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Selling the Cloud

Selling the Cloud

By: Mark Petruzzi KK Anderson Paul Melchiorre
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Selling the Cloud delves into the stories of C-suite veterans in Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and RevOps, revealing the secrets behind building successful SaaS empires. Each episode features seasoned leaders who walk through their career journeys, sharing the wins and lessons learned along the way. From mastering customer acquisition to leveraging AI-powered marketing and sales strategies, our guests provide actionable insights for driving growth and business success in the B2B SaaS space.

Guided by a powerhouse team of co-hosts, including Mark Petruzzi, Paul Melchiorre, and Kristin "KK" Anderson, Selling the Cloud offers a front-row seat to the evolving world of Go-To-Market strategies. This podcast extends the insights from the best-selling books "Selling the Cloud" and "Data and Diagnosis-driven Selling", co-authored by Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre, making it your go-to source for the latest trends and practical tips in SaaS excellence.


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Episodes
  • Ep. 115 - Building Repeatable Sales Success in Enterprise B2B with Glenn Poulos - Part 2

    Ep. 115 - Building Repeatable Sales Success in Enterprise B2B with Glenn Poulos - Part 2
    Feb 24 2026
    In Part 2 of this conversation on Selling the Cloud, Glenn Poulos dives deep into what it really takes to scale a distribution business from startup to successful exit. From growing Gap Wireless from 1 million dollars in revenue to 84 million over 15 years, Glenn shares the strategic decisions, mindset shifts, and leadership disciplines that enabled sustainable growth in the telecom technology sector.Glenn unpacks the importance of franchise vendor relationships, why brand positioning determines sales velocity, and how to structure an organization with the right people in the right seats. He also tackles one of the most critical dynamics in distribution: building trust with manufacturers while managing the real risk of going direct.The episode closes with a practical and grounded perspective on AI in sales. Glenn explains how to use AI as a powerful assistant across departments without sacrificing the human connection that ultimately closes enterprise deals. Plus, stay for the rapid fire segment where he shares hard lessons from selling his first company, advice for his 21 year old self, and the sales habits he still practices today.What You’ll Learn:Scaling from Startup to Exit: The key inflection points that helped grow Gap Wireless from 1 million to 84 million in revenue.Brand Strategy in Distribution: Why representing top tier brands is essential for competitive sales positioning.Right People, Right Seats: How organizational structure and disciplined hiring drive long term growth.Manufacturer Trust Dynamics: Navigating co-selling, exclusivity, and the risk of vendors going direct.AI as an Assistant, Not a Replacement: How to use AI for research, prep, legal review, and financial insights without losing the human edge.Sales Discipline That Compounds: Daily habits that create visibility, opportunity, and long term career growth.Key Topics:Franchise distribution models in telecom and technologyRelationship first selling in enterprise B2BOrganizational design and leadership evolutionManaging vendor partnerships and channel conflictAI in sales operations, finance, marketing, and legalCareer defining mistakes and lessons learnedGuest Spotlight: Glenn PoulosGlenn Poulos is a sales expert, author, and serial entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in complex B2B selling. He co-founded Gap Wireless and scaled it into a multi million dollar distribution company before its acquisition. Today, Glenn leads ProgUSA and is widely recognized for his thought leadership on sales growth, leadership, and the practical application of AI in business.🎧 Listen now and follow Selling the Cloud for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of enterprise sales.Mark (00:31)So let's move to topic three, scaling a distribution business from startup to exit in the telecom technology sectors, as a whole. So let's talk a little bit about your journey building Gap Wireless. You co-founded it in 2007, hit a million dollars in revenue that first year.Glenn Poulos (00:33)Okay.Sure.Mark (00:51)and I believe it was 15 years later, sold to 10 WS. What were the major inflection points or really what were the decisions that enabled you to scale in the way that you scaled?Glenn Poulos (01:02)So numerous things. at the end, we were 1 million in the first year when we sold it to NWS and we did 84 million in revenue. So over the 15 year period, we grew from 1 to 84 million. And again, we were a small company, right? So I mean, was, you know, and at the, when we exited, there were 44 people.Right. So it was pretty good, pretty good growth. Right. So, in a distribution company or in many, I've been into the distribution my whole life. So really can't comment much on any other kind of company because I've never really experienced them. Right. But, it's the first thing is always focusing on the relationships before the transactions. Right. So that no need to really beat that to death.the people piece is very important. The relationships with the, the customers, the employees and the suppliers is critical, right? when you're a distributor, the key is having the key, the killer brands under your moniker, right? Like you need access, franchise to access.to the key brands, right? And the kind of world that we were in ⁓ and I've been in is one where it's kind of a, we'll call it monogamy based franchise relationship. Meaning I wasn't, I'm not the Rexel or Ingram Micro that has every brand and I'm a trillion dollar corporation, right? That's not what we are, right? We're a multimillion dollar company. And so, the screws, we would only represent this screw company.Right. There were other competitors, but our goal and our job was to get a franchise relationship with ABC screw and sell their screws and their screws only no competitive. Right. And so we would build the market for them. We were approached that company. They were maybe in Italy. They make the best screws in Italy. And we'd say we want an exclusive franchise ...
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    22 mins
  • Ep. 114 - Building Repeatable Sales Success in Enterprise B2B with Glenn Poulos - Part 1

