Revenue Builders

Thirty days into the CEO job, Bob Darbelnet’s first board meeting opened with a question about where he planned to take the company. His answer was “I don’t know yet. I’m still listening and learning.” It’s one of nearly 100 lessons in The CEO’s Playbook, from a leader who started out driving a road service truck in Quebec and went on to run AAA. With John McMahon and John Kaplan, Bob explains why rolling out a new strategy in your first 90 days backfires, what separates a strong board member from a passive one, and why your old playbook has to stay behind when you step up. Bob Darbelnet is the former President and CEO of AAA, has served on 17 boards across the U.S., Canada and Europe, and wrote The CEO’s Playbook: Leading from the Boardroom to the Breakroom, which he shares free on LinkedIn one chapter a week. Connect with Bob:LinkedIn Resources mentioned:The CEO’s Playbook - Leading from the Boardroom to the Breakroom by Bob Darbelnet Key takeaways from this episode: 00:00 Why “I don’t know yet” was the best answer Bob gave at his first board meeting as CEO11:56 What it really takes to stay balanced in a job that is never done21:09 What leaders often overlook about a board that decides everything unanimously30:51 The mistake many operators make when they bring a problem to the board with only one answer35:17 A look inside Bob’s rule for bad news, and why “too bad to be true” deserves a second look47:31 Why new leaders who skip the listening phase walk straight into the 90 day trap51:32 Bob Darbelnet’s perspective on leaving your old playbook behind when you get promoted Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Most companies think strategy is about finding the next big competitive advantage, but Chuck Bamford has learned through years advising Fortune 500 companies that half of strategy isn't about winning – it's about not losing. It's about nailing the fundamentals: your billing, your support, how fast you respond to customers. Yet most leadership teams skip right over this work to chase the shiny innovation. In this clip, Chuck walks through why companies get this backwards, why they obsess over innovation while customers leave over broken table stakes, and what it takes to get the fundamentals right. Because until you do, your competitive advantage doesn't matter. Dr. Chuck Bamford is the Managing Partner at Bamford Associates and an adjunct professor of strategy at both Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. He's worked with more than 170 organizations to design and implement strategy that actually drives behavior, and he's the author of many books, including The Strategy Mindset 2.0. Connect with Chuck:LinkedInWebsite Resources mentioned:The Strategy Mindset 2.0: A Practical Guide to the Design and Implementation of Strategy Listen to the full episode:Strategy That Teams Actually Execute with Dr. Chuck Bamford Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Plenty of revenue leaders are watching good people walk out the door after a single bad quarter, left wondering whether it's the market or the culture. In this clip, Rob Potter, CEO of Oomnitza and a veteran sales leader from RSA, EMC, and Symantec, breaks down the line between transactional leadership, which runs on threats and quotas, and transformative leadership, which builds the kind of pride and belief that survives a missed number. Get this wrong, and you're rebuilding your team every time the market turns. Rob Potter is CEO of Oomnitza, an enterprise technology management platform, and a venture partner at SYN Ventures. His path to the corner office ran through engineering and sales leadership roles at IBM, WRQ, Symantec, and RSA/EMC, where he worked alongside leaders including Art Coviello and Joe Tucci before running revenue organizations of his own. Connect with Rob:LinkedIn Resources mentioned:Force Management's Command of the Message®Force Management's Conversation Guide Listen to the full episode:Reps Who Skip the Story Lose the Deal with Rob Potter Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

Sales teams have never had more research at their fingertips, and buyers still say reps don’t understand their business. The prep docs look great right up until someone asks how the customer actually makes money. Matt Fermino calls it Seller Deficit Disorder. He joins John McMahon and John Kaplan to break down how AI turns information into a crutch, how his leaders use call recordings to coach tone and likability, and why coachability matters more in hiring than where a candidate is today. Matt Fermino is the Chief Revenue Officer at Fable Security and previously held senior sales leadership roles at Astronomer, Starburst, and Cybereason.  Connect with Matt:LinkedIn Resources mentioned:Fable SecurityGong Key takeaways from this episode: 00:00 - Why one question from a Verizon executive turned an account handoff into a lesson that company never forgot03:29 - Why many CROs mistake a polished prep doc for real understanding of the customer08:43 - What leaders often overlook about the high-impact pain reps quietly steer away from in discovery16:48 - Matt’s perspective on how the same AI prompts leave 50 reps sounding exactly alike27:57 - A look inside the weekly call review habit that turned Matt’s reps into self-coachers46:49 - Why coaching through questions gets reps further than handing them the answer57:11 - The mistake many hiring managers make when they confuse taking feedback with being coachable Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management

The next leadership opportunity is rarely earned by chasing a title, compensation package, or predetermined timeline. Mark Thurmond explains how consistent execution, continuous learning, and the ability to attract trusted people create career momentum that compounds over time, giving revenue leaders a more durable way to evaluate their next move. Mark Thurmond is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Tenable, where he oversees the company’s go-to-market functions across sales, marketing, customer success, professional services, and technical support. His career includes senior operating and sales leadership roles at EMC, RSA, Qlik, and Turbonomic. Connect with Mark:LinkedIn Listen to the full episode:The Hard Moments That Build a CEO with Mark Thurmond Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.  This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.  Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management