B2B Sales Trends

In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher speaks with Christian Smith, former Chief Revenue Officer at Splunk, about what it really takes to transform a business at scale. Christian helped lead Splunk through a massive shift — from $500M to $5B in recurring revenue and from on-prem to cloud SaaS. Drawing on his 35-year career, he shares what it means to go beyond traditional value sel...

In this episode, Harry Kendlbacher speaks with Ruxandra Aldea, Senior Regional Sales Director at Oracle, about what it really takes to stand out in competitive markets. Ruxandra shares why traditional, product-led sales approaches aren’t enough, how adopting a marketing mindset can transform account engagement, and where account-based marketing often misses the mark. She explains what drives effec...

Getting a meeting with a client’s executive team is tough — but getting your own executives ready to deliver the right message? That’s the real challenge. In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Samantha Snetselaar, VP of Strategic Sales at Qualtrics, joins us to unpack what it takes to equip your executive team to champion your deal. From mapping relationships to setting clear action plans, this con...

What does it take to build trust in high-stakes, high-complexity sales? In this episode, Lisa Gudding, President of Strategic Growth at Ipsos, joins Harry Kendlbacher to explore what it means to sell without the hard sell — and why empathy, curiosity, and strategic insight are more important than ever. They talk about the shift from service mindset to growth mindset, how to hire for human connecti...

Referrals aren’t just a nice-to-have — they’re one of the most powerful (and underused) levers in B2B sales. In this episode, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Ben Cronsberry, GTM Operations Lead at Shopify, to unpack what it really takes to build a scalable, repeatable referral engine. They discuss: - Why referral-based selling is about mindset, not just motion - How to activate your internal and...

What’s the real cost of doing nothing? In this episode, Frank Shipp — VP of Sales at Cardinal Health — joins Harry Kendlbacher to explore how healthcare sales teams can drive meaningful change in high-stakes, high-regulation environments. They dig into: How to quantify and communicate the cost of inaction to every stakeholder What it takes to earn buy-in from clinical, financial, and executive aud...

Channel sales is more than a route to market — it’s a relationship. In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Mike Hennings, VP of Business Development at Hubbell Inc., joins Harry Kendlbacher to unpack what it really takes to win with and through your partners. They cover: - Why starting with the right mindset is critical for effective channel strategy - How to build genuine trust and alignment with d...

Brian North, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Hearst, joins Harry Kendlbacher to unpack the challenge many sales leaders face: closing the gap between strategy and execution. They talk about what it really takes to move big, complex sales organizations toward results — from aligning teams around a shared goal to building repeatable habits that drive performance. In this episode: - How to make sure...

Sales enablement often focuses on reps — but what about the managers? In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Andy Kodner, VP of Revenue Operations and Enablement at Bazaarvoice, joins Harry Kendlbacher for a candid conversation about what it really takes to turn strategy into execution. They talk about: - Why sales managers are the key to sustained behavior change - How enablement can support frontl...

What does it take to succeed in today’s channel sales landscape? Mark Conley, Vice President, Americas Channel Sales at Cohesity, joins Harry Kendlbacher to unpack the evolution of channel partnerships — and what it means to lead in an environment where influence, trust, and collaboration matter more than ever. They talk about: - How to build partner trust without controlling the outcome - The uni...

In today’s fast-paced sales environment, it’s easy to focus on speed — but what’s the cost of moving too quickly? Rich Sander, Commercial Vice President at Smurfit WestRock, joins Harry Kendlbacher for a conversation about why slowing down can actually help you close bigger, more strategic deals. From resisting pressure to pitch too soon to earning trust in highly commoditized markets, Rich shares...

In an era of automation and data overload, what role does human instinct still play in B2B sales? Steven Jow, Executive Vice President of Sales at TD DYNNEX, joins Harry Kendlbacher for a wide-ranging conversation about selling through change — from navigating digital transformation and shifting buyer expectations to integrating AI tools without losing the personal touch. They talk about: - How St...

