The Sales Performance Ecosystem - Guest Compilation - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #41

The Sales Performance Ecosystem - Guest Compilation - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #41

Host Seth Marrs brings together insights from five of the industry's leading voices to explore one of the biggest shifts happening in modern revenue organizations: the rise of the Sales Performance Ecosystem. Featuring perspectives from Eilon Reshef (Gong), Varun Puri (Yoodli), Jordan Ledwein (Sandler), Lisa Ellis (Sandler), Curtis Schroeder (Varicent), and Seth himself, this special compilation examines how AI, continuous coaching, behavior reinforcement, and performance measurement are reshaping the way sales teams learn, practice, execute, and improve. Rather than treating enablement as a one-time event, this conversation explores how the highest-performing organizations are building connected systems that turn learning into lasting behavior, and ultimately, measurable revenue outcomes. Takeaways: * Why traditional sales training often fails to translate into lasting behavior change. * How AI is enabling continuous coaching before, during, and after customer conversations. * The importance of connecting learning, practice, execution, and reinforcement into one unified system. * Why the future of revenue enablement is less about replacing people and more about amplifying human performance. * How modern sales leaders can measure skill development, not just activity or quota attainment. * Why successful AI adoption depends on integrating technology into existing workflows instead of adding more complexity. * How continuous learning and "everboarding" can keep sales teams aligned as products, messaging, and markets evolve. Quote of the Show: * "Learn. Practice. Do. Learn. Practice. Do. That's the loop we're closing." - Varun Puri  Guest LinkedIn’s:  * * Curtis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisschroeder/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisschroeder/] * Varun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-puri001/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-puri001/] * Lisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisanicoleellis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisanicoleellis/] * Eilon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eilonreshef/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eilonreshef/] * Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanledwein/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanledwein/] Ways to Tune In: * Innovative Revenue Leader Website: InnovativeRevenueLeader.ai [http://innovativerevenueleader.ai]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468]  * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089]

Rethinking Sales Enablement - Lisa Ellis - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #40

What does it look like when a learning scientist gets her hands on the most powerful AI training technology ever built? On this episode of Innovative Revenue Leader, host Seth Marrs sits down with Lisa Ellis, Head of Product Management at Sandler, to explore how she is redesigning the way revenue organizations build knowledge, demonstrate skill, and embed lasting behavior change. Lisa brings a rare combination of backgrounds: informal science educator, Harvard master's graduate in Education and Product Innovation, and the architect of Sandler's first AI role play simulation platform. The conversation covers why knowledge transfer alone leaves 80% of training investment on the table, how interactive AI tutors are replacing static e-learning, and what it actually means to go from conceptual understanding to real behavioral change on a Tuesday afternoon discovery call. If you lead a revenue organization and want to understand why training never seems to stick, Lisa gives you both the academic framework and the practical roadmap. Takeaways: * Everboarding is no longer just a concept. The idea of continuous learning has existed for years, but the technology to actually deliver it at scale is finally here. AI tutors now let reps have a real conversation with new content the moment it ships, rather than absorbing a recording passively. * Passive learning stops where the real work begins. Multiple choice exams and recorded videos measure what someone knows, but they do not measure whether those skills show up on an actual call. The gap between knowing and doing is where most training investment disappears. * Behavioral measurement changes the return on training entirely. Research shows that even with genuine intent to apply what they have learned, only about 20% of skills actually transfer. Shifting measurement from knowledge recall to observed skill execution is a fundamentally different approach to enablement. * The frontline sales manager is the most overburdened person in a revenue organization. Forecasting, coaching, developing, and selling all land on one person. Technology that surfaces behavioral data reduces the failure points in manager led coaching without replacing the human relationship. * Methodology mastery has never been measurable at scale until now. Skills like upfront contracts and pain discovery are conceptually easy to understand but require going three or four layers deeper to execute effectively. Giving managers visibility into actual execution, not just self-reported knowledge, is what unlocks the full value of a methodology. * Learning through play is not a soft idea. It is the most effective model for building durable skills. Creating safe environments where reps can try things before they are ready, get real feedback, and recover from mistakes is what converts training into performance. * The entire e-learning strategy has to be rebuilt. Static Articulate Rise courses and pre-recorded videos are being disrupted. Organizations that continue to rely on them are leaving a generational leap in capability on the table. Quote of the Show: * "You have to be uncomfortable to get comfortable with something." - Lisa Ellis Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisanicoleellis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisanicoleellis/] * Website: https://sandler.com/ [https://sandler.com/] Ways to Tune In: * Innovative Revenue Leader Website: InnovativeRevenueLeader.ai [http://innovativerevenueleader.ai]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468]  * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089]

Rethinking Sales Training in the Age of Ai - Varun Puri - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #39

