Atlanta Sales Leadership Community

ATLANTA SALES LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY – PAST EVENTS

Below is information about previous Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meetings including dates, topics, panelists, audio recordings and photos.

Each meeting includes breakfast, networking, panel discussion on a sales leadership topic and questions from the attendees.

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MAY 10, 2019

Optimizing the Sales Coverage Model to Best Engage Prospects and Customers

Optimizing the Sales Coverage Model to Best Engage Prospects and Customers (May 10, 2019)

Panelists pictured above:

Christiane Palpant (Senior Vice President (SVP) and Client Services Director at FIS)
Marty Fagan (Senior Vice President (SVP) of Sales & Marketing at TransUnion)
Dean Nolley (Vice President, Global Technology Sales, Global Sales at Ricoh Americas Corporation)
Shawn Phillips (Global Sales Chief of Staff at NCR)
Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group and Co-founder of the Sales Leadership Community)

We appreciate everyone that attended the meeting. A huge thank you goes out to the panel for perspectives. Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Questions discussed at the meeting:

One of the areas where we are seeing a lot of discussion across our communities is the topic of sales coverage. How does your organization define your market and allocate resources to cover the market?
What are some of the initiatives that you have put in place to better optimize sales coverage?
One of the big drivers that we are seeing impacting sales coverage is customer buying preferences. What kind of changes are you seeing in your market as it relates to how customers prefer to buy?
What types of initiatives have you put in place to better cover your market and align with these changing expectations? (examples might include: inside sales, alliances/partners, redefining market segments and roles, etc.)
How have you measured the success of different sales coverage initiatives?
What have you seen that differentiates sales coverage changes that drove strong business impact vs. those that haven’t?
What recommendations would you make to other sales leaders as they think about enhancing or evolving their coverage model?

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Building Strength in Sales Teams with Recent College Graduates

Building Strength in Sales Teams with Recent College Graduates (February 8, 2019)

Panelists pictured above:

Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group and Co-founder of the Sales Leadership Community)
Kent Jones (Instructor / Lecturer at Georgia State University and Co-chair of the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community)
Rebecca Sherrill (AVP, ESO Sales Enablement- VP and Head of Sales, IT and Cloud Segment for BMC Software Inc.)
Jordan Adeboye (Graduating Student at Georgia State University)

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

We appreciate everyone that attended the meeting. A huge thank you goes out to the panel for perspectives on attracting, recruiting, and hiring recent college graduates to build strength in sales teams. Here is a list of questions discussed at the event:

In almost every Sales Leadership Community meeting that we have, the topic of early talent comes up. In your view, why is this such a hot topic?
What are the top things that organizations should be doing to better attract recent graduates into their organization?
Just as importantly, what are the top things that sales organizations can do to retain early talent?
This is a topic that really spans multiple groups within an organization – HR, Sales, Sales Enablement – who should ultimately own this topic?
What kinds of things should organizations be considering to make sure that recent graduates are productive as quickly as possible?
What are the top mistakes that you see organizations making in their efforts to build their organization with recent college graduates?
What would be your advice for an organization that is early in their efforts to integrate recent graduates into their organization?

Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Senior Executive Sales Leader View on Sales Enablement

Panelists pictured above:

Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group and Co-founder of the Sales Leadership Community)
Kirsten Kliphouse (Executive Vice President Americas Sales for Red Hat)
Josie Marshburn (Senior Vice President, Sales Enablement for Yext)
Dean Nolley (Vice President, Global Technology Sales for Ricoh Americas)

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

We appreciate everyone that attended the meeting. A huge thank you goes out to the panel for perspectives on the senior executive view of sales enablement. Here is a list of questions discussed at the event:

What does sales enablement mean to you and your organization?
Which functions are involved in sales enablement and how do you manage handoffs between groups?
At your company, what types of sales enablement initiatives have you put in place?
Of these initiatives, which have been the most impactful and what results have you seen?
Why do some sales enablement initiatives drive greater results than others?
As you are making investments in sales enablement initiatives, how do you evaluate the ROI?
What is the biggest piece of sales enablement advice you would like to give other sales leaders?

Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

MAY 4, 2018

TAILORING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TO ADDRESS CHANGES IN DECISION MAKING

Panelists pictured above:

Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group and Co-founder of the Sales Leadership Community)
Kyle Brunson (Atlanta Hawks– SVP, Ticket Sales and Service)
Ranjit Bhatia (Ericsson– VP and Head of Sales, IT and Cloud Segment)
Kelly Robinson (IBM– VP, Global Storage Channel Sales)

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

We appreciate everyone that was able to attend the May 4^th event. A huge thank you goes out to the panel of executive sales leaders for their unique perspectives on tailoring the customer experience to address changes in decision making. Here is a list of questions discussed at the event:

How is customer decision making changing in your market?
Who is involved in purchasing decisions how that wasn’t 5 or even 3 years ago?
How are these changes impacting your sales team?
What kinds of initiatives are you putting in place to deal with these changes in decision making?
What are some of the pitfalls or ‘gotchas’ that you would suggest other sales leaders watch out for as they deal with changing decision making processes?
How are you tailoring your sales experience to deal with new and changing stakeholders in the decision process?

Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

Leading the Multi-Generational Sales Organization

Panelists:

Brian Gorney (Verizon Enterprise Solutions – Managing Director, Strategy and Business Development)
Andrew Rains (VTS – SVP, Global Sales)
Frank Tumminia (QGenda – VP, Sales)
Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group and Co-founder of the Sales Leadership Community)

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. A huge thank you goes out to the panel of executive sales leaders for their unique perspectives on achieving the best sales results from a multi-generational sales organization. Here is a list of questions discussed at the event:

Thinking about the generational make-up of your sales team, how has it changed from 5-10 years ago?
What has been the impact of these changes on your role as a Sales Leader?
How are you leveraging each generation’s skills and strengths to enhance your overall selling efforts?
What types of approaches have you deployed to achieve the best results with your sales team?
What advice would you give to others on how to best address similar changes within their sales team?

Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

Leading the Multi-Generational Sales Organization | Atlanta Sales Leadership Community

OCTOBER 6, 2017

HOW IS TECHNOLOGY HELPING YOU IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER BUYING EXPERIENCE?

How is Technology Helping You Improve the Customer Buying Experience? | Sales Leadership Community Atlanta | October 6, 2017

Panelists pictured above:

Alexandra Fenech (SVP, Sales for iHeart Media)
Chris Jones (SVP, Worldwide Sales for PROS)
Scott Macdonald (VP, Sales for Siemens Industry)
Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group).

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the October 6th meeting. Special thanks to our panel of sales leaders that provided valuable perspectives and advice on using technology to improve the buying experience. Specific questions discussed include:

How do you see technology helping improve the customer buying experience?
How are the changes impacting the sales teams and sales roles in your organization?
Have you seen openness in the sharing of data across sources with the intent of improving the buying experience?
What are some of the hurdles you have seen in using technology to improve the buying experience?
How do you lead your teams so that technology becomes an enabler versus a detractor?
How are using technology to engage with multiple decision makers during the sales cycle?
Are you using account-based marketing as part of your customer engagement?
What is on your wish list of technologies that could help improve customer buying experience?
How has your staffing changed within your sales organizations?
How do you respect customer’s privacy in the use of technology?
What are you emphasizing with your sales teams about using technology to help your customers?

Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

APRIL 21, 2017

HOW TO ATTRACT, DEVELOP AND RETAIN THE RIGHT SALES TALENT

How to Attract, Develop and Retain the Right Sales Talent | Atlanta Sales Leadership Community | April 21, 2017

Panelists Derek Grant (SalesLoft, Vice President, Commercial Sales), Jim Hunter (Emerson Retail Solutions, Vice President, Sales), Sophia Weatherby Williams (NCR, Telecom and Technology Division, Vice President and General Manager) and Craig Potts (Sphera Solutions, Chief Revenue Officer) discussing a question about how sales leaders are attracting, developing, and retaining the right sales talent posed by moderator Charlie Thackston (SOAR Performance Group, President) at the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting at the Northcreek Conference Center.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. The meeting included a panel discussion on “How to Attract, Develop and Retain the Right Sales Talent”. The panel from the community shared insights and perspectives on how sales leaders are attracting, developing, and retaining the right sales talent.

Questions discussed:

How is your company attracting the right talent for your sales organization?
How are you seeing the market for talent change over the past few years?
What are some changes you are seeing in the candidates?
What experience level are you hiring? How do you manage culture in your sales organization?
How do you encourage people to share diverse ideas?
What is your company doing to promote sales as a career, especially to the younger generation?

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

FEBRUARY 3, 2017

HOW SALES LEADERS ARE ADDRESSING CHANGES IN CUSTOMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

How Sales Leaders are Addressing Changes in Customer Buying Behavior | Atlanta Sales Leadership Community | February 3, 2017

Panelists Jennifer Garrett (Senior VP, National Sales for Cox Communications), Jim Cullinan (Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Business Development for Kaiser Permanente), and Mike Hayes (Senior VP, Sales and Sales Strategy for Georgia Pacific) discussing a question about how sales leaders are addressing changes in customer buying behavior posed by moderator Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group) at the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting at Georgia State University’s Buckhead Center.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. The meeting included a panel discussion on “How Sales Leaders Are Addressing Changes in Customer Buying Behavior”. The panel from the community shared insights and perspectives on how their companies are responding to changes in the ways that their customer are buying from them.

Questions discussed:

How is customer buying behavior changing in your market?
What are the top impacts on the sales organization caused by changes to customer buying behavior?
What initiatives are you driving to address the change that is occurring?
Do you see the shift to online sales as a positive trend for your business? Does the shift reduce your need for the classic salesperson?
How do you harness the data from internet sales and apply to your direct sales force?
What is the changing role of the salesperson?
What is your top advice to sales leaders for dealing with this change?

