Grit

Guest: Ross Biestman, CRO of ServiceTitan

In this episode, we cover Ross’ background in banking, his transition to sales, and what he does as the CRO Executive in Residence at Bessemer Venture Partners. (2:30)... How Ross’ research on high-performing people identified specific levers that can be utilized to create motivation and help improve a team’s overall performance. (9:23)... How Ross identifies high-potential talent and the shared characteristics of top performers. (17:30)... ‘We definitely fly very close to the sun’: Why Ross’ company, ServiceTitan, both over-assigns — and under-assigns — quotas for salespeople. (25:29)... What ServiceTitan does and how Ross became involved in the company. (30:44)... Why ServiceTitan works quickly at customer acquisition and going-to-market and the main objections the company gets from potential customers about its product. (40:15)... Ross’ predictions on the future growth of ServiceTitan and the main challenges he sees lying ahead. (46:42)... How Ross defines grit. (50:57)

Show Notes

If you ask Ross Biestman about the highest-performing environment he’s ever been a part of, you might be surprised to hear nothing of his time as an investment banking analyst or as a salesperson at Adobe. 


Instead, Ross points to his time on the University of California, Berkeley rugby team — an organization that he says instilled team values that he still brings to every company he works with. In addition to his position as Chief Revenue Officer of ServiceTitan, Ross currently serves as the CRO Executive in Residence at Bessemer Venture Partners.


In this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Ross talk about how to motivate sales teams and increase their overall performance, the shared characteristics of high-performing people and how ServiceTitan is pushing full steam ahead on its go-to-market strategy.


Links: 

What is Grit?

Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.