Maranda shares insights on implementing change, enhancing collaboration between teams, and effective stakeholder management strategies. The discussion highlights the importance of a commercial mindset in customer success and the need for organizations to...
Jan 15, 2025•52 min
In this episode, Dan Sixsmith reflects on the significant growth and achievements of the Sales Is King podcast in 2024, introduces a new podcast called Power Fam focusing on the intersection of family and work life, and reviews key insights and guest highlights from the past year. He discusses the evolving landscape of sales and marketing, the importance of value selling, and the ongoing challenges in aligning sales and marketing efforts. Dan concludes with a look ahead to 2025 and expresses gra...
Jan 06, 2025•20 min
In this episode, Christine Royston, CMO of Wrike, shares her insights on the evolving landscape of B2B marketing, the impact of AI, and innovative demand generation strategies. She discusses the importance of building a cohesive marketing team, aligning marketing with sales and customer success, and the significance of global branding. Christine also reflects on her career journey, lessons learned from her time at Cisco, and the qualities of effective leadership. Takeaways AI is transforming how...
Dec 02, 2024•44 min
In this engaging 'debate', Dan Sixsmith hosts Andy Paul and Frank Perkins to explore the complexities of sales methodologies, the importance of individuality in sales, and the evolving landscape of buyer-seller interactions. They discuss the balance between following a sales process and allowing for personal expression, the significance of understanding buyer needs, and the role of curiosity and business acumen in achieving sales success. The conversation emphasizes the need for sales profession...
Nov 29, 2024•58 min
Introducing the SIK Gold episodes- A Mashup from the Vault. A quick fix of Sales advice from a past guest. Today, it is long time sales leader, Henry Cubillan.
Nov 06, 2024•7 min
Alejandro Alvarez Correa, Chief Marketing Officer for Grocery Outlet, discusses his first year at the company and the unique aspects of their business model. He highlights the importance of independent operators who have the freedom to choose the product selection for their market, resulting in localized merchandise. He also emphasizes the strong relationships with big brands that allow them to offer customized products to customers. Alejandro shares his career journey, from starting in engineer...
Oct 21, 2024•56 min
Summary In this conversation, Dan Sixsmith speaks with Miles Sovell, Director of Business Value Management at Microsoft, about the current state of B2B sales, the challenges faced by sales professionals, and the importance of delivering value to customers. They discuss the evolving landscape of sales, particularly in the context of generative AI, and how Microsoft is positioning itself as a leader in this space. Miles shares his journey at Microsoft, the significance of mentorship, and his perso...
Oct 14, 2024•51 min
Summary In this conversation, Dan Sixsmith speaks with James Roth, the CRO of ZoomInfo, about the evolving landscape of sales, particularly in the SaaS industry. They discuss the importance of understanding the buying committee, the challenges of longer sales cycles, and the need for sellers to be well-prepared and knowledgeable. Roth shares insights on selling to the C-suite, the skills required for a successful CRO, and his personal journey from musician to sales leader. The discussion emphasi...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min
In this conversation, Dan Sixsmith and(Chief Of Staff to) Datadog CRO Frank Perkins discuss the evolving landscape of sales, particularly in the tech industry. They explore the impact of COVID-19 on buyer behavior, the importance of emotional connections in sales, and the role of AI in enhancing sales processes. Frank shares insights from his career, including his experiences at Apple and Salesforce, and emphasizes the significance of personal branding for sellers. The discussion also touches on...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Summary In this engaging conversation, Dan Sixsmith interviews Aparna Khurjekar, the Chief Revenue Officer of Verizon Business. They discuss the dynamic challenges and opportunities in the telecom market, the importance of innovation, and how to drive a positive culture within a large organization. Aparna shares her insights on the role of AI in enhancing sales efficiency, the significance of mentorship, and her personal journey in the tech industry. The conversation emphasizes the value of auth...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min
In this conversation, Dan Sixsmith interviews Andy Paul, a sales expert and author, about the state of affairs in sales and the key issues that sellers face. They discuss the impact of technology on building relationships, the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than pain, and the role of responsiveness in creating a positive buyer experience. They also highlight the need for sellers to differentiate themselves in a crowded market and the significance of first impressions and perceptions i...
