Sales Rewritten

She spent years as a seller sceptical of sales enablement's impact. Now she manages it for 250+ sellers at HubSpot.
In Episode 7 of Sales Rewritten, Ally Kavanagh - Lead Enablement Partner (EMEA) at HubSpot, and a sales professional who's worked in Boston, New York and London - shares what 15+ years in the sales game has taught her.
We cover:
◼️ Starting out in radio - with a phone book, a laptop, and all of Massachusetts as your territory
◼️ What HubSpot has taught her about mindset, competition and consistency
◼️ Why selling in Europe is harder than the US
◼️ The making of a successful enterprise deal
◼️ MEDDIC: why it works + why it keeps everyone honest
◼️ AI in sales: what HubSpot is experimenting with right now + where we need to draw the line
◼️ Sales enablement: why does it get such a bad rep?
Chapters:
00:00-01:01 Intro
01:01-01:58 Welcome to Ally
01:58-02:52 What is field sales enablement?
02:52-04:26 Ally’s first job in radio!
04:26-05:15 Falling into sales and the start of a career
05:15-07:36 Mock sales calls are TERRIFYING
07:36-10:33 Early sales wins at HubSpot
10:33-12:32 The competitive culture
12:32-15:45 The mindset of a top salesperson
15:45-18:17 Moving from the US to EMEA
18:17-20:40 Why selling in Europe is harder than the US
20:40-23:45 Building strong relationships with buyers
23:45-27:17 Let’s talk about enterprise deals
27:17-28:19 Progression to sales enablement
28:19-31:48 Value of the MEDDPICC framework
31:48-35:20 The buyer's perspective and follow-ups
35:20-36:44 A typical week in field enablement
36:44-38:22 AI in sales
38:22-42:39 Where to draw the line: AI versus the seller
42:39-45:12 Quick-fire questions
45:12-46:09 Ally’s future plans
46:09-47:40 Outro
Sales Rewritten is an honest conversation about sales - by salespeople, for salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting simpler and smarter.
Follow Ally: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-kavanagh/
Sales Rewritten: 📺 Watch on YouTube: @surfehq
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music & all major platforms
Sponsored by: Surfe - https://tinyurl.com/bdhu9t3p
Start your 14-day free trial today.

Most people think high performance is about motivation.
Roberto Forzoni has spent 30+ years inside elite sport - and he’ll tell you it’s about process, preparation, and what you do when something goes wrong.
In Episode 6 of Sales Rewritten, Roberto (sports psychologist and keynote speaker) shares lessons from working with Premier League clubs, Olympic athletes, and world-class individuals - including tennis player Andy Murray and boxer Derek Chisora.
In this episode, we cover:
◼️ Outcome vs performance vs process goals (and why sellers get this wrong)
◼️ “What’s important now?” - staying calm under pressure
◼️ Rejection, resets, and why the best don’t dwell
◼️ Language, mindset, and words that add pressure
◼️ Team dynamics: what leaders can do to lift performance fast
◼️ The habits Roberto sees in high performers
Chapters:
00:00-01:01 Trailer
01:01-02:03 Intro
02:03-02:46 What do you do for a living?
02:46-04:32 Starting out in football
04:32-07:58 The 'spark' for psychology
07:58-09:09 Working with different teams + athletes
09:09-11:14 Bringing psychology to the Premier League!
11:14-12:35 Being challenged by Razor Ruddock
12.35-15:00 The key to goal-setting
15:00-17:34 Dealing with 'No' and rejection
17:34-18:43 Release, review, reset
18:43-20:23 Setting up Team Murray
20:23-22:03 Applying lessons from football to tennis
22:03-22:40 Get started with Surfe today!
22:40-23:37 Andy Murray's 'obsessive' personality
23:37-25:26 Don't call it unlucky!
25:26-27:28 Not every game is must-win
27:28-28:28 Setting the wrong goals at Brentford
28:28-29:43 Why feedback is so important
29:43-30:22 '99 things out of 100 you tell me, I'll ignore!'
30:22-31:40 Working with Alan Curbishley at West Ham in 2006/07
31:40-32:39 Crisis meeting with Dean Ashton, Lee Bowyer and Carlos Tevez
32:39-34:00 Free-kick training with Carlos Tevez and scoring against Tottenham
34:00-35:51 West Ham's unlikely survival and how psychology helped
35:51-37:00 Three athletes you'd most like to work with!
37:00-38:19 Dealing with targets and pressure
38:19-39:53 The time Derek Chisora's wife called me
39:53-41-45 The showbiz personality of Chisora
41:45-42:27 Should salespeople have personas?
42:27-45:34 Applying the 'fish' philosophy to sales
45:34-45:59 What's next for you?
45:59-47:30 Outro
Sales Rewritten is an honest conversation about sales - by salespeople, for salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting simpler and smarter.
Follow Roberto:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertoforzoni/
Sales Rewritten:
📺 Watch on YouTube: @surfehq
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music & all major platforms
Sponsored by:
Surfe - https://tinyurl.com/vm5y9rs2
Start your 14-day free trial today.

Did you know that roughly only 2% of professional footballers are financially able to retire after they finish playing?