AlphaSense

Sales Enablement Senior Manager

Sales Enablement Manager

DiscoveryCoach.io

Teams hire me to run Discovery Workshops. You're welcome to learn more at www.DiscoveryCoach.io

Founder

CB Insights

“On a team level, you've created a culture around sharing best practices, constructive feedback, and active learning and development that never really existed before. Through the 'salescoaching' slack channel, call reviews, group coaching sessions, etc. The 'discovery call guide' and 'coaching channel' are both gold mine references to help prep for calls. On an individual level: I've shared this before and I know it's been communicated in a leadership setting, but our coaching sessions have leveled up my game to the nth degree. You've worked with me on deals that have gone on to close as a direct result from emails you've helped me draft, strategies we've talked about, calls that we prepped for, etc.” 

-- AE @ CB Insights

Enhancing the skills and effectiveness of our revenue organization through sales playbooks, 1:1 coaching, group training, and overall go to market strategy for business growth

Lead Revenue Enablement Manager

Providing predictive startup and emerging tech signals to private equity, venture capital, corporate strategy, corporate innovation, digital transformation, and market research teams so they stay ahead of their build, buy, and partner strategies.

Senior Sales Training Manager

Sentieo

Provided unstructured data insight for some of the world's most successful Hedge Funds and Equity Research teams.  

Firms include:

Incline Global, 
Palestra Capital, 
Millenium Management,
Goldman Sachs. 

This resulted in onboarding new logos onto the platform, helping them uncover data points they would have otherwise missed.

Enterprise Account Executive - Hedge Funds

Axial

Enhanced deal origination strategies for Private Equity Firms and Family Offices, allowing them to unearth new opportunities from lesser-known sources.  

I’ve helped some of the world's largest investment firms with their deal origination strategies including:

Summit Partners, 
KKR, 
Goldman Sachs, 
Kelso, 
Sterling Partners, 
Freedom 3 Capital, & 
Guggenheim Private Debt.

In addition, I launched Axial's Private Debt initiative, personally generating 75% of Private Debt client revenue for the firm, further enhancing their deal origination strategies.

Senior Account Executive & Team Lead - Private Equity & Private Debt

Account Executive - Private Equity Origination

Deloitte

Senior Associate - Hedge Fund Practice

Morgan Stanley

Associate - Financial Control Group - Wealth Management

KPMG LLP

Associate - Risk Assurance - Media Practice

I build strategies and tools to empower 185+ sales reps to effectively sell to Hedge Funds, Private Equity, and Investment Banking clients. This includes strategic planning and execution of sales programs to meet or exceed sales quota expectations across the field. Onboarding, Ramp and Ongoing Effectiveness processes are created and implemented to maximize revenue growth.

As a founder of DiscoveryCoach.io, I sell a Discovery Guide and lead Discovery workshops that have helped over 3,500 sales professionals master the art and science of discovery.

How I End Every Demo (And Actually Get a Straight Answer)

(You know, the part where reps get awkward...)

They’re not sure what to ask.

They’re scared of rejection.

So they default to some version of:

“So… what did you think?”

But what if you set the tone early, and then used your own framing to bring the conversation full circle?

Here’s how I do it:

At the start of the demo:

AE: “Bob, I’m going to show you the platform, but I want to set a simple expectation. Most folks I speak to fall into one of two camps after seeing this.
Camp 1: It’s not for them — and they walk away. Camp 2: It’s actually solving a meaningful problem — and they want to bring others into the loop and dig deeper. Let’s see which camp you fall into, and go from there.”

Then, at the end:

AE: “Bob — I mentioned at the top that folks usually fall into one of two camps. Either this doesn’t resonate at all… or they want to keep talking because it aligns with priorities. Where do you find yourself?”

No pressure. No pitchy close.

Just a thoughtful check-in framed around mutual clarity.

Most importantly: it respects their time and your own.

Sales conversations don’t need a dramatic finish — just a clear, simple next step that both sides actually believe in.

Stay curious,

🤟Charles Muhlbauer

I specialize in private capital market business development, currently focused on emerging tech insights & origination ideas for private investors, innovation teams and corporate strategy.

Struggling with Discovery? 6,000+ AEs seek my help.

The problem with being “persistent” in sales ⤵️

Everyone says “be persistent.”

But very few people know what that actually means.

Because persistence without purpose 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

It’s annoying!

When reps think persistence means “keep following up,” they end up sounding pushy,  

and pushy doesn’t build trust, 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭.

Persistence = 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 + 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞.

