Dan Fougere, CRO @Datadog: Why Discounting is Dangerous and Contract Sizes are Misleading | E1229

A Legendary Sales Team and Life-Changing Money

• A legendary sales team can make life-changing money, have fun, and learn more while working together, and the success of the team will have a lasting impact on their careers (10s).
• Dan Fougere made the move from engineering to sales after working as a mechanical engineer at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), where he was exposed to a highly successful sales team (1m0s).
• Fougere chose to study engineering due to its potential for high earnings, as listed in a 1987 US News and World Report magazine, and he was drawn to the field because of his aptitude for math and science (1m6s).
• He got a design job in Detroit using CAD/CAM software and later joined PTC, where he learned about the company's qualification methodology, pipeline generation, and sales process (1m43s).

From Engineering to Sales: Dan Fougere's Journey

• Dan Fougere made the move from engineering to sales after working as a mechanical engineer at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), where he was exposed to a highly successful sales team (1m0s).
• Fougere chose to study engineering due to its potential for high earnings, as listed in a 1987 US News and World Report magazine, and he was drawn to the field because of his aptitude for math and science (1m6s).
• He got a design job in Detroit using CAD/CAM software and later joined PTC, where he learned about the company's qualification methodology, pipeline generation, and sales process (1m43s).

Building a Qualification Machine and the MEDIC Framework

• To build a good qualification machine, it's essential to understand human nature and recognize that people tend to have "rose-colored glasses" when evaluating deals, so it's crucial to look for potential weaknesses and strengths (2m33s).
• The MEDIC framework (Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision process, Decision criteria, Identify pain, Champion, Competition) provides a structure for qualifying deals and can be used to have a productive conversation within 15-30 minutes (2m53s).
• To qualify a deal, it's essential to ask questions like the three "whys" in MEDIC: why should the customer do anything, why should they choose Datadog, and why should they do it now (3m32s).

Repeatability, Economic Buyers, and Building Relationships

• Repeatability is crucial in sales, and it involves consistently doing the right thing, even when there are excuses not to, and asking the right questions to build a business case, such as what metrics can be used to tell a story and who the economic buyer is (3m50s).
• The economic buyer is often one or two levels above the person the salesperson thinks it is, and it's essential to build a relationship with this buyer without being patronizing to the technical user (4m19s).
• In an ideal world, salespeople should earn their way up to the economic buyer, and there are two different ways to do this, as seen in the extremes of Medallia and Datadog (4m54s).

Datadog's Bottom-Up Sales Approach

• At Datadog, the sales approach started with hands-on keyboards, focusing on the practitioner implementing the cloud, as the initial approach of targeting high-level executives was unsuccessful (5m7s).
• The initial approach at Datadog involved targeting CIOs and CTOs, but they were not interested, having already made deals with other companies, so the focus shifted to the people implementing the cloud (5m36s).
• The success of Datadog's product in providing valuable insights to the implementers helped build a groundswell of support, which eventually led to higher-level executives taking notice (6m31s).

Medallia's Top-Down Sales Approach

• In contrast, at Medallia, the sales approach involved targeting the biggest companies in the world and selling to CEOs, COOs, and other high-level executives, as the product required a change in the way businesses operated (7m14s).
• The sales approach at Medallia required a value proposition and pitch that spoke to the needs of these high-level executives, which was a different approach from the one used at Datadog (7m36s).

Creating Urgency and Magical Moments in Sales

• It's hard to create a sense of urgency by saying that a customer needs a product right now, otherwise they'll be screwed, as everything can be pushed to the next quarter (8m6s).
• A "magical moment" in sales is when a customer's attitude changes from disinterest to interest, such as when they start to see the value in a product and want to involve their boss in the conversation (8m28s).
• Another type of magical moment is when a customer realizes they need a product immediately, such as when Capital One was about to roll out their first production application in the cloud and needed to instrument and set up metrics (8m57s).

Capital One Case Study: From $600 to a Major Deal

• In early 2017, Capital One's CIO made a statement that they were going all-in on the cloud, despite concerns about security, and Datadog saw an opportunity to work with them (9m52s).
• Initially, Capital One had only spent $600 on Datadog, but the sales team discovered that they had just purchased 20,000 servers from AWS and saw an opportunity to work with them on a larger deal (10m34s).
• The Datadog team worked closely with Capital One to help them set up metrics and instrumentation for their production application, and were able to succeed where other products like SignalFX and AppDynamics had failed (11m1s).

