👩🏻‍🏫 Krysten Conner

krystenconner.com

--> Pressure to hit your number got you lying awake at 2:41am?
--> Stressing over deals that are ghosting or slipping?
--> Burned out & feeling major anxiety?

Empowering tech sellers to close more complex deals is what drives me.

I spent 12 years in Enterprise sales as an Account Executive with multi-billion dollar tech companies like Salesforce, Tableau and Outreach. Along the way, I blew past performance goals in multiple roles.  Doing 14X what anyone had done in my territory, being #1 in new logo acquisition, and achieving a 47.6% win rate.

It wasn't always like that, though.

Early on, I couldn’t confidently qualify deals in or out quickly. I wasted lots of time on deals that didn't turn out to be real. My discovery felt haphazard, and I struggled to get prospects to go in depth or quantify their pain.

My first sales cycles were some of the longest on the team. Deals frequently slipped, and I got ghosted a lot. All which I felt powerless to change. I was always waiting for the customer. I didn’t know how to lead so buyers wanted to follow.

You might relate to feeling like I did: burnt out, anxious, and like you don't belong in sales. The sad part is feeling behind, scattered, and overwhelmed has become the new norm.

It took me over 10 years to gain the confidence, knowledge and skills that I needed to be a consistent top performer.

My mission is to ensure you get there faster - by sharing what I’ve discovered throughout my 12-year career.

My content and training has been featured by: 
--> pclub / Chris Orlob
--> 30 Minutes to President's Club
--> Kevin Dorsey / Live Better, Sell Better
--> Sell Better / Daily Sales Show
--> Outbound Squad
--> Challenger
--> Vidyard
--> RepVue

Here’s what my clients say: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystenconner/details/recommendations/

--> Sign up for my newsletter for weekly coaching in your inbox:    krystenconner.com
--> Schedule a consult here:   https://scheduler.zoom.us/krysten_conner/coaching-consult

I help AEs win 6-7 figure deals to overachieve quota & maximize their income

pclub.io

Multi-thread Your Way to 34% Higher Win Rates 
Access multiple Decision Makers faster with proven templates & approaches
Expand your footprint and get "high and wide" access to multiple influencers in your top deals.

Sign up for the Multi-threading Masterclass here!

Course Author:  Multi-Threading Masterclass

Outbound Squad

Helping you pack your pipeline with qualified meetings.  Especially those shiny new logos.

Coach

Outreach

• 10-27% more revenue (Forrester study)
• 31% more meetings booked
• 29% more opportunities

Outreach is like Amazon for sales activities.  Makes everything about it faster & easier, more trackable, and you get better info for better decisions.  Frees you from mundane work. So you can do revenue generating work.

But don't take our word for it.  Adobe, Tableau, Zoom and 5,000+ other clients get extraordinary results with Outreach's system of action. Salesforce, Microsoft and SAP have all invested millions in Outreach.

Honeywell, Cisco and SAP drive predictable and measurable growth, increase efficiency + effectiveness of all customer-facing teams, and improve visibility into sales activity and performance with Outreach.

Enterprise+ Account Executive

Outreach:
• Forbes Cloud 100 for 2018-2020
• #1 in G2's Best Products for Sales, 2020
• $4.4B valued "Unicorn" 

Hustle + grit, being a decent human, and helping clients get what they needed were my 'few & vital'
 
Led to these results:
• #1 on my team and #3 in all of Enterprise for New Logo acquisition
• 711.21% YoY ARR growth in my book - all New Logo
• Top 3 rep in East region for new ARR, with 47.6% win rate 

Outreach optimizes every touch throughout the customer journey, managing interactions across email, voice and social.  Machine learning guides sales and service teams to take the next right actions.

Headquartered in Seattle but with offices in San Francisco, Tampa, and London, Outreach has received $289M+ in funding from top tier investors. **Backed by Salesforce & Microsoft** as well as Lone Pine, Meritech, Spark, DFJ Growth, Sapphire, Trinity, Floodgate, Mayfield, Premji Invest, Steadfast Capital Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management Vista Equity Partners, Microsoft, SAP and Salesforce Ventures

Enterprise Account Executive

Tableau Software

How do you actually accomplish digital transformation, in real life? How have others built a data culture? What have they gained as a result of all that time and effort?

Working with clients to answer these questions helped me achieve: 
• 137.73% YoY growth in my book - this put me in the Top 7%; #5 out of 63 reps
• 145.36% of Services quota; #22 out of 63
•  41% partner attachment (sales is a Team Sport)
• The honor of presenting to my peers on Prospecting at GSKO 2020

Enterprise Accounts, Financial Services

PowerSchool

PowerSchool creates tech that makes it easier, faster, and more cost-effective for schools to find and
keep great teachers. As a former teacher, this was a purpose close to my heart.

