Sales Is King

In this episode of Sales Is King , Dan Sixsmith sits down in San Francisco with Jack Caragol, a senior sales and GTM executive leader to explore the habits and leadership principles behind a career spanning Oracle, Symantec, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Anaplan. Jack shares how learning his customers’ business accelerated his early career, the lessons behind scaling a global business at ServiceNow,...

Dan Sixsmith sits down with John Belle, CRO of Justworks, to trace the unconventional path from accidental salesperson to Chief Revenue Officer. John shares hard-won lessons on leadership, hiring, and building a go-to-market engine — from his early days selling textiles to leading revenue at one of the fastest-growing HR tech platforms in the country. They dig into John's leadership manifesto,...

Dan takes Sales Is King on the road to Del Mar Beach in San Diego for a conversation with Jen MacDonald, SVP of Americas at Talkdesk. Jen shares how she rebuilt Talkdesk's sales org for the shift to agentic AI, replacing 90% of leadership and 60% of AEs in 18 months and grew revenue anyway. They dig into hiring for AI-era selling, coaching with MEDDPICC, in-person prospecting tactics that are...

Episode Summary Dan sits down with Kevin Bogner along the Chicago River for a candid conversation about his 30+ year sales career: from 18 years at Microsoft to Philips, a CRO stint at a Vista Equity portfolio company, leading global sales at Outreach, and now building the SMB and commercial sales organization at Stripe. Key Topics & Takeaways The "How" vs. The "What" in Sales Kevin's longtime...

Tamara(Tamie) Adams, Chief Revenue Officer of Octave, joins host Dan Sixsmith in the New York studio during one of the most pivotal weeks of her career ,the day before Octave rings the bell on the NASDAQ. Tamie shares how she was recruited into a $1.6B carve-out from Swedish parent company Hexagon, and walks through the transformation she's driven across sales, customer success, enablement, and ch...

In this episode of Sales Is King, host Dan Sixsmith sits down in the New York City studio with Rachel “Rae” Roberts, President of Americas Sales at Check Point Software, a leading cybersecurity company. Rachel shares why she joined Check Point to help lead enterprise AI security, how the company has radically restructured its go‑to‑market model, and what today’s best sales organizations are doing...

In this episode of Sales Is King, Dan sits down in the new Midtown Manhattan studio with Craig Bowman, SVP of Public Sector at Trellix and author of the new book Craft: CIA Elite Selling. Craig brings a wild career arc to the mic—from clandestine work with the CIA and the intelligence community to building high‑performing sales teams at Adobe and now leading public sector growth at scale. Craig un...

In this episode of Sales Is King, host Dan Sixsmith kicks off the show’s 10th year and the launch of a brand new studio with a powerhouse guest: Andrew Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Red Hat. Andrew shares how Red Hat is driving double‑digit growth with its hybrid platforms, automation, and AI capabilities—while staying anchored in long‑standing values like freedom, cour...

In this episode of Sales Is King, host Dan Sixsmith sits down with Jon Addison, Chief Revenue Officer at Okta, to unpack how identity is becoming mission-critical in a world of AI agents, distributed work, and rising security expectations. Jon shares how Okta is evolving from product to platform, why identity is central to securing AI, and what it really takes to lead large, global go-to-market or...

In this episode, host Dan Sixsmith interviews Marilee Bear the CRO at Gainsight. Marilee reflects on her first year at the helm, discussing the company’s impressive growth trajectory, recent strategic acquisitions, and the challenges and opportunities presented by a major leadership transition. Marilee shares actionable strategies for improving net revenue retention, such as leveraging data-driven...

Summary In this episode, Dan Sixsmith interviews Sam Jacobs, CEO and founder of Pavilion, discussing his journey from working as a finance executive to building a thriving community for go-to-market executives. They explore the challenges faced by leaders in today's fast-paced environment, the importance of community, and the evolving landscape of sales and AI. Sam shares insights on the futur...

In this episode, Dan Sixsmith interviews Stevie Case, the CRO of Vanta, discussing her unique career journey, the current state of B2B sales, and the importance of customer retention and growth strategies. They explore how Vanta integrates AI into its solutions and the significance of building a personal brand in sales. Stevie shares insights on leadership, motivating diverse teams, and her defini...

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 t...

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 Ga...

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 strat...

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 shar...

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 tou...

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 highligh...

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...

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 signific...

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 hig...

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 challenge...

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...

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 b...

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.