The CRO Spotlight Podcast
by Warren Zenna
The CRO Spotlight Podcast examines the CRO role from both sides — the companies that hire them and the leaders who take the seat. Host Warren Zenna, founder of CRO Collective and author of “What Chief Revenue Officers Actually Do,” brings diagnostic frameworks and pattern recognition from working both sides of the equation to every conversation.
Episodes
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Invisible Operations and the Transparency Mandate with Rob Wilk
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna hosts Rob Wilk, CRO at Yahoo, to dismantle the illusion that elite salespeople automatically make competent revenue leaders. Wilk exposes why the relentless, deal-closing mentality that gets reps promoted is the exact same trait that...
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The Clarity Required to Build a Real Revenue Engine with Katy Loria
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Katy Loria, Chief Revenue Officer at GumGum, to dissect the harsh realities of executive revenue leadership. Too many newly minted leaders operate as glorified sales managers rather than true architects of a commercial...
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How to Hold the CRO Seat for 6 Years with Jeff Perry
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Jeff Perry, Chief Revenue Officer at Carta, to unpack the harsh realities of modern revenue leadership. Far beyond the standard industry playbook, they dissect how the traditional path of relying on massive sales headcounts...
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From Top-Down Sales to AI-Led PLG with Matthew Darrow
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna hosts Matthew Darrow, CEO at Vivun, to discuss why slapping artificial intelligence onto legacy software is a dead end. Recognizing that specialized revenue teams will no longer work inside static SaaS portals, Vivun pivoted to build...
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Temporary Scaffolding and Why Traditional Org Charts Fail with Joey Gilkey
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with Joey Gilkey, CEO at TitanX, to dismantle the outdated strategies infecting modern revenue organizations. The traditional outbound volume playbook is dead, and blindly throwing headcount at the problem is a losing game. Joey…
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Why Good CROs Get Fired with Sam Jacobs
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with Sam Jacobs, the visionary Founder and CEO of Pavilion. They dive deep into Sam’s extensive background as a revenue leader and trace the origins of Pavilion as a peer-led community. They explore the all-too-common challenges modern...
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How Misaligned Software Metrics Ruined B2B Sales and How to Fix It with MK Marsden
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with MK Marsden, CEO of Sales-Sleuth, to diagnose the root causes of the modern B2B sales crisis. They explore how the shift toward cheap, automated mass communication has eroded buyer trust and forced buyers to rely on independent…
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How Salesforce is Approaching the AI CRM Transformation with Kris Billmaier
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna hosts Kris Billmaier, EVP & GM of Agentforce Sales at Salesforce to discuss how the traditional CRM interface is rapidly evolving, shifting revenue teams from manual data entry to autonomous workflows. We explore the transition toward...
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CRO Hiring Potholes & The Shift to RevOps with Mark Roberge
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Mark Roberge of Stage Two Capital to dissect the inflection points of scaling a go-to-market team. They explore common pitfalls founders face when hiring a revenue leader. Mark emphasizes aligning a candidate’s background...
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The Fractional CRO Debate & Getting Sh!t Done with Neil Weitzman
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Neil Weitzman, Founder of weitzmanGTM, to tackle the fractional CRO debate head-on. They examine the friction between the theoretical appeal of fractional leadership and the gritty reality of executing it. The conversation...
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The CRO Environment and Autonomous AI Agents with Jonathan M K.
Most Chief Revenue Officers fail not because they lack skill, but because they are placed in broken systems. In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna speaks with Jonathan M K., VP of Marketing at 1mind, about the "Panda Problem"—why top revenue leaders struggle in restrictive environments....
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Advocating for the Little Guy: A Frank Talk with Dan Goodman, Warrior of The Sales Rep
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Dan Goodman, Founder and CEO of Dan Goodman Employee Advisory. Known for his candid advocacy for sales professionals and executives, Dan shares his transition from a corporate insider to a fierce defender of employee…
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CRO Role Hot Takes with Bridget Winston
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren sits down with three-time revenue leader Bridget Winston to unpack the realities of modern executive leadership. Currently driving growth in the vertical SaaS space, Bridget shares her career evolution from traditional sales into customer...
