Rev-Up Sales

Jeremey Donovan is the Executive Vice President of Sales + Customer Success at Insight Partners, one of the world's leading growth equity firms, where he partners with portfolio company leaders to scale commercial teams and build repeatable, data-driven revenue engines.His career spans over 25 years and cuts across semiconductor engineering, product development, and sales and marketing leadership - giving him a genuinely rare vantage point on how to apply rigorous systems thinking to the messy, human world of sales. He's held senior roles at SalesLoft, CB Insights, GLG, Gartner, and the American Management Association, and brings both the operator's instinct and the engineer's precision to everything he touches. Jeremey is the author of five books, including the international bestseller How to Deliver a TED Talk and Predictable Prospecting - a title that tells you everything about how he thinks about go-to-market.He's also an Adjunct Professor at NYU School of Professional Studies and the host of the Hey Salespeople podcast. He holds an MS in Data Science from the University of Virginia, an MBA from Chicago Booth, and a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell.In this episode, we dig into how revenue leaders should think about AI not as a collection of point solutions, but as a systems-level opportunity to redesign how selling actually works.

Lori Richardson is a longtime B2B sales strategist, author, and speaker, best known for helping companies build stronger sales teams and for championing women in sales leadership. She spent over two decades in tech sales before founding Score More Sales, a consultancy that works with leaders in SaaS, tech, telecom, manufacturing, distribution, financial services and professional services to solve sales problems and grow revenue. Lori Richardson She is also the founder and president of Women Sales Pros, a network and advisory group focused on increasing the number of women in B2B sales and sales leadership roles. WOMEN Sales Pros Beyond consulting, Lori coaches at Harvard Business School, runs the popular podcast “Conversations with Women in Sales,” and is recognized widely as a top sales influencer and #womeninsales advocate.

Adam O’Connor is the Chief Commercial Officer at Gear Inc, where he leads global sales strategy, drives revenue growth, and builds strategic partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. With over a decade of experience in international business development and offshoring, Adam has scaled operations and optimized customer engagement across sectors like tech, finance, social media, and healthcare. Previously CRO and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Cloudstaff, Adam brings deep expertise in BPO, content moderation, and trust & safety. A regular voice in the outsourcing community, he’s been featured on the Outsourcing Fit podcast, sharing insights on leveraging global talent and navigating the complexities of digital operations.

​Elliott Boll is a seasoned sales professional currently contributing to Closers.io, a company renowned for delivering world-class sales results and scaling strategies. He holds a degree from Imperial College London and is based in the United Kingdom. ​Throughout his career, Elliott has demonstrated a deep understanding of sales dynamics and leadership. His insights into generational differences in sales leadership and the impact of fear on potential have been well-received within the professional community.Elliott's commitment to continuous improvement and his ability to adapt to evolving sales landscapes make him a valuable asset to any organization. His recent transition to Closers.io underscores his dedication to empowering revenue leaders and maximizing value in the sales domain

As a Hall of Fame speaker and thought leader in influential communication, they help professionals transform how they show up and lead. Their keynotes are packed with actionable strategies that empower individuals to build trust, communicate with clarity and drive action—whether in presentations, meetings, or everyday conversations.With over two decades of research, they work with Fortune 500 executives, business leaders and teams to enhance their influence. Their Monday to Monday® philosophy ensures that every interaction leaves a lasting impact, delivering measurable results.Looking for a dynamic keynote that will inspire and equip your audience to elevate their influence? Find out how to collaborate: https://staceyhankeinc.com/speaking

As CRO for Owner.com, Kyle leads a team of world class go to market professionals who help independent restaurants grow their direct, online takeout and delivery channels. He currently owns the sales, partnerships, onboarding, success, support, revenue operations and enablement portfolios. Kyle leverages his 15+ years of experience in B2B SaaS sales, go-to-market strategy, and revenue leadership to provide value-added solutions for his clients and drive growth for his company.He is also a Limited Partner (GTM Fund, Stage 2 Capital), Advisor, and Angel Investor for several SaaS-focused funds and startups, where he shares his insights and expertise on scaling, selling and servicing SaaS products. Kyle is passionate about supporting the SaaS ecosystem and empowering entrepreneurs so he speaks frequently at conferences and on podcasts and webinars.Additionally, Kyle is a founding member and Co-Chapter Head of the Toronto chapter of Pavilion, a global community of revenue leaders and operators.

