In this episode of “The Goats of Growth”, I had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Atkins, VP of Sales and General Manager of Life Sciences at Qualtrics. We discuss the best approach to building a successful sales team, including his “AEIOU” approach, while emphasizing hiring individuals with a deep understanding of the industry and a passion for their work.
We also delve into the importance of clear communication, prioritizing wellness, and fostering a passionate and active work environment.
Building a New Life Sciences Team ([00:02:23]) Josh Atkins discusses his role as the VP of Sales and General Manager of Life Sciences at Qualtrics and the process of building a new team.
Core Competencies for Sales Reps ([00:03:45]) Josh Atkins shares the core competencies he looks for when hiring sales reps, including being active, an ensemble player, inquisitive, an operator, and having industry knowledge.
The Evolution of Hiring Criteria ([00:09:26]) Josh Atkins talks about how his hiring criteria evolved over time and the advantage of having the freedom to build his own team.
The Love Language of Life Sciences ([00:10:30]) Josh discusses the importance of finding people who have a passion for life sciences and can understand the industry.
Evolution of Team Building ([00:12:29]) Josh talks about his desire to build his own team and the shift in his thinking when it comes to location and qualifications of potential team members.
Screening for Operators ([00:18:40]) Josh explains how he screens for operators by assessing their ability to navigate different roles and stakeholders in order to advance a deal.
The prioritization of deals ([00:20:31]) The importance of showing up prepared, giving a pre-read, and clearly communicating your ask to prioritize your deal.
The role of leaders in deals ([00:20:54]) The need for leaders to understand their role and be specific about what they need to do to support the deal.
Defining enterprise sales ([00:23:31]) The ability to articulate a solution hypothesis, ingest data, and understand the client’s business to effectively engage in enterprise sales.
The victim mentality and excuses ([00:30:13]) Josh Atkins discusses how he used to make excuses to cover up lack of results and the feeling of being a victim in his career.
Taking radical self-assessment and surrounding oneself with smart people ([00:31:00]) Josh Atkins emphasizes the importance of creating a path, chart, and list to avoid forgetting important tasks, and the value of self-understanding and surrounding oneself with intelligent individuals.