In today’s enterprise deals, selling to a single decision-maker is no longer enough. Salespeople need to navigate complex committees — and that means they can’t go it alone. In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with JP Flores, Senior Sales Director at CrowdStrike, to talk about why elite sellers think more like orchestrators than lone wolves. From building internal alig...

In high-stakes, complex sales, success often hinges on what happens before the RFQ ever goes out. In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Shari Begun — VP of Global Sales — to unpack what it really takes to win large deals in today’s environment. From account planning and roadmap conversations to stakeholder mapping and value defense, Shari shares practical strategies...

Procurement is often seen as the final hurdle in a deal — a price-focused gatekeeper that slows things down. But what if engaging procurement early could actually help you close bigger, more profitable deals? In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Mike Lander — former procurement director turned sales advisor — to rethink everything you thought you knew about working...

In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher reconnects with Sachin Wadhawan, who first appeared on the podcast as a sales engineering leader—and now returns with fresh insights from his role as Chief Revenue Officer at a fast-growing startup. Harry and Sachin dive into the challenges of standing out in crowded markets, why a technical sales background can be a hidden advantage for CROs,...

In this episode of the B2B Sales Trends podcast, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with David Winneberger, Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Customer Service at Siemens Healthineers, to explore what it really takes to transform B2B sales teams. They unpack why breaking out of a traditional sales mindset isn’t just about thinking differently — it’s about acting differently. David shares how Sieme...

In this 50th episode of B2B Sales Trends, host Harry Kendlbacher goes solo to reflect on one of the most urgent challenges in B2B sales today: declining win rates. Drawing on insights from the past 49 episodes—and 25 years of sales leadership—Harry breaks down the five steps of GPG’s proven Win Rates framework. Learn why 60% of B2B deals are lost to “no decision,” and how sales teams can shift fro...

In this bonus edition of the B2B Sales Trends podcast, we’re spotlighting one of the most popular questions we ask our guests: What are the top 3 traits that set elite salespeople apart? We’ve pulled together insights from six sales leaders across industries—from cybersecurity to healthcare to marketing—and the answers are anything but generic. You’ll hear from: - Mark Grimwood (Salesforce) - Kend...

In this episode of the B2B Sales Trends podcast, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Jude Boyle—an experienced sales leader in both enterprise and public sector environments—for a deep dive into what really drives sales forward in complex B2B deals. Together, they explore one of the most overlooked challenges in B2B selling: helping buyers recognize the problem before pitching a solution. Jude breaks...

In this episode of the B2B Sales Trends Podcast, host Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Kelly Magnaudeix, VP of Sales at GE Healthcare, to unpack one of the most persistent challenges in sales leadership: why strong strategies often break down in execution. Kelly shares actionable insights on: - Building coherence between strategy and sales execution - Ensuring clarity and simplicity for frontline...

In this episode of the B2B Sales Trends podcast, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Aditya Malik, VP of Sales Strategy and Operations at HighRadius, for a deep dive into what it really means to sell on value—especially in the highly competitive enterprise software space. Aditya brings two decades of experience across Unilever, Accenture, and at the time of this recording - HighRadius, where he led g...

In this episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher sits down with Todd Rotger, CRO of Saviynt, to break down the strategies that helped scale the company’s annual recurring revenue from $40M to $150M in just four years. Todd shares how his team made the critical shift from product-led selling to outcome-based conversations, the challenges SaaS companies face when scaling beyond $100M ARR, and...

In the latest episode of B2B Sales Trends, Harry Kendlbacher is joined by Lauren Cursiter, Global Marketing & Communications Manager at Google, to discuss how sales professionals can shift their mindset and approach to navigate the evolving sales landscape in 2025. Lauren shares insights on why attention spans are declining and how storytelling can help salespeople keep buyers engaged. The convers...

In the latest episode of the B2B Sales Trends podcast, Harry Kendlbacher is joined by Pat Hurley, VP & GM of the Americas at Acronis, for a deep dive into the mindset and resilience needed to succeed in today’s competitive sales landscape. Learn how top sales professionals stay focused on what they can control, build lasting credibility, and maintain persistence through challenges. Pat shares his...