In this episode, hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray sit down with Joe Henderson, the current head of partnerships at ProsperOps. With over a decade of experience in the global partner ecosystem, Joe shares his invaluable insights on the importance of building long-term relationships in business. Takeaways: Focus on Long-Term Relationships . Joe emphasizes the importance of prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term transactions. He believes that approaching partnerships with a mindset g...
May 29, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this episode, hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray dive into data-driven partnership strategies with Bob Moore, co-founder and CEO of Crossbeam. Bob shares insights on leveraging data exhaust to drive go-to-market success. He discusses the transformative power of ecosystem-led growth, the importance of aligning partnership and go-to-market teams, overcoming the challenges of scaling partnerships, and real-world examples of how data-driven strategies lead to higher ACVs and faster deal closures. ...
May 21, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Rob Rebholz is the CEO and Co-Founder of Superglue, a VC-backed partner engagement platform for SaaS companies. Rob is also the Co-founder of Optilyz, Europe’s leading direct mail automation software. In this value-packed episode, Rob joins Hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to dive into the value automation can bring to partnership programs. Rob shares the importance of processes, the need to keep a regular communication cadence with partners, and how personalization is the key to making strong ...
May 16, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Today’s guest is a pragmatic thinker, a first-principles type of Founder, and an endless source of dinosaur facts. Mac Reddin is the Founder of Commsor, the company behind Matcha.so and Bronto. Mac joins Hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to dive into why the future of partnerships is people-first, how cultivating your own community drives conversions in the long run, and what to do to leverage mistakes in great marketing campaigns. Takeaways: Prioritize building relationships with individuals ov...
May 04, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 35
This episode is a treasure trove for those looking to elevate their partnership capabilities, offering practical advice on overcoming common obstacles and tapping into the untapped potential of collaboration in the tech sales arena. Blake Williams is the Founder and CMO of GrowthStory. Blake joins Hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to discuss real-world experiences of driving value through relationships, explaining the nuances of co-selling and the essential elements of crafting and executing eff...
Apr 23, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Amy Volas is the CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, Founder of Better Together with Amy Volas, and a Limited Partner of Stage 2 Capital. Amy joins Hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to discuss why it is so critical to set expectations together with your partners as early as possible. Amy also shares insights into how much time and money are wasted due to poor communication, why it’s imperative to maintain the trust of your customers and partners, and hiring pitfalls for founders to avoid. Takeaways: ...
Apr 16, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Today’s guest is a seasoned sales leader and mentor who brings a no-fluff approach to doing what's necessary to build teams the right way. He’s spent the last 20 years building & scaling sales organizations as a 6x sales leader and 3x founder. Scott Leese is the CEO and Founder of Scott Leese Consulting, CEO & Co-Founder of Surf and Sales, and Co-Founder of GTM United Community. Scott joins Hosts Justin Gray and Sean Kester to discuss how B2B software vendors can get their referral progr...
Apr 02, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Today’s guest has worked in many bootstrapped B2B start-ups and VC-backed companies, starting in sales roles and moving into marketing roles. He’s on a mission to make sure every B2B marketing and sales interaction provides impact outside of the product. Taylor Wells is the Host & Founder of GTM.news and Fractional Head of Demand Generation at Potential Opportunity. Taylor shares why go-to-market leaders need a reality check, why adding value to the end customer should be the focus of any pa...
Mar 26, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Today’s guest is a seasoned partnership leader with experience in building and managing strategic alliances with top technology and service companies. Samantha Yarborough is the Chief Growth Officer, Salesforce at Invisory, Co-Host of the Friends with Benefits Podcast , and a proud member of the Women in Partnerships community. Sam joins Hosts Justin Gray and Sean Kester to dive into the challenging yet rewarding world of forming strategic partnerships and navigating complex ecosystems like Sale...
Mar 19, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Today’s guest is a dynamic go-to-market leader who is passionate about partnerships. He's the Ted Lasso of business growth and a strong partner motion advocate. Judd Borakove is a Partner at Red Monkey Consulting and Co-Host of GTM Unfiltered. Judd joins Hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray to discuss how to prepare your organization for properly implementing the right partner motion, why speaking with the same language and terminology is a key part of a successful partnership, and what can happen ...
