Sharebird
Sign Up / Sign In
Andrew Zinger

AMA: Fastly Senior Director, Global Sales Enablement, Andrew Zinger on Establishing the Sales Function

August 19 @ 10:00AM PT

View AMA Answers

  1. What's your framework to prioritizing needs/deliverables when you're the first sales leader at a company establishing the function?

    Andrew Zinger
    Andrew Zinger

    Ironclad Senior Global Director, Revenue Enablement • 9mo

    Fantastic question. As the first sales leader at a company, you’re essentially laying the foundation while also focusing on driving growth...which means prioritization is everything. A framework should then help you to balance what drives revenue now with what sets up repeatability and scalability later. Here’s an approach I've taken in the past that may prove helpful: 1. Anchor to the goals of the business Confirm and clarify the company revenue/sales objectives for the next 12–18 months (e.g., ...Read More

    625 Views
    2 requests

  2. What are the biggest surprises when going from a company where sales was established to one where you have to establish sales?

    Andrew Zinger
    Andrew Zinger

    Ironclad Senior Global Director, Revenue Enablement • 9mo

    This is a great question and something a lot of leaders underestimate until they’ve lived it. Moving from an established sales org to being the person who has to establish sales from scratch comes with some big surprises in my experience: 1. There’s No Playbook...You Are the Sales Playbook Established company: You inherit processes, enablement, collateral, comp plans, CRM dashboards, and managers who know the selling motions. New build: None of that exists. You have to define ICP, sales stages, ...Read More

    429 Views
    1 request

  3. How does sales leadership differ between a small and large company?

    Andrew Zinger
    Andrew Zinger

    Ironclad Senior Global Director, Revenue Enablement • 9mo

    Thanks for this question. I dont think it needs to be much more complicated than this:

    • Sales leadership at a small company = GTM Architect + Player-Coach roles in sales.

    • Sales leadership at a larger, more established company = Business Operator + Scale Strategist.

    2 very different roles and skill sets, yet both equally important to the success of the revenue organizations

    553 Views
    2 requests

  4. What is your advice for creating and/or improving the sales process when joining a small but growing team? Particularly for a small company with no or little structure?

    Andrew Zinger
    Andrew Zinger

    Ironclad Senior Global Director, Revenue Enablement • 9mo

    Such a great question and one that many folks struggle with. In my mind, the job of a sales leader looks very different depending on whether you’re at a small/startup stage or a large/established company. The differences really come down to scope, focus, and maturity of the sales function/sales org: 1. Role Focus Small Company: You’re a builder–seller hybrid. Often still in deals yourself, while also creating the sales playbook, defining ICP, setting up the infrastructure (CRM, LMS, etc) and hir ...Read More

    427 Views
    2 requests

  5. How do you coordinate and work cross functionally with the demand generation team to create commonly shared KPIs?

    Andrew Zinger
    Andrew Zinger

    Ironclad Senior Global Director, Revenue Enablement • 9mo

    When sales and demand gen work off different gtm plans, alignment breaks down fast. In my experience, the key is to co-create KPIs that are tied directly to revenue outcomes and reflect shared accountability in achieving those goals. Here are some key things to consider in order to drive better alignment: 1. Start with alignment to the Company’s Revenue Targets Begin by anchoring on ARR/new logo/expansion goals. Work backwards: how much pipeline is required, from which segments, at what conversi ...Read More

    448 Views
    2 requests