In this role, I worked with large school districts and associations (5,000 - 50,000 employees) across
5 states. This included all stages of the sales cycle: market development, new business sales and
expansions.

• Truly partnering with the districts I served allowed me to achieve an average of 127% of my revenue goals every quarter.  
• This partnership approach also helped me do 14X what prior reps had done in the same geographic territory.
• Over 61% of my clients had never worked with us before.  Earning their trust was an honor.

Strategic Accounts

Hello Alice

Super pumped about getting my side hustle accepted into this national accelerator.  Circular Board was the Start-Up Accelerator that launched Hello Alice.

Founder - Member of Fall 2016 Founders Cohort

Haas & Wilkerson Insurance

Haas & Wilkerson is one of the nation's largest privately held insurance brokers.  I worked as a Risk Consultant partner for high attendance entertainment events across the country. 

• Created Challenger Sale strategy for National Accounts division (slide deck below)
• Sales and Business development for National Accounts division, both for-profit and nonprofit
• Strategic Sales Partnerships project team

Strategic Account Executive (Field)

My clients were all small/medium businesses and nonprofits, run by folks driven to pursue their dreams, passions and callings.  It was a thrill to develop creative solutions for their organizations.  

While the numbers alone can never tell the whole story, they do help quantify impact:
• Sales, new business development and client retention, as well as growth and operations strategies for our agency’s fastest growing unit (growth rate of 21% during my tenure)
• Created improved work processes that cleared 5 months of backlog within 8 weeks
• Introduced pilot program that increased efficiency of analysis process by 48%

Business Unit Manager - Select Accounts

🚫pipeline anxiety l Terrible dancer l Always a Teacher 🦄🦄🦄 ex Outreach, Salesforce, Tableau 👉🏼👉🏿👉🏽 Click bell/top right to be notified when I post 🔔

Feel like you're trying to do everything right… but deals keep slipping, ghosting, or dragging out forever?
You’re not alone.

Enterprise sales is full of hidden traps no one warns you about:
 ❌ Deals that seem real but never close
 ❌ Discovery calls that stay surface-level
 ❌ No clear way to qualify quickly—or confidently
 ❌ “Great calls” that vanish into silence
 ❌ A cycle that feels out of your control

And somehow, you’re still expected to hit an aggressive number.
In a tough market. With no real playbook.

It’s exhausting—and it’s not your fault.


The worst part? You don’t feel in control.
You’re anxious. Burnt out.
And starting to wonder if you're even cut out for this.

But it’s not you.
You were just never taught how Enterprise sales actually works.


What if you didn’t have to figure it out the hard way?


I spent 12 years selling Enterprise deals at Salesforce, Tableau, and Outreach. I hit 47.6% win rates, broke records, and 14X’d territory expectations—but it didn’t start that way.

Early in my career, I felt stuck and scattered too. I had to teach myself how to run deals with structure, control, and confidence—because no one else was doing that kind of coaching.


Now, I teach you the strategies I wish I had sooner:
 ✅ Run Discovery that actually drives urgency
 ✅ Qualify fast—without sounding like a jerk
 ✅ Multi-thread without being annoying
 ✅ Speak the language of Executives
 ✅ Lead deals so buyers want to follow


Here’s what clients say after working together:
 👉 “Went from 2% of my number to 106%”
 👉 “Helped me close a deal with a $5B account - that 2 of my predecessors failed to close.”
 👉 “I closed the largest contract in my company’s history from prospecting to close because I implemented in real time what she taught me.“


You don’t need another sales theory.
You need someone who’s been in your shoes—and knows how to win big deals now.


Want to sell like a top performer—without waiting 10 years to figure it out?
Let’s work together: krystenconner.com


🟢 I offer 1:1 coaching for individual reps, and workshops for sales teams who want to win bigger, faster, and more often.


Browse client wins here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystenconner/details/recommendations/



💫"We pay for every lesson with either time or money. And we use the currency we value least."
         -Alex Hormozi

Member

Personio

As Director of International, I'm cross-functional responsible for all our Revenue operations within UKI, Nordics, Benelux, Spain and our Rest of World teams. Within this operation we are working with 75+ talented professional (Marketing, Sales Development, Account Executives, Partnership Managers, Solution Engineers, Implementation Managers, Customer Success Managers, Account Managers and Support) to serve our thousands of International customers to enable their businesses so they can focus on the HR they signed up for.

Director of International 🇪🇺

As Head of Benelux, I'm cross-functional responsible for the Benelux Revenue operations within Personio. Within the Benelux we are working with 35+ talented professional (Marketing, Sales Development, Account Executives, Implementation Managers, Customer Success Managers, Growth Managers and Support) to serve our hundreds of Benelux customers to enable their businesses so they can focus on what matters most: their PEOPLE.