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

OCTOBER 7, 2016

FINISHING THE YEAR STRONG AND GETTING READY TO START FAST NEXT YEAR

Sales Leadership Community Atlanta | October 7 | Finishing the Year Strong and Getting Ready to Start Fast Next Year

Panelists Christiane Palpant (Vice President, National Sales Manager for FIS), Tim Fuller (Executive Director, SAP Go-To-Market for EY), and Mike Pollitt (General Manager Americas and Global Sales & Marketing Leader for ABB Enterprise Software) discussing a question about finishing the year strong and getting ready to start fast next year posed by moderator Charlie Thackston (President of SOAR Performance Group) at the Sales Leadership Community Atlanta meeting on October 7th, 2016 at the Northcreek Conference Center.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. The meeting included a panel discussion on “Finishing the Year Strong and Getting Ready to Start Fast Next Year”. The panel from the community shared insights and perspectives on finishing the current sales year strong while also getting the team ready to start fast next year.

Questions discussed:

With the end of the year approaching, as a sales leader in your experience, what are the keys to finishing the year strong?
How do you balance finishing the current year with preparing for a quick start in the new year?
What advice would you give to others regarding finishing strong and preparing for a quick start in the year ahead?
Do you think that cold calling still has a place in today’s sales environment?
What are your opinions about companies having sales kickoff meetings in the new year?
What do you think is the importance of having the sales compensation plans finalized by the start of the new sales year?

Photos from the breakfast, networking, and panel discussion:

MAY 6, 2016

BALANCING LEADING AND MANAGING AS A SALES LEADER

Balancing Leading and Managing as a Sales Leader

Panelists Chris Jones (SVP, PROS), Marty Fagan (SVP, TransUnion), and Dean Nolley (VP, Ricoh Americas) discussing a question about balancing leading and managing posed by moderator Charlie Thackston (President, SOAR Performance Group) at the Sales Leadership Community Atlanta event at Georgia State University’s Buckhead Center.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. The meeting included a panel discussion on “Balancing Leading and Managing as a Sales Leader”. The panel from the community shared insights and perspectives on maintaining the balance between leadership and management to achieve sales results.

Questions discussed by the panel:

When you think about your role as a sales leader, what do you see as the key differences in leading vs. managing?
How as a sales leader do you strike the balance between leading vs. managing?
Provide an example based on your experiences where the right balance made a real difference in achieving the outcome that you needed.
What are situations where you see that the balance between leading and managing gets out of balance?
How do you re-balance the focus?
What advice would you give to other sales leaders trying to strike the right balance between leading and managing?

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

LEADING IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH AN ACCELERATING PACE OF CHANGE

Leading in an Environment with an Accelerating Pace of Change

Panelists John Irwin (SVP, AT&T), Ian Drysdale (EVP, Elavon), and Jim Dinkins (CRSO, Coca-Cola North America) discussing a question about the rate of change posed by moderator Charlie Thackston (President, SOAR Performance Group) at the Sales Leadership Community Atlanta breakfast.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting. It was a great opportunity to network, share and learn. The meeting included a panel discussion on “Leading in an Environment with an Accelerating Pace of Change”. The panel from the community shared insights and perspectives on leading in an environment with an accelerating pace of change.

Questions discussed by the panel:

What types of major changes are you seeing in your industry?
How does the rate of change compare to your experiences in the past?
What is driving the changes that you are seeing?
How are these changes impacting how you lead within your organization?
What advice would you give to others regarding how to lead in an environment of accelerating change?

OCTOBER 2, 2015

HOW TOP SALES EXECUTIVES LEAD THROUGH SALES TRANSFORMATIONS

Sales Leadership Community Atlanta | October 2 | How Top Sales Executives Lead Through Sales Transformations

Panelists Craig Potts (Executive VP, Navicure), Mike Hayes (Senior VP, Georgia Pacific), Heath Morgan (VP, IBM) and Kyle Bowker (Executive VP, Aptean) discussing a question on sales transformations at the Sales Leadership Community Atlanta breakfast.

Listen to or download the audio from the meeting:

We appreciate everyone that attended the meeting. A huge thank you goes out to the panel for perspectives. Finally, thank you to our hosts for the meeting, Georgia State University.

Questions discussed at the meeting:

Sales transformation is a term we frequently hear. To level set for the group, what, in your opinion, is a sales transformation?
In your experience, what are examples of transformations that you have seen successfully executed?
From a leadership perspective, what made the biggest difference in success for this sales transformation?
What would be your top 3 recommendations for others leading a sales transformation?
What technology have you seen used to increase sales?
What development activities have you focused on the help the sales transformation?
What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages associated with employing millennials (generation Y)?

ABOUT THE ATLANTA SALES LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY

The Atlanta Sales Leadership Community was co-founded by Georgia State University and SOAR Performance Group to create a forum for best practice sharing and executive networking within the greater Atlanta area. The community is a cross industry organization of senior sales leaders focused on building a community within the Atlanta market for advancing best practices in sales leadership. It also creates networking and mentoring opportunities for Atlanta senior sales executives with Georgia State University students participating in the Georgia State University Sales Program. The community is led by the advisory board with representatives from companies that represent different industries and go-to-market models.

Atlanta Sales Leadership Community | Previous Meetings | Georgia State University | SOAR Performance Group