    Ep. 114 - Building Repeatable Sales Success in Enterprise B2B with Glenn Poulos - Part 1
    Feb 17 2026
    In this episode of Selling the Cloud, Glenn Poulos joins Mark and KK Anderson to break down what truly drives success in complex enterprise B2B sales. With over 40 years of experience selling technical solutions across telecom, wireless infrastructure, and power utilities, Glenn shares the practical frameworks behind building trust, mapping decision processes, and creating repeatable sales performance.Drawing from his book Never Sit in the Lobby and decades of hands-on leadership, Glenn explains why buyers in complex sales are not simply purchasing products. They are buying safety, trust, and confidence that their decision will not backfire. The conversation explores how to slow down early, uncover real risk, build consensus across multiple stakeholders, and implement disciplined follow-up that keeps long-cycle deals moving forward.If you are leading an enterprise sales team or looking to scale predictable revenue in complex markets, this episode delivers actionable insight you can apply immediately.What You’ll Learn:• Why complex buyers prioritize safety and trust over price and specs• How to build trust early by slowing down and asking better questions• The importance of mapping decision makers and influencers in enterprise deals• How to prevent deals from stalling due to unseen stakeholders• The habits that create sales repeatability and predictable results• Why disciplined follow-up is a competitive advantage• How to coach sales teams before, during, and after every call• Glenn’s philosophy of greed-based learning and how it accelerates product masteryKey Topics:• Trust-driven selling in high-risk B2B environments• Mapping enterprise decision processes• Mutual action planning and consensus building• Sales discipline and behavioral consistency• Curiosity, preparation, and active listening• Scaling sales teams through repeatable behaviors• Coaching frameworks for enterprise sales leadersGuest Spotlight: Glenn PoulosGlenn Poulos is an award-winning author, sales expert, and serial entrepreneur with more than four decades of experience in complex B2B selling. He is the co-founder of Gap Wireless, which he scaled from startup to a multi-million dollar distribution business serving North America’s mobile broadband and wireless infrastructure markets.In 2022, Gap Wireless was acquired by the organization, where Glenn stayed on as Executive Vice President and General Manager to help integrate and grow the combined entity, now operating as NWS Canada.Today, Glenn serves as President of ProgUSA, supporting US power utilities and service firms with electrical test and measurement equipment. He is also the author of Never Sit in the Lobby, a practical guide to winning and sustaining success in complex sales environments.🎧 Listen now and follow Selling the Cloud for more conversations with leaders shaping enterprise sales, go to market strategy, and revenue growth. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Mark (00:31)Welcome to today's episode of Selling the Cloud podcast. I'm excited to welcome Glenn Poulis, an award-winning author, sales expert, and serial entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in complex B2B selling. Glenn is the co-founder of Gap Wireless, which he built from startup to a multi-million dollar distribution business serving the mobile broadband and wireless infrastructure markets.KK Anderson (00:57)and the infrastructure market.Mark (00:59)of North America. In 2022, GAP Wireless was acquired by Network Wireless Solutions, NWS, a portfolio company of green management. stayed on as the executive vice president and general manager to help integrate and grow the combined entity, which is now NWS Canada. Today, Glenn is president of Prague USA, a company that supports US power utilities and service firmswith electrical test and measurement equipment. Thanks so much for joining us here, Glenn, and welcome.Glenn Poulos (01:31)Thanks, Mark. Great to be here.Mark (01:32)Cool, so today we'll explore four critical themes. First one, the core of complex B2B selling. How deals really get done and when the product is technical and the risk is high, how do you make sure that you build very strong efficiency into your selling model? Building sales repeatability. The habits and systems that make results predictable.Scaling and distribution business. We're gonna go a little deeper in that than we normally do. But really from startup to exit in the telecom and technology sectors. And then AI and technology and sales. Using tools without using the human connection.Topic one, just start with the B2B selling model as a whole. Glenn, your book, Never Sit in the Lobby, is full of field-tested wisdom from 40 years in technical sales. When you're selling complex products, whether it's wireless infrastructure, equipment, or power utility testing solutions, what fundamentally determines whether a buyer says yes or ultimately walks away?Glenn Poulos (02:32)Great question. So,...
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    25 mins
  • Ep. 113 – From CRO to CEO: What Boards Really Look for in Sales Leaders with Jason Baumgarten - Part 2

