PE Sales Rigor | The Revenue Leadership Podcast

I sat down with Kyle Norton on The Revenue Leadership Podcast to chat about what it’s actually like to lead sales in a PE-backed company as part of the book tour for The CRO's Guide to Winning in Private Equity.

We talked about PE being a bit like "house flipping" for tech companies—you find a business with great bones, make good renovations, and sell it for more later on.

We spent a lot of time on why the typical CRO only lasts about 18 months.

I believe part of it is leading with "facts" vs. "hope.

I’m pretty maniacal about annual planning—I won’t sign off on a growth number unless we can point to the specific levers (new logos, price increases, or product launches) that will actually get us there.

It’s also about moving away from the "superhero" startup phase where one person saves the day, and moving toward a rigorous, data-driven system where everyone knows exactly how their work moves the needle.