Head of Benelux 🇳🇱🇧🇪🇱🇺

GTM OS

Co-Founder

Pavilion

I represent a group of 150 wonderfully talented Revenue Executives from some of the fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Together, we have a confidential and dependable space to share best practices, strategize, and problem-solve with peers.

I'm fortunate to co-lead this chapter with our founding father André Bressel and the amazing Greg Higgens & Brendon Montgomery.

Co-Lead Chapter Amsterdam

Pavilion (formerly Revenue Collective) was founded in 2016 as a support network for revenue leaders. Since opening our first chapter in New York City, we’ve grown into an international center providing peer-to-peer connection, training and development, and career resources for all high-growth professionals. We’re always imagining new ways to help current and future leaders unlock and achieve their professional potential. 

For more information about Pavilion or to become a member of one of our worldwide chapters, visit joinpavilion.com.

Member, Chapter Amsterdam

trumpet 🎺

Async selling isn’t theory for me. It’s how my teams sell.
And Trumpet makes it scalable.

If you're serious about closing deals faster, keeping control, and creating a buying experience that matches how people actually make decisions…

Your team needs a Digital Sales Room. A single place where deals move forward.

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we use Trumpet in real deals?

DM me “Trumpet” I’ll walk you through exactly how we use it.

Brand Ambassador

Winning by Design

The Winning by Design Ambassador Program is a tight knit community of like-minded GTM leaders, who embrace scientific, sustainable revenue growth at SaaS & Technology businesses.

Interested joining the team?

👉 https://winningbydesign.com/ambassador-program

Ambassador

MessageBird

As Head of Sales - 24sessions, I managed the video revenue amongst our New Business (new logo), Account Management (net expansion) and Strategic Partner Channel team (channel revenue). Acquired by MessageBird in February, 2021

Head of Sales & Strategic Partnerships 24sessions

Teamleader CRM

As Country Manager I managed the Dutch Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success team (16 FTE).

✔️ Country Strategy
✔️ Managing P&L
✔️ Budget and Forecast
✔️ Hiring & Recruitment
✔️ Lead Generation 
✔️ Sales Channel development
✔️ Operational structure & process

Country Manager NL 🇳🇱

Managing and coaching our local sales teams Ghent, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Milan, and Paris (45 FTE).
 
✔️ Sales Strategy & Processes 
✔️ Sales Onboarding Bootcamp
✔️ Sales Playbooks & Content
✔️ Sales Training & Coaching 
✔️ Sales Forecasting & Benchmarking
✔️ Peer2Peer Social Learning

Sales Coach & Operations Manager

In the period of 6 months, I have been responsible for creating, implementing, and executing the sales structure, processes, training, and coaching programs for our 45 sales reps in 6 European countries. As Project Manager, I worked very closely with Project Owner Sjoerd Göddeke to successfully implement the Sales Design, Training, and Coaching framework of Winning By Design into our customer-centric sales teams in our Amsterdam, Berlin, Ghent, Madrid, Milan, and Paris offices.

Sales Enablement Project: Winning By Design

Account Executive

WeHandcraft

WeOrder is based on a B2B Transaction Platform & ERP solution to help grow your retail chain or wholesale business. We assist SME businesses doing efficient and better administration. Our online platform makes ordering between you and your customer easy, convenient and effective. No more Excel or handwritten sales or purchase orders or transactions. *Acquired by Blue-Donut.com*

Co-Founder / Business Development

Sweebr (Acquired)

In 2012, Sweebr (founded in Haarlem, the Netherlands) was the first ever software company that provided HTML5 POS-software, offering retailers a solution that is truly independent of POS hardware. Sweebr aimed to liberate retailers from the chains of many of their current POS-providers by having information flow easily between applications. Focusing on smaller retailers in the early days, mid-market retailers were increasingly asking for the same agile, hardware-, OS- and channel-independent solutions. *Acquired by Countr POS*

Happy Customer Scout

Stam-Aardappelen

At Stam I have been responsible for implementing and maintaining Food Safety Procedures according the BRC Global Standard. Five years in a row rewarded with a A status. Next I was responsible for implementing and maintaining SAP Business One ERP system. 

About Stam.
Stam Potatoes is a family-owned wholesale company specialized in delivering high quality potatoes and onions for a wide variety of clients such as supermarkt chains, food wholesalers, restaurants, and more.

BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, SAP Business One Implementation

Preparing for the future by innovation and focusing on efficiency. Implemented new ERP software, fresh new Stam identity, and a focus on the latest Food Safety Global Standard.

Project Efficiency & Professionalism

Head of Benelux @Personio | Unlock the Power of Your People

Over the past 12 years in SaaS, I’ve seen firsthand where most Founders and Revenue leaders fail: 

- No structured Go-To-Market strategy → Running multiple GTM motions at once. Growth stalls, especially beyond the home market.
- No consistent sales process → Relying on individual performance instead of repeatable systems. No scalable growth engine.
- No clear revenue insights → Looking at blended metrics instead of pinpointing what drives conversions. Low rep productivity, declining ARR per FTE.

