RevRev Ep. 6 – Joe Kuntz

Joe Kuntz, CRO at Jobvite, joined me for this week’s episode of Revenue Revolutionaries to discuss how he thinks about coaching team members and customers, what it takes to sustain a great culture over time, the key to finding balance as a CRO, and the power of embracing servant leadership.

Episode Key Takeaways

1. Leadership is a state of mind – In order to lead successfully, it’s imperative that leaders understand the importance of helping other people be successful. The only way to accomplish this is to have a mindset that puts others first. This has surfaced in new ways for Joe during the pandemic. Hear him talk about how it’s more important than ever to bring empathy and perspective to the workplace.

2. The power is not in the statement, the power is in the question – Joe’s advice is to keep the other person’s perspective in mind when coaching a team member. There is immense power in leveraging questions to effectively help individuals improve professionally and grow personally. Be mindful of the questions you are using to drive constructive conversations and create opportunities for growth and development.

3. A great culture is results-oriented – Companies with great cultures embrace the value of producing results. The ‘fun’ part of great cultures does not happen if results aren’t achieved over time. Joe explains how ‘grit’ is a key ingredient in creating a results-driven culture and aggressive goal setting is necessary to sustain a high growth business. 

4. Balance is key to being a great CRO – Alignment with the executive team and board of directors is an important aspect of being an effective CRO. Joe believes that in order to effectively drive alignment with the c-suite and board one must be direct and transparent. Call out what’s going well and where the business is being challenged. It sets the right tone for creating a high functioning relationship with peers.

5. Process needs to facilitate the buying process – Joe reflects on the evolution of selling and points out that buyers are not typically well versed in what they are buying. Sales leaders should create processes to make the buying process a strong facilitator of knowledge sharing in order to build trust and earn the right to win a new relationship.