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In this conversation of Coach the Scale, host Matt Benelli sits down with Michael Janes, CRO, investor, and co-founder of Rapid Commercialization Partners to explore why top sales leaders are shifting their focus upstream. Janes unpacks his core philosophy: Sell to the strategy behind the capital, revealing how understanding a company’s ownership structure, whether private equity, venture-backed, or founder-led, can dramatically reshape how reps position value, influence internal champions, and align with executive priorities.

From myth-busting the idea that activity volume alone drives results to challenging how most one-on-ones miss the mark, Janes offers a grounded yet forward-looking perspective on what it takes to lead high-performance sales organizations. Listeners will walk away with practical insights on coaching beyond the forecast, the dangers of “super rep” management, and why the real leverage often starts at the board level, not the buying committee.

 If you’re a CRO or sales leader aiming to uplevel your team and shorten the path to influence, this conversation is required listening.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: Fishing Trips and Boardroom Strategy
 03:00 – Michael’s Path: From CRO to Investor to Advisor
 06:00 – Don’t Just Follow the Money, Sell to the Capital Strategy
 09:00 – PE vs VC vs Founder-Led: Why Capital Structure Shapes GTM
 12:30 – The Role of Overlays: Driving Strategic Access, Not Confusion
 14:45 – Coaching vs Forecasting: The One-on-One Most Teams Get Wrong
 18:00 – Building Manager Muscles: Why Most FLMs Don’t Coach
 21:00 – The Super Rep Problem: Scaling Beyond Individual Performance
 24:00 – Creating Confidence: Talking to the Board Without Asking Permission
 27:30 – Manager Enablement Is the Next Frontier
 30:00 – Final Advice to CROs: Where Coaching Meets Strategy

The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.

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We’re not just another AI company trying to build robots to replace you. We will help make you the hero. We’re marketers, too, and we get how important creativity, empathy, and human insight are when connecting with your ideal clients.

No matter where you’re starting from or how big your goals are, we turn modern marketing challenges into exciting opportunities. Let's get started with a discovery consultation!

The Human-First AI Marketing Podcast is brought to you by Avenue9. We use artificial intelligence to amplify your unique voice, empower your marketing team, and enable your scaling business to achieve big-brand success.

Explore new avenues available with AI marketing at Avenue9.com.

We’re not just another AI company trying to build robots to replace you. We will help make you the hero. We’re marketers, too, and we get how important creativity, empathy, and human insight are when connecting with your ideal clients.

No matter where you’re starting from or how big your goals are, we turn modern marketing challenges into exciting opportunities. Let's get started with a discovery consultation!