I get it. Day-to-day operations take over, and revenue inefficiencies stack up.

The bad news? You’re responsible for fixing it.

The good news? I can help you and your SaaS business.

How I help B2B SaaS teams ($5M-$25M ARR) scale faster:

- GTM & Sales Strategy – Structuring inbound, outbound, and partner strategies across SMB, Mid-Market, and Enterprise.
- Sales Process Optimization – Improving conversion rates and reducing reliance on top performers.
- Playbooks & Execution – Building structured systems, coaching frameworks, and checklists for consistent revenue growth.
- High-Performing Teams – Hiring, developing, and structuring commercial teams with clear accountability.

Results I’ve helped drive:

→ Increased sales team efficiency by 2X through scalable sales team structuring and skill development frameworks.

→ Improved win rates to 25% by implementing structured tactical and operational Go-To-Market tactics.

→ Built GTM playbooks that accelerated ARR growth for early-stage and scaling SaaS companies to $10M ARR.

How we can work together: 

1. Coaching & Advisory – Hands-on support to build a scalable sales engine.
2. On-Demand Sessions – Solving your biggest sales execution challenges.
3. GTM Playbooks & Frameworks – Proven templates for predictable growth.

Scaling isn’t about luck. It’s about building the right systems.

What’s blocking your revenue growth today? Let’s fix it.

DM me and let’s chat.

Koen Stam

If AI isn’t in your GTM strategy, you don’t have a GTM strategy.

The GTM leaders winning today aren’t just executing playbooks. They’re shaping how AI transforms customer acquisition, sales, and revenue operations.

Most GTM leaders treat AI as a side project. But in today’s fast-evolving landscape, your grasp of AI isn’t just a personal advantage, it’s a competitive moat.

The power of AI-driven GTM leadership:

1. Credibility and market authority
 
Customers and peers trust leaders who understand the next wave of change. Sharing AI insights positions you as a forward thinker shaping the future of revenue growth.

2. Talent magnetism and team evolution
 
The best talent wants to work with leaders who stay ahead of the curve. Showing your AI expertise signals to top performers that you’re building for the future, not clinging to the past.

3. Pipeline acceleration and operational leverage
 
AI isn’t just tech, it’s leverage. Smart use of AI tools and strategy can shorten sales cycles, personalize engagement at scale, and open new market opportunities.

How to get started:
• Go from “reading about AI” to “testing AI”: share what you learn along the way.
• Engage with other AI-in-GTM voices: collaboration accelerates your learning curve.
• Tie AI insights back to GTM outcomes: revenue, efficiency, and market positioning.

A GTM leader’s AI fluency isn’t optional; tt’s a strategic advantage. The best GTM leaders don’t just run teams, they shape conversations, influence industries, and unlock new growth levers.

If you want to learn fast, learn from the top voices already leading the AI-in-GTM conversation (not in particular order) 👇

 1. Dharmesh Shah 
 2. Yamini Rangan 
 3. Jacco van der Kooij 
 4. Saanya Ojha 
 5. Jason M. Lemkin 
 
 6. Liza Adams 
 7. Aaron Levie 
 8. Kyle Poyar 
 9. Kieran Flanagan 
10. Maja Voje 
 
11. Kevin "KD" Dorsey 
12. Kyle Norton 
13. Santosh Sharan 
14. Jordan Crawford 
15. Jonathan Moss 
 
16. Jonathan M K. 
17. Greg Isenberg 
18. Allie K. Miller 
19. Sam Jacobs 
20. Jake Dunlap 

Who would you add?

Leading International @Personio | Building community @Pavilion | Architecting Growth @Winning By Design | Showing revenue teams what’s next @GTM OS

This week I spoke with two founders. Both under €3M ARR. Both ready to hire SDRs and AEs.
My advice was simple: don’t.

In 2026, GTM doesn’t start with sales. It starts with creators.

Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, said it best:
“The salesperson of the future isn’t just a seller. They’re a creator and a builder.”

She’s right.

If you can’t build demand yourself, no sales hire will save you.

The 2020 GTM playbook is over.
At the early stage, your first hires should build momentum, not chase quotas.

I’ve seen the same pattern for more than a decade. Teams start by hiring closers, then spend the next year fixing the story those closers are trying to sell.

In 2026 the winners are the ones who figure out message and motion before they scale headcount.

Here are 4 of the 7 tactics top GTM operators use to become builder-creators:

1/ Narrative-market fit before product-market fit

If your story doesn’t resonate, no feature will fix it.
Validate your message with 10 to 20 founder-led ICP calls every week.
When buyers start repeating your words back to you, you’ve got pull.