Pushy is when the follow-up is about you:

“Just checking in.”

or

“Did you get my last email?”

Persistent is when the follow-up is about them:

“You mentioned X was slowing down your process, I found a client who solved it this way.”

or

“Saw this trend and thought of your team.”

Pushy sellers chase.
Persistent sellers educate.

And the difference between the two comes down to intent:

Are you following up to move 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 forward?
Or are you following up to move 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 forward?

One pushes.
The other pulls.

The best sellers don’t follow up more.
They follow up better.

Because real persistence includes value, relevance, and timing, not pressure.

Stay curious,

P.S. Thank you to Deniz C. for reframing this for our team.

Struggling with Discovery? 4,500+ AEs seek my help.

I have a groundbreaking idea!

Instead of trying to pitch me on LinkedIn...

Use LinkedIn simply to send me valuable insights, without an ask.

Help me do my job better and view you as an asset.

Use all other channels to follow up thoughtfully, while always adding value.

Be different.

Stay curious.

The problem with “decision criteria” in sales ⤵️

Most AEs hear what the end-user wants, write it down, and move forward.

And then they lose.
Why?

Because the user's boss does not care about the same criteria.

The user criteria sounds like:

“Easy UI”
“Fast search”
“Good support”

Meanwhile, their CFO/Partner/MD/COO cares about:

“Does this solve a business priority?”
“Does this create efficiency or alpha?”
“Can I justify the cost to the board/investment committee?”

Two completely different scorecards.

If you build your entire evaluation around what the user wants, only to later learn leadership’s criteria…
 
𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬...𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤.

You will spend months:
 ✔ Building business cases
 ✔ Running workshops
 ✔ Doing endless follow-ups

…only for someone senior to say:

“Yeah, we went with someone else.”
And boom — deal gone.

Not because your product lost.
Because your process did.

Solid AEs sellers 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲.

“Is the user criteria the same as the firm's criteria?”
“When this gets to leadership, what criteria will they use to decide?”
“What business priority does this tie to?”

If the answer is fuzzy, that’s not a green light...that’s a giant red flag.

Good reps sell 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬.
Elite reps sell to 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

And if you're scared to have that conversation early?

You're not avoiding discomfort.
You're signing up for a 90-day 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 “𝐧𝐨.”

Don’t be afraid to disqualify.
Don’t be afraid to challenge.
Don’t be afraid to be early-honest.

Weak reps chase 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐦.
Strong reps confirm 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

That’s how you stop wasting months on “almost deals”

and start winning the real ones.

Stay curious,

The problem with listening in sales. ⤵️

We’re all taught that “great sellers listen.”

And yes - listening is critical.

But here’s the nuance no one tells you:

There’s listening to respond
…and there’s listening to understand.

Most sellers never graduate past the first one.

Listening to respond is surface-level.

You hear words, you wait for your turn, and you “handle” whatever they say.

Listening to understand is different.

You slow down.
You get curious.
You try to see the world the way they see it, not the way you want to see it.

But here’s the twist:

Even listening to understand isn’t enough.

If the prospect doesn’t walk away knowing something they didn’t know before, or realizing the depth of something they only partially understood, they won’t trust you enough to continue opening up.

They’ll share the basics.
They’ll stay safe.

They won’t take you into the real business problems; the ones that matter.

Because people reveal more when you earn the right to hear more.

And how do you earn that right?

Listen deeply.
Then teach thoughtfully.

Give them a reason to think: “If I say more, this person will help me see things more clearly.”

That’s when the real conversation begins.
And that’s when deals start to move.

Stay curious.

Here’s what’s working across the best prospectors I’ve seen this year 👇

1️⃣ Lead with curiosity, not a pitch.
2️⃣ Anchor every outreach to something real, (i.e. a portfolio company) 
3️⃣ Personalize one strong insight, not 3 sentences of fluff.
4️⃣ Call is a priority, email secondary. Always.
5️⃣ Re-mine your book: your next deal is probably already in there.
6️⃣ Partner with your SDR: share context, divide lanes, plan your next 3 touches.
7️⃣ Run “prospecting demos": shorter, targeted, designed to earn intros.
8️⃣ Treat no/slow users like new logos: reset the story, not the login.
9️⃣ Protect your calendar: say no to noise, yes to momentum.
🔟 End every conversation with a next step, or close it out clean.

Stay curious,

5 simple discovery questions that get your prospect thinking...