Earning Trust and Building Relationships for Big Deals

• To earn a customer's trust, it's essential to be intimate with their business, understand their problems, and ensure the product is working for them, which can be achieved by presenting solutions and success stories from the start (11m57s).
• Building relationships and working way up to key decision-makers is crucial, as seen in the case of getting a meeting with an Enterprise customer, Olivia, which led to a $1.4 million deal (12m20s).

Pipeline Generation and Qualifying Leads

• Most sales reps focus on pipeline and scream for potential buyers, but it's essential to have a balance between qualifying leads and exciting them about the product (13m2s).
• To qualify leads effectively, it's necessary to do research, understand the company, and have a hypothesis before reaching out, which can be done by looking at Crunchbase, TechCrunch, or GitHub (14m4s).

Differentiating Yourself and Providing Value in Sales

• Differentiating oneself as a salesperson is crucial, and this can be achieved by showing up with value, having done research, and not wasting time with generic pitches (14m29s).
• A successful sales approach involves personalizing the message, showing that you've done research, and providing value, such as sharing relevant links or success stories from other customers (14m33s).
• Following up with leads and providing additional value is essential, as seen in the example of sending a link about Redis and offering help with implementation (15m7s).

Outbound Sales and Pipeline Generation in 2024

• Outbound sales still has a place in 2024, but it requires getting better and finding ways to become the signal amongst the noise (15m50s).
• Pipeline generation (PG) is everyone's job, and it should not be outsourced, as it creates the wrong culture and is a crucial part of the deal creation business (16m25s).
• Sales leaders should run to the front of the sales process and focus on pipeline generation, rather than just closing deals (16m41s).

Sales Leadership and Pipeline Focus

• Most sales leaders are focused on closing mode, but having a ton of pipeline with a lower close rate can still lead to hitting numbers (17m30s).
• Having more than 5-8 meetings a week may not be effective, and qualified research is necessary to show up well (17m52s).
• Quality is more important than quantity, and sacrificing quality for quantity is not desirable (18m16s).
• A sales leader should have two sides: the inspirational side that can get people fired up, and the metrics-based, data-driven side that instruments the business (18m34s).
• Instrumenting the business involves distilling down to the minimum number of metrics needed to run the business, to avoid having sales people spend all day in Salesforce (18m51s).
• A key performance indicator tracked was the number of new business meetings and opportunities added to the forecast, rather than the total number of meetings per week, to gauge progress and potential success (19m17s).
• The goal was to have a specific number of pipeline opportunities and new business meetings, which varied depending on the type of business, such as Enterprise or SMB, to ensure making the target number and potentially getting promoted (19m41s).

Product-Led Growth and Early-Stage Enterprise Sales

• In a product-led growth (PLG) world, small entry points can become significant, but it's easy to diminish their importance, so it's essential to give justified weight to their potential (20m19s).
• When starting the Enterprise business at Datadog in 2017, there were no large deals available, and the focus was on getting in early and being part of the growth, with a minimum ARR of $10,000 for Enterprise deals (21m46s).
• The initial strategy was a leap of faith, as the sales team's quotas were over $1 million, and it took time to convince them that the small deals would grow, but once the business took off, it became easier to prove the idea (22m7s).
• During the transformation period, it's crucial to keep the team motivated and invested in the idea, and as a leader, it's essential to be part of the team, provide feedback, and iterate on the strategy to ensure success (22m38s).

Effective Sales Demos and Storytelling

• To do a sales demo well, it's essential to conduct discovery ahead of time, understand the customer's pains, and put yourself in their shoes, rather than just focusing on features (23m26s).
• A good sales demo should be like telling a story, where the customer can see themselves in the story and understand how the product can improve their life and job (24m8s).
• Many salespeople make the mistake of "showing up and throwing up," where they try to show all the product's features without understanding the customer's needs, which is a terrible way to sell (24m44s).
• This approach is often compared to "taking a plate full of spaghetti and throwing it at the wall to see what sticks," where the salesperson keeps talking about features until the customer shows interest (25m21s).
• A better approach is to understand the customer's needs and show them how the product can solve their specific problems, which is more likely to lead to a successful sale (23m57s).
• John Kaplan, a sales trainer and leader, advises against coming in with a product manual and trying to show all the features, but instead, focus on understanding the customer's needs and showing how the product can help (24m52s).