2/ Founder-led marketing as the primary channel

Until €5M ARR, the founder is the brand.
Publish three times a week. Share what you learn from real customer calls.
Treat it like prospecting. Because it is.

3/ Outbound as message testing, not volume

Stop blasting 500 messages to prove effort.
Send 50 insight-driven ones to test what really lands.
Outbound is your best lab for clarity.

4/ Proof loops and trust compounding
Capture customer wins as content.
Turn every success into a short story, clip, or quote.
Proof builds faster than promises, and it compounds every time you share it.

The other three tactics go deeper into educational outbound, continuous narrative feedback, and how to operationalize founder-led growth.

I’ve compiled all seven in my GTM OS archive with 10,000+ real GTM signals from 100+ operators.
It shows exactly how founders turn early clarity into predictable growth.
Link in comments.

Founders who learn to create signal before they scale people will move faster than the rest.

Who are you hiring first: creators or closers?

Most sellers think they close deals.
They don’t.
Their buyers do.
Your job is to make sure they know how.

Most buyers today are first-time buyers.
They have never bought your category before.
Or never done it inside their current company.

That’s risky.

Because when your buyer lacks experience, your job isn’t to close.
It’s to guide.

That’s where your Mutual Action Plan (MAP) matters.
It’s not a document.
It’s a confidence plan for your buyer.

A great MAP helps them win internally.
It gives them the arguments, the business case, and the timing to align every stakeholder.

That’s real buyer enablement.

5 Foundational MAP Tactics ↓

For teams introducing MAPs for the first time

1/ Introduce the MAP early

Do it right after mutual interest is confirmed.
Say, “To stay aligned on what success looks like, let’s build a simple action plan together.”
Keep it short: 6 to 8 steps to go live.
Use Google Sheets or Notion. The tool doesn’t matter.
Ask the buyer to add their own milestones and dates.

Why it works: buyers take ownership early. You move from project manager to partner.

2/ Co-own it with the buyer

A MAP filled out alone is just another internal doc.
Build it live during a call.
Ask what success looks like, what internal steps exist, and who owns them.
After the call, send it back and say, “I added what we discussed. Adjust anything that doesn’t fit your process.”

Why it works: buyer contribution equals buy-in. Engagement becomes a qualification signal.

3/ Keep it simple and outcome-based

Early MAPs fail when they become admin work.
Use three columns: Milestone | Owner | Target Date.
Make milestones sound like buyer outcomes, not sales tasks.
For example:

“Send proposal” becomes “Align on ROI and next-step approval.”

“Demo complete” becomes “Validate fit with key users.”
Limit it to eight milestones max.

Why it works: simplicity keeps it alive. Buyers will actually use it.

4/ Review and update it every call

MAPs die when ignored.
Start each meeting with, “Let’s check where we are on the plan.”
Spend two minutes updating milestones.
Highlight blockers or delays.
If the buyer stops engaging, that’s your first risk signal.

Why it works: steady rhythm creates accountability and momentum on both sides.

5/ Anchor the MAP to a real buyer deadline

MAPs without real urgency drift forever.
Ask early, “What’s driving your timing?”
Budget renewals, implementation windows, or internal go-lives all count.
Put that date at the top of the MAP.
Work backward from it and reconfirm when timelines change.

Why it works: you stop pushing deals and start co-managing a shared project with a clear finish line.

When buyers trust your process, they sell for you.
When they don’t, deals stall.

You’re not selling anymore.
You’re enabling them to buy.

Are you already working with Mutual Action Plans?


PS. If you want to start introducing MAP, consider trumpet 🎺.

More revenue leaders need to say it out loud: customer success generates more revenue than new logos ever will.

We’ve spent years glorifying acquisition, chasing the next logo and the next pipeline win. But the real test of leadership in 2026 isn’t how fast you can add customers. It’s how deeply you can serve the ones who already chose you.

When the tide of easy growth goes out, retention is the foundation that keeps you standing.

New revenue is only a fraction of what sustains a company. The real engine is the customers who stay, and the people who show up every day to help them succeed.

If you want recurring revenue, create recurring impact. That impact doesn’t come from product alone. With so many alternatives on the market, it’s your people, your customer success teams, who turn commitment into loyalty.

The best companies already know this.
Retention isn’t a metric. It’s a mindset.
Customer success isn’t a cost center. It’s a growth engine.

When you invest in your customers, they invest back.

At Personio, I have the privilege of working with an incredible customer success and account management team led by Alba, together with regional leaders Felipe, Alvaro, and Julia. Their teams build trust with customers every day, across regions and industries. And we’re looking for the next CSM to join our international team. Someone ready to help us deepen those relationships even further.

If that sounds like you, or someone you know, let’s talk.