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How Private Equity Evaluates CROs with JD Miller
JD Miller, Operating Advisor at Rothschild and Co, joins Warren Zenna to discuss his unconventional career transition into becoming a seasoned Chief Revenue Officer. JD shares how his early experiences in communication and social networks naturally translated into solving complex business…
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The Evolution of the CRO & Revenue Efficiency Metrics with Christopher Semain and Sean Ryan
The Chief Revenue Officer role has outgrown its origins as a glorified head of sales. In this episode, Warren Zenna sits down with Christopher Semain and Sean Ryan from the Alexander Group to dissect how the CRO position has fundamentally shifted. They explore why modern revenue leaders must move...
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CRO Longevity & Navigating Organizational Transformation with Susan Rothwell
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren Zenna speaks with Susan Rothwell, Chief Revenue Officer at Simpli.fi. With a rare track record of longevity in the notoriously high-turnover CRO role, Susan unpacks her journey leading revenue organizations across multiple stages of evolution....
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Reality of Your First CRO Role & Funding Growth Through Savings with Eric Steele
Warren Zenna is joined by Eric Steele, CRO at SIB, to pull back the curtain on the often-chaotic reality of stepping into your first Chief Revenue Officer role. Eric shares why these initial appointments are rarely "sexy" and often come with significant organizational challenges that others might...
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What Actors and Sales Reps Have in Common with Miya Mee-Lee Dias
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with Miya Mee-Lee Dias, Co-Founder of Beyond The Script, to discuss a transformative approach to sales training. Miya shares her unique background blending health science with performance arts, explaining how traditional methodologies...
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How Smarter Buyers are Forcing a Go-To-Market Evolution with Guy Rubin
In this live episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren sits down with Guy Rubin to discuss the recent acquisition of Ebsta by Fullcast and what it signals for the market. Guy explains the strategic reasoning behind the consolidation, highlighting how the current landscape of disparate point...
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Sales Transformation & Customer-Centric Revenue with Dr. Grant Van Ulbrich
In this episode, Warren speaks with Dr. Grant Van Ulbrich, the world’s first doctor of Sales Transformation. They discuss a critical gap in the modern revenue landscape: while other business functions have deep academic rigor, sales education has remained largely stagnant since the 1980s. Grant...
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Balancing an AI-Native Strategy with Human Connection with Amy Osmond Cook
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, Warren Zenna sits down with Amy Osmond Cook, Co-Founder and CMO at Fullcast, to tackle the pressing challenge of balancing AI innovation with authentic human connection. As revenue leaders race to adopt AI-native strategies, the risk of losing trust...
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Vetting the CRO Role & Avoiding the "VP of Sales" Trap with Mike Price
In this episode, Warren Zenna sits down with Mike Price, CRO at DTEX Systems, to explore the critical evolution from a functional salesperson to a holistic business leader. Mike shares his unique journey, influenced by an entrepreneurial upbringing, and discusses why successful CROs must view...
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Building the Machine & Guarding the Culture with Christian Gerron
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with Christian Gerron, Chief Revenue Officer at StackAdapt. They dive into the complexities of the programmatic ad tech space, a market saturated with thousands of players. Christian explains how StackAdapt differentiates itself by moving...
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Leadership Structures & AI at $1B Scale with Steven Birdsall
In this CRO Spotlight episode, host Warren Zenna sits down with Steven Birdsall, CRO at Alteryx, to unpack a sweeping leadership transition and how a newly formed C‑suite aligned on product and go‑to‑market. Steven shares how a product‑centric CEO and a servant‑leader CRO combine to create…
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Value Engineering & The ROI Discovery Process with Mike Genstil
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna welcomes Mike Genstil, CEO at ValueCore, to discuss a critical inefficiency in modern sales: the "value gap." Mike explains that too often, sellers rush to provide a price quote while buyers remain fixated on features, rather than starting the...
