Sales development is an essential function for addressing pipeline challenges and driving business growth. However, CSOs are struggling to evolve the function and maximize SDRs’ impact on revenue. Gartner expert Shiela Rahimian joins the podcast to discuss the best practices sales leaders should consider when assessing and optimizing their sales development function, and how to measure that function’s impact.

Shiela Rahimian is a Director Analyst in the Gartner for Sales Practice, where she covers all aspects of sales execution with an emphasis on pipeline generation and development, optimizing inside sales roles, launching key account programs, account planning, evolving sales processes, methodologies and playbooks within sales enablement functions. As a former Director of Sales Enablement and Sales Consultant, Mrs. Rahimian provides sales leaders with practical guidance on how to improve performance and results.

The role of the chief sales officer (CSO) is evolving. The drive to align commercial functions is sparking growth and transformation in the CSO role itself. Podcast host Betsy Gregory-Hosler speaks with Graham Stringer, head of customer markets for Fujitsu North America, to discuss his commercial organization’s transformation, how his role has changed and what it’s like to be in a growing leadership position.

“Even if you’re not in a position as a sales leader to drive a greater level of convergence, at least see how you can lean in and be closer to those parts of the business. Don’t just shrug your shoulders and say, well, that’s just the way we’re organized. And hey, best-case scenario, perhaps you can move the needle.”

Graham Stringer is the head of customer markets for Fujitsu’s North America Region, where he oversees all sales of Fujitsu’s digital technology solutions and services. With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, Graham has held key roles at DXC Technology, Oracle, Software AG, IBM and a global startup, managing teams across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. He holds a Bachelor of Math in computer science from the University of Waterloo and has completed management programs at Wharton and Queen’s University.

Sales leaders prioritize meeting buyer expectations but often fail to account for the underlying element affecting most major purchases: emotions. In this episode, hosts Billy Luckey and Betsy Gregory-Hosler sit down with Gartner experts to discuss the B2B buyer experience, how buyers balance logic and emotion and what sales leaders can do about it.

Alexandra Bellis, who has a doctorate in psychology, is a director of quantitative analytics and data science for Gartner for Marketers. She is responsible for survey data collection and analysis across a wide range of marketing and communications research, including marketing data and analytics, talent and collaboration, B2B buying behaviors, and communications leadership and strategy.

Rick LaFond is a senior director analyst for Gartner for Marketers, based in Baltimore. He leads Gartner’s B2B customer acquisition and account growth research. As an analyst, he supports Gartner clients with insights and guidance on various marketing topics, including demand generation, digital marketing strategy, sales enablement, content marketing and account-based marketing. He is the lead analyst for Gartner research on marketing best practices in the manufacturing industry, as well as ongoing primary research studies on cross-industry B2B buying behaviors. Rick also serves as lead author for Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for B2B Marketing Automation Platforms.

Chief sales officers expect their enablement teams to drive seller productivity. Yet, sales enablement leaders struggle to demonstrate their influence on sellers and overall performance. In this episode, co-hosts Betsy Gregory-Hosler and Billy Luckey talk with Gartner expert Shayne Jackson about why enablement leaders struggle to show impact, why “random acts of enablement” are a problem and how a new approach can connect enablement to results.

Shayne Jackson covers enablement and talent management for the Gartner for Sales practice. His research and advice help chief sales officers and sales enablement leaders solve critical business challenges. His extensive global experience leverages a programmatic approach to learning, content and tools that elevate sales teams’ effectiveness.

As the B2B sales environment has changed, the skills that sellers need to succeed have changed as well. In this episode, hosts Billy Luckey and Betsy Gregory-Hosler speak with Mike Katz, senior director for research at Gartner for Sales Leaders, to explore the latest research on critical seller skills, what has shifted in the B2B seller competency model, and how sales leaders can support these skills moving forward.

Mike Katz is a senior director of research in the sales practice at Gartner with over 15 years of experience leading and managing research teams and directing mixed-methods research projects. He leads multiple research teams to generate actionable business ideas and data-driven insights for sales executives. His current focus is on sales talent, enablement and strategic planning.

He has presented his research to thousands of business and government executives in briefings, webinars, workshops and conferences. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, and multiple academic journals and publications.

Despite their insights on buyers, markets and growth, CSOs rarely become CEOs. In this episode, hosts Billy Luckey and Betsy Gregory-Hosler sit down with Heather Combs, a former CSO turned CEO, to discuss her experiences and recommendations for sales leaders who aspire to do the same.

Heather Combs, an accomplished leader in the technology sector, is beginning her second turn in the CEO seat, having just taken the helm at Ripple Operations, a newly formed provider of maritime logistics solutions. Previously, Heather served as CEO of StraighterLine, where her visionary leadership transformed the company into a premier provider of online courses. Under her guidance, StraighterLine pioneered innovative partnerships and streamlined operations, resulting in significant growth and enhanced student success. With a proven track record of scaling high-growth companies, Heather’s strategic acumen and dedication to innovation continue to make a positive impact in the tech industry and beyond. Recognized as a Power Woman of DC Tech and a champion for women in leadership, Heather’s influence extends to empowering girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields through the STEM for Her Advisory Council and to supporting entrepreneurs through the Mindshare board and Techstars Mentor Program.

Sales expert Lori Richardson joins Betsy and Billy to discuss the state of women in B2B sales, including the opportunities a sales career offers, the barriers women face and the actions you can take to attract and retain top women in the field.

Lori Richardson is a top B2B sales influencer and a champion for getting more women into sales and sales leadership in B2B roles. In addition, she has run the data-backed sales strategy firm Score More Sales since 2002, after a career in sales and leadership. Lori is the author of “She Sells” — a book to help company leaders and sales leaders find, recruit, retain and promote more women into sales and leadership roles. She also hosts the award-winning podcast “Conversations with Women in Sales” and is a sales coach for Harvard Business School’s MBA program.

As your organization’s growth strategy evolves, is your go-to-market strategy keeping up? In this episode of the Gartner Sales Podcast, co-hosts Betsy Gregory-Hosler and Billy Luckey speak with Gartner expert Rachael Buchler to discuss the four types of go-to-market strategies, the symptoms of misalignment, and how sales leaders should approach the challenge.

Rachael Buchler is a senior director analyst in Gartner's Sales practice. Rachael has more than 25 years experience in B2B retail energy sales where she led strategic initiatives and operational teams to drive customer growth and deliver cross-functional efficiencies. She has developed and executed go-to-market sales strategies for both existing and emerging markets and integrated B2B sales teams as part of merger and acquisition activities. She is a qualified coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).