(Senior) Customer Success Manager Benelux (d/f/m)  

Community events don’t need stages or spotlights. Sometimes, all you need is a laptop and a willingness to share.

At Pavilion chapter Amsterdam, we’ve hosted hundreds of events over the years. Dinners. Meetups. Panels. Each with its own magic. But the world around us is changing fast.

AI is transforming how we work, learn, and connect. New communities pop up every week. To stay relevant, we can’t just repeat what worked before. We have to evolve, listen, and keep creating experiences that feel fresh and real.

As chapter leads, we talk about this often.
How do you keep a community meaningful when everything around it changes so quickly?

That’s how this concept was born.
Raw learnings. By peers, for peers.

Last Tuesday, we tried it live.

• Wouter shared how he built an AI-enriched outbound setup in Clay and HubSpot.
• André walked us through his workflow for turning call transcripts into automated MEDDICC and SPICED updates in CRM.
• Rolf and I showed how we prep SDRs and AEs to perform better in meetings through small, repeatable habits that compound over time.

No slides. No long talks. Just people sharing what they actually do. What works. What doesn’t.

The energy in the room reminded us why community matters. It’s not about hosting more events. It’s about creating safe spaces where people want to give, learn, and grow together.

Brendan, André, and I have been thinking about this for a while. In our monthly chapter lead calls, we already do it. We share screens, discuss challenges, and learn from each other. Tuesday night was simply that, live with our members.

Every time we try something new, I’m reminded that community isn’t about control. It’s about trust. The best moments happen when people lead from experience and others feel safe enough to follow.

The feedback said it all. More of this.
Practical. Honest. Use-case based.

Community isn’t static. It’s alive. And in a world that moves this fast, the only way to keep it meaningful is to keep it human.

What is one concept in your community that made an immense impression on you?

I upgraded my best performing GPT who was used over 5,000 times in the last 2 years. 

My best GTM mentors don’t know me. 
They write LinkedIn posts.
They host podcasts.

3+ years ago, I stopped consuming content randomly.

I started archiving LinkedIn posts and podcasts with structure, intent, and prompts.

Instead of scrolling endlessly or multitasking through episodes and posts, I built GTM Podcast & LinkedIn libraries:

• 25+ podcast shows
• 100+ GTM operators
• 1,250+ podcast episodes
• 1,000+ hours of GTM learnings
• 10,000+ tactical LinkedIn posts
• Analysed for GTM micro-learnings
• Connected to AI for direct GTM advice 

Why? Because GTM education isn’t something I leave to chance.

I learn from the best: founders, CROs, operators, investors while walking, traveling, or doing deep work.

And I don’t just listen. I study. I learn. 
And I apply those learnings in my day2day.

Here’s how I turn content into action:

• I tag each piece of content by topic, from strategic to operational.
• I summarize key takeaways and highlight playbook-worthy ideas.
• I prompt those insights into AI to speed up application.

Some of the podcasts I return to over and over:

 1. Topline – Asad Zaman,AJ Bruno & Sam Jacobs 
 2. The Revenue Leadership Podcast – Kyle Norton 
 3. The Revenue Formula – Toni Hohlbein 
 4. 30 Minutes to President's Club – Armand Farrokh, Nick Cegelski, Mark Kosoglow 
 5. Collin Cadmus Podcast – Collin Mitchell 
 6. Exit Five – Dave Gerhardt 
 7. Outbound Squad – Jason Bay 
 8. Make it happen - John Barrows 
 9. GTMnow - Sophie Buonassisi 
10. And many more GTM podcasts

The signal is out there. You just need to structure it.
We have been doing just that for the last 3+ years.

Every one of those posts and episodes on GTM topics have been:

1. Archived in a Notion database.
2. Analyzed with Notion AI in micro-learnings
3. Indexed with a Pinecone vector database
4. Connected to the OpenAI API
5. And turned into a GTM revenue assistant

You can now voice prompt your biggest revenue challenge and get solutions pulled from the best minds in the game.

If you're curious to test it, subscribe to koenstam [dot] substack [com] to gain direct access. 

(Voice) prompt your way to better GTM advice.

Yesterday I joined The Revenue Formula podcast to reflect on what it really takes to win in 2026.
It turns out, it’s not about doing more.
It’s about doing better.

Everywhere I look, teams are planning next year around new channels, new plays, new tools.
But sometimes the biggest unlock isn’t something new.
It’s something we already built.

Our existing programs, channels, and systems often hold more potential than we realize.
The challenge is that we keep adding instead of improving.

I’ve seen it happen across markets and teams.
Inbound slows.
Outbound drags.
CAC rises.
And our instinct is to add more.
More people, more tools, more ideas.

But more doesn’t make things clearer.
Better does.

