Grit

Guest: Harry Ault, Chief Revenue Officer at DataStax

In this episode, we cover: Harry's experience moving to Australia for a job in his early 20s — and the importance of seeking out new learning opportunities. (3:49) ... Adapting to change: The relationship between curiosity, taking ownership, and grit. (8:18) ... Learning from failure and the galvanizing impact of company cultures. (12:10) ... Changing company strategy, go-to-market, and external perception: Harry's three steps for a tech company turnaround. (17:46) ... 'Make change in hours': The benefits of fostering a non-hierarchical, mission-oriented company culture — and the importance of listening to customer feedback. (21:31) ... Transitioning from legacy to SaaS: Why DataStax separated its SaaS sales team from the organization that works with its legacy customers. (26:38) ... 'Elevating our sales capability': Growing a successful SaaS go-to-market strategy by focusing on product demonstration and partnering with customers. (31:07) ... Communicating a product's value to a customer by personalizing a hands-on demonstration as a salesperson. (38:22) ... How Harry defines the word grit. (42:41)

Show Notes

Growing up in a farm town in Pennsylvania with a population of just 183 people, Harry Ault had big career aspirations.

After working for CitiGroup in management positions, Harry built a successful career as a sales leader in the tech industry. As a go-to-market guru, Harry now serves as the Chief Revenue Officer of DataStax, a data management company.

On this episode of Go to Market Grit, Joubin and Harry talk about Harry’s three steps to a technology company turnaround, transitioning from legacy revenue to SaaS subscription revenue, and the importance for salespeople to demonstrate their product.

In this episode, we cover:
  • Harry's experience moving to Australia for a job in his early 20s — and the importance of seeking out new learning opportunities. (3:49)
  • Adapting to change: The relationship between curiosity, taking ownership, and grit. (8:18)
  • Learning from failure and the galvanizing impact of company cultures. (12:10)
  • Changing company strategy, go-to-market, and external perception: Harry's three steps for a tech company turnaround. (17:46)
  • 'Make change in hours': The benefits of fostering a non-hierarchical, mission-oriented company culture — and the importance of listening to customer feedback. (21:31)
  • Transitioning from legacy to SaaS: Why DataStax separated its SaaS sales team from the organization that works with its legacy customers. (26:38)
  • 'Elevating our sales capability': Growing a successful SaaS go-to-market strategy by focusing on product demonstration and partnering with customers. (31:07)
  • Communicating a product's value to a customer by personalizing a hands-on demonstration as a salesperson. (38:22)
  • How Harry defines the word grit. (42:41)

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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.