Pocus hosts “Ask Me Anything” sessions with GTM experts to share best practices, frameworks, and insights on this emerging category. These AMAs are an opportunity to ask leaders any question — ranging from hiring to sales compensation to tech stack — in a low-key, casual environment.
AMAs are for members of Pocus’ 10x Go-To-Market Community. The 10x GTM community is on a mission to help sellers become experts in emerging AI tools and the latest playbooks/tactics so you can stay ahead of the curve.
Interested in joining? Apply to join the next cohort here.
Meet Meka Asonye, Partner at First Round Capital 👋
Meka has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for helping people achieve their dreams.
He started his career working in player development and baseball operations for the Cleveland Guardians, transitioned to leading sales teams at notable tech companies like Mixpanel and Stripe, and now is a Partner at First Round Capital.
While switching from MLB to tech may seem unusual to some, Meka says his career philosophy is simple: “I just followed really good people along the way.”
In this AMA we chatted with Meka about:
- How the role of the seller has changed
- The evolution of sales technology
- Ways to use AI successfully as a go-to-market organization
Prefer to watch instead of read? Catch the full conversation:
Sales isn’t what it used to be
When Meka was younger, people often told him he’d be good at sales, “and it felt a bit icky,” he shares. At the time, the profession was usually associated with used car salespeople and door-to-door reps.
Today, the reputation of sales has drastically changed.
Reps are now consultative partners to buyers, rather than transactional sellers. It’s a highly strategic role that requires a deep level of product expertise, effective communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.
“If you’re wise, you understand how strategic and important selling is.”
And the best founders are sellers. “As a CEO, you are the chief evangelist,” says Meka. Founders should champion their products and work in lockstep with their customers.
But what specific characteristics make for a great seller?
The traits of a winning seller
Having led sales teams and invested in sales technology, Meka knows what makes reps successful.
He believes great sellers:
- Care about the product: Winning reps believe in the product they’re selling. If you’re not passionate about your company’s product or service, it will be hard to convince prospects that it’s worth their money.
“The key to being good at selling is having a product you care about and think is truly transformational.”
- Know their customer: “It’s critical to know your customer’s problems inside and out,” shares Meka. When investing in companies, Meka looks for revenue teams that stay close to the customer. You must understand your end user’s pain points and priorities, and how you can help.
- Teach with every touch: To be a great seller, you must be consultative. Meka encourages reps to “teach with every touch,” meaning they should provide value and education in every buyer conversation. As a seller, it’s your job to gather best practices and inform your buyer on what’s working in the market, and what isn’t. Teach with every touch starts with the first outbound message and applies to all stages of the customer journey.
“You want customers to leave a meeting thinking it was a good use of their time and that they learned something.”
- Balance uncovering pain with delivering value: Your prospect should do 70% of the talking. During the 30% of the time you’re talking, “every word matters.” It’s important to qualify the buyer, but you should spend more of your time sharing valuable insights and answering questions.
For sellers to be successful, they also need the right technology. Meka shared his thoughts on the most impactful tools in the GTM space today.
Sales technology is undergoing a transformation
“Point solutions are dead,” says Meka.
Today, teams are building platforms that solve problems across the customer stack and address the divide between sales and customer success teams.
Meka’s bullish about comprehensive GTM solutions that keep all internal teams on the same page and ensure a more seamless customer journey.
“I’m excited about solutions that pair sales and customer success, so you can deliver a more cohesive experience from first touch to renewal.”
When discussing technology, you can’t overlook the elephant in the room – AI.
Copilot vs. autopilot: AI’s role in seller’s workflows
“We’re still in the early innings of AI,” says Meka.
Many tech companies are experimenting with the technology, but most teams haven’t figured out how to get value from the solutions in the market.
To make the most of the technology, Meka recommends using AI to assist your workflows, rather than completely take over your responsibilities.
“Today, we should be thinking about AI as a copilot. In the future, we may be thinking of AI more as an autopilot.”
More specifically, sellers should use AI to:
- Customize outbound efforts and deliver personalized messages
- Do better account research to show up more prepared to buyer meetings
- Automate routine tasks and use that time to have more impactful conversations
“I’m bullish about allowing sellers to spend more meaningful time with their prospects.”
On the other hand, reps shouldn’t use AI to:
- Send a high volume of irrelevant messages
- Completely remove the human connection – AI SDRs won’t cut it
“I don’t think the path to more ARR is to take away a person and replace it with AI that hallucinates, sounds funny, and is hard to communicate with.”
People still crave connection
AI will help companies achieve efficiency gains, but it won’t replace meaningful human connection – at least not yet.
Today, companies are ramping up their event spend and investing more in face-to-face time with customers. And successful sellers are using a blend of AI and their personal expertise to build trust and win more deals.
There’s still a lot to uncover about how GTM teams can unlock AI’s full potential, and we’re excited to see what the future holds.
For more insights from industry experts like Meka, join our community!
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