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From BDR to CRO: Building Cross-Functional GTM with Michael Maimone
Warren Zenna sits down with Michael Maimone, CRO at LucidLink, to unpack his journey from BDR to enterprise sales leader to CRO. Michael shares how his time at IBM, Marketo, Adobe, and ZoomInfo shaped a systems mindset, enabling him to translate big-company rigor into agile, early-stage execution...
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AI Hype VS Reality with Ryan Staley
Warren Zenna hosts Ryan Staley, Founder and CEO at Whale Boss, to separate AI spectacle from strategic value for revenue leaders. They explore where the technology truly helps CROs versus where demos overpromise, and how practitioners can spot durable use cases. Ryan frames adoption as a…
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Punching Yourself in the Face and Secret CRO Roles with Andy Mowat
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with Andy Mowat, Founder of Whispered, to explore the challenges of landing the ideal Chief Revenue Officer role. Andy shares his journey from running revenue operations at multiple unicorns to building a platform that uncovers…
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GTM Differentiation & Decision Velocity with Amy Hsuan
Warren Zenna sits down with Amy Hsuan, Chief Customer & Revenue Officer at Mixpanel, to unpack what a truly unified revenue engine looks like. Amy shares how org design must follow strategy, why GTM is a core differentiator, and how aligning marketing, sales, success, and services creates...
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The Art and Science of Sales Compensation Plans with Dana Therrien
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna welcomes back Dana Therrien, Vice President at Anaplan and a leading expert in sales compensation strategies. Dana shares his insights on designing simple yet effective comp plans that motivate sales teams while aligning with company goals and…
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Target Accounts, Intent Signals & Marketing Alignment with Jaime Ruhl
Jaime Ruhl, CRO at Emergn, joins Warren Zenna to explore how a sales leader becomes a strategic revenue architect in a product‑centric consulting firm. She explains stepping into a broader remit that covers sales, go‑to‑market and marketing alignment across global teams. Jaime describes being a...
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Hamburgers, Revenue Engines and CRO Success with Adam Crandall
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna speaks with Adam Crandall, CRO at Addtronics, about his journey from VP of Sales to Chief Revenue Officer in a private equity-backed environment. Adam shares how he developed a scalable go-to-market playbook for Addtronics, a platform acquiring...
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What do Marshmallows have to do with CRO Success? Competency Assessment Breakthroughs with Lindsay Guzowski
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with Lindsay Guzowski, CEO at The Crucible, to explore the power of targeted competency assessments for chief revenue officers. They trace the origins of a bespoke CRO test built for private equity–backed companies, showing how…
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Shopify Org Design and Why CROs Must Get Technical with Bobby Morrison
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with Bobby Morrison, Chief Revenue Officer at Shopify, to explore how the CRO role has evolved beyond traditional sales leadership. Bobby shares his approach to unifying marketing, sales, customer success, and support under a single revenue...
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Building Scalable Revenue Operations from the Ground Up with Jessica Robertson
On this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with lighting-rod revenue leader Jessica Robertson, Chief Revenue Officer at Orbb. After first connecting at a lively CRO roundtable, they unpack a conversation that could have lasted hours—touching on business philosophy, sales...
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Marketing’s Identity Crisis & Unified Revenue Leadership with Emma Clayton
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna welcomes Emma Clayton, C-Suite Strategic & Commercial Leadership Consultant at Be Brilliant Consultancy. With 27 years in marketing, Emma reveals the origin of her provocative LinkedIn musing on B2B marketing’s fragmentation and leadership…
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Essential CRO Competencies for PE-Backed Companies with Joe Gravino
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, Warren Zenna sits down with Joe Gravino, Principal at Falcon Partners. They explore how private equity–backed firms identify and deploy revenue leaders. Joe explains Falcon’s boutique search approach focusing on aligning go-to-market teams with strategic...
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What CRO Recruiters Look for in Top Revenue Leaders with Wayne Starritt
Hiring the right Chief Revenue Officer can make or break a company's growth trajectory. In this episode, Warren Zenna and Wayne Starritt unpack the systemic issues behind CRO hiring failures—and why fixing the hiring process itself is critical to long-term success. They reveal how many companies...
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Simplifying Revenue Operations & Navigating PE Pressures with John E. Lepto IV
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna welcomes John E. Lepto IV for a deep dive into current revenue leadership challenges. Their insightful conversation unpacks the evolving CRO role amid aggressive market dynamics and PE pressures, revealing actionable strategies to balance growth...
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Finding Gold in Dirty Data & Creating Consistency with Guy Rubin
On this engaging episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with Guy Rubin, Founder and CEO at Ebsta, to dissect the evolving CRO role. They explore the challenges companies face when hiring for growth—from misaligned expectations to premature role adoption. Their conversation sparks...
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Future of Data Automation and the Death of the CRM with Elio Narciso
Warren Zenna welcomes Elio Narciso on CRO Spotlight as they dive deep into the challenges of data overload in today’s sales environments. They explore how manual tasks and disjointed CRM systems drag down productivity while innovative integrations and AI-driven agents set the stage for a...
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Data Capture and AI-Driven Revenue Intelligence with Janis Zech
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight podcast host Warren Zenna connects with Janis Zech, Co-Founder and CEO at Weflow. They explore the rising significance of the Chief Revenue Officer role amid evolving market challenges. The discussion sets the stage by addressing operational inefficiencies and...
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Navigating the Spectrum of CRO Responsibilities with Rich Sutton
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna welcomes Rich Sutton, Co-Founder at DM&RS Advisory, for a deep dive into the evolving CRO role. Rich shares his unconventional journey from rock and roll DJ to strategic revenue leader, setting the stage for a conversation that challenges...
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The Long Game in Software Services with Alex Asianov and Jonathan Blessing
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna welcomes Alex Asianov and Jonathan Blessing of DOOR3 for a deep dive into their company’s 22-year journey through the ever-changing world of technology services. Alex shares how his early passion for programming led to the founding of DOOR3 and...
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Navigating the Intangibles of the CRO Role with Steve Kost
In this engaging episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna sits down with seasoned executive Steve Kost to explore the intricate world of revenue leadership. Their conversation delves into the often-overlooked intangibles that drive success, drawing on experiences from Fortune 500 giants to...
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Enterprise Revenue Models and AI-Driven Efficient Growth with Justin Shriber
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna welcomes Justin Shriber, CEO of BoostUp.ai, for a deep dive into the evolution of sales technology and enterprise revenue strategies. Justin recounts his journey from early days at Siebel to his leadership roles at Oracle and BoostUp.ai, sharing...
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Musings on AI, Thermometers and Borrowed Structure
In this episode, Warren Zenna dives deep into the often-overlooked challenges of leadership, particularly for Chief Revenue Officers (CROs). He explores the immense complexity of the role, which requires managing relationships with CEOs, cross-functional teams, boards, and other stakeholders—all...
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AI-Enhanced Social Selling and LinkedIn Strategies with Brynne Tillman
In this episode of the CRO Spotlight Podcast, host Warren Zenna is joined by LinkedIn expert Brynne Tillman to explore how AI and LinkedIn Sales Navigator are revolutionizing the sales process. Brynne shares insights into using these tools to foster trust-based conversations, create tailored...
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Unlocking the Power of the CRO-CFO Alliance with Eric Steele and Larry Earl
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna engages with Eric Steele, Chief Revenue Officer, and Larry Earl, Chief Financial Officer at SIB, to explore the intricate relationship between revenue operations and financial management. The discussion highlights how both roles can collaborate...
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Psychology, Social Selling, and LinkedIn Strategy with Chelsea Olsen
In this episode of CRO Spotlight, host Warren Zenna interviews Chelsea Olsen, founder of CLOHZ, who specializes in helping businesses enhance their sales pipelines through effective LinkedIn strategies. Chelsea shares her entrepreneurial journey, detailing how she transitioned from corporate…
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About this show
The CRO Spotlight Podcast examines the CRO role from both sides — the companies that hire them and the leaders who take the seat. Host Warren Zenna, founder of CRO Collective and author of “What Chief Revenue Officers Actually Do,” brings diagnostic frameworks and pattern recognition from working both sides of the equation to every conversation.
Hosted by
Warren Zenna
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