SBI BlogRevenue Growth Insights

Coaching & Training

The Playbook Fallacy

Most sales leaders would never put an untrained pilot in a cockpit. However, every day, organizations allow new sellers ...

3 Feb 26

3 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

GTM Design & Structure

The Lost Lever of Inorganic Growth

$350B worth of 2025 technology acquisitions will fail – highlighting a practical guide to harmonizing your post-M&A ...

20 Jan 26

4 min read

By Patrick Doran Read More

Coaching & Training

The Manager of the Future: Making Sales Management More Human with AI

Selling really is more complex than it used to be. Buying groups are bigger. Risk is higher. Priorities change weekly. I...

6 Jan 26

3 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

Enablement & Training

A Fast Start Decides the Year for PE-Backed Companies

The beginning of the year carries more weight in PE-backed companies than most teams acknowledge. The plan is finalized....

19 Dec 25

2 min read

By SBI Team Read More

Coaching & Training

3 Goals for Sales Reps to Achieve Early in the Sales Cycle

As a sales manager, you have a limited amount bandwidth to go on joint sales calls with your sales reps. While going on ...

18 Dec 25

3 min read

By David Jacoby Read More

Insights

Overly Ambitious Targets Set by PE Owners

Industry Context The healthcare IT sector faces mounting pressure from regulatory changes, digital transformation demand...

11 Dec 25

2 min read

By SBI Read More

Enablement & Training

AI for Sales Managers: 2025 Q4 Enablement Growth Forum Recap

Frontline managers are the leverage point of every sales organization. Yet, we continue to bury them in administrative d...

9 Dec 25

3 min read

By SBI Team Read More

Insights

The "Closer" is a Myth: Why Negotiation Starts at Discovery–Not the Contract

There is a pervasive, dangerous myth in B2B sales: the legend of the "Born Negotiator." This is the "Closer" who swoops ...

2 Dec 25

5 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

Insights

The "Simple Business" Trap: Complexity Demands Data, Not Gut Feeling

There is a misconception about "unglamorous" industries. People look at a company like Restaurant Technologies (RTI). Th...

2 Dec 25

3 min read

By Mike Hoffman Read More

Research Report

The 3 Trends That Defined Q4 (And Will Make or Break Your Next Q1)

If Q4 2025 taught us anything, it is that the middle ground is collapsing. Across the four major research studies that S...

2 Dec 25

3 min read

By Nick Toman Read More

Research Report

AI Won’t Replace Your Sales Manager. It Will Finally Let Them Lead

Despite aggressive commercial spending, growth is slowing across the board. Revenue growth has contracted from 22% in 20...

27 Nov 25

3 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

Research Report

Enablement Workshop: Tackling Buyer Friction, AI-Ready Managers, and Better Coaching at Scale

When you put a group of enablement leaders from companies like Red Hat, Salesforce, IBM, Cato Networks, DocuSign, and Sp...

27 Nov 25

4 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

Insights

Restaurant Technologies — Predictable, Profitable Growth Through Commercial Operations

Industry Context The restaurant services industry operates on route-based distribution models where profitability depend...

25 Nov 25

2 min read

By SBI Read More

Research Report

95% of AI Pilots Fail. AI Services are the Solution.

95% of AI pilots fail to produce any measurable P&L impact. That finding from MIT's July report should concern every...

25 Nov 25

4 min read

By Isaac Silverman Read More

Coaching & Training

Most Sales Teams Have AI, but  Enablement is Required to Make it Work

Most teams have AI tools, but without enablement stepping in to guide how reps actually use them, seller productivity wo...

19 Nov 25

2 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

GTM Design & Structure

Healthcare Services Provider — Reigniting Growth Through Inside Sales Transformation

Stagnant Growth Year-over-year growth in new patient acquisition had plateaued for this healthcare services company. The...

17 Nov 25

2 min read

By SBI Team Read More

Pricing

PE Insights: Why Discount Discipline Drives Growth in PE Portfolios

Pricing has become an increasingly prevalent topic among our clients and one of the highest-priority items for operators...

13 Nov 25

3 min read

By Eric Estrella Read More

GTM Design & Structure

How RevOps Leaders Are Orchestrating Growth in 2026

As we wrapped our final RevOps Leader Roundtable of 2025, one thing was clear: the pressure on revenue teams isn’t going...

12 Nov 25

3 min read

By Adam Sheehan Read More

Insights

Zayo — Accelerating Growth Through Structured Change

Industry Context The telecommunications industry faces mounting pressure to modernize legacy infrastructure while accele...

12 Nov 25

2 min read

By SBI Read More

Private Equity

PE Firms Win by Knowing What They're Buying

In private equity, you win or lose based on what you know before you sign. The difference between a home run and a write...

