Mar 4, 2024
In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I had the pleasure of speaking with Sherri Sklar, a seasoned tech growth strategist and Chief Revenue Officer, while also an Operating Partner at Edison Partners, which a growth equity firm. Sherri partners with Boards, CEOs, and executive leaders to help them build, scale and optimize their sales, marketing and customer success teams.
In this episode we discuss:
- Strategies for effectively aligning sales and marketing efforts.
- How she first added Operating Partner to her CRO title
- The significant role her network track record of success has played
- The value of assessing talent and recruitng the best
- There sponsibilities of a CRO/Operating Partner
- Key metrics for gauging and optimizing success.
- Valuable insights into fostering a robust sales culture.
- All that and more.
Tune in and enjoy the episode.
Sherri Sklar's expertise (00:01:02)
Overview of Sherri Sklar's expertise and career in tech growth
strategy and revenue leadership.
Defining the role of an operating partner
(00:02:07)
Explanation of the role and purpose of an operating partner at a
private equity firm.
Operating partner expertise areas
(00:04:10)
Discussion of the different function areas besides go-to-market
that operating partners may focus on.
Transition to operating partner role
(00:09:24)
Sherri Sklar's transition from Chief Revenue Officer to operating
partner and the circumstances leading to it.
Networking and career opportunities
(00:10:56)
The role of networking and relationships in career opportunities
and job referrals.
Impact on a portfolio company (00:13:29)
Sherris impact on a portfolio company's growth and success.
Strategic decision-making (00:16:31)
The process of making strategic decisions and conducting
assessments for growth strategies.
Identifying common growth challenges
(00:19:49)
Common challenges and areas for improvement in scaling companies,
particularly related to identifying ideal customer profiles and
aligning sales and marketing.
Transitioning from fractional CRO to operating partner
(00:25:01)
The path from being a fractional CRO to becoming an operating
partner at a private equity firm and the necessary
qualifications.
The role of an operating partner (00:32:12)
The responsibilities and involvement of an operating partner in a
private equity firm, including due diligence, creating plans, and
being an advocate for portfolio companies.
Measuring success and impact on portfolio companies
(00:34:52)
Evaluating success and impact in terms of enterprise value, growth,
bookings, and retention, and the key levers to impact results
positively.
Evaluating sales talent for portfolio companies
(00:38:14)
The qualities and skills to look for in evaluating sales talent and
the impact of getting the right talent on the commercial value of
the company.
Coaching and leadership (00:51:15)
Sherri discusses the importance of coaching and leadership in
developing both talented and struggling team members.
Building a great sales culture (00:54:33)
Sherri suggests a meaty question for the next guest about building
a great sales culture and its impact on organizational success.