RevTalks, Episode 5: How Sellers and Buyers Can Both Succeed

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Cameron Schuette: In our previous episode, we went inside the CRO's mind with Marc Mimic. Today, we'll get Marc's perspective on buyers, and how their revenue teams are winning in their conversations. So Mark, you've been in sales for a while. How are you preparing your teams for the modern buying experience?

Mark Niemiec: The truth of sales has never changed. The fundamentals that we've always used to be successful in sales are more relevant now than ever before. One of the key things is to actually care about our customers. We need to go back to the real reason we do this, which is to help our customers be successful.

With that mindset, we can approach our jobs with more rigor and discipline around what’s truly important. That includes understanding customers' problems, the outcomes they want to achieve, and how we’re going to make that happen. This involves really deep discovery, significant forethought on what the future looks like, and understanding how the customer will consume the technology we provide. Ensuring user adoption and ultimate success with their investment is crucial. So, caring about the customer, doing deep discovery, and having a solid plan for their success are what our sellers need to focus on.

Cameron Schuette: Tell me more about that. What are some effective ways you see sellers working with buyers to get deals done?

Mark Niemiec: A big part of our sellers' success is creating strong business cases. We focus on solving significant challenges that are relevant to boards and CEOs—what I call 1 percent business problems, which are issues that impact revenue by 1 percent or more. When we address these critical issues, we see a lot of interest from CEOs, CFOs, and heads of sales. Our teams are looking for opportunities to help customers solve problems that significantly affect their revenue.

Cameron Schuette: So, it's really about thinking bigger to get everyone's attention. What about after closing the deal? The handoff process is notoriously bad. How can sellers ensure their customers are successful post-sale?

Mark Niemiec: I’ve had some great on-the-job training with this topic. A major concern for our customers is their ultimate success and technology adoption. Through some deal cycles, we included our professional services team in the sales process. The success of this engagement model proved to me that it’s the best way to ensure customer success.

Ideally, our services team is involved in the deal from the start, and our sales team remains involved even after the sale. Typically, there's a handoff, but I prefer a model where the sales team stays engaged at some level throughout the customer lifecycle. This continuous involvement helps customers know that the people who initiated the program are there throughout its lifecycle. Sales doesn't need to be there every day for deployment, and services don't need to be there every day for sales, but both are always part of the process.

Cameron Schuette: That makes a lot of sense. Final question: If you had unlimited resources, what problems or opportunities would you tackle?

Mark Niemiec: I would focus on helping customers consume the technology they’re buying. Proving we have the right technology is essential, but the real challenge is ensuring customers can effectively use it. They have their own tech stacks, cultures, processes, and people. To make these technologies work, they must be implemented, adopted, and deliver results. So, if I could solve any problem, it would be ensuring we have the services in place to help customers get the most value from our products, invest in change management, and ultimately be successful.

Cameron Schuette: I love that. It really emphasizes putting the customer at the forefront and solving their problems. Thanks, Mark. And thanks to all of you for watching. In the next episode of RevTalks, I'll be asking Mark about how go-to-market teams can shift their end-of-quarter mindset.