The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton

Jason Lemkin (Founder & CEO @ SaaStr) returns to talk about replacing his sales team with 20+ AI agents. What you'll learn in this episode: - Why Jason stopped paying six-figure SDRs who ghost—and what he built instead - The 70,000 AI-sent emails that drove 15% of SaaStr London revenue - How to pick your first AI tool (hint: do a 2-vendor bakeoff, not 10) - Why Salesforce is suddenly the hub every agent needs - The "incognito test" every GTM leader should run on their own website (And a whole lot more!) Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:49 Introduction and Jason's Investment Philosophy 04:07 Evaluating Founders and the "Why Now" Question 09:32 The Step Function Change in GTM AI 14:15 Managing Conflict Between Multiple AI Agents 17:43 Replacing Human Sales Teams with AI Agents 21:50 The Importance of Forward Deployed Engineers 24:57 The Terminal Decline of Mid-Pack Sales Roles 30:09 Finding the Internal GTM Nerd to Lead AI 34:15 Executives Must Roll Up Sleeves and Implement 46:22 Fixing Inbound and Support with Instant Answers 53:15 Why You're Failing To Source The Right Tools 57:27 Evaluating Incumbents vs. AI-Native Startups 01:02:41 The Salesforce Renaissance and Agentforce 01:09:45 Triple, Triple, Double, Double in the AI Era 01:15:28 Choosing Between High Intensity and Lifestyle Roles

Hiring a VP or CRO has never been tougher (or more important). Asad Zaman, CEO of Sales Talent Agency - and one of the most trusted voices in GTM recruiting - joins host Kyle Norton to talk about how GTM leadership hiring is changing fast. They dig into: - Why AI broke the traditional interview process, and what they do now instead - How to build a robust hiring scorecard that performs miles better than a fluffy job description - The trade‑offs that actually kill VP hiring processes - How top CROs should evaluate future leaders (and spot "pre‑peak" talent) - The biggest blind spot CROs have when hiring VPs I mean... who isn't curious about the tested frameworks from the guy behind 1,000+ GTM placements a year? Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:34 Guest Introduction: Asad from STA (Sales Talent Agency) 02:30 Today's Topic: The Challenge of Leadership Hiring 04:14 How AI Has Changed Executive Hiring 07:53 The Rise of the AI-Native Leader 10:26 Market Polarization: Talent Demand and Layoffs 19:03 The New Definition of a Great Leader 24:22 Building an Effective Leadership Hiring Scorecard 29:15 Defining Problems, Jobs to Be Done, and Constraints 35:11 Compensation Psychology and Negotiation Pitfalls 40:34 Mapping the Market and Operationalizing the Scorecard 49:27 Modern Interview Design for Senior Roles 53:12 Teaching as a Core Leadership Skill 56:27 Live Whiteboarding: Replacing Case Studies 01:01:54 Evaluating Candidates for Peak Performance and Potential 02:03:31 CROs' Biggest Blind Spot in Hiring VPs of Sales

Allison Metcalfe's path to CRO was built on systems thinking, multiplier leadership, and a journalist's instinct for "why." In this episode, Kyle and Allison talk through what separates good revenue leaders from great ones, and how to actually lead peers and execs, not just manage them. And maybe we shouldn't tell you this, but… Allison even reveals her hardcore alter-ego that helps her better ride the highs and lows in the CRO role. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 01:47 Allison Metcalfe's Career Journey 03:41 Non-Traditional Path to CRO 05:16 Architecture Thinking and the AI Era 07:25 Systems Thinking and Curiosity in Revenue Leadership 09:01 Managing Executive Relationships 10:56 Discovering Multiplier Leadership 18:44 Decision-Making Without Consensus Paralysis 24:30 Building Healthy Executive Relationships 30:11 Authenticity and Connection in Remote Work 33:09 Using Enneagram for Team Understanding 38:00 Radical Empathy Across Departments 46:27 Collaborating Effectively with Finance 53:21 Navigating 2026 Planning Conflicts 58:26 Data-Driven Decision Making and Change Management 01:03:32 Quick Fire: Career Lessons, Alter Egos, and Book Recommendations

Peter Grant helped take Siebel from $39M to $2B in revenue and was employee #9 for Salesforce in Europe. He knows exactly what a platform shift looks like. Now, as the CRO of You.com, Peter argues that the AI wave is moving 30x faster than the internet era—and your current sales playbook is already obsolete. In this episode, Peter strips away the hype to focus on the operational reality of running an AI-first GTM organization. He explains the skill stack today's sellers need, why your team needs to understand APIs, and the specific benchmarks you need to hit to survive the next two years. Plus a whole lot more! Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Peter Grant's Career and Revenue History 07:32 Choosing You.com and Pivoting to Enterprise 11:46 How AI Search Transforms Sales Discovery 16:12 The Speed and Scale of AI Sales 20:55 Embedding AI Agents into Existing Workflows 27:11 Benchmarking Enterprise AI Spend and Adoption 33:14 Solving the Employee AI Literacy Gap 38:59 The Evolution of the Sales Rep Profile 43:06 Implementing and Prioritizing AI Transformation 52:05 The Hard Reality for Sales Laggards 59:30 Investing Upfront Time to Master Prompting 01:03:10 Why Revenue Leaders Must Be Context Setters 01:10:12 How Tactics Dictate Strategy in Enterprise Deals 01:12:49 Rapid Fire: Leadership Advice and Lessons

Bolt.new blew past past $40M ARR in just one year with only 50 people. In this episode, Bryan Adams, VP Sales at Bolt.new sits down with host Kyle Norton to break down how go-to-market operates at a hyper-growth AI company. Bryan shares some of their tech stack, and gets real about leadership—hiring "adults," firing fast, and focusing on what reps actually need to win. If you're leading a modern GTM org, this one's worth your next commute. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 01:30 Meet Brian Adams, VP of Sales at Bolt.new 02:06 What Is Vibe Coding and How Bolt Works 03:54 Building Successfully with Bolt's "Plan" Feature 06:11 Layering Builds and Iterative Development 08:47 Real Use Cases Built with Bolt 10:24 The Build vs. Buy Decision Framework 12:57 Inside Bolt's Go-to-Market Tech Stack 13:59 Using Freckle to Unmask and Enrich Leads 15:08 AI-Powered Prospecting and Support Automation 17:41 Shifting GTM Strategy: From PMs to Engineers 19:54 Outbound Strategy, Target Accounts, and LinkedIn Engagement 25:13 How RevOps and SDR Growth Teams Collaborate 29:13 Bolt's Growth, Scale, and Competitive Landscape 33:03 Competing in a Knife Fight Market 36:56 Contract Structures, Compensation, and Profitability 40:38 Hypergrowth Lessons and Leveraging Automation 44:47 Leadership Philosophy: Empowerment and Accountability 48:08 Building Trust and Team Culture 51:17 Leadership, Firing Fast, and Team Integrity 52:59 Quick Fire: Great vs. Good Sales Leadership 54:32 Hard Lessons, Best Advice, and Book Recommendations 57:13 Closing Remarks and Outro