6 Nov 25

3 min read

By Eric Estrella Read More

Insights

Grid Infrastructure Software Provider — Establishing Commercial Excellence

Industry Context Energy software firms are under pressure to pivot from perpetual licenses to ARR-driven models. Boards ...

5 Nov 25

1 min read

By SBI Read More

Customer Success

Marketing’s New Scoreboard: Net Revenue Retention

Most CMOs still measure success by pipeline, leads, and brand reach. That worked when budgets were growing and new logo ...

4 Nov 25

3 min read

By Tracy Hansen Read More

Coaching & Training

Enablement at a Crossroads: Insights from ATD Sell 2025

At this year’s ATD SELL 2025 conference, one message came through loud and clear: the imperative to move beyond training...

3 Nov 25

3 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

Customer Success

Predictive Health Scoring: See Churn Coming Before Your Customer Does

The Crisis: You're Always Too Late Most companies discover customer problems when it's already too late to fix them. The...

3 Nov 25

3 min read

By Alicia Lee Read More

Customer Success

Personalized Engagement: Scale Customer Relationships Without Losing the Human Touch

The Personalization Paradox Every CSM knows personalized engagement drives better outcomes. Customers who receive releva...

2 Nov 25

3 min read

By Alicia Lee Read More

Enablement & Training

The ROI of Sales Enablement: Why Your Best Investment Isn't Hiring More Reps

The Scaling Paradox Your revenue target just doubled. Your CEO wants to know: how many more reps do we need? Most sales ...

2 Nov 25

3 min read

By Andrew Urteaga Read More

Insights

Teradata — Rolling Out a Global GTM Model

Industry Context Global GTM transformations are notoriously difficult. Centralized rollouts often create bottlenecks tha...

30 Oct 25

1 min read

By SBI Read More

Private Equity

Value Creation Planning: The First 100 Days That Define Returns

A strong Value Creation Plan (VCP) provides the strategic blueprint for the entire hold period. It identifies the most i...

30 Oct 25

2 min read

By Brian Stearns Read More

Sales

Revenue Engine Quality Assessment: What's Really Under the Hood

The Surface vs. Reality Problem Management presents a growth story: "Strong pipeline. High win rates. Happy customers." ...

30 Oct 25

3 min read

By Adam Sheehan Read More

Performance Management

The Forecasting Risk Lurking Beneath the Base Business

As a CFO, you're tasked with doing what most SaaS leaders are struggling to achieve in 2025: Deliver growth. Improve eff...

30 Oct 25

2 min read

By Kristin MacCarthy Read More

Coaching & Training

From Product Pitches to Profit Conversations: How Biamp Rebuilt Its Sales Muscle

When your market is mature and hypercompetitive, standing still is the fastest way to fall behind. I recently spoke with...

30 Oct 25

3 min read

By Ray Makela Read More

RevOps & RevTech

Pipeline & Forecast Analytics

Every Monday morning, the same ritual: your CRO asks if you'll hit the quarter. You look at your pipeline, run the math,...

29 Oct 25

3 min read

By Adam Sheehan Read More

Insights

TIBCO - Getting Back to Growth in Enterprise Software

Industry Context Enterprise software firms racing to subscription models often stumble on execution. Rapid acquisitions ...

28 Oct 25

1 min read

By SBI Read More

GTM Design & Structure

Leading Through Uncertainty: How AI is Redefining the Operating Model for Growth

Markets are volatile, tariffs unpredictable, and boardrooms louder than ever about one thing: proof of productivity. For...

28 Oct 25

4 min read

By Mike Hoffman Read More

Sales

Sales Productivity Metrics: Measure What Drives Revenue

Your sales team is busy. CRM logs show calls, emails, meetings. Activity dashboards are green. So why aren't you hitting...

28 Oct 25

3 min read

By Andrew Urteaga Read More

Performance Management

The Five Elements to Effective Annual Planning

Our observations of market conditions ahead paint a stark picture for commercial leaders: profitable growth is increasin...

28 Oct 25

3 min read

By Anthony Erickson Read More

Performance Management

The Forecast Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

Every CRO I know is chasing the same goal: a forecast they can trust. Quarter after quarter, even strong sales teams fin...

27 Oct 25

3 min read

By Jamie Halpin Read More

Marketing

Predictive Lead Scoring: Stop Guessing, Start Winning

Every sales leader faces the same brutal reality: your team spends too much time on leads that won't close, while high-v...

25 Oct 25

3 min read

By Tracy Hansen Read More

Marketing

Personalized Outreach: Scale Relevance, Not Volume

Every sales and marketing leader faces the same paradox: you have more data about your prospects than ever before, yet y...

24 Oct 25

3 min read

By Tracy Hansen Read More

GTM Design & Structure

How to Master Annual Planning Rollout for 2026

With the right information and strategic bets in place, leaders prime their organizations for revenue excellence. But ev...

24 Oct 25

2 min read

By Nick Toman Read More