Thanks for tuning into the Catapulting Commissions Podcast with your host, Anthony Garcia. Joining the show this week is Matthew Coatney, seasoned C-level product and technology executive, entrepreneur, advisor, author, and speaker with decades of experience helping business and technology work better together.

Matthew’s book, The Human Cloud, is all about the future of work–freelancing, AI, and the automation revolution. This sort of change was thought to happen in 10 years or so but gained incredible relevancy when the pandemic hit and fast-forwarded this transition. Hand-to-hand combat sales–pounding the pavement–is no exception. Matthew believes we will adapt.

Retention and the talent war continues on, and Matthew attributes the turnover to the massively evolving space of sales. The truth is, salespeople will follow the money–that means they will go sell a product that is selling–period. Products that used to have a decade-long cycle now are less than a year.

Automation is a hugely discussed topic in sales, as we know. Where it becomes useful is in spaces where a lot of time is spent and not a lot of outward value is created–things like CRMs and other administrative systems. The problem is introducing these new technologies. It’s important to not always try to strive for 100% adoption. It’s about incrementally reaching benchmarks. Once you get value, it’s in a good place.

Transitioning into sales leadership, especially from a manager to a VP or higher, can be difficult. This is because what you care about changes. You’re going from an individual contributor to having to turn an eye towards the longer-term goals. It’s easy to get sucked in a micro-managing mentality, but you have to adapt your leadership style to how your team needs to be led. Give people low-risk tasks where they can learn by failing without impacting their overall success.

Freelancing is becoming more and more a part of companies’ successes as we move into the future of work. Freelancers are effectively independent contractors with frequent and varying project work. It’s often a viable, cost-effective way to get top-level talent.

LINKS

Matthew Coatney on LinkedIn

https://www.matthewcoatney.com/

123 - The Future of Work w/ Matthew Coatney 38:31 Share

Catapulting Commissions Sales Talk with Anthony Garcia

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123 - The Future of Work w/ Matthew Coatney