SBI, The Growth Advisory

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela joins Sam Herring, VP and GM of Intrepid, to explore how AI is transforming every stage of the revenue journey—from the way buyers research and engage with sellers to how sales teams are coached, trained, and enabled for long-term success. Drawing on SBI's latest research, Ray explains why AI is raising the bar for sellers, making strategic advisory skills...

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Brian Williams and Warren Shiver, partners of The Brevet Group, to discuss the story behind Brevet's integration into SBI and the shared vision driving the partnership forward. Together, they explore how Brevet's roots in management consulting shaped a unique approach to sales transformation—one focused not just on strategy, but on drivi...

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Dave Lingebach, Senior Researcher at SBI, to unpack the findings from SBI's latest research on frontline sales manager effectiveness. Together, they explore why sales manager training remains one of the most overlooked investments in go-to-market organizations despite its outsized impact on revenue performance. Dave shares data showing that...

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Christina Brady, CEO and Co-Founder of Luster, to explore the emerging category of Predictive Enablement and how AI is transforming the way organizations develop revenue talent. Drawing on her experience training more than 30,000 professionals and advising over 100 startups, Christina shares why traditional enablement often identifies skill gaps onl...

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Craig Riley and Jamie Halpin, to explore what separates successful AI-driven go-to-market organizations from those still struggling to realize measurable ROI. Together, they unpack the growing divide between “AI haves” and “have-nots,” and why leading companies are using AI not just to improve productivity, but to make smarter revenue decisions acro...

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Annie Stefano, Senior Training Consultant for Client Success, to unpack what it really takes to turn client success teams into revenue drivers. Annie shares how organizations can shift from a transactional “buyer” mindset to a long-term customer growth strategy—starting with one of the most critical moments in the journey: the sales-to-CS handoff. T...

In this Gainsight Pulse debrief, SBI’s Ray Makela and Annie Stefano explore the dual forces transforming customer success: AI as a strategic partner and customer education as a growth engine. Learn how leading CS teams operationalize tools, build outcomes-based journeys, and upskill talent to deliver measurable, value-driven results.

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Charlie Dorrier, leader of SBI’s enablement activation team, to unpack why most sales playbooks fail to drive performance — and what high-performing organizations do differently. Drawing on joint research with the Revenue Enablement Society, Ray and Charlie explore a surprising finding: simply having a manager playbook...

In this episode of the SBI Sales Enablement Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Steve Shorey, a 20-year sales enablement leader, to explore how applying change management principles can help sales teams navigate today’s complex buying environment and reduce losses to indecision. Steve shares why most deals stall—not because of competition, but because organizations default to status quo—and h...

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Mark McWatters, Vice President of Revenue at Ambition, to explore how enterprise organizations can transform frontline managers into true coaching leaders. Mark shares why most sales initiatives fail to reach the frontline, how a structured coaching operating rhythm drives accountability, and why encouragement — paired...

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Kelly Lewis, Co-Founder of The Revenue Insiders, to unpack why this is the year AI becomes truly operational inside sales organizations. From shortening ramp time and modernizing onboarding to enabling frontline managers with AI role play and real-time coaching, Kelly shares practical strategies for moving beyond AI hype and into measurable impact....

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Christopher Kingman, Board of Directors & Founding Member of Revenue Enablement Society (RES), to explore how the RES is transforming professional development through their groundbreaking Certified Revenue Enablement Professional Program. Chris shares how a four-year collaboration with 15 diverse practitioners and Florida State University Sa...

In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Emilia D'Anzica, Founder & Managing Partner of Growth Molecules and Customer Success Expert, to explore how SBI transformed customer success training through acquiring Growth Molecules' proven curriculum. Emilia shares how customer success professionals often lack the sales skills needed to drive exp...

In this episode, Ray Makela sits down with Caldwell Hart, Principal, Procurement and Supply Chain Management at Avetta, to explore how sales and procurement teams can transform adversarial relationships into strategic partnerships. Caldwell shares insider insights on how leading procurement organizations prepare for negotiations, why total value trumps lowest price, and the critical importance of...

In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Mark Magnacca, President and Co-founder at Allego, to explore how organizations are transforming sales performance through digital enablement and AI-powered coaching. Mark shares how companies can move beyond static playbooks to create dynamic, rehearsal-based learning experiences that drive real behavioral chan...

In this episode, host Mike Hoffman sits down with Noel Goggin, multi-time CEO and AI implementation veteran, to explore how executives can navigate the stark reality of AI adoption where 70-95% of projects fail despite widespread claims of success. Noel shares hard-won insights from five years of AI initiatives, revealing why companies must shift from internal process automation to product transfo...

In this episode, SBI's Nick Toman sits down with Craig Riley from SBI Research and Dan Harmeson from QuadSci, to explore how SaaS companies are engineering predictable account growth through AI-powered product usage analytics. Craig and Dan share groundbreaking insights from their analysis of 160 billion data points across 9,100 accounts, revealing how companies can predict churn with 90% accu...

In this episode, Mike Hoffman sits down with Jeff Kiesel to explore how Restaurant Technologies Inc. transformed its operations and sales strategy through AI-powered optimization and strategic partnership. Jeff shares how their 8-year collaboration with SBI helped Restaurant Technologies achieve a 30% reduction in distribution costs through route optimization, maintain consistent mid-teen market s...

In this episode, SBI Growth Advisory Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Phil Putnam, a seasoned sales enablement leader with over 20 years in tech, to explore how sales organizations can master strategic negotiations without sacrificing value or margins. Phil shares how SBI's Value-Driven Negotiation program helps sellers understand that negotiation isn't jus...

In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Bart Freedman, Vice President of Sales at Biamp, to explore how Biamp transformed its global sales organization through a value-driven selling program. Bart shares how partnering with SBI helped BiAmp navigate a hyper-competitive market, elevate sales conversations from technology features to business value, and...

In this episode, Mike Hoffman sits down with Domenic Colasante, CEO of 2X Marketing, to unpack what it takes to drive growth in 2025’s uncertain market. They explore how AI is reshaping go-to-market strategy, why traditional buyer journeys no longer exist, and how leaders can blend machine intelligence with human judgment to find clarity amid the noise. Dom shares lessons from running a 1,500-pers...

This episode, Tony Erickson, Managing Partner of SBI Growth Advisory, sits down with Nicole Rogas, President of RevSpring, to talk about what it really takes to make an impact fast in today’s commercial leadership roles. She challenges the old idea of a six-month “listening tour” and shows how AI accelerates impact, while sharing how leaders can balance speed, accountability, and relationships in...

In the latest episode of the GTM Value Creation Corner Podcast, JD Miller, author of The CRO’s Guide to Winning in Private Equity, joins Anthony Erickson, SBI’s Managing Partner, to share actionable insights for navigating boardroom conversations with confidence. Key takeaways from the episode include: - Preparing for tough questions and concerns. - Communicating effectively with the limited day-t...

In this episode, Anthony Erickson, SBI Managing Partner, hosts JD Miller, author of “The CRO’s Guide to Winning in Private Equity,” to explore the critical role predictability plays in achieving consistent growth in today’s fast-moving business environment. Together, they break down the common challenges business leaders face when trying to predict outcomes and provide practical solutions for impr...

In this conversation, Mike Hoffman speaks with Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and CEO of SolarWinds, about the role of AI in IT and business and the challenges of commercial efficiency and productivity. Sudhakar shares insights on how SolarWinds has integrated AI into their products to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. They also discuss the importance of talent management an...