Merging Tech Companies: 4 Strategies for Sales Success | Casey George | MSP #281

The Modern Selling Podcast

Want to learn the solution for smoothly integrating two companies into one, and achieve a seamless transition for sales teams? We're sharing the key to achieving that result. Let's dive into the solution together!

Have you been told to follow a certain strategy to merge companies, but it's not producing the results you need?

The pain of facing uncertainty and disruption during company mergers is all too real. If you've been feeling this frustration, it's time to learn a new approach that empowers you to navigate company integrations smoothly.

Elevating Sales Leadership The episode highlights the importance of strong sales leadership in navigating company mergers. Leaders like Casey George emphasize the need for aligning financial metrics with sales objectives. Hiring the right people, empowering them, and fostering a culture of transparency and open communication are key aspects of effective sales leadership.

This is Casey George's story:

Casey George's journey into the industry is a testament to the power of experience and resilience. With a career spanning 20+ years, including leadership roles at IBM and a stint at Talend, now the EVP of Global Sales at Qlick, Casey's insight into the world of sales is unmatched. As he shares his experiences and strategies for integrating merging companies, his passion for music and love for the '80s shine through, adding a personal touch to his professional wisdom. Casey's approach of moving fast and embracing imperfection resonates with the challenges of merging companies, capturing the essence of adapting and learning in the face of change. His four pillars of financial, people and culture, enablement, and systems provide a roadmap for companies navigating integration, offering a blend of practical advice and personal anecdotes. Casey's narrative style creates a relatable and engaging journey, making his insights not just informative, but also inspiring.

The more mature reps know that the money will follow if they're successful, and successful to them is hitting that target. Driving value for their clients on a consistent basis, and therefore hitting their targets. And then the money follows. - Casey George

In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Casey George, the Executive Vice President, Global Sales at Qlik, shares his extensive 20+ year career experience, including leading sales teams through company mergers. With a focus on integration strategies and the challenges of merging companies together, Casey's insights offer practical advice for sales leaders navigating similar situations. He emphasizes the need to anticipate challenges, prioritize the sales team in the integration process, and the importance of an adaptive approach. Casey's personal anecdotes and practical takeaways provide valuable insights for professionals in the tech and sales industries, making this episode a must-listen for sales leaders looking to drive smoother company integrations. Don't miss out on learning from Casey's experience and gaining actionable strategies for successful company mergers!

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Master Integration Strategies for Merging Companies: Learn the secrets to successful company mergers and how to navigate the complexities with finesse.

• Elevate Sales Leadership During Company Transitions: Discover how to lead your sales team through company mergers with confidence and effectiveness.

• Maximize Sales Team Performance: Uncover the strategies to boost your sales team's productivity and success during a company integration.

• Learn the Importance of Sales Enablement in Mergers: Explore the critical role of sales enablement in ensuring a smooth transition and sustained sales growth post-merger.

• Navigate Corporate Cultures Post-Merger: Gain insights into effectively managing the merging of corporate cultures to foster a harmonious and productive environment.

Key Moments: 00:00:00 - Intro 🎬 00:01:19 - Getting to Know Casey George 👥 00:08:13 - Merging Qlik and Talend 🤝 00:12:06 - Integration Strategy for Sales Leaders 🧠 00:14:25 - Key Sales Integration Pillars 📊 00:19:55 - Tackling Challenges with the CFO 💼 00:22:40 - Impact of Financial Metrics in Sales 💰 00:25:10 - Communicating Financial Goals 📈 00:27:22 - Empowering the Right People 🌟 00:29:40 - Building a Successful Culture 🏆 00:30:48 - HR’s Role in Transformation 🔄 00:31:07 - Sales Enablement and Cross-Selling 🔗 00:35:00 - Essential Leadership Qualities 🧩 00:42:06 - Importance of Communication in Sales 🗣️ 00:43:23 - Managing Financial Goals and Expectations 📊 00:44:51 - Effective Communication and Succession Planning 📅 00:47:04 - Seeking Feedback and Expertise 🛠️ 00:49:44 - Outro 👋

Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:09 - Introduction to FlyMSG and the Modern Selling Podcast Mario Martinez introduces Vengreso and FlyMSG, the free personal writing assistant, and sets the stage for the episode of the modern selling podcast featuring Casey George, EVP of Global Sales at Qlick. 00:01:19 - Getting to Know Casey George Mario and Casey discuss Casey's background in sales and his 27-year career in the industry, sharing personal anecdotes and insights into their experiences. 00:08:13 - Merging Qlik and Talend Casey describes the merger of Qlik and Talend, highlighting the strategic decision to integrate the two companies to create an end-to-end data journey for customers, touching on the challenges and opportunities of the integration. 00:12:06 - Integration Strategy for Sales Leaders Casey shares the approach to integration, emphasizing the need to move fast, anticipate challenges, and prioritize financial, cultural, operational, and technological aspects of the integration process, providing insights into the decision-making and execution. 00:14:25 - Key Sales Integration Pillars Casey discusses the four key pillars of sales integration strategy: financial, people and culture, enablement, and systems. 00:19:55 - Tackling Challenges with the CFO Casey explains the importance of partnership between sales and finance, and the need for transparent communication and flexibility to align on growth objectives. 00:22:40 - Impact of Financial Metrics in Sales Mario shares a personal story about the challenges of aligning financial metrics from the field level to high-level financial objectives, emphasizing the need for transparency and understanding down the sales hierarchy. 00:25:10 - Communicating Financial Goals Casey stresses the importance of personalized communication to help individuals understand how their success contributes to the company's financial goals, while also highlighting the need for open dialogue and transparency. 00:27:22 - Empowerment Casey discusses the importance of hiring the right leadership and empowering them to implement the right culture and personalities within the organization, ultimately leading to successful sales integration. 00:28:21 - Empowering the Right People Casey emphasizes the need for finding the right people and empowering them to make decisions for their business. He highlights the need for autonomy and accountability in leadership. 00:29:40 - Building a Successful Culture Casey discusses the importance of creating a successful culture within the organization. He emphasizes the need to merge the strengths of different companies and discard any challenges, with a focus on making every employee successful. 00:30:48 - HR's Role in Transformation Casey highlights the critical role of HR in managing the people aspect of the transformation process. He emphasizes the need for the right compensation plans, incentives, and leadership training to ensure a smooth transition. 00:31:07 - Sales Enablement and Cross-Selling Casey talks about the challenges of merging two companies with different product offerings. He emphasizes the importance of enabling the sales team to effectively sell the full portfolio and shares a successful incentive strategy to drive enablement. 00:35:00 - Essential Leadership Qualities Casey discusses the key qualities senior leaders should display during times of transition. He emphasizes the importance of transparency, authenticity, and passion in leadership, highlighting their impact on motivating and engaging the team. 00:42:06 - Importance of Communication in Sales Casey emphasizes the importance of reps communicating their motivations to their management. Articulate communication helps managers create success plans for their reps. 00:43:23 - Managing Financial Goals and Expectations Casey stresses the significance of communication in managing financial goals and keeping the CEO and board happy. Transparent and frequent communication, setting right expectations, and managing up are essential. 00:44:51 - Effective Communication and Succession Planning Mario shares a story of effective communication and succession planning within his organization. He highlights the importance of understanding and predicting what is important to the person above you. 00:47:04 - Seeking Feedback and Expertise Casey underscores the importance of seeking feedback and expertise from the board and CEO. He emphasizes the need for smart communication to tap into the knowledge and experience of higher-ups. 00:49:44 - Favorite Movie and Relating to Sales Casey shares his favorite movie, "Hoosiers," and relates it to his experience in sales, emphasizing the themes of underdog victories and winning, which he can relate to in the sales industry.

Mastering Integration Strategies Effective integration strategies are crucial for successfully merging companies, as seen in the episode with Qlik and Talend. The focus on financial, customer, employee, and operational considerations ensures a seamless transition. Anticipating challenges and taking a proactive approach to address issues leads to a smoother integration process.

Maximizing Sales Team Performance Sales team performance is maximized through effective communication, motivation, and alignment with financial goals. Providing the right tools, training, and incentives enables sales teams to navigate the uncertainties of company mergers successfully. Transparency, over-communication, and collaboration with higher-ups drive sales team performance and contribute to overall business success.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Connect with Casey George on LinkedIn to learn more about sales leadership and best practices in the industry.

• Download FlyMSG for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity with a free text expander and personal writing assistant.

• Give the Modern Selling Podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes to show your support and help others discover valuable sales insights.

• Watch the movie "Hoosiers" for a feel-good underdog story and a great message about winning.

• Check out the movie "Glory Road" for an inspiring true story about the first NCAA basketball team with an all-black lineup playing in the championship round.