Yesterday, Toni and I talked about the five plays that consistently help teams improve what already works:

• Async selling – adding value between meetings, not just during them.
• Ecosystem-led growth – building with partners, communities, and events.
• Cross-functional GTM – one buyer journey, one team.
• Process over people – clarity before headcount.
• Retention and reward – growing around those who already deliver.

None of this is theory.
It’s what I’ve seen work again and again.

As we plan for 2026, maybe the question isn’t “what should we add?”
Maybe it’s “what could we do better?”

Because growth rarely comes from doing more.
It comes from doing better.

Last week at SaaS Summit Benelux, one question kept coming up:
“How do we grow in 2026 with the same or smaller budget?”

Everyone’s instinct was the same: do more.
More pipeline. More SDRs. More campaigns.

But the best operators I know are asking a different question.
Where can we do better before we do more?

Because growth doesn’t stop when markets slow down.
It stops when your GTM system leaks efficiency.

Inside GTM OS, we’ve identified 7 tactics by proven GTM experts every team can use to scale smarter:

1) Signal-based GTM: Focus only on in-market accounts that are ready to buy.

2) ICP discipline: Cut to your real customer base and double down.

3) Unified efficiency dashboards: Connect GTM, Ops, and Finance around one truth.

4) Process-led GTM: Build scalable systems before adding headcount.

5) Retention and expansion: Treat your customer base as your primary growth motion.

6) AI-native workflows: Turn data and context into daily leverage for reps.

7) Continuous governance: Review, measure, and optimize efficiency like financial health.

Doing better is not glamorous.
It’s alignment, rhythm, and iteration.
The kind of work that doesn’t make headlines but shows up in revenue.

If you’re planning for 2026, start here:
Don’t add until you optimize.
Don’t expand until you prove.
Don’t hire until your process scales itself.

The next wave of SaaS growth will come from doing better, not doing more.

This post is part of GTM OS Weekly #46: 7 Strategies to Execute GTM by Doing Better.

Join GTM OS to access 100+ playbooks, 25+ revenue assistants, and AI workflows built for efficient growth.

#46-How Top GTM Teams Execute Better, Not More  in 2026

Most people think AI means adding new tools.
That’s exactly why their AI projects fail.

The real advantage?
Using AI to amplify the tools you already have.

Before you chase another fancy pilot, ask yourself:

• Where are the real gaps in your customer journey?
• Where is your data clean enough to actually make AI useful?
  
That’s where the leverage lives.

This came up when Tony Holbein invited me on The Revenue Formula.
We spent the whole episode cutting through the AI noise and focusing on what really drives pipeline.

We’ve been using digital sales rooms for years.
When AI started blending into them, something changed.

In trumpet 🎺, the system now acts like a CRO in your pocket: tracking who’s engaged, what’s missing, and what to send next.
Pair it with Gong, and suddenly you’re getting smarter on every call without adding another tool to your stack.

Your CFO doesn’t want another subscription.
They want proof your current stack is working harder.

So before buying something new, check what you already own.
Because the best teams aren’t adding, they’re optimizing.

That’s how AI stops being hype and starts driving pipeline.

How are you using AI in your current tech stack?

I made this 1 critical mistake as a GTM leader.

Here is what I learned since.

I made a big mistake as a GTM leader when I thought I could transfer my winning GTM programs to a new leadership role seamlessly. I soon realized that not all GTM strategies are created equal:

• Inbound ≠ Outbound.
• SMB ≠ Enterprise selling.
• 10K ACV ≠ 1M ACV sales cycle.
• Series A startup ≠ Series E scaleup.
• Full-cycle AEs ≠ SDRs and AEs model.

However, there are 5 traits I've consistently seen in successfully executed GTM programs:

1. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: Continually optimize processes with quantitative win/loss analysis and qualitative customer insights. It's all about the right mix.

2. 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Keep iterating your GTM execution; there are no silver bullet solutions. Incremental improvements compound over time.

3. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Base improvements on solid data and analysis by RevOps. Don’t fall into the trap of doing it all yourself. Focus on execution and leave data analysis to experts.

4. 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Align with all relevant internal stakeholders for your business plans, but mainly focus on your direct team.

5. 𝗨𝘀𝗲-𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 & 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: Invest in ongoing coaching and training of your team on relevant use-cases and customers’ Jobs To Be Done. Your team needs to understand the market, challenges, and personas.

The latter is especially underestimated. 
You shouldn’t build your GTM team around a Superstar culture. You need a Science culture.

The difference?

Superstars focus on people.
Science focuses on processes.

Ask yourself, are you fixing a people or a process problem? I am convinced you can be successful in any GTM program if you focus on building a Science Culture over a Superstar Culture.

Build your fundamentals in this order:
1. Processes.
2. Technology.
3. Enablement.
4. Skills.
5. Team.

Improvement and iteration of each process within your GTM program is crucial. It isn’t static but a dynamic process.