Maximizing Company Valuation and Understanding Customer Motivations

• The goal of sales should be to maximize the valuation of companies, and the money is ultimately in the equity, not just in commissions or compensation (25m39s).
• By focusing on creating value and understanding the customer's needs, salespeople can increase their chances of success and ultimately benefit from the equity they create (26m2s).
• There are three main reasons why people buy software: to save money, to make money, and to avoid trouble or compliance issues, as stated by David Schneider (26m28s).
• These reasons are often abstracted away from the personal motivations of the people being sold to, which can be more influential in making a sale, such as meeting a bonus target or achieving compliance with security standards (27m20s).
• As a salesperson, it's essential to be familiar with the personal drivers of the people being sold to, which can be achieved by spending time with them in person, rather than just relying on virtual meetings (27m36s).
• Old-school sales techniques, such as building relationships and connecting with people in person, are still effective and can be more valuable than relying solely on technology like Zoom (28m6s).

Customer Success and Sales Team Focus

• Customer success can be a complex topic, and its definition can vary depending on the product and company, but it's essential to understand what it means and how to achieve it (28m56s).
• At Datadog, the commercial team focused on startups and new logos, and they were able to break into new accounts quickly by being focused and avoiding distractions (29m28s).
• Human nature tends to seek pleasure and avoid pain, which can make it challenging to do the hard work required for outbound sales and pipeline generation, but it's essential to stay focused and motivated (30m2s).
• Giving sales teams a clear focus and avoiding distractions can help them achieve their goals and break into new accounts, as seen in the success of the Datadog commercial team (30m22s).

Designing Sales Models and Customer Success Teams

• A sales model that worked for a company with one product may not work for a company with multiple products, as it requires more sales capabilities to sell multiple products, especially in a competitive market (31m10s).
• The model that was successful for Datadog, which is now worth $36-40 billion, may not work for every company, and it's essential to design a sales model based on the company's specific goals and needs (31m33s).
• Customer Success (CS) teams should be designed based on the company's specific needs, and their role may vary depending on whether they are working with Enterprise or commercial customers (31m52s).
• For Enterprise customers, CS teams may need to provide more implementation and support, while for commercial customers, they may need to have more sales capabilities (32m56s).
• Early-stage companies should focus on getting people to buy their products and figuring out their product-market fit, rather than worrying too much about paying too much for sales and CS teams (33m18s).
• Companies may have opportunities to optimize their sales and CS teams on the back end, especially when it comes to revenue that is likely to come in regardless of who is sitting at the keyboard (33m45s).

The Sales Playbook and the Role of the CRO

• A sales playbook is essential for creating a repeatable sales process, and it should be defined in a way that allows new hires to be trained and become successful in their roles (34m9s).
• A well-structured sales Playbook is essential for a company's growth, and it should include a repeatable framework for identifying the ideal target customer, outbound calling, emailing, and LinkedIn outreach, as well as a discovery call format and demo templates (34m20s).
• The Playbook should also outline the desired outcomes and exit criteria for each step of the sales process, including the discovery call, demo, and validation phase (35m41s).
• While some people believe that founders should create the sales Playbook, it is unlikely that many founders have the necessary skills and experience to create a comprehensive Playbook (36m8s).
• In most cases, it is the sales leader who creates the sales Playbook, as they have the necessary expertise and experience to develop a scalable sales process (37m31s).

Hiring a CRO Pre-Product and the Importance of Context

• Hiring a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) pre-product can be beneficial in providing context and helping with customer discovery, qualification, and feedback, as founders are often product or engineering-centric and may not have the necessary skills (37m53s).
• Chad Petzold, a well-known recruiter, agrees that hiring a CRO pre-product is fundamental in providing the necessary context and expertise for customer discovery and sales (37m49s).
• Companies like Datadog and Snowflake may be examples of companies that have successfully implemented a sales Playbook and hired a CRO to drive growth (36m43s).

The Challenges and Rewards of the CRO Role

• A sales leader who has already taken a company from a low revenue to a high revenue may not be willing to go back to a smaller revenue company, as it's a challenging and difficult process, with Jason Lemkin stating that a great sales leader will not do it twice (39m30s).
• The decision to go back to a smaller revenue company depends on the individual's career goals and circumstances, with the speaker having gone from Medallia, a 300 million dollar a year company, to Datadog, a 60 million dollar a year company, which turned out to be a good choice (40m5s).
• The role of a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) is extremely challenging, with Scott David Scott Davis comparing it to "chewing glass," and the speaker considering it the second hardest job in the company after the CEO (40m25s).
• The CRO role is highly quantifiable, with clear performance metrics, and missing sales targets can lead to questions about the right person being in the job (40m40s).
• The pressure and stress of the CRO role can be overwhelming, with many things that can go wrong, but it can get easier with time and experience (41m7s).
• The decision to take on a CRO role again depends on the context of the company's growth phase, with the speaker preferring to join a company where the hard work has already been done, rather than starting from scratch (41m22s).
• Building a sales organization from scratch, including creating a forecast and messaging, is a difficult task, and the speaker would not want to do it again unless necessary (41m44s).

