Crescendo went from zero to $100M ARR in under two years. And today's guest, CRO Michelle Donnelly, is leading the revenue team.
In a market where every AI competitor claims the exact same capabilities, Michelle argues that "trust me" sales tactics don't work anymore, and what her team is doing instead. She explains why she banned traditional sales demos in favor of building functional prototypes using prospect data (sometimes within 24 hours). Michelle also breaks down the transition to outcome-based pricing and how she she's working to compress new rep ramp time.
All this, and a ton more!
Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday.
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
Chapters:
01:39 Introduction to Michelle Donnelly and Crescendo
04:54 Leaving Salesforce for a risky hardware startup
11:25 Leveraging your network to spot market trends
16:18 Navigating pivots and finding product-market fit
19:44 Selling amidst the noise of the AI market
25:50 The challenge of simplifying complex messaging
30:45 Strategic priorities for scaling revenue teams
33:18 Replacing standard demos with "show me" solutions
35:50 Building trust by becoming your customer's customer
40:21 Balancing high-level strategy with frontline realities
43:02 Maintaining focus with the rule of three
45:09 Using internal AI to accelerate rep onboarding
48:23 Rapid fire: Traits of great revenue leade