Sep 16, 2024•55 min
Christina Brady, CEO and co-founder of AI start-up Luster, discusses the challenges in B2B selling and the need for a buyer-centric approach. She highlights the importance of leading indicators and the lack of measurement in sales processes. Brady emphasizes the changing buying behavior of customers and the need for sales teams to adapt. She also introduces Luster, an AI-powered solution that enables salespeople to practice and receive targeted feedback, leading to improved performance and coach...
Sep 09, 2024•58 min
Summary In this conversation, Daniela Fleischmajer, the US CMO at Kyndryl(an IBM spinoff), discusses the changes in B2B marketing over the past few years and the key challenges faced today. She highlights the shift towards data-driven strategies, increased use of AI and automation, and the changing relationship between sales and marketing. Daniela emphasizes the importance of building relationships with customers and personalizing marketing efforts based on their specific needs and goals. She al...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Nicole Leffer, an AI advisor to CMOs, shares her journey and insights on AI in marketing. She started an e-commerce company in college and grew it to be one of the top 1,000 internet retail companies in the country. After discovering AI writing tools, she saw the immense impact it had on marketing productivity and quality. Nicole now works with companies to implement AI in their marketing strategies and offers a course on generative AI for B2B marketing. She discusses how AI is revolutionizing c...
Aug 26, 2024•45 min
Summary In this episode of Sales is King, Dan Sixsmith interviews Leandra Fishman and Zoe Hartsfield from Apollo. They discuss the current state of B2B sales and the challenges faced by sellers today. They emphasize the importance of personalization and relevance in sales outreach, as well as the need to meet buyers where they are. The conversation also delves into the power of personal branding and influencer marketing in B2B sales. Leandra and Zoe share their experiences and insights on buildi...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 1 min
In this conversation, Dan Sixsmith interviews Anthony Onesto, Chief People Officer at Suzy, about the importance of personal branding and building a strong professional network. They discuss the concept of 'who knows you' and how it can impact career success. They also explore the changing dynamics of the job market and the skills and qualities that are in demand. Additionally, they touch on the issue of employee burnout and the need for personalized recognition and support. In this conversation...
Aug 12, 2024•57 min
In this conversation, Stacey Hanke discusses the challenges that executives face in the current business environment, particularly in terms of communication and personal branding. She emphasizes the importance of being consistently connected and influential in a world that is more connected but less connected than ever before. Hanke also highlights the need for executives to be aware of how they come across and to build trust with their audience through eye connection and effective messaging. Sh...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Archie Hollingsworth, co-founder and CRO of Fyxer.ai, joins Dan and discusses the current state of B2B marketing and sales and the challenges faced by B2B executives. He emphasizes the importance of being selective and doubling down on what's working in marketing and sales strategies. Hollingsworth also highlights the value of in-person connections and relationship building, even in a virtual setting. He shares his journey of starting an agency business and eventually transitioning to building t...
Aug 05, 2024•45 min
James Muir discusses the current challenges in B2B selling and the top issues for sellers today. He emphasizes the importance of preventing deals from getting stuck and provides five strategies to keep the momentum going. These strategies include securing executive sponsorship, throttling information, using the perfect close technique, implementing mutual action plans, and reviewing proposals with customers. Muir also shares his personal journey in sales and how he discovered the effectiveness o...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Dan is back with the CMO and CCO of GWI, Rhiannon Staples and Carrie Seifer. The conversation explores the current state of B2B marketing and sales alignment, as well as the trends and challenges in the industry. The guests discuss the need for personalized and targeted messaging in a noisy market, the difficulty of reaching prospects on the phone, and the importance of building trust and loyalty with customers. They also emphasize the importance of a unified go-to-market team and transparent co...
Jul 29, 2024•48 min
Summary The conversation between Dan Sixsmith and Leandra Fishman explores the challenges and changes in B2B sales and marketing. They discuss the importance of productivity and efficiency, the role of AI in sales, and the need for thoughtful solutions that provide value and ROI. They also touch on the difficulties of selling and buying in today's market, the importance of building relationships, and the need for personal development and continuous learning in sales. In this conversation, Leandr...
Jul 22, 2024•55 min
Summary Mark Niemiec, Chief Revenue Officer at SalesLoft, discusses the challenges in B2B sales and the importance of delivering a compelling value proposition. He emphasizes the need for sellers to understand their customers' language, challenges, and context in order to rise above the noise and deliver a 10 out of 10 message. Niemiec also highlights the importance of executive-level conversations and the need for sellers to communicate the power and value of their sales cycle to executives. He...
Jul 16, 2024•47 min
