The Sales Readiness Podcast™

The Missing Link Between Sales Playbooks and Performance

In the latest episode of The Sales Readiness Podcast, our host Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Development at SBI, is joined by Charlie Dorrier, Director of Training at SBI, to explore the gap between building playbooks and using them to drive results.  They dive into recent research on manager enablement, the pitfalls that cause playbooks to fail, and the tactics top-organizations are using to drive real change.  Key Takeaways:  ·      A well-designed playbook without enablement is just noise. ·      Executive sponsorship is essential for adoption and impact.  ·      AI presents an opportunity to deliver playbook insights directly into the sellers workflow.

A ‘Wicked’ Gainsight Recap: The Dual Forces Shaping Customer Success

In the latest episode of The Sales Readiness Podcast, our host, Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Development at SBI, is joined by Annie Stefano, Senior Training Consultant at SBI, to unpack their key takeaways from the recent Gainsight Pulse Conference.  Ray and Annie share their firsthand insights on the evolving trends in customer success and enablement, highlighting the rising impact of dedicated customer education and the shift toward value-based outcomes.  Key Takeaways:  ·      The role of AI as a strategic partner to enhance customer journeys.  ·      How customer education is becoming critical levers for customer success to achieve operational efficiency.  ·      Why enablement leaders must evolve their teams to deliver outcomes-based value to drive growth.

Predicting and Preventing Revenue Impacting Mistakes

In this episode of The Sales Readiness Podcast, our host Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Development, is joined by Christina Brady, CEO and Co-Founder of Luster.ai to explore why traditional sales training often falls short and how a data-driven approach can transform outcomes. The two dive into how AI and predictive analytics are setting a new standard for sales effectiveness. Key Takeaways -Relying on lagging KPIs like quota attainment is no longer enough to drive performance. -Practical strategies for building a scalable, customized program that delivers measurable outcomes. -How to uncover skill gaps by using predictive proficiency measurement tools. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G7IQ0teTos0 Follow SBI on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sbi-growth/ Visit SBI's Website: https://sbigrowth.com

Embedding Customer Success into GTM: Where Strategy Meets Execution

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Development, sits down with Annie Stefano, Senior Training Consultant, to continue their conversation on Customer Success. The two tackle what it takes to operationalize CS across the customer journey.  Key Takeaways:  ·      How to reduce friction between Sales and CS by establishing shared goals.  ·      Metrics that showcase impact, including both leading and lagging indicators.  ·      The evolving role of AI in CS.

Redefining the Role of Customer Success

In this Sales Readiness Podcast episode, our host Ray Makela, SBI’s Managing Director of Talent Development, is joined by Annie Stefano, Senior Training Consultant at SBI, to break down how to rethink Customer Success roles, close key skill gaps, and build enablement programs that help CS teams deliver commercial impact. Key Takeaways: -Three foundational skills every CS team needs today. -The value in defining the CS role to limit friction in the buying process. -Ways to say no to a customer that delivers more value.