Mar 12, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this episode, Josh Wagner, Justin Gray, and Sean Kester discuss strategic business partnerships and how they can be built and leveraged for business growth. They highlight the importance of assessing a potential partner's alignment with your business strategy and the customers you serve, and also touch on the idea of handling objections through partnerships. They also discuss various types of partnerships, including co-marketing, co-selling, referral, and re-selling arrangements, emphasizing ...
Mar 05, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Today’s guest is an inspiring leader who has been a top performer at enterprise SaaS companies. She is the creator of the co-sell software category and she's also changing the flow of capital through the Fempire movement. Cassandra Gholston is the CEO of PartnerTap. Cassandra joins co-hosts Josh Wagner and Sean Kester to share why startups need to be thinking about partnerships as early as possible. Cassandra dives into how to build a partner-first culture, why you should focus on one partner at...
Feb 27, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Today’s guest brings a wealth of experience from nearly three decades working in the go-to-market world. Doug Landis is a Growth Partner at Emergence Capital. Doug joins Josh Wagner and guest host Sean Kester to discuss how building meaningful relationships is a powerful tool in the business world. They delve into the importance of “giving a shit” and how being genuinely interested in people will nurture relationships leading to robust networks over time. They also discuss how these connections ...
Feb 20, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Today’s guest has run business-altering partnership programs for companies such as Terminus and Drift. Jason Yarborough is the Co-Founder of Arcadia and the Co-Host of the Friends With Benefits podcast. Jason joins Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to discuss aligning leadership teams to empower each partner, the importance of your joint value proposition, and how to identify the red-flags of a bad partnership. Takeaways: Your Joint Value Proposition (JVP) is a “better-together story” that explains to...
Feb 13, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Welcome to Season 2 of The GTM Cheat Code Podcast ! This season, we’re focusing on Go-To-Market partnerships. We're super excited to have an awesome stable of guests coming onto the show in season two who are experts in partnerships, nearbound, and using those strategies to go-to-market. Our first guest to explore the world of partnerships with us is a nearbound revenue architect and self-proclaimed Thought-Doer. He is the former Senior Director of Partnerships at Drift, Co-founder of Partner Ha...
Feb 04, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Sangram Vajre’s career journey can be summed up in a few acronyms: MA (Marketing Automation), ABM (Account Based Marketing), and GTM (Go-to-Market). You may know him from Pardot, Terminus, Flip My Funnel, or GTM Partners – there’s hardly any conversation happening in the B2B world without Sangram being a part of it. He says he’s leveraged his “cheat” of being intentional with every single opportunity in every role he’s inhabited, from marketing expert to entrepreneur, and as a speaker, podcast h...
Dec 11, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 23
In the latest episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, hosts Justin Gray, Josh Wagner, and Sean Kester discuss what the fall of OpenView Partners means for Venture Capital and the startup world. The trio share why OpenView is only the first domino to fall and why other VCs should be taking a hard look at their own standing as well. They highlight problems and hard truths that likely contributed to OpenView’s struggles, in addition to the need for investor expectations to change. Justin, Josh and Sean ...
Dec 08, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Does success in B2B sales come down to having a natural aptitude for it or having the right training? According to Triple Session CEO Matt Doyon, this isn’t an either or question. It takes both. Matt says proper sales training often falls off after the initial onboarding process is over – and that’s a huge mistake, especially when it comes to building teams capable of seeing long-term success. Over the years, Matt developed a 3-step methodology to power his own sales performance. On this episode...
Nov 18, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 21
The Cheat Code Podcast co-hosts Justin Gray, Josh Wagner and Sean Kester recently took the virtual stage at the Nearbound Summit 2023 to share valuable insights and real-world experiences on the world of B2B partnerships. In this episode of the podcast, the trio address a number of questions from the conference audience.
Nov 14, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In the latest episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, co-hosts Justin Gray, Josh Wagner and Sean Kester reconvene for their Partnership Series. They shed light on the role of knowledgeable B2B partners to serve as the linchpin for businesses looking to succeed in product implementation and beyond. There are countless ways the right partnerships can benefit an organization. Adept partners excel in navigating integration processes, offering invaluable insights to clients and often enabling them to exec...
