00:10:28 · Kris Nagel
Even as a CEO today, I view my job as building the organization in a way that we're building the right team for the sales team to call upon to be successful in their sales engagements, in their renewal engagements, in the things that they need to do to run their business. I am a big believer in product led growth. At the same time, the best technology doesn't always win. It's about creating awareness depending on the solution of the product, creating some kind of viral notion in the market. At the end of the day, it is still selling. You're selling not with a direct salesperson, but with a product and with a website and with a trial process. It's still selling. It just so happens that there isn't a salesperson in the middle of that process. Instead of, I've got great technology, everybody should buy this stuff, but how do I expose this technology and what business problem am I trying to solve? That's a form of selling. At Ping, we went through a huge transition. We called it high velocity selling for a certain component of the market, and the idea was to allow the customer to do as much self education as possible. They had to find us when they had a problem. We had to align to the problem that they were having. We had to give them a way to learn without talking to us. And at some point, they may or may not talk to a salesperson. So I think for early entrepreneurs, early stage companies, product led growth can be incredibly valuable. It really depends on the macroeconomic situation. There's been a real slowdown in product led growth companies. It will come right back as soon as the economy improves. But think of it as selling. Don't think of it as I got great technology. The other real dependency here is the nature of the market that you're targeting. No matter how good a product or a technology or a platform might be, enterprises have financial analysts. They have procurement people. They have decision making processes. They have 14 levels of approvals. It's incredibly difficult to get through that buying process in the enterprise without a seller involved in some form or another. And that sales team is not just your own sales team, it is all of the partners in the ecosystem. There are very well established channel and distribution mechanisms for people to bring products and services to market.
00:12:32 · Kris Nagel
There are the large system integration partners that are trying to solve big problems for the enterprise. That is an extension to your selling motion, right? And you have to think about how to build and grow off of that. So I really view it as a continuum, purely product led growth, early days, think of it as a sales mechanism and you're selling. The product has to do a big part of that selling, but it's also awareness and website and partnering factors in there. As you move up in the enterprise, then you'll have to have direct selling teams involved. You've got to think about kind of where you are and what you're trying to accomplish at a given point in time, and it changes for the company over time. It's a continuum, and you just kind of have to know where you are and what you're trying to accomplish. Looking back now, your 20s and 30s are about a time of exploration, particularly your 20s. To find yourself and who you are as a person, how you want to contribute back to society and what you want to do professionally. I encourage everyone, right, at that stage of life to explore, to follow your passions, to follow things that are interesting. Compensation and money will come with time. In my case, I knew I wanted to be in technology, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in technology, right? So trying different operational kinds of functions in an organization is a great way to explore, trying different technology types. If I look back over my career, it's been everything from hardware, software, enterprise software, appliance driven activities, cloud. So there are, you know, technology evolutions happen over time, but exploring those things as they come up is a fantastic opportunity. I really encourage people, don't put too much pressure on yourself to find the right thing. Until you explore and know what you're truly passionate about, continue the search.
00:14:27 · S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, S9, S0
Ad[00:14:27] S3: Your sausage McMuffin with egg didn't change. Your receipt did. The sausage McMuffin with egg extra value meal includes a hash brown and a small coffee for just Ad[00:14:36] S4: $5. Only at McDonald's for a limited time. Ad[00:14:39] S5: Price and participation may vary. Promotion pricing may be lower than meal pricing. Ad[00:14:42] S7: Sam's Club is the club for every holiday club. Guess who's joining the club this season? Walmart Plus. Yep. Sam's Club Plus membership now comes with Walmart Plus at no extra cost. Two memberships, one great price. Just a $120 a year could save you time and over $700. Wanna get in on the membership duo of the century? Visit sam'sclub.com. Come join us. Sam's Club. Ad[00:15:03] S8: Annual plan only auto renews TNC apply estimate based on average combined Walmart Plus and Sam's Club Plus savings among members of both for one plus year versus nonmember or club member pricing slash fees excludes membership fee. See Walmart Plus terms and Sam's Club terms for more info. Ad[00:15:12] S9: This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just $15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, Ad[00:15:20] S0: like, all I want. Right. Okay. We can afford that. Ad[00:15:24] S9: You know what? Forget the music budget. We're gonna stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch.
00:15:24 · S9, S10, S11, S12
Ad[00:15:24] S9: You know what? Forget the music budget. We're gonna stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. Ad[00:15:30] S10: Upfront payment of $45 for three months, dollars 90 for six months, or $180 for twelve month plan required, $15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra, new customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. Ad[00:15:43] S11: Carhartt's holiday gift guides were built in collaboration with the greatest gift giver of all time, Santa Claus himself. Old Saint Nick counts on Carhartt's durable gear to have his back through rain, sleet, and snow on the biggest night of the year. Because when everyone's counting on you to do your job, what else would you wear to work? Tap the banner to grab a gift for every hard working person on your holiday shopping list, or head to carhartt.com. [00:16:10] S12: 'Twas many nights before Christmas, and one woman knew she needed a Christmas tree, so to Wayfair, she flew. Finding just the right one, and for years, it will last. Wayfair shipping was free and remarkably fast. What's this? Garland, a wreath, essentials to host? Good thing she celebrates way longer than most. As her cart filled with magic and decor from the heart, merry Christmas to all. Get your Wayfair head start. For holiday decor you can count on year after year, Wayfair delivers.