Sales Transformation Lab

How to maintain Energy as a Leader navigating change with the former CRO at Caxton

In this episode of Sales Transformation Lab, Matt is joined by Melanie Mills, an experienced revenue leader with 20+ years in B2B and B2C, former Chief Revenue Officer at UK fintech Caxton Payments and now Founder & CEO of Connection Career Collective (CCC). Together they tackle a topic most leadership conversations skip over: 👉 How do you maintain your energy as a leader, especially in a market defined by constant change, AI disruption, tight budgets and talent uncertainty? Mel shares her unconventional journey from fashion and cosmetics to fintech and tech leadership, and how curiosity, community and relentless learning helped her break multiple glass ceilings along the way. In this conversation, they unpack: * Why “sales” has always been about people, not products and how that mindset shaped Mel’s career * How she built an impactful career by creating her own personal advisory board * The hidden risk of today’s hiring trend: prioritising “safe” experienced hires over hungry junior talent * Practical ways leaders can protect and replenish their energy (including why quarterly holidays beat annual burnout) * Mel’s take on the “996” hustle culture and why it’s not sustainable for most leaders * How connection, community and authenticity directly impact team motivation and performance * Why building a trusted network and “paying it forward” has underpinned every major step in her career * How CCC is helping career-driven women (and male allies) progress in underrepresented industries If you’re a CRO, founder, VP or emerging leader trying to lead humans through change without burning out, this episode is your reset button 0:00 Welcome and introduction of Melanie Mills (Revenue Leader, Founder & CEO of CCC). 0:47 Setting the stage: Today's topic is energy and its effects on team performance. 1:17 Melanie’s career journey: From fashion retail to founding the Connection Career Collective (CCC). 7:06 The secrets to career transition: Why curiosity, continuous learning, and an "advisory board" are crucial for success. 9:48 Navigating the evolving market: Why organizations now need a more dynamic profile of leader. 14:04 The risk-aversion trap: Discussing why companies often default to experienced hires over hungry junior talent. 16:29 Practical ways leaders can maintain and improve their personal energy levels. 18:31 Thoughts on the "996" hustle culture and its realism in leadership. 21:09 Connection, community, and motivation: How a leader's authentic energy impacts team performance. 24:48 The value of building a trusted network and paying it forward. 26:38 Overcoming the inertia around building a personal brand and online profile. 31:26 The mission and objectives behind the Connection Career Collective (CCC).

The 6 must-have ingredients for successful Sales Transformation

Jonny Adams brings decades of hands-on experience driving high-impact transformation and commercial excellence across professional services, technology, and financial sectors in Europe and the US. In this episode, he dives deep into what it takes to achieve Go-to-Market (GTM) transformation, aligning strategy, people, and technology to deliver measurable growth. You’ll learn: * What GTM transformation really means and why it matters for your growth mandate. * Key internal and external components: market insights, proposition clarity, planning, team design, and tools. * Triggers for transformation: investment growth, PE consolidation, and new C-suite hires. * Leadership challenges in transformation: alignment, tenure, and change management pitfalls. * How to select the right vendors and avoid technology fatigue. * The importance of people, mindset, and capability assessment to ensure the right talent in the right roles. * Multi-functional alignment: why Marketing and Sales KPIs must talk the same language. 0:00 - GTM transformation overview 6:32 - Core components of GTM transformation 8:59 - Transformation triggers & investment impact 10:56 - Leadership challenges: tenure, alignment & change 14:52 - Leadership as the hub & change management gaps 20:31 - Communication risks in transformations 23:10 - Vendor strategy & tech considerations 28:09 - Watchouts: tech fatigue & CRM reliance 30:28 - Talent, mindset & capability assessment 36:51 - Multi-functional alignment for Marketing & Sales 40:27 - Closing remarks

How to reboot your outbound sales engine during a GTM Transformation

Sales transformation is everywhere—and revenue teams feel it first. In this episode, Arianne Riddell (ex-LinkedIn, BBC, Feefo), now Chief Sales Officer at Personal Group, shares a people-first playbook for leading through change: embed values that actually guide behaviour, reset your first 90 days, rebuild foundations (process, narrative, enablement), and shift teams from inbound-reliant to outbound-confident—across both sales and post-sales. You’ll learn: * How to set credible 30/60/90 priorities in a messy reality * Why values (pace, passion, professionalism) accelerate execution * The switch from product-led to benefit-led narrative * Using enablement tools (Salesloft, Walnut, Salesforce) the right way * Building outbound habits and coaching CS to drive land–expand * The candid truth: “love them in or love them out” 00:00 Real problems: focus, motivation, performance 00:15 Intro & episode setup 01:05 Series theme: transformation everywhere 02:01 Market pressure & team impact (UK/US) 03:06 Ariane’s journey (media → LinkedIn → SaaS leadership) 05:05 Hypergrowth lessons & people-first leadership 07:00 Values that drive behaviour (pace, passion, professionalism) 08:12 Navigating resistance to new vision 10:28 “Love them up or love them out” 11:41 First 90 days: priorities vs. reality 12:12 Rebuilding foundations: process, narrative, enablement 13:23 Salesloft, Walnut, creds, collateral, hiring Head of New Biz 15:20 Data-led talent profile & replicating success 18:12 Breaking inbound dependence → outbound mentality 21:04 Why outbound is the controllable growth lever 22:16 Making CS truly commercial (top-down & bottom-up plays) 24:00 Channel mix: does phone still work? 25:26 Testing, learning, iterating; hiring SDRs 27:24 Wrap & connect with Ariane on LinkedIn

What Pro Sport can teach us about going upmarket and building an Enterprise GTM Motion