⤵️ 

1. “Where would this type of task fit within your existing process?”
2. “How would you normally approach this problem without using this tool?"
3. “To what extent is this approach worse than what you’re doing today?”
4. “Putting our solution aside, how would you currently handle this?”
5. “Based on what you're seeing, what do you ideally wish you'd uncover that your current process doesn’t let you?”

Your prospect will share great examples.

Stay curious.

The problem with storytelling in sales ⤵️ 

Many sellers try to make their oproposition into a movie

C-suite wants a trailer.

You don’t need 40 slides.

You need focus.

A one-slide executive summary that tells them:

Why this conversation matters now
What problem is costing them most
What changes if they act

Shorter story. 
Sharper hook.

And if you do it right, they’ll ask for the movie.

Stay targeted.

The problem with urgency in sales ⤵️ 

Your buyer already has urgency.

We keep trying to create it instead of finding it.

It’s always tied to:

a deadline
a risk
a gap
or a boss breathing down their neck

But most AEs miss it because they ask about process…

 …instead of asking for business pressure.

If you want to shorten cycles, don’t just ask,

“What’s your process?”

 Ask:

“Our clients are concerned about missing material insights due to the sheer speed at which they're being captured. Curious to what extent that surprises you, and how you and the team think about that?"

You’ll start having a real convo.

What’s the best questions you’ve used this year?

Stay curious,

The difference between functional discovery and emotional discovery. ⤵️ 

Insights that actually move a conversation forward come from 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 rather just than the mechanics of the work itself.

Buyers rarely describe their world the way we do internally. They’re not thinking about “inefficiencies” or “coverage gaps.” 

They’re thinking about preparing for a meeting where they don’t want to be caught off guard, or the stress of a deliverable that always takes longer than expected, or the discomfort of not feeling confident in the information they’re sharing with their team. 

These are the parts of the job that shape how they evaluate decisions, but they often stay unspoken unless someone creates space for them.

Approaching discovery from this angle isn’t about being dramatic. 

It’s simply recognizing that decisions are influenced by how work feels, not just how it functions. 

Asking a question like “What part of this process tends to frustrate you the most?” often opens up far more clarity than a purely operational question. 

Once a buyer explains the emotional pressure they experience, it becomes much easier to understand what needs to change, why it matters, and what will make the evaluation process meaningful for them.

One line I often share with teams is that understanding the steps is helpful, but understanding the pressure inside those steps is what creates real alignment. It sets the tone for a more honest conversation and helps both sides focus on what will actually make a difference. 

When a buyer feels understood in this way, the rest of the process (trials, demos, internal discussions) tends to move with more purpose because the foundation is clearer.

I’ve seen that buyers don’t necessarily remember every feature they’re shown, but they do remember when someone takes the time to understand the experience behind their work. 

Emotional discovery allows everything else to land in a way that feels relevant and supportive.

Stay curious,

Here is a key ingredient for sales success.

You can have all the best resources internally...but

If you are not the most resourceful, it is all for naught.

Rely on yourself completely.

Be different.

Stay curious,

Honored to see my awesome friend Hadassah Backman be a finalist at eCapWest Catalyst 2025 in the eCap Summit.

Following her company's recognition as a 

👏 MassChallenge Israel Finalist (2023), 
👏 Bronze Medalist in McKnight's Long-Term Care Innovation Awards (2024), &
👏 EY Mixiii Digital Health Finalist (2025) 

Guardoc Health continues to lead clinical compliance innovation!!!

Their advanced AI transforms everyday charting into comprehensive, compliant, and revenue-driving documentation — reducing losses, boosting accuracy, and 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞.

Now in over 10 states supporting over 5,000 patients, dozens of nurses and having identified over 50,000 critical documentation errors, come see the Guardoc Difference!

𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 2025 and see how Guardoc makes compliance effortless, defensible, and profitable.

Many tech companies have no idea what their secret sauce actually is.

They’ll tell you it’s product, pricing, or pipeline. 

All crucial…
All admirable…

Yet while every AE and manager is chasing deals, there’s a team behind the scenes quietly turning chaos into consistency.

A team with ears to the ground across hundreds of AEs, managers, and senior leadership.

They spot the friction. 

They translate it. 
They frame it.
They connect it.

They then turn it into realistic, applicable, and ongoing positioning focused on one topic at a time.

Cutting wasted motion and raising close rates in a single quarter.

They change behavior.

It’s a brain 🧠 machine that multiplies everything else.

And if your company doesn’t get that, millions are left on the table.

It’s called Enablement.

Learn more about it.

Stay curious,

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