Donald is the host of the popular sales podcast,"The Sales Evangelist". He is the founder of The Sales Evangelist Consulting Firm where he helps small companies develop killer sales process to scale their business and increase growth.Donald is also an award-winning speaker, sales trainer, and coach. He's a big fan of traveling, South Florida staycations and high-quality family time. Donald has a belief that “anyone” can sell if they have the desire and receives the proper training.

Leslie Venetz is a 3x Head of Sales with 15-years of experience running successful B2B outbound sales motions. She is the founder of The Sales-Led GTM Agency and is ready to help teams talk WITH buyers instead of AT them.

With over 25 years in the sales industry, John Barrows has held various positions, ranging from making 400 calls a week to serving as the VP of Sales at a self-funded startup that was acquired by Staples.Now, he leads JB Sales, a training company that collaborates with top organizations such as Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Google, as well as many of the world's fastest-growing companies. His extensive experience has provided them with deep insights into the effective strategies and common pitfalls in sales and has trained over 100,000 sellers!Committed to continuous learning and improvement, he aims to use his knowledge to uplift sales professionals and enhance the field itself, believing that when executed proficiently, sales is the most rewarding profession. Find him on LinkedIn, through his newsletter (https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter-jbsales), and via his Membership and Training programs (https://www.jbarrows.com/individual-training).

Mike is an experienced sales professional with 25 years of experience in strategic sales, former #1 AE at DocuSign and Oracle. Ran the "Big Deal Team" at DocuSign which included the Executive Engagement Program and Advisory Board. Co-developed "The DocuSign Way" sales methodology. Trained and coached 100s of sellers. Today Mike is the CRO and Co-Founder of 100 Handshakes, a relationship acceleration platform, which enables sellers to build relationship maps (org charts) for strategic accounts for account planning and to collaborate with the customer.

Dave Kennett, CEO of ReplayzIQ a new generation of call intelligence software that automatically scores sales calls joins Alex to talk all about sales coaching - what is it, why isn't it happening and how to embed coaching into a team.

Chris Orlob is the CEO of pclub.io and QuotaSignal. Listen in to learn about Chris's journey growing Gong.io from $200k to $200M ARR and a $7.2B valuation in less than six years and how he built pclub.io! He has trained over 10,000 SaaS and tech salespeople on SaaS sales calls with the #1 online course platform for B2B sellers.

Visit https://apprento.io/download to Learn how to Sell in Uncertain Times. Get the FREE Guide now.In episode 49, we had an illuminating discussion with AI pioneer Peter Voss about his mission to develop human-level artificial intelligence. With over 20 years dedicated to cognitive systems, Peter offers thought-provoking insights on the limitations of today's AI and a compelling vision for the future. Peter explains that while statistical, generative AI like GPT-3 has achieved impressive results, fundamental constraints remain. Massive datasets and extensive training are required. There is no real-time learning or conceptual thinking. Information is not integrated into an evolving model. In contrast, Peter's company takes a cognitive approach focused on incremental learning, conceptualisation, reasoning, and contextual understanding. This allows chatbots to deeply comprehend conversations, rather than simply recognising keywords to trigger scripted responses. Peter shares examples of their technology in action. 1-800-Flowers uses it to offer personalised gift recommendations based on purchase history and occasions, outperforming humans during peak seasons. It provides a hyper-personalised experience by remembering individual customers.While current AI has limitations, Peter sees it as improving sales and service by automating repetitive tasks. This allows reps to handle more complex issues and build customer relationships.AI can also help salespeople access key information and follow up on actions. But Peter believes human trust and rapport will remain essential for high-stakes sales.Looking ahead, Peter is most excited about achieving human-level AI to unlock new possibilities. Virtual scientists could research solutions to humanity's biggest problems at massive scale. AI assistants could provide trusted, customised advice to make us better people. And automation could substantially lower costs to generate prosperity. Peter's vision is thought-provoking. While AI will only partially replace human intelligence sometime soon, he makes a strong case for its potential to enhance our abilities and make progress on problems if developed responsibly. We appreciate his balanced perspective on both the promise and limits of this rapidly advancing technology.Listen to this episode and gain deep insights into the limitations of current AI models and discover a revolutionary cognitive approach to artificial intelligence.Learn how to Sell in Uncertain Times. Get the FREE Guide: https://apprento.io/download Schedule your call with Alex or Scotty: https://apprento.io/call Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apprento.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71642692Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apprento