What if your entire sales team could be trained, certified, and ready for game time the same week a product update ships? On this episode of Innovative Revenue Leader, host Seth Marrs sits down with Varun Puri, CEO and Co-Founder of Yoodli and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, to explore how AI is fundamentally changing the way revenue organizations learn, practice, and perform. Varun brings a rare combination of perspectives: early Alphabet employee who reported directly to Sergey Brin, moonshot project veteran, and now founder of an AI communications platform trusted by Google, Salesforce, Sandler, and ServiceNow. The conversation covers the collapse of quarterly training cycles, the architecture behind always-on enablement, and why communication skills are becoming more valuable, not less, as AI takes on more of the revenue workflow. If you lead a revenue organization and wonder why your training investments never seem to stick, this episode offers both a diagnosis and a path forward. Takeaways: * Quarterly training cycles are already broken. By the time a large sales team finishes a training rollout, the product it covers has changed dozens of times. AI agents make it possible to train reps in real time, the moment anything ships. * Ever-boarding replaces onboarding as a mindset. The goal is no longer a one-time ramp. Revenue teams need a continuous loop of learning, practice, and application tied directly to what is actually changing in the business. * Passive learning does not create behavior change. Multiple choice quizzes, recorded videos, and PDF decks do not move the needle on rep performance. Interactive AI tutors that respond, adapt, and challenge reps produce retention that static content cannot. * Role play only works when it is connected to real selling situations. Isolated practice tools have limited impact. When role play is tied to actual call recordings, live deals, and company-specific methodology, it becomes a coaching system rather than a checkbox. * Communication is the most underleveraged skill in revenue organizations. The ability to show up, ask good questions, and build trust is the single biggest differentiator between reps who perform and those who plateau. AI can now make that kind of coaching accessible at scale. * Adoption requires a clear job to be done. Buying a tool and handing it to reps does not create change. Leaders who anchor rollouts around specific, familiar use cases before expanding build the habits that make the technology stick. * The opportunity is not just in sales. Manager conversations, QBRs, promotion discussions, and cross-functional communication are all coachable moments. The most forward-thinking organizations are treating AI-assisted learning as an enterprise-wide capability, not just a GTM function. Quote of the Show: * “Training is no longer the bottleneck sandbag dragging everyone back.” -Varun Puri Links: * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/varun-puri001 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-puri001/] * Website: https://yoodli.ai/ [https://yoodli.ai/]  Ways to Tune In: * Innovative Revenue Leader Website: InnovativeRevenueLeader.ai [http://innovativerevenueleader.ai]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468]  * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089]

Amplifying Human Performance - Jordan Ledwein - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #38

How can AI do more than save time for sales teams? In this episode of Innovative Revenue Leader, Seth Marrs sits down with Jordan Ledwein, Co-Founder of Sales Lift and Reinforcement Services Partner at Sandler, to explore how AI is changing sales coaching, training, and skill development. Jordan shares how organizations can use AI not just to automate tasks, but to help sellers improve performance through feedback, practice, and reinforcement. The conversation covers AI-driven coaching, sales skill development, CRM adoption, conversation intelligence, and how revenue leaders can redirect time previously spent on administrative work into more impactful coaching and development activities. Jordan also discusses why continuous learning remains one of the most valuable skills in an AI-enabled world. Takeaways: * AI can help sales professionals improve their skills by providing feedback and identifying opportunities for improvement, not just by automating tasks. * Revenue leaders should use AI to free up time for higher-value coaching and rep development rather than simply reducing workload. * As AI increases selling time, communication, storytelling, questioning, trust-building, and other core sales skills become even more important. * CRM systems are becoming more valuable to sellers as AI helps turn captured data into actionable support and insights. * Effective coaching requires more than checking boxes; leaders need visibility into how well skills are being executed over time. * Organizations can use AI to measure training adoption and understand whether sellers are actually applying what they have learned. * Continuous learning and adaptability remain critical skills as technology continues to evolve. Quote of the Show: * “Be open to learning new things and be a continuous learner.” - Jordan Ledwein Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanledwein/ * Website: https://www.sandler.com [https://www.sandler.com/]   www.saleslift.com [https://www.saleslift.com/] Ways to Tune In: * Innovative Revenue Leader Website: InnovativeRevenueLeader.ai [http://innovativerevenueleader.ai]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468]  * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089]

The Metrics That Matter - Curtis Schroeder - Innovative Revenue Leader - Episode #37

How should revenue leaders evaluate sales performance? In this episode of Innovative Revenue Leader, Seth Marrs sits down with Curtis Schroeder, Head of Research and Insight at Varicent, to examine one of the most debated topics in sales leadership: measuring seller performance. Together, they explore why commonly used metrics such as quota attainment, win rates, and pipeline creation often fail to provide a complete picture of seller effectiveness. Curtis shares insights from his research on sales performance measurement, the importance of evaluating performance in context, and why revenue per rep can provide a more meaningful view of contribution. The conversation also explores AI’s growing role in coaching, performance visibility, and skill development, as well as the importance of curiosity in building a successful sales career.  Takeaways: * Quota attainment often reflects both seller performance and quota-setting accuracy, making it an imperfect measure of individual effectiveness. * Win rate can reward sellers for pursuing easier opportunities rather than creating greater customer value. * Pipeline creation is important, but it measures what sellers say they are going to do rather than what they have actually accomplished. * Revenue per rep provides a direct connection between seller contribution and business outcomes. * New sellers should be evaluated based on their trajectory and development over time, not a single point-in-time performance snapshot. * AI is making it easier to connect sales skills, coaching insights, and performance outcomes in ways that were previously difficult to measure. * Curiosity can be a powerful career strategy for understanding performance, improving skills, and helping others succeed. Quote of the Show: * “It’s about the trajectory, not a point in time.” - Curtis Schroeder Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisschroeder/ * Website: https://varicent.com [https://varicent.com/] Ways to Tune In: * Innovative Revenue Leader Website: InnovativeRevenueLeader.ai [http://innovativerevenueleader.ai]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb [https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hn0sJKCzneggQj3j4XKo3?si=02c4c44769dc41bb]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-innovative-revenue-leader/id1843401468]  * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/48477601-e33b-4c80-a4af-739863e58131]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-innovative-revenue-leader-6233089]