From Financial Struggles to IPO Riches and Back to Reality

• Growing up in the countryside, money was a significant concern, with the individual experiencing a long period of unemployment and debt, including defaulting on credit cards, until the age of 50 when their financial situation changed dramatically due to involvement in four IPOs, particularly Medallion and Datadog in 2019 (42m6s).
• The sudden influx of wealth, with $67 million earned in a short period, distorted the individual's perception of what constitutes a lot of money, creating a temporary "black hole" effect that altered their sense of reality (44m8s).
• After the initial period, the individual's perception returned to a steady state, and they regained a sense of what is considered a lot of money (44m31s).
• The changes in life brought about by wealth did relieve previous stresses, such as financial struggles, but did not necessarily bring happiness (44m47s).
• Prior to the significant financial changes, the individual experienced stress and financial struggles, including using a HELOC check to pay a bill, highlighting the importance of employee liquidity and secondaries (45m38s).
• The individual's past experiences have influenced their perspective on the importance of employee liquidity and the potential consequences of not providing it, such as increased stress and financial struggles (46m0s).

Cold Calling, PLG, and Building a World-Class Sales Team

• Cold calling CEOs of big companies can be a stressful experience, especially when dealing with large, chunky deals, and it's not common to get a hundred deals in a quarter, but rather around 20 globally (46m13s).
• The growth period for a company without product-led growth (PLG) and without favorable market conditions can be challenging, and making the decision to pursue sales can be difficult (46m31s).
• The acquisition price of Medallia was not in the 1% category, but it was still life-changing and considered "normal crazy money" (47m3s).
• PLG is great, but combining it with a world-class sales team can be even better, and the key is to know when to layer on the sales team (47m18s).
• A founder should consider adding a world-class sales team when they feel the need for better salespeople, breaking into the enterprise market, or doing bigger deals (47m40s).
• It's essential to address the need for a sales team before it's too late, just like a runner needs to hydrate before feeling thirsty to avoid dehydration (48m12s).

Building a Great Sales Culture and Vision

• Building a great sales culture requires a vision, and the vision should be to create a legendary sales team known for making great money and life-changing deals (49m37s).
• A great sales culture can be achieved by having a clear mission statement, and the mission statement should be to create a sales team that is known for its excellence (49m45s).
• A leader's vision for greatness is crucial, and it should be communicated clearly to the team, including the promise of learning, growth, and success, as well as the expectation of achieving significant goals, such as reaching $120 million in revenue and having the most successful IPO in history (50m8s).

Addressing Underperformance and Holding People Accountable

• Sales cultures often struggle with underperformers, lack of vision, and poor accountability, which can be addressed by leaders being actively involved and holding people accountable for their performance (51m29s).
• Leaders should not just yell at the scoreboard but be in the boat with their team, attending calls and meetings to understand the challenges and provide guidance (51m45s).
• It's essential to identify underperformers quickly, but human nature tends to give them too long to prove themselves, and the saying "hire slow, fire fast" is often difficult to follow (52m3s).
• A performance improvement plan should be documented as soon as someone is underperforming, and if they don't show improvement, it's likely time to let them go (53m11s).
• Leaders should give underperformers a chance to improve, but with a short time frame, and also assess whether the leader is showing them the right guidance and support (53m30s).
• If an underperformer is not improving, it may indicate a bigger problem, and the leader should be willing to address it and make necessary changes (53m46s).
• Effective leadership involves scaling the right behavior across the team, providing guidance, showing how to do tasks, giving feedback, and confirming improvement, which is crucial for holding people accountable to numbers (53m50s).

Maintaining Morale and Addressing Sales Team Struggles

• To keep morale up when sales teams are struggling, leaders should be present with their team members, understand the problems they're facing, and identify whether the issue is related to the product, market, region, or individual (54m34s).
• Leaders should maintain a steady tone, avoiding extreme highs and lows, as this can impact performance, and instead focus on addressing the root cause of the problem (54m40s).