In this episode of the SaaS Sales Performance Podcast, host Matt Milligan sits down with Tanvir Bhangoo and former college football player turned commercial leader, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Pro Business Mindset. Tanvir is the Founder of TBX Digital, where he helps organizations unlock elite performance under pressure by applying principles from sports to business. Together, they explore how sales and revenue leaders can build resilience, sharpen execution, and lead teams through market turbulence by focusing on process, mindset, and fundamentals, not just pipeline velocity. Expect a grounded, practical conversation on how to perform when conditions are tough and how to lead with grit, discipline, and clarity when your team needs it most. You’ll learn: ✅ Why "training camp" fundamentals matter more than ever in tough markets ✅ How to reset your mindset and team habits during a downturn ✅ What true leading indicators of enterprise performance look like ✅ Why in-person connection is becoming a competitive advantage again ✅ How EQ, consistency, and discipline outperform over-activity 🎧 A must-listen for CROs, VPs of Sales, and leaders navigating uncertainty in 2025. 00:00 – 00:15 | Protecting the Core in Downturns Why companies are cutting costs, consolidating tech, and focusing on essentials. 00:15 – 01:34 | Meet Tanvir Bhangoo From football field to boardroom — how sports shaped Tanvir’s leadership philosophy. 01:34 – 03:43 | Market Mindset: Grit Over Growth Hacking Navigating instability by focusing on fundamentals, not just outbound acceleration. 03:43 – 06:55 | Back to Training Camp Reassessing what works, cutting what doesn’t, and rebuilding habits that drive performance. 06:55 – 08:48 | The Sniper Approach to Pipeline Why fewer, more targeted deals outperform high-volume outreach in slow markets. 08:48 – 10:56 | Resetting Boardroom Expectations How leaders can proactively communicate and reforecast during tough quarters. 10:57 – 13:20 | Managing Process, Not Just Results Why the best leaders focus on consistency, not outcome dependency. 13:21 – 15:14 | Mindset Under Pressure High performers master what they can control — habits, routines, and focus. 15:14 – 17:29 | KPIs That Matter in Enterprise Sales Measuring stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and true customer understanding. 17:30 – 19:51 | Reading the Right Leading Indicators Early signals of success: relationships, collaboration, and customer depth. 19:52 – 22:42 | Why In-Person Still Wins The trust dividend of face-to-face meetings in an AI-driven world. 22:42 – 24:01 | Doing the Hard, Inconvenient Work The mindset of elite performers — doing what most avoid. 24:01 – 25:38 | The Power of Restraint Knowing when to slow down and rebuild strength before pushing forward. 25:38 – 27:38 | Owning the Pipeline Why top performers source their own deals and lead by initiative. 27:38 – 29:06 | AI’s Role: Automate the Transactional, Humanize the Strategic EQ, trust, and relationships will define the winners in high-value sales. 29:06 – End | Growth, Fulfillment & What’s Next for Tanvir A look at Tanvir’s upcoming book and where to connect for more insights.

How AI is reinventing outbound Sales and the truth behind AI SDRs

In this episode of the SaaS Sales Performance Podcast, we sit down with Frank Sondors, Co-Founder and CEO of SalesForge. With a career spanning Google, high-growth SaaS startups, and now building cutting-edge AI-driven sales automation, Frank shares his unique perspective on the future of outbound sales, pipeline generation, and sales efficiency. We explore how traditional outbound models—built on ever-growing headcount—are breaking down, and how AI, automation, and smarter processes can drive predictable growth with leaner teams. Frank also highlights the market realities shaping sales today: talent shortages, buyer saturation, and the rise of AI-to-AI communication. You’ll learn: * Why sales software needs to evolve away from “big-team” assumptions * How to increase productivity per rep using AI and automation * Why outbound channels like cold email and cold calls are declining—and what’s next * The future role of AI SDRs, and when they do and don’t make sense * What leaner, AI-augmented revenue teams of the future will look like 00:00 - 02:00 Introduction of the episode, guest Frank Sondors, and the topic—outbound sales and pipeline efficiency 02:00 - 04:00 Frank’s background: Google, SaaS, founding SalesForge, and rapid $0–$3M growth in 22 months 04:00 - 07:00 Inefficiencies in traditional sales models: reliance on headcount and dissatisfaction with old approaches 07:00 - 10:00 Building software ecosystems that reduce reliance on large teams; addressing deadwood in sales 10:00 - 13:00 Attrition challenges and the high cost of acquiring top sales talent 13:00 - 16:00 Increasing individual productivity with automation, AI, and smarter processes 16:00 - 19:00 Market saturation: overwhelmed buyers, AI filtering, and the rise of AI-to-AI communication 19:00 - 22:00 Adapting continuously: testing channels like direct mail, offline events, and content sharing 22:00 - 25:00 Decline of cold calls/emails; need for experimentation and integrated touchpoints 25:00 - 28:00 Leveraging automation platforms and integrating humans with AI 28:00 - 31:00 Follow-up automation strategies and handling high meeting volumes 31:00 - 34:00 Future of AI agents in sales; when AI SDRs make sense 34:00 - 37:00 Criteria for AI SDR adoption: large account pools, mid-market deals, shorter cycles 37:00 - 40:00 Pitfalls of over-relying on AI without product-market fit; need for iteration 40:00 - 43:00 Testing AI solutions effectively: 3-month cycles and embracing failure 43:00 - 45:00 Future team structures: lean, technical GTM engineers and RevOps specialists 45:00 - 47:00 Augmentation, not replacement: humans + AI for better margins and efficiency 47:00 - 48:00 Closing remarks: salesforge.ai, upcoming events, and advice to adopt AI and automation