Selling the Vision with Devdutt Yellurkar

Devdutt Yellurkar is a managing partner at CRV and has a wealth of experience as a sales VP, CEO, and venture capitalist. He has worked with several successful startups and has a deep understanding of the sales process and building successful companies. Devdutt is also a co-founder of the VC fund named Propeller, which focuses on investing in companies that address climate change. In this conversation with John McMahon, Devdutt shares his insights on how his experience in sales has helped him as a CEO and venture capitalist. He discusses the importance of sales in building a company and the role of a CEO in selling the company's vision. He talks about making hiring mistakes and how sales has changed with the speed of new technologies and new sales models. Devdutt emphasizes the need for empathy and non-judgmental support when working with founders and the importance of persistence in achieving success. Finally, he discusses the impact of climate change and how venture capital can be a powerful tool in addressing this global issue. HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT [00:08:10] The importance of selling as a CEO [00:11:11] Selling enterprise software and the importance of storytelling [00:11:53] Jack Welch admitted to making hiring mistakes as a CEO. [00:14:48] Forecasting in sales helped in forecasting as a CEO. [00:16:49] Pipeline coverage is key to mitigating deal slippage. [00:19:03] Tough experiences provide valuable lessons for growth. [00:27:01] Implementation of sales methodology and importance of qualification. [00:30:51] Importance of being a grandparent, not a parent, as a board member. [00:44:04] The power of persistence in achieving success. [01:04:48] Propeller VC fund was started to address climate change. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Learn more about Devdutt Yellurkar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devduttyellurkar/ Download our Sales Transformation Guide for Leaders: https://forc.mx/3sdtEZJ HIGHLIGHT QUOTES [00:54:15] "Because you want your resource, your best resources are actually focused on taking a pro license and moving it to a strategic relationship, because that's when emotional intelligence is needed." [01:04:23] "You can't just be a sales guy because, you know, as we discussed earlier, a lot of this is around product market fit. And that is a lot through kind of understanding the market, understanding your customer. Understanding technology."