Controlling Discounts and Protecting Product Value

• Discounting should be tightly controlled, as salespeople may default to maximum discounts without proper leadership, which can harm long-term business valuation and unit prices (56m49s).
• In consumption-based businesses, offering low discounts early on can create expectations for larger discounts as the customer's spend increases, making it essential to control discounting higher up in the leadership chain (57m23s).
• Leaders should consider alternative solutions to alleviate financial pressure, such as providing payment ahead of deal closure, rather than relying on discounting (55m45s).
• When dealing with a significant decline in growth, leaders should recognize that it's a systemic issue requiring major changes, rather than an individual problem (56m20s).
• When determining the discount limit, it's essential to find the point where deals are not lost due to friction in the process, and then hold that limit at the CRO/CPO level to maintain standardization and comparable data across different sales reps (57m53s).
• Giving independent authority to sales reps to decide on discounts can lead to inconsistent data and varying approaches, making it challenging to establish a standard (58m35s).
• Automating discounting is not always the right approach, and it's better to have the sales team resist discounting to the customer instead of trying to negotiate with the CRO (59m21s).
• Protecting the value of the product is crucial, and if it takes extra time to come back to the customer, it's worth it to maintain the unit price and prevent frictionless discounting (59m40s).

Customer Validation and Testimonials

• Customer validation through logos can be effective in the initial conversations and meetings, but it's essential to have substance and credibility beyond just name-dropping (1h0m28s).
• Discounting for customer testimonials is not recommended, as people should be willing to provide support because of the value delivered and relationships built, rather than economic incentives (1h0m45s).

Hiring Sales Reps: Looking Beyond Superficial Qualities

• When hiring sales reps, it's essential to look beyond superficial qualities and focus on finding the right candidates, much like the approach taken in the movie Moneyball (1h1m10s).
• Different companies have varying needs for sales roles, such as Medallia requiring someone to have meetings with SEU executives without needing technical details, whereas Datadog requires a more technical sale (1h1m44s).
• To assess a candidate's fit for a sales role, one approach is to ask about their life journey, including their upbringing, parents, high school interests, and highest level of math taken, to gather data points on their strengths and trajectory (1h2m33s).
• Understanding technical concepts and being able to articulate how they work is valuable for technical sales roles, such as at Datadog or Blade Logic, but less important for companies like Medallia, Salesforce, or Workday (1h3m34s).
• Discipline is an important trait to look for in salespeople, as they are often asked to do challenging tasks, such as outbound qualifying, account accurate forecasting, and meeting high expectations (1h4m11s).
• It's essential to set clear expectations with sales candidates about the demands of the role and the company culture, emphasizing that it will be a challenging but rewarding experience (1h4m40s).
• The goal is to attract candidates who are up for the challenge and willing to put in the effort required to succeed in a demanding sales environment (1h5m4s).

Company Culture and Detecting Discipline in Candidates

• Sharing stories from current employees, including the hiring leaders, can help convey the company culture and expectations to potential candidates (1h5m17s).
• Company events, such as club trips, can provide opportunities for significant others to experience the company culture and provide feedback, which can be valuable in assessing the company's dynamics (1h5m28s).
• Discipline in personal life can translate to professional life, as qualities like transparency, accountability, and consistency can make someone a better person and a better salesperson (1h5m42s).
• To detect discipline in sales candidates, one approach is to look for evidence of their ability to do something hard and stick with it, whether that's fitness, a hobby, or working at a startup (1h6m11s).
• Working at a pre-IPO startup can be a good indicator of discipline, as it requires perseverance through difficult times (1h6m45s).
• A candidate's willingness to stick with a company for the full vesting cycle, typically four years, can be seen as a sign of discipline and commitment (1h7m6s).
• Short stints at companies, often referred to as "bounces," can be a red flag, as they may indicate a lack of discipline or commitment (1h7m20s).
• Signals that a candidate may have made a mistake in their previous role can include a "bait and switch" situation, where the company's promises were not kept (1h7m36s).

Sales Demo Tests and Evaluating Candidate Skills

• Sales demo tests, such as case studies or presentations, can be a valuable tool in the hiring process, as they allow candidates to demonstrate their skills and approach (1h8m2s).
• A specific approach to sales demo tests is to give candidates a company to sell and three days to prepare, then have them present their approach and results (1h8m37s).
• The ideal amount of time for a candidate to spend on a sales demo test is around three hours, as this allows for sufficient time to complete the task without taking too long to make decisions (1h8m54s).
• The sales demo test can provide insight into a candidate's ability to research, present, and persuade, as well as their level of interest in the job (1h9m20s).