Do you believe in superstars or science in GTM?

Every founder says they need more pipeline.
None of them realize they are the missing pipeline.

Most founders still think posting on LinkedIn is a distraction.
But look around: Adam Robinson, Yamini Rangan, Sam Jacobs, Irina Novoselsky, Gal Aga.
Their content doesn’t just build audience. It builds pipeline.

Last year during Pavilion GTM2024, Adam Robinson said:

“The ability to create world-class organic social content… then amplify it with ad spend… is the fastest, most efficient, and highest leverage way to grow a startup that has ever existed.”

He’s right.
I’ve archived and studied 15 CEO creators. Together, they’ve built audiences of over 1.1M followers.
Each post is a micro-learning in modern GTM: credibility, clarity, and demand creation in motion.

This year, I’ve published 300+ posts in 300+ days.
Not one written by me.
All co-created with my Content Architect, my AI partner in crime.

It listens to my voice notes, identifies the angle, chooses the tone, builds the hook, and we refine together.
It doesn’t replace my voice.
It amplifies it.

This is what Founder-Led GTM looks like in 2025:

• Authentic founder voice → credibility
• AI workflow → consistency
• Personal content → inbound demand

Ignore it, and you’re leaving money, talent, and influence on the table.

How to start your Founder-Led GTM motion tomorrow:

1. Capture, don’t craft. Record one 5-minute voice note about what you learned this week. Raw is perfect.
2. Turn thoughts into angles. Ask: what does this teach my ideal buyer? What pain does it solve?
3. Publish with purpose. Use AI to help with clarity, not personality. Keep your tone human, your insights sharp, and your cadence consistent.

Tomorrow’s newsletter breaks down the full Founder-Led GTM Operating System and how to turn your voice into pipeline.

Subscribe if you’re ready to lead with your voice.

Six months ago, our GTM team at Personio started experimenting with AI. Today, it shapes how we plan, sell, and serve customers. What began as a company-wide experiment became a step-by-step playbook for AI transformation in GTM.

When our CEO, Hanno, launched “AI Surge Week,” every team at Personio got access to LLMs to build and test ideas.
Adoption rose fast, but real transformation required more than enthusiasm.

We learned that becoming an AI-powered GTM requires structure, ownership, and habit.

Here are five lessons you can use to build your own AI-powered GTM.

1/ Make it a leadership motion

AI transformation succeeds when leaders create the space for it.
Free people’s time to redesign workflows, dedicate budget for experiments, and decide which tools to back.

Try this: pick one key workflow this quarter and give a small team full support to rebuild it with AI.

2/ Build a cross-functional GTM team

Our working group includes data and systems, RevOps, GTM engineers, and business leads.
This mix of technical skill and business context turns ideas into scalable workflows.

Try this: assign one person from each function to identify where AI can remove friction or improve decisions.

3/ Prioritize with clear frameworks

We use Jobs-to-Be-Done to find time drains across roles and Customer Journey Mapping to link those tasks to growth impact.

Try this: shadow one sales or success rep for a day and list every repetitive task that AI could automate or simplify.

4/ Build a culture of AI

Adoption happens when people are curious and safe to experiment.
We lead by example, showcase internal wins, and celebrate them company-wide.

Try this: share one small AI win each week in your team Slack or all-hands.

5/ Combine your stack with your context

Great AI depends on your data quality and internal knowledge.
We started with existing tools like Salesforce, Gong, and Snowflake, then trained models on Personio-specific content.

Try this: before adding new tools, clean your CRM and centralize your customer data.

AI transformation is not a tech project.
It is an operating shift that compounds over time.

Which part of your revenue engine is ready for AI transformation next quarter?

I used to think consistency was about discipline. Now I see it’s about identity.

Almost three years ago, I made a simple promise to myself.
To show up. To share what I was learning. To write it down, even when it wasn’t perfect.

What started as a few scattered posts became a rhythm.
Then a habit.
Then a way of thinking.

I didn’t start posting to grow my brand. I started posting to grow as a person.
Every time I wrote something, I understood my work, my values, and my community a little better.

Some posts resonated. Some didn’t.
That’s fine. Not everyone is supposed to find value in what you share. That’s what makes it real.

But over time, something unexpected happened.
People I’d never met started showing up in conversations.
Colleagues became collaborators.
Readers became friends.
And slowly, credibility turned into connection.

That’s the power of sharing over gaining.
It’s how communities are built.
One story, one post, one act of generosity at a time.

After more than a thousand posts, I’ve learned that consistency isn’t a task list.
It’s identity.
It’s who you become when you decide to keep showing up.

If I can help one person with one post, that’s success.

So if you’ve been waiting for the perfect idea or the right moment, here’s my advice:
Start now.
Not to grow your brand, but to grow yourself.

What’s your reason for being active on LinkedIn?

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