With emerging technologies and the shift to remote selling, there has been a rise of the modern, CRO. The shift to remote work has pushed selling into a highly digitally immersive process and activities. 

CROs and the Need to Adapt in the Digital Age

Sales leaders have to adapt to the digital aspect of selling, in terms of selling, making relationships, and being more present than ever before due to work-at-home environments, such as distractions from kids during a Zoom meeting.

Today, Eric Stine, CRO of Skillsoft, joins us to dive into these emerging traits and trends of the CRO role. We covered:

  • How have things changed over the past two years for Chief Revenue Officers?
  • What emerging traits are required for CROs?
  • What recommendation would you give current and future CROs to build a long career?

What are the 5 Key Chief Revenue Officer Skills and Traits

CRO Trait no. 1 - Be Flexible and Adaptable

A lot of us have learned that going entirely digital, which has a ton of benefits because you can hire the best talent, connect with anyone at any time, and maximize your productivity, still has many challenges.

Eric explains, “The upshot of going digital for CROs is that there are so many platforms and tools available and a lack of any commonly accepted standard, part of the flexibility that not only CROs but any executive, is the need to be flexible and adapt.”

CRO of Skillsoft Eric Stine and Co-founder of BoostUp, Sharad Verma discuss the essential traits of the modern Chief Revenue Officer. Click here to get the full recording.

CRO Trait no. 2 - Be More Personal and Personable

The digital revolution has caused everyone to be more flexible, adaptable, and willing to accept things that can’t be controlled (kids in the background). This has made it critically important because everyone dispersed and remote is to make those connections on more of a personal and human level across those digital and global boundaries.

 

CRO Trait no. 3 - Be a Passionate Team Builder

One of the most overlooked CRO roles is hiring and maintaining talent. The competition is fierce, so you need to build a collaborative team approach.  When employees have so many choices in the market, you must keep and build around your talent.

Eric looks at hiring in two phases. One hire for role one above what you are looking to fill. You want to make sure you have predecessors (at least one) that you can coach and build around. 

Eric states, “Hire the best talent regardless of physical space.”  The digital-selling world has made this possible. Hiring managers used to hire for location first and talent second, but that has completely shifted.

 

CRO Trait no. 4 - Be Present in Every Moment

With nearly all interactions between the buyer and seller occurring digitally, you must be present in the moment. Think about how you approach a call. Is it the same as you would of in the past when the meeting was in person?

Likely not, and we could argue if that’s a good or bad thing, but CROs must be present. That means it is part of a CRO’s role to be attentive on the Zoom call, be personable in the conversation, be accepting of distractions (i.e., kids in the background), and you must try harder to make a connection.

Some people would argue that those things don’t matter, but they are. People buy from people they trust and that they get along with.

CRO Trait no. 5 - Be Data-Driven in Digital Sales

A modern CRO's role is to use data to inform their sales teams with actionable insights that lead to improved win rates, shortened sales cycles, and improved capacity. However, with everything occurring digitally, modern CROs need to get on board with the digital age of selling and invest in training and tools for their managers and reps to help them transition.

Sharad mentions:

“CROs will need to invest in Revenue Operations platforms and personnel to bring all data together in systems where all customer-facing roles can live and collaborate on connected processes.”

Closing Advice for Sales Leaders

We closed down the fireside chat with closing remarks and advice for sales leaders looking to move into the CRO role. Eric states it simply:

“Never hide the human part of yourself as it will pay dividends forever.”

Click here to get the full recording of Sharad’s conversation with Eric Stine. In addition, if you'd like to get a demo of BoostUp, you can do so by visiting us at www.boostup.ai/get-a-demo.