Medallia's Decline and the Search for a New Opportunity

• The journey at Medallia seemed to be going well, with the company doubling year-over-year and reaching around $250 million in revenue, but things took a turn when Qualtrics caught up and Medallia's burn rate became a concern (1h9m37s).
• A CFO was brought in to control the burn rate, but changes to the terms of deals led to deceleration in growth, causing frustration among the team (1h10m57s).
• The speaker was not perfect, but they knew they were doing well, and the sudden change was tough for everyone (1h11m18s).
• Scott, the CRO at the time, wanted to leave, and the speaker thought they would get the CRO job, but they were later told they could win the job, which gave them a sense of confidence (1h11m36s).
• The speaker moved their family to the Bay Area, believing they could turn things around and win the CRO job, but they found out through back channels that the company had already decided to hire someone else (1h12m0s).
• The speaker had four and a half years of equity, but not enough cash to exercise it, so they felt they couldn't just quit, or they would lose their equity (1h12m54s).
• The experience was tough, and the speaker felt gutted, but they learned and grew from it (1h12m46s).

Finding a New Path and Joining Datadog

• A mentor advised to get another job as the current situation was an IQ test, but finding the money to exercise options worth two million dollars or more was a challenge (1h13m34s).
• David Skok called and mentioned an opportunity to be the number two guy for Carlos, but the goal was to be number one somewhere, and then mentioned a hot company called Datadog (1h14m6s).
• David Skok set up a meeting with the founders of Datadog, Olivier and Amit, and after a 3.5-hour meeting, the decision was made to join the company (1h14m50s).

Datadog's Founding Story and Exercising Options

• The founders of Datadog had a chip on their shoulder due to being told that nobody wants a monitoring product, the cloud will never take off, and that building a company in New York is not possible (1h15m29s).
• To exercise the options, a night job was taken to make a market for Medallia shares, and through a company called Forge, a buyer was found for the shares (1h15m57s).
• Deals were made through Forge and other connections, including private equity and hedge fund people, to find enough money to exercise the options (1h16m49s).
• The process of finding buyers for the shares involved stopping disgruntled former employees from driving the price down and navigating questionable deals (1h16m34s).
• The concept of finding the optimum point to sell the minimum amount of shares while holding onto as many as possible to exercise other shares was discussed, highlighting the importance of negotiation and deal-making skills (1h17m11s).

Junior Salespeople, Big Deals, and the Impact of AI

• It was noted that junior salespeople can do big deals with the right training and leadership, contradicting the common notion that only senior salespeople can handle large deals (1h17m53s).
• The idea that great leadership, a sales playbook, and training can increase productivity among junior salespeople was emphasized, making it possible to achieve more with less experienced staff (1h18m36s).
• The impact of AI on sales was compared to the introduction of the Microsoft Office Suite, with AI expected to make salespeople more efficient and effective in tasks such as research, writing prospecting emails, and creating proposals (1h18m55s).
• The potential of AI to automate menial labor jobs was mentioned, but it was noted that AI has instead been used to create amazing art, highlighting the unpredictability of its applications (1h19m41s).

Advice for a New Sales Leader and Building a Winning Team

• Advice was given to a sales leader starting a new role, emphasizing the importance of setting and achieving wins in the first week, month, 90 days, and year, and sharing these goals with the CEO to ensure alignment and focus (1h20m12s).
• The question of who to hire and who to fire was posed, with the suggestion that Shawn Walters, who has successfully led Datadog, would be a great hire due to his ability to navigate challenging times and emerge as a top performer (1h21m0s).

Dan Fougere's Career Journey and Success in Sales

• Dan Fougere has had a successful career, starting as a rep and getting promoted to a leadership role at BMC, then moving to Medallia as a rep, where he faced tough times but ultimately became a top performer and got promoted again. (1h21m31s)
• At Medallia, Dan sold customer experience solutions, and later moved to Datadog, where he sells Cloud monitoring solutions in a challenging environment. (1h21m47s)
• Despite initial skepticism from his team, Dan consistently delivered results, made his numbers, and improved his team's performance, demonstrating his adaptability and ability to get the job done. (1h22m2s)
• Dan has learned from the best and has a strong track record of success, having consistently made his numbers in multiple roles. (1h22m9s)

A Conversation with Dan Fougere

• The conversation with Dan has been enjoyable and natural, with a fluid discussion that allowed for authentic curiosity and interest in his work. (1h22m27s)