Jason Eubanks is back to answer the question every revenue leader is asking: Will AI kill sales jobs or make great sellers unstoppable?

He drops hard stats (91% of B2B teams missed quota, top 25 % drive 80% of revenue at 11× productivity) and explains why AI is a superpower for elite performers, a wake-up call for the bottom quartile, and a complete game-changer for SDR outreach, buyer trust, and hiring. If you lead a sales org, this 35-minute conversation is required listening. 🙌

Thanks to Our Sponsor! Aurasell AI

The first AI-native GTM platform: https://aurasell.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro & Jason returns

01:38 - AI: replace or superpower?

03:07 - Top 25% dominate revenue

04:38 - 91% teams miss quota

09:40 - AI’s impact on SDRs

12:46 - Outreach volume vs buyer fatigue

16:52 - Human trust + real-time signals

25:14 - Hiring for the AI era

28:25 - Will AI make sellers lazy?

31:12 - Keeping top talent engaged

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

1. AI Widens the Performance Gap Top 25 % already produce 11× more — AI will make them unstoppable while exposing under-performers.

2. Bottom Quartile Must Adapt Fast If you don’t aggressively adopt AI tools, you’ll fall further behind as others 2–4× their productivity.

3. Hire Character, Teach Skills Work ethic and engagement can’t be automated — get these right and AI turns good sellers into great ones.

💬 Notable Quotes “AI will be a superpower… it will unlock new levels of productivity that allow your top sellers to become even more productive.” “91 % of all B2B sales teams didn’t hit their revenue targets.” “80 % of the revenue was generated by only 25 % of the sellers.” “I don’t buy that AI makes sellers lazy — laziness exists for other reasons.”

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please smash like/share and subscribe!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

X: http://x.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of Great Leaders UK, we are joined by Julia Weimer, Director of Solution Engineering UKI at Wiz, to discuss the critical, often underutilized role of pre-sales in driving elite sales execution.

Julia shares her unique journey from Security Analyst in a SOC to leading a high-performing SE team , emphasizing why Sales Engineers must be viewed as equal business partners to Account Executives, not just technical support. She walks us through the importance of symbiotic relationships , leveraging structure like MEDDIC , and the power of empowering SEs to build technical champions.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

02:40 - SE/AE Relationships that Lead to Failure

05:27 - The Ideal SE Profile

07:40 - SEs as Deal Realists

11:50 - Driving Cross-Functional Alignment

16:15 - Nurturing Talent: Teaching Sales Methodology

23:45 - From SOC to SE: The Biggest Career Risk

27:57 - Diversity in Tech

39:17 - Recruiting Priorities

41:23 - The Motherhood/Career Balance

42:18 - Hiring for Entrepreneurial Mindset in SEs

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

The SE Superpower is Reality: The sales engineer's superpower is the ability to look into the reality of an opportunity and be a realist about its progression. This means SEs must be empowered to act as the credible technical person and trusted advisor in the room.

Structure the Sales Instincts: For many technically inclined SEs, the sales aspect is not natural. Leaders must provide structure (like teaching MEDDIC) and enablement to help SEs embrace sales methodology as a new skill set.

Symbiosis Drives Success: Amazing things happen when sales and pre-sales embrace a symbiotic relationship and work together. This partnership ensures accountability where neither the AE nor the SE is left with an uneven workload, helping to avoid deals from falling "out of whack".

💬 Notable Quotes "Sales engineering should always be treated as an equal partner to sales." "It was probably the biggest career risk that I've ever taken." "The balance is what I seek, and if you can find people that are really great with their people's skills and relatable... and also really like to solve problems. It's a perfect blend of both." "If you give us that type of platform and that type of respect in an opportunity, then the world is our oyster." "I really find that the sales engineering role is this gem of a role for those of us who are a little bit introverted, we really like tech and our skill sets are with the tech."

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of the Playbook Universe, we speak with Kristian Kamber, CEO and co-founder of SPLX AI, about his journey from elite sales roles at AppDynamics and ZScaler to launching his own AI security startup. Kristian shares the inner drive and lessons learned, from a family restaurant business to the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley playbooks, that prepared him to lead a fast-moving, deeply technical company. He reveals the critical steps in finding the right technical co-founder, securing investment, and achieving product-market fit by listening intently to customers. This is essential listening for any sales professional considering the leap into entrepreneurship.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