Nov 09, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In today’s fast-paced business environment, B2B leaders have their hands full navigating the complexities of team dynamics, role clarity, and personal growth. This is something Kevin OMalley knows a lot about. Kevin has been a marketing leader at companies of various sizes and stages, including Salesloft and Stax, where the pressure was on to move the needle and create impact. Over the years, Kevin has overseen marketing teams from three to 60 people. He’s learned a trick or two along the way, i...
Nov 02, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 18
How important is authenticity to a person, to a business leader, to a brand? According to Katie Martell, it’s absolutely crucial. In this episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, co-hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray welcome Katie – an “unapologetic marketing truth teller” – to discuss her cheat: unabashed authenticity. Staying true to oneself goes beyond branding and leadership, particularly in the context of social issues and movements. Katie, Josh and Justin discuss how companies are grappling with ...
Oct 27, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In the fast-paced realm of B2B, partnerships have become a cornerstone for driving lasting growth and keeping customers happy. They swing open the doors to fresh markets and customer bases, injecting businesses with extra know-how and resources, and nurturing the creation of solid product offerings. In this special episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, co-hosts Justin Gray, Josh Wagner, and Sean Kester put partnerships under the spotlight, highlighting their pivotal role in today's B2B scene. They ...
Oct 27, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 16
On this episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, co-hosts Justin Gray and Sean Kester welcome renowned sales influencer Gabrielle Blackwell to discuss her cheat: developing a playbook to operationalize career success. Playbooks are essential tools for ensuring that sales teams work cohesively, efficiently, and effectively. They provide a roadmap that empowers sales representatives to consistently achieve and exceed their targets, driving overall business success. And, as Gabrielle explains, a well-str...
Oct 12, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Since 2008, Scott Brinker has run the Chief Marketing Technologist blog, chiefmartec.com, to analyze topics at the intersection of marketing, technology, and management. Highly respected in the industry with more than 50,000 readers, Scott says there’s no “cheat” to becoming a subject matter expert. In fact, he says it’s taken him more than 10,000 hours to become a trusted source in his field. On this episode of The Cheat Code, Scott joins co-hosts Justin Gray and Sean Kester to discuss the long...
Oct 05, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Having a solid mentorship network is a game-changer for B2B startup leaders today. Mentors can offer wisdom, fresh perspectives, constructive criticism and even emotional support. They can also help expand your professional network, connecting you with valuable contacts and opportunities when you need it most. On this episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, Datos Insights CMO Megan Heuer joins co-hosts Justin Gray and Sean Kester to discuss the differences between mentors, advocates and coaches, and ...
Sep 28, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The VC world is hard to break into, but you can get your foot in the door with the right approach. Just ask David Paul, an entrepreneur who decided to pivot to venture capital. What he lacked in experience, he made up for with his own personal “cheat” – a combination of desire, curiosity and horsepower – to gain credibility and build relationships. After learning the ropes with a seed-stage venture fund, and spending five years with a multi-family office specializing in growth capital opportunit...
Sep 22, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In a crowded marketplace, where there are often numerous options for B2B solutions, a strong brand is a way to rise above the noise, establish credibility, and create lasting relationships with customers and prospects. It's not just about a logo or a tagline; it's about the overall perception and reputation your startup has in the minds of your target audience. In this episode of The Cheat Code, hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray welcome Goldie co-founder and CEO Scott Albro. Building up a brand ...
Sep 15, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Bringing on a co-founder – let alone selecting the right person – is a monumental decision for an entrepreneur. The appeal is there, especially knowing another leader would take some responsibilities off your plate. But as you pour in time, effort, money, and emotions into your business, even minor misalignments can become big headaches (and very expensive break-ups). In today’s episode of The Cheat Code Podcast, hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner welcome Cable co-founder and CEO Natasha Vernier ...
Sep 07, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 10
AdPipe’s Derek Grant has a long track record of success in sales and leading sales teams. He attributes this to his “cheat” – setting expectations and holding people accountable. Not only does setting a clear bar empower teams, it helps everyone stay on track to meet and exceed goals. But, there’s no such thing as setting and forgetting expectations. Derek and his team rely on weekly data check-ins to oversee progress and spotlight where trouble might be brewing. In this episode of The Cheat Cod...
Sep 01, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 9
