The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton

As EVP of Sales and CS at Insight Partners, Jeremey advises over 500 B2B SaaS companies. In this episode, he reveals why the top 10% of performers are actually expanding their outbound teams, not cutting them.
And we cover a ton, including:
The Outbound Paradox: Why winning companies are doubling down on SDRs while everyone else pulls back.

Build vs. Buy: Why purchasing point solutions right now is a "risky business" (and the case for building your own).

The Great Consolidation: How AEs are absorbing the SDR function and what it means for your org chart.

The CRO Differentiator: The one trait that separates good revenue leaders from the truly great.

Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. 
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Jeremey Donovan's Career Journey
03:59 AI Adoption: Disillusionment vs. Reality
06:28 Shifting From Bottom-Up to Top-Down AI Innovation
08:29 Navigating Governance and the "AI Czar" Role
13:58 Why Disciplined Execution Trumps AI Tactics
16:11 AI for Performance Reviews and Real-Time Feedback
21:45 The Rise of "Build" and Agentic Coding
27:33 Augmentation, Outbound Sales, and Human Effort
41:40 The Build vs. Buy Debate in RevTech
52:13 Realistic Expectations for AI Productivity Gains
59:13 The Future of SDR and Solutions Engineer Roles
01:03:12 Redesigning Processes and Unbundling Roles for AI
01:13:06 Preserving Critical Thinking in an AI World
01:19:05 Quick Fire: Leadership, Hiring, and Hard Lessons

Jordan Crawford (Founder @ Blueprint GTM) returns with a reality check for GTM leaders: The ChatGPT era is over. We're entering the season of Claude Code. That means you can move past static prompts and brittle workflows. We are now in a world where autonomous agents write code, execute complex goals, and learn recursively. Jordan breaks down how to set up local environments where context compounds over time, allowing you to deploy "infinite interns" against your most manual processes.
 
A few of the topics we cover:
The 3 Eras of GTM AI: Why we've graduated from ChatGPT (text) and Clay (linear workflows) to Claude Code (autonomous engineering).
Adapt or Die: Jordan shares some benchmarks of the absurd growth that's possible in specific areas
Atomic Leverage: How to identify the tasks in your sales org that agents can execute at scale.

COUPON CODES:
Get 10% off AutoClaygent.com with code NortonKnows. No limit on redemptions, but the code expires Feb 28th, 2026.
 
Get 50% off your own GTM Playbook with code KyleKnows (limited to the first 50 customers only) available at https://playbooks.blueprintgtm.com 
 
Contact Jordan at https://linkedin.com/in/jordancrawford if you have any issues.
 
Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. 
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Jordan Crawford and Claude Code
02:46 Defining Claude Code and Agentic Capabilities
04:47 Real-World Example: Automating Manual Enrichment
08:17 How Claude Code Differs from ChatGPT and Gemini
11:12 Building Compounding Context in Local Folders
15:23 The Three Eras: ChatGPT, Clay, and Claude Code
19:09 Recursive Improvements and Autonomous Agents
26:08 Claude for Work vs. Terminal-Based Claude Code
28:06 Understanding Plan Mode and Sub-Agent Workflows
37:05 The CRO's Role in Identifying Automatable Tasks
40:06 Scaling Atomic Tasks for Massive Productivity Gains
46:54 Developing Technical Taste and AI Intuition
51:49 The Critical Role of Context and Integration
58:44 Building an AI Chief of Staff for Decision Making
75:40 How to Install and Start Using Claude Code

