In this insightful episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey deep-dive into the crucial topic of assigning the right person to the sales leadership role within a company and the risks and opportunities that come with it. Leveraging their experiences in sales consultancy and drawing from the wisdom of thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs, they explore how CEOs can de-risk their company’s growth potential by stepping back from direct sales and fostering a culture of accountability, infrastructure, and high performance in their sales teams.
Key Topics Discussed:
- The Risk of CEO-led Sales: The episode starts with a discussion on the potential risks of having a CEO or owner-operator as the sales leader, emphasizing how this could constrain business growth.
- The Theory of Constraints: The hosts explain the theory of constraints using a compelling example from a book called The Goal, drawing parallels to how constraints can hinder sales and growth within a company.
- Building a Sales Organization: They delve into the necessity of professional salespeople and a dedicated sales manager to bring in new revenue, enabling the CEO to focus on larger issues within the organization.
- EOS and Right Person, Right Seat: Sean mentions EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and the importance of having the right person in the right seat to drive growth, particularly once a company reaches a certain size.
- Building a High-Performance Culture: The hosts discuss how to build a high-performance sales culture that is systematic and repeatable, using examples from sports dynasties and successful companies.
Key Quotes:
- “What is the risk of the owner-operator being the only salesperson or the sales leader when the person is leading the company and leading sales? What you end up with is a business that is constrained by the amount of time that leader has.” – Kevin Lawson
- “If you want to know how we know this, it’s cuz we’ve done this a few times, we’ve worked with a number of businesses, and this is how we help people grow.” – Kevin Lawson
- “It’s okay to ask for help, but it’s also very important that you have experts doing the job as much as possible so that you can be very, very effective at driving performance and driving your company forward.” – Sean O’Shaughnessey
Additional Resources:
- The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt (https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/0884271951)
- Traction by Gino Wickman (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837)
- Previous episodes featuring Tim Warren, CEO of Helium SEO – https://sites.libsyn.com/458454/building-and-scaling-successful-sales-teams-a-conversation-with-tim-warren-of-helium-seo and https://sites.libsyn.com/458454/part-2-building-and-scaling-successful-sales-teams-a-conversation-with-tim-warren-of-helium-seo
In this episode, Kevin and Sean break down the importance of implementing a well-structured sales team and the necessity for CEOs to delegate sales leadership. They highlight the risks of an owner-operator leading sales and how it can limit business growth. Using their experience and the wisdom of successful entrepreneurs, they provide valuable insights into creating a systematic, repeatable, and high-performance sales culture. So, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to streamline your sales process and drive your company forward, this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales is a must-listen. You won’t want to miss it!
