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Here at the 6 to 7 Figures Podcast, growth is our specialty. The whole point of our discussions is to understand how businesses can accelerate their growth to maximize the brand’s full potential. However, while there are so many tools and resources available, too many CEOs and founders are unknowingly holding themselves back.
In this episode, I’m talking with Bob Kroon, author of a remarkable book Finding Revenue: How Founders, Owners, and CEOs Lead Marketing and Sales. Bob is also an executive coach that helps business leaders learn the skills to grow their companies.
As Bob pointedly puts it, there are coachable people and non-coachable people. Typically, the CEOs and founders that are experiencing the most growth and success are the ones asking for help. Why is that the case? Because no one knows everything and a founder that thinks he knows it all is destined to fail.
I’ve had a similar revelation from my experience in the world of venture capital investment. As an entrepreneur, I’ve had various businesses in the past, and not all of them were hits. At first, I was wary of disclosing my failures for fear that it would make me more of a risk. However, it was quite the opposite. Investors want founders who have had the pain of failure, as that will motivate them to seek advice and assistance when things aren’t going well.
According to Bob, one of the most prevalent problems that he’s encountered as an executive coach is that founders and CEOs mistakenly believe that marketing and sales are not part of their job description. In fact, it was an interaction with the owner of an engineering company that spurred him to write the book.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that business owners believe that the person matters more than the process. So, instead of building a marketing and sales system that exists by itself, they think that the best solution is to find the “right” salesperson. However, while marketing rockstars do exist, they are exceedingly rare, so companies need to focus on building a process instead.
Ultimately, it’s up to the CEO to develop a strategy for the company. What customers are we trying to reach? What’s our value proposition? How are our products and services going to help our customer base? Answering these questions can create a guideline for the business moving forward. Without an overarching strategy from the owner, how can a sales or marketing person align with the brand’s goals?
Simply put, CEOs and owners believe that they’re hiring someone to take the reins on growing the business. However, success begins at the top, meaning that it’s the founder who needs to set the pace and point the company in the right direction. Otherwise, growth is virtually impossible.
Bob and I discuss a lot more in this podcast, so be sure to check out the whole episode here. You can also find him at www.expeerious.com, where he showcases his skills as an executive coach and offers insight for business owners who need some extra wisdom.
What keeps Founders, Owners, and CEOs up at night? What do they worry about? Do they have an opportunity that requires thought and planning? Or an issue they have not faced before?
Bob Kroon is an executive coach who exclusively works with top business leaders. He practices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Following a 25-year career as a Division President, Group Vice President, and CEO, Bob decided to coach others starting in 2015.
Transcript
TBD