Tyler Will (VP RevOps, Intercom) breaks down how Intercom overhauled its go-to-market engine after shifting to AI-first products.
What we cover:
- Why too many revenue leaders obsess over success metrics but ignore the inputs that actually drive them
- The specific comp plan changes Intercom made when moving from seats to usage-based pricing... including giving reps MRR credit for overages without forcing awkward contract conversations
- How post-sales motions fundamentally change when you're monetizing resolutions instead of seats
- Tyler's four principles for comp plans that actually work
Also discussed: When to do a real comp overhaul vs. minor tweaks, why RevOps teams are getting bigger before they get smaller, and using Claude Code to query Snowflake directly.
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
01:59 Shifting Focus From Success Metrics to Input Metrics
06:06 AI Literacy Required for Modern Revenue Leaders
09:24 Selecting Metrics Without Micromanaging Behavior
17:01 Intercom's Internal and GTM AI Transformation
20:01 Shifting to Resolution-Based Pricing Models
25:46 Evolving the CSM Role for Consumption
28:53 Adapting Compensation Plans for Usage-Based Revenue
33:52 Core Principles for Variable Compensation Design
44:37 Aligning Compensation Strategy With Product Roadmaps
52:00 Restructuring RevOps and Hiring GTM Engineers
56:44 Automating RevOps Tasks With Cloud Code
01:05:58 Impact of AI on SDR and Success Teams
01:09:10 Specific Internal AI Use Cases at Intercom
01:15:20 Quick Fire: Good vs. Great CROs and Advice

Jason Lemkin (Founder & CEO @ SaaStr) returns to talk about replacing his sales team with 20+ AI agents.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why Jason stopped paying six-figure SDRs who ghost—and what he built instead
- The 70,000 AI-sent emails that drove 15% of SaaStr London revenue
- How to pick your first AI tool (hint: do a 2-vendor bakeoff, not 10)
- Why Salesforce is suddenly the hub every agent needs
- The "incognito test" every GTM leader should run on their own website
(And a whole lot more!)
Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. 
 
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!

 
Chapters:
00:49 Introduction and Jason's Investment Philosophy
04:07 Evaluating Founders and the "Why Now" Question
09:32 The Step Function Change in GTM AI
14:15 Managing Conflict Between Multiple AI Agents
17:43 Replacing Human Sales Teams with AI Agents
21:50 The Importance of Forward Deployed Engineers
24:57 The Terminal Decline of Mid-Pack Sales Roles
30:09 Finding the Internal GTM Nerd to Lead AI
34:15 Executives Must Roll Up Sleeves and Implement
46:22 Fixing Inbound and Support with Instant Answers
53:15 Why You're Failing To Source The Right Tools
57:27 Evaluating Incumbents vs. AI-Native Startups
01:02:41 The Salesforce Renaissance and Agentforce
01:09:45 Triple, Triple, Double, Double in the AI Era
01:15:28 Choosing Between High Intensity and Lifestyle Roles

Hiring a VP or CRO has never been tougher (or more important). Asad Zaman, CEO of Sales Talent Agency - and one of the most trusted voices in GTM recruiting - joins host Kyle Norton to talk about how GTM leadership hiring is changing fast.  
They dig into:  
- Why AI broke the traditional interview process, and what they do now instead 
- How to build a robust hiring scorecard that performs miles better than a fluffy job description
- The trade‑offs that actually kill VP hiring processes
- How top CROs should evaluate future leaders (and spot "pre‑peak" talent)
- The biggest blind spot CROs have when hiring VPs
I mean... who isn't curious about the tested frameworks from the guy behind 1,000+ GTM placements a year?  
 
Thanks for tuning in. Catch new episodes every Wednesday. 
 
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
 
Chapters:  
00:34 Guest Introduction: Asad from STA (Sales Talent Agency)
02:30 Today's Topic: The Challenge of Leadership Hiring  
04:14 How AI Has Changed Executive Hiring  
07:53 The Rise of the AI-Native Leader  
10:26 Market Polarization: Talent Demand and Layoffs  
19:03 The New Definition of a Great Leader  
24:22 Building an Effective Leadership Hiring Scorecard  
29:15 Defining Problems, Jobs to Be Done, and Constraints  
35:11 Compensation Psychology and Negotiation Pitfalls  
40:34 Mapping the Market and Operationalizing the Scorecard  
49:27 Modern Interview Design for Senior Roles  
53:12 Teaching as a Core Leadership Skill  
56:27 Live Whiteboarding: Replacing Case Studies  
01:01:54 Evaluating Candidates for Peak Performance and Potential  
02:03:31 CROs' Biggest Blind Spot in Hiring VPs of Sales