    Ep. 113 – From CRO to CEO: What Boards Really Look for in Sales Leaders with Jason Baumgarten - Part 2
    Feb 10 2026

    In Part 2 of this Selling the Cloud conversation, Mark Petruzzi and KK Anderson continue their discussion with Jason Baumgarten, diving deeper into how boards think, govern, and evaluate senior sales leaders once they reach the highest levels of leadership.

    Jason unpacks why boards care less about confidence and more about clarity, learning, and diagnosis. He explains how CROs must evolve from operators into enterprise leaders who understand risk, governance, succession planning, and investor expectations.

    The conversation also explores what executive vetting really looks like at the senior level, how boards assess integrity and credibility over time, and why understanding context behind results matters more than headline numbers. This episode is essential listening for CROs, CEOs, and revenue leaders aspiring to board seats or the CEO role.

    What You’ll Learn:

    • Board Governance for CROs: Why sales leaders must understand how boards think and operate
    • Investor Empathy: How understanding investor pressure builds trust and credibility
    • Learning Over Bravado: Why boards care more about why results happened than confidence alone
    • Risk Awareness: How governance thinking changes how CROs evaluate decisions and tradeoffs
    • Succession Planning: Why boards expect leaders to plan for a future beyond themselves
    • Board Readiness: What boards actually look for when recruiting sales leaders as directors
    • Executive Vetting Reality: What senior leadership evaluation really includes
    • Integrity Signals: Why honesty about misses builds long-term executive trust

    Key Topics:

    • Board governance through a sales leadership lens
    • Operator mindset vs investor mindset
    • Risk management and risk of inaction
    • Stakeholder alignment beyond compensation plans
    • Succession planning and leadership maturity
    • Board selection criteria for sales leaders
    • Executive search and forensic referencing
    • Ethics, credibility, and long-term reputation
    • Contextualizing revenue performance and growth
    • Preparing for CEO and board-level roles

    Guest Spotlight: Jason Baumgarten

    Jason Baumgarten is the Global Head of the CEO and Board Practice at Spencer Stuart, where he advises boards, investors, and executive teams on leadership selection, succession planning, and governance. He has led more than 250 CEO and board transitions and brings deep expertise in evaluating executive readiness, integrity, and long-term leadership impact.

    Resources & Mentions:

    • Spencer Stuart
    • Harvard Business Review: How CEOs Build Confidence in Their Leadership
    • Board governance and executive succession best practices

    🎧 Listen now and follow Selling the Cloud for deeper conversations on executive leadership, governance, and what it truly takes to move from CRO to CEO.



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    22 mins
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