02:17 - The Inner Motivation to Be a Founder

03:44 - The Hard Decision: Leaving a Sales Career

04:47 - The Co-Founder Hunt and Validation

06:07 - Using Sales Skills to Vet an Idea

08:55 - The Turning Point: Securing Initial Investment

11:46 - The CEO Upskilling Curve: Investor Relations

15:28 - Sales Mindset as a Competitive Advantage

17:01 - Product Pivot: Listening to the Customer

20:19 - SPLX AI's Funding and Growth Timeline

24:30 - Evolving the CEO Role: From Sales to Strategy

27:38 - Hiring A-Players for an Early-Stage Startup

30:00 - The Unconventional Sales Mindset in the US

38:05 - The Importance of Moving Fast in Your Career

40:40 - Building Champions Outside Your Geo

47:49 - The 90-Day Product Innovation Cycle

50:46 - Advice for Aspiring Founders

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

The Best Founder is the Best Salesperson: A founder must be the best salesperson in the company, constantly selling to customers, investors, partners, and potential hires. Sales experience provides a crucial competitive advantage in validating the product, building trust, and driving aggressive motion.

Finding a Co-Founder is Non-Negotiable: A sales-focused founder must pair with a deeply technical co-founder to balance skills and gain investor confidence. Kristian used his sales network and deep discovery skills to rigorously vet his co-founder's technical genius and commitment to the idea.

Master the Market, Not Just the Playbook: While sales playbooks are essential, true success in a fast-moving market like AI security requires listening to customers and being willing to pivot immediately. Kristian's team shifted their product focus after realizing the European market wasn't ready, proving that market adoption dictates the product roadmap.

💬 Notable Quotes "I'm super coachable when it comes to things I don't know, but I'm super strict about things I'm 100% I know how to do it." "I knew I need to find the right co-founder who knows how to build a tech so I can do with him the business because I know what I can't do." "You should thank God you made your co-founder. That was the turning point for me. I said, wow." "I knew I need to sell before I even have a product." "The biggest job of an early stage founder is getting term sheets. It's the biggest job."

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Koutis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of East Coast Elite, we unpack the remarkable career journey of David Goodmark, VP of Sales at Wiz, a story that serves as a masterclass in strategic career building.

Dave shares how he consistently prioritized mentorship and skill acquisition over title or compensation, knowingly taking roles as an Individual Contributor (IC) after being a leader just to learn from the best in the industry. He discusses the power of the Playbook culture, the concept of reciprocal accountability that fosters deep team trust, and the importance of "earning your way in" to elite networks. This is a must-listen for anyone looking to scale their career by following great leaders and building an unshakeable skill set.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG:AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

02:09 - Sales Career Launched by Mentorship

04:44 - The Shift to Software Sales

10:48 - Earning Your Way In: The Playbook

17:19 - Stepping Back: Leader to IC at AppD

23:20 - The Long Game: Mike's Mentorship

33:10 - Inspection vs. Inspiration

35:06 - The Two-Sided Champion Equation

40:48 - The Wiz Turnaround Story

51:00 - Advice for Aspiring Sales Leaders

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Follow the Leader, Not the Title: The most critical career decisions involve prioritizing who you work for a great leader and mentor, over a higher title, more money, or better short-term comfort. Dave consistently took an IC role after being a leader just to acquire a stronger, more teachable skill set from elite organizations.

Master the Two-Sided Account: Career success and gaining champions is a two-sided equation. You must continuously add value (make deposits) to the professional relationships you rely on, and not merely withdraw favors. You can't draw from an account that has no deposits.

Culture Needs Candor and Accountability: A highly effective sales culture operates with reciprocal accountability. The relationship must be honest and direct enough to allow for candid feedback (like being treated as siblings), which ultimately drives the mission faster.

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

💬 Notable Quotes "You could be a not great leader and have amazing people and do okay. And you could be the best leader on the planet Earth and have really bad people and you're going to be in trouble." "It doesn't matter how little you think someone might know about what they're trying to teach you... If you could try to take one thing away from these interactions..." "When you do treat each other, almost like you are siblings... It actually kind of creates a welcoming environment and atmosphere which only helps us get towards the mission faster when we're working and when we're building." "What your title is doesn't matter... build a skill set that teaches you how to do something to the point where you are consciously understanding of it." "You can't withdraw from an account that has no deposits in it."

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #EastCoastElite

In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Nakul Mandan, founder and partner at Audacious Ventures, to discuss his unique approach to early-stage investing.

After an 18-year career, Nakul discovered a powerful differentiator: an in-house playbook for recruiting exceptional talent and building scalable sales engines. He shares how his experience with a legendary sales leader transformed his investment philosophy, leading him to double down on "founder quality" and "10x individual contributors". We dive into tangible advice for founders on everything from identifying an urgent problem to solve to knowing when to hire their first sales team. Nakul also provides invaluable guidance for salespeople and execs looking to break into the world of venture capital.

🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PG:AI: https://www.getpg.ai

Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro & Background

02:16 - The Audacious Ventures Thesis

04:30 - A Sales Legend's Impact

06:14 - The Genesis of Audacious

10:48 - Founder, Market, Urgency

14:40 - Coaching Founder-Led Sales

18:57 - The Repeatable Pipeline

20:51 - When to Hire Your First Sellers

24:20 - The Hands-On VC Advantage

27:40 - The Sales Comp Sticker Shock

29:34 - Good vs. Great in Recruiting

36:15 - How Reps Evaluate Startups

43:29 - Evaluating Equity Packages

48:36 - Double Trigger Vesting Explained

50:20 - Hiring Your First Sales Leader

56:31 - The Hybrid Sales Role

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Prioritize a Founder's Quality Over the Idea: The single biggest ingredient for startup success is the founder's ability to be a "force of nature" and attract other exceptional people. A great team can pivot and solve problems, but a great idea with a mediocre team is far less likely to succeed.

The Problem Must Be Urgent: When evaluating an idea, ask if it solves an urgent problem for the buyer, not just an important one. People only pay for solutions to problems that they need to solve right now, and this urgency is a key indicator of a large, scalable market opportunity.

Recruiting is Relentless: The difference between a "good" hire and a "great" hire is massive. Founders and VCs must be relentless in their pursuit of "10x" talent, a person who is in the 99th percentile of their profession. This requires deep back-channeling, a focus on recruiting as a core competency, and a willingness to pay for top-tier talent.

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "People don't solve important but not urgent problems. People solve important and urgent problems". "The single biggest ingredient to startup success is the density of exceptional people in a company". "No VC can help you get to product market fit. But if you can get to product market fit, beyond that, there are some... frameworks that you can apply to build a scalable sales engine". "If you don't have an ICP, you're probably not ready for sellers". "I would argue that the difference between good and great is the same as the difference between good and absolutely horrible. It's light and day".

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #EastCoastElite

In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Madina Burkov, VP of Global Sales Development at Harness, to break down everything you need to know about starting a career in tech sales as a Sales Development Representative (SDR).

Madina shares insights into the essential skills for success, how to assess if a company's SDR program is right for you, and the critical role SDRs play in generating pipeline and driving revenue. We also discuss practical advice on how to stand out during the application process, the importance of a growth mindset, and why the "gift of the gab" isn't the only path to a successful sales career. 🏹

Key Topics Covered

00:00 - Intro

01:48 - Madina’s role and the purpose of an SDR

03:36 - How SDRs partner with Account Executives

06:22 - Key metrics for measuring SDR success

08:03 - What to look for when joining a tech sales company

09:13 - The essential qualities of a successful SDR

11:02 - Why sales is a skill that can be learned

14:49 - How deep an SDR needs to understand the technology

16:06 - Enablement and ongoing training for SDRs

19:20 - The SDR role in a long-term sales career

22:59 - Handling rejection

33:07 - Choosing startup vs. established organization

40:51 - The value of being proactive in your job search

47:43 - The benefits of working in an office vs. remote

51:51 - How to stand out when applying for an SDR role

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

Sales is a Learned Skill: Don't be discouraged if you don't have the "gift of the gab." Sales is a skill that can be learned and taught through practice and a strong growth mindset. The ability to be curious, ask good questions, and be coachable are key attributes for success.

Quality Over Quantity: As an SDR, your focus should be on the quality of the meetings you book, not just the sheer number of them. High-quality meetings that turn into qualified opportunities are what AEs and sales leaders truly care about, and wasting an AE's time can damage your reputation within the company.

Be Proactive: To break into the tech sales industry, especially as a new applicant, you must be proactive. Don't just submit an application and wait. Do your research on the company and its challenges, and then use LinkedIn to find and reach out to the hiring manager and other SDRs. This demonstrates your ability to do the job and helps you stand out from other candidates.

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes "The SDR role in tech sales... it's not for everyone, it's a grind, it's a tough, tough job". "You have to be genuinely interested in the product and what it is in the space as well in order to do well, otherwise it's going to be really, really tough". "Usually an executive or a person would get hundreds of emails and really only a handful of phone calls". "Being proactive... that's the key... and not just submitting an application and waiting for somebody to get back to you". "What do you think is going to really set you up for success, right? And what kind of organization is going to allow you to be successful?". #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse #EastCoastElite