In this episode of Some Goodness, host Richard Ellis and Larry Sweeney, SVP of Global Enterprise Sales at Nerdio, discuss actionable strategies for building and leading high-performance sales teams. Larry shares his perspectives on the importance of belief in achieving ambitious targets, the power of a consistent operating cadence, fostering a positive team culture, and the significance of grit and hustle in sales. The conversation is packed with practical tips, inspiring stories, and insights i...
Jan 29, 2025•26 min
Get $500 off an annual membership to Cornerstone Plus. Visit cornerstoneco.com/cornerstoneplus and use code GIVE during checkout after submitting your application. In this episode, Richard Ellis and Steve Graves explore the complex dynamics of how leaders handle success and failure. Drawing from decades of experience working with thousands of leaders, Graves presents a counterintuitive perspective: many leaders actually struggle more with handling success than failure. The conversation delves in...
Jan 15, 2025•22 min
In this reflective episode of Some Goodness, hosts Richard Ellis and Heather Easterday look back on their inaugural year of the podcast, sharing highlights, insights, and lessons learned from engaging conversations with business leaders. The episode emphasizes the power of reflection in professional growth. Key moments include Al Monserrat’s discussion on the importance of punctuality in leadership, Tracey Mustachio’s “from-to” framework for navigating change, and Eva Daniel’s advice on building...
Jan 01, 2025•23 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Darin Archer discuss the importance of building relationships with sales and marketing leaders. They emphasize the need for product leaders to acknowledge that their ideas may not always be successful and that marketing and sales are crucial for bringing products to market. They provide practical tips for establishing healthy relationships with sales and marketing leaders, including lowering ego, being curious and forensic, and understanding the challenges...
Dec 18, 2024•22 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Eva Daniel explore the importance of building rapport in a business context. They discuss the significance of first impressions, body language, storytelling, and active listening as essential tools for creating connections. Eva shares practical tips for new leaders on how to engage with their teams and emphasizes the need for authenticity and presence in communication. The discussion also highlights common pitfalls to avoid when trying to be likable and th...
Dec 04, 2024•24 min
Enjoy a free copy of the book Richard discusses with the author, Dr. Stephen Graves. Visit this website for the download: https://www.stephenrgraves.com/fivetasks In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Steve Graves explore the essential tasks of leadership, emphasizing the importance of purpose, direction, speed, risk, and culture. They discuss how leaders can effectively set direction with clarity and courage, navigate the complexities of speed concerning market dynamics, and understand the va...
Nov 20, 2024•26 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Eva Daniel dive into why leaders need to be great public speakers. They explore the challenges leaders face in public speaking, the importance of storytelling, and the need for practice and feedback. Eva shares practical tips for enhancing presentation skills and the attributes that distinguish great speakers. The discussion also highlights the significance of humor and engagement in presentations, concluding with personal reflections on the joy of reading...
Nov 06, 2024•26 min
In this episode, Richard Ellis interviews Justin Barney, the CRO of Thousand Eyes, a Cisco company. The conversation focuses on three key areas: hiring, retention, and performance management. Hiring is emphasized as the most important aspect, with a focus on diversity and creating a diverse interview panel and candidate pool. Retention is discussed in terms of setting clear expectations, maintaining open communication, and celebrating successes. Performance management is highlighted as a necessa...
Oct 23, 2024•28 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Brian Lord discuss the critical role of keynote speakers in sales kickoffs. They explore the importance of understanding audience needs, budgeting for speakers, and post-SKO impact. Brian shares insights on measuring event success, avoiding common pitfalls in speaker selection, and creative ways to find free or low-cost speakers. The discussion also touches on the impact of coaching and mentorship in personal and professional development. Chapters 00:00 Th...
Oct 09, 2024•21 min
In this episode, Richard Ellis and Mike Fouts discuss the dynamics of leading a growth company within a larger legacy software company. They highlight the importance of balancing flexibility and cooperation, adapting to the fast pace of a growth company, and embracing the differences between legacy and high-growth environments. They also discuss the need to prioritize what matters, accept the things that can't be changed, and be self-aware when making career moves. The conversation concludes wit...
Sep 25, 2024•18 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis interviews Justin Barney, the CRO of Thousand Eyes, a Cisco company, about building a CRO career path. Justin shares his journey from Wall Street to technology and his passion for sales. He highlights the skills and traits that make a great CRO, including understanding the product and technology, being an active and transparent communicator, and knowing the numbers and metrics. Justin emphasizes the importance of customer success and collaboration with marketi...
Sep 11, 2024•23 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Mike Fouts discuss the concept of a digital-first sales model. They explore what it means to be digital-first, the implications for managing a business in this way, and the role of data in driving decision-making. They also touch on the importance of website usability, the value of trial users, and the impact on channel partners. Some key takeaways include the need for a data-driven mindset, the importance of a consultative approach with customers, and the...
Aug 28, 2024•22 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Tracey Mustacchio discuss the importance of aligning sales and marketing in order to provide a seamless customer experience and drive company revenue. They highlight the need for shared goals, values, and reporting between the two teams. They also discuss the misconceptions around alignment, such as the belief that marketing only generates leads and sales only closes them. They provide practical advice for leaders, including building strong relationships w...
Aug 13, 2024•18 min
In this episode, Richard Ellis and Darin Archer explore how to bridge that gap between product and sales organizations. The lack of collaboration and ineffective communication between product and sales is a common problem in many companies. The discussion highlights the challenges faced by product leaders and sales leaders in working together. It emphasizes the importance of balancing time spent internally and externally, as well as understanding the different perspectives and touchpoints of sal...
Jul 31, 2024•22 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Tracey Mustacchio discuss the importance of navigating your first board meeting and share practical tips for presenting to a board. They emphasize the need to understand the board's perspective and align your presentation with the overall business goals. They also highlight the importance of collaboration with other C-level executives and provide insights on structuring a presentation and handling detailed questions. Tracey shares a personal experience of ...
Jul 17, 2024•20 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis continues the conversation with Al Monserrat, a seasoned board member and CEO, about the importance of getting back to the basics as a leader. They discuss the value of performance evaluations, the basics of recruiting, hiring, and firing, and the benefits of having a personal board of advisors. Chapters 00:43 The value of performance evaluations 04:16 Three things you can do with feedback 07:09 Recruiting, hiring, and firing 12:51 Your personal board of advis...
Jul 03, 2024•17 min
Get ready for the new podcast from Revenue Innovations. When you are leading change, growing a business, and dealing with all of the accompanying challenges, it's easy to miss the goodness in the day-to-day. That's why we created Some Goodness...a place to dive into highs, lows, and how-tos with top sales and marketing leaders.
Jun 14, 2024•1 min
In this conversation, Richard Ellis interviews Al Monserrat, a seasoned board member and CEO, about the importance of getting back to the basics as a leader. They discuss the significance of showing up on time, doing what you say you're going to do, and providing clarity in direction, objectives, and timelines. Al emphasizes the role of habits in achieving consistent results and the need to develop positive habits around the basics. They also share personal stories and examples that will have yo...
Jun 14, 2024•23 min
