SBI, The Growth Advisory

In this Gainsight Pulse debrief, SBI’s Ray Makela and Annie Stefano explore the dual forces transforming customer success: AI as a strategic partner and customer education as a growth engine. Learn how leading CS teams operationalize tools, build outcomes-based journeys, and upskill talent to deliver measurable, value-driven results.

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Charlie Dorrier, leader of SBI’s enablement activation team, to unpack why most sales playbooks fail to drive performance — and what high-performing organizations do differently.Drawing on joint research with the Revenue Enablement Society, Ray and Charlie explore a surprising finding: simply having a manager playbook does not directly correlate with improved performance. They break down why playbooks often fall flat — from lack of executive sponsorship and overbuilt content to poor integration into managers’ daily workflows.Charlie shares what “best-in-class” activation actually looks like: leadership-led initiatives, bite-sized content shaped by influential sales leaders, and a structured 6–10 week enablement rollout designed to embed behaviors, not just distribute documents. Together, they discuss how to eliminate low-value manager tasks, define a clear operating cadence, and make the playbook a living, evolving system rather than a static manual.The conversation also dives into the future of playbooks — including AI-driven coaching prompts, CRM-integrated nudges, conversational intelligence triggers, and real-time digital access that transforms the traditional “owner’s manual” into an on-demand performance engine.If your organization has invested in playbooks but hasn’t seen the expected uplift, this episode offers a practical roadmap for turning strategy into sustained manager impact — and measurable performance gains.

In this episode of the SBI Sales Enablement Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Steve Shorey, a 20-year sales enablement leader, to explore how applying change management principles can help sales teams navigate today’s complex buying environment and reduce losses to indecision.Steve shares why most deals stall—not because of competition, but because organizations default to status quo—and how sellers can create true urgency before a crisis forces change. Together, they unpack how to build a guiding coalition across up to 30 stakeholders, define a shared strategic vision, generate quick wins during the sales process, and align around what success actually looks like.They also discuss why discovery is where deals are truly won or lost, how to enable champions internally, and why high-integrity selling—including walking away when you’re not the right fit—builds long-term trust. Steve highlights a real-world case where applying these principles reduced deals lost to indecision by over 40%.If your team is struggling with stalled deals, buyer friction, or “no decision” outcomes, this episode offers a practical blueprint for turning sales into a collaborative change journey—and winning the right way.

In this episode of the Sales Readiness Podcast, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Mark McWatters, Vice President of Revenue at Ambition, to explore how enterprise organizations can transform frontline managers into true coaching leaders.Mark shares why most sales initiatives fail to reach the frontline, how a structured coaching operating rhythm drives accountability, and why encouragement — paired with clear metrics — is a competitive advantage. Together, they unpack the role of AI in reducing administrative burden, improving coaching visibility, and helping managers focus on what matters most: developing people.If you’re looking to boost quota attainment, improve retention, and turn managers into force multipliers, this conversation delivers a practical blueprint for scaling a coaching culture that actually sticks.

In this episode, SBI’s Ray Makela sits down with Kelly Lewis, Co-Founder of The Revenue Insiders, to unpack why this is the year AI becomes truly operational inside sales organizations.From shortening ramp time and modernizing onboarding to enabling frontline managers with AI role play and real-time coaching, Kelly shares practical strategies for moving beyond AI hype and into measurable impact.They explore:Why six-month ramp times are becoming obsoleteHow AI role play is transforming frontline manager coachingThe shift from “one-size-fits-all” training to personalized nudge enablementWhere organizations are getting stuck — and how to start small for quick winsWhy EQ, empathy, and critical thinking will matter more than ever in an AI-powered worldIf you’re a revenue leader looking to cut through the noise and turn AI into a competitive advantage, this conversation is your roadmap.

In this episode, SBI's Ray Makela sits down with Christopher Kingman, Board of Directors & Founding Member of Revenue Enablement Society (RES), to explore how the RES is transforming professional development through their groundbreaking Certified Revenue Enablement Professional Program.Chris shares how a four-year collaboration with 15 diverse practitioners and Florida State University Sales Institute created the industry's first comprehensive certification program that bridges practical field experience with academic rigor.Together, they discuss the program's focus on human skills over technology, its design for both newcomers and veterans seeking to fill critical skill gaps, and the long-term vision to establish enablement as a recognized profession with standardized education pathways from undergraduate degrees to MBA programs.

In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Emilia D'Anzica, Founder & Managing Partner of Growth Molecules and Customer Success Expert, to explore how SBI transformed customer success training through acquiring Growth Molecules' proven curriculum.Emilia shares how customer success professionals often lack the sales skills needed to drive expansion revenue, the critical importance of seamless sales-to-CS handoffs, and why creating safe practice environments builds team confidence. Together, they discuss how SBI is taking Growth Molecules' customer success training to the next level, the metrics that matter most for CS teams, and why emotional intelligence and relationship building remain irreplaceable even in an AI-driven world.

In this episode, Ray Makela sits down with Caldwell Hart, Principal, Procurement and Supply Chain Management at Avetta, to explore how sales and procurement teams can transform adversarial relationships into strategic partnerships.Caldwell shares insider insights on how leading procurement organizations prepare for negotiations, why total value trumps lowest price, and the critical importance of involving procurement early in the sales process.Together, they discuss common misconceptions salespeople have about procurement, proven negotiation tactics that focus on solutions over price wars, and how AI is reshaping procurement processes to create more collaborative, value-driven business relationships.

In this episode, SBI Managing Director of Talent Development Ray Makela sits down with Mark Magnacca, President and Co-founder at Allego, to explore how organizations are transforming sales performance through digital enablement and AI-powered coaching.Mark shares how companies can move beyond static playbooks to create dynamic, rehearsal-based learning experiences that drive real behavioral change, and how AI role play technology now provides lifelike coaching feedback when it's most effective.Together, they discuss the evolution from traditional training to continuous skill development, the power of digital sales rooms in reducing buyer friction, and how AI tools can augment sales manager coaching by handling routine development while freeing managers to focus on strategic, deliberate coaching that drives lasting performance improvement.

In this episode, host Mike Hoffman sits down with Noel Goggin, multi-time CEO and AI implementation veteran, to explore how executives can navigate the stark reality of AI adoption where 70-95% of projects fail despite widespread claims of success.Noel shares hard-won insights from five years of AI initiatives, revealing why companies must shift from internal process automation to product transformation and why traditional delegation approaches doom AI projects from the start. Together, they discuss the critical need for founder mode leadership with dedicated cross-functional teams, how AI accelerates destructive political behaviors in organizations, and why the entire commercial model—from SaaS pricing to customer value delivery—requires fundamental rethinking in the AI era.