EPISODE SUMMARY
Technical founders are born for a software business. After all, their very nature is a perfect fit for the software industry itself. However, even all the technical talent in the world will only be enough to keep your company financially afloat if you can’t connect with others.
In this episode of Scale Your SaaS, Full Cycle Executive Coach Eric Weiss talks about the importance of cultivating your technical workers to become story-driven with Host and B2B SaaS Sales coach Matt Wolach. He also shared the steps to the whole cycle process along with a fantastic meditation hack for leadership. Succeed in your SaaS by enhancing your technical skills with care-centered growth techniques!
PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCE
Podcast: Scale Your SaaS with Matt Wolach
Episode: Episode No. 272, “How Technical Founders Can Win in the Software Business – with Eric Weiss”
Host: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS sales coach, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Guest: Eric Weiss, Executive Coach at Full Cycle Executive Coaching
TOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Help Your Engineers Connect to Customers
Engineers are vital to businesses, especially in software companies. After all, they are in charge of establishing and maintaining the systems used by the organization. However, the highly technical nature of their job usually means that they rarely interact with other stakeholders.
Engineers are exceptional but may need help finding purpose at their job or tailoring their solutions to the customers’ needs. SaaS founders and executives have the duty to bridge this gap between the engineering department and the rest of the world. This can be achieved by sharing sales calls with them or allowing them to explore other departments.
Experience a Different Role to Gain Perspective
Having career shifts or changing companies aside, most professionals tend to focus purely on their job description. This means that if their role is a sales executive, they will concentrate on mastering various sales techniques. This is actually how specialization occurs. However, this also leads to company silos.
Seeing the big picture is essential for success, but most people only see it within their role. For example, it’s easier for marketers to maximize their campaigns if they have yet to learn how the sales team closes deals. Having test runs of being in another department will be pivotal in synergizing your different LOBS.
Lock Your Company in Improvement Cycles
Weiss believes in the power of feedback loops or improvement cycles, which he based the Full Cycle on. Feedback loops are about perpetually experiencing a scaling revolution of positive effects. You can reap this benefit by stacking high-leveraging choices focusing on the 3Ps: people, product, and process.
Start with mapping out the biggest challenges in your organization, then hyper-focus on custom solutions to the most prominent problem. An example of this would be conducting comprehensive marketing research, building a brand story, and fine-tuning an impactful pitch. Afterward, constantly iterate from the outcome and response of your team and clients.
Focus on Strengths Then Gradually Orchestrate
Software founders are usually go-getters or multi-passionate individuals. This means they are open to taking action and learning something new. While this may sound amazing, this also comes with its cons. SaaS founders often need help with burnout because they try to juggle too many tasks simultaneously.
It may be tempting to do everything yourself, believing you would do your best instead of others. However, this is similar to scattering your capital early on. It would drain your personal resources, which are your time and energy. The optimal choice would be to leverage your strength first and take your time in learning how to be a master orchestrator.
Lead with Confidence Instead of Fear
Influential leaders tend to be in tune with their own emotions. But just like with other things, emotions come in a range. This means that leaders also experience both positive and negative emotions. Leaders must base their actions on confidence rather than fear to ensure solid decision-making.
Weiss talks about his brilliant technique of identifying whether he is acting out of confidence or out of fear. Simply put, before doing or deciding anything, check your emotional state. Are you feeling tingles on your shoulder or cramps in your gut? If it’s the latter, you are under fear and would need to recalibrate not accidentally to sabotage yourself down the line
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Engineers are Not Robots
Engineers are often compared to robots owing to their vast technical knowledge and machine-like efficiency, but they are just as human as the rest of the workforce. They are individuals with personal aspirations who inherently care about making an impact. Cultivate this to have better product development and faster bug patches.
Leadership Turns Others Into Champions
A big misconception about software sales leaders is that they are close to perfect individuals. They are placed on a pedestal by their peers. But leaders needed to focus on themselves and put their interests ahead to get to where they are. It’s because they put the stakeholders first that they are elevated to the position that they are in.
Coaching Transfers Ownership
Coaches are also leaders in their own right. However, it’s important to distinguish that coaches often take a backseat. This is because they turn the spotlight on their mentees rather than themselves. They guide others but ensure their team members have autonomy when executing courses of action.
TOP QUOTES
Eric Weiss
[2:29] “I always found that I got the best out of people when I didn’t make it about me, but really made it about them.”
[4:52] “Engineers are not robots. They’re humans. And they actually care about the work that they’re doing and the impact that they’re having in the world.”
[19:58] “Don’t worry about the money. Don’t worry about the product. Focus on the people that you’re serving.”
Matt Wolach
[6:19] “Figuring out how they’re improving, how they’re making impact, how they’re helping people out there is critical… And I think it’s important for engineering to hear that people absolutely love it.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Full Cycle Executive Coaching, visit: https://www.fullcycleproduct.com/
You can also find Eric Weiss on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmweiss/
For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/
