All episodes

The Loneliest Job in the Building [59]

The Loneliest Job in the Building [59]

‧ 6m 0s

Ava had a comp question and nobody in her company to ask. She took it to a community of 250 SE leaders and had twenty answers by lunch. Nate has watched a dozen of these groups die and wants to know what's different.

The Seven-Figure Promotion [58]

The Seven-Figure Promotion [58]

‧ 6m 4s

Nate breaks down why promoting your strongest SE into a first-line seat with no readiness path is an unbudgeted risk, not a reward. Ava pushes back from a 12-person scale-up where a title is the only retention lever she's got.

One Sentence: The Pricing Guardrail Every SE Team Needs [56]

One Sentence: The Pricing Guardrail Every SE Team Needs [56]

‧ 6m 13s

Ava's SE quoted an eight-month-old price with no AE on the call, and the walk-back cost more than the number ever could. She and Nate work out the one sentence every SE should say — and the directory that keeps it from sounding like a dodge.

400 Licenses Is Not a Number [55]

400 Licenses Is Not a Number [55]

‧ 6m 2s

Ava asked one of her SEs how big his upcoming deal was and got "400 licenses" back — a unit count, not a number. She and Nate unpack why deal-value visibility is the precondition for both your incentive plan and your team's week planning.

When 'Show Nothing Extra' Becomes Handcuffs [54]

When 'Show Nothing Extra' Becomes Handcuffs [54]

‧ 6m 18s

Nate brings a coaching note that told a whole region to show nothing the customer didn't ask for, and argues that imposed focus isn't focus at all. He and Ava rebuild it as a scope decision made in discovery, out loud, with the customer in the room.

Your AI Doesn't Give Bad Demo Advice — You Gave It Nothing [53]

Your AI Doesn't Give Bad Demo Advice — You Gave It Nothing [53]

‧ 6m 21s

Nate saw a one-line prompt produce textbook-generic demo advice, and a comment section full of people saying "it needs more context" without ever building any. He and Ava work out how SE leaders turn that context into a shared enablement asset — and what it does for coaching between 1:1s.

The Metric No SE Leader Can Quote: Cost Per Won Deal [52]

The Metric No SE Leader Can Quote: Cost Per Won Deal [52]

‧ 6m 15s

Nate's managers spent forty minutes arguing focused entry deals versus full bundles — and nobody could say what one won deal costs in SE effort. He and Ava build the cost model live, then Ava pokes the hole in it: land-and-expand only pays if the first module actually gets used.

Coach the Chain: From Symptom to a Number [51]

Coach the Chain: From Symptom to a Number [51]

‧ 5m 57s

Ava argues that value isn't a separate framework: it hides inside Identify Pain and Metrics. She and Nate break down the exact escalation from customer symptom to a euro figure — and why that number decides whether you should even stay in the deal.

Sales Rolled Out MEDDICC Without You [50]

Sales Rolled Out MEDDICC Without You [50]

‧ 6m 11s

Ava keeps meeting PreSales leaders whose sales org rolled out MEDDICC and never invited them. She and Nate work out which letters SEs actually own — and how to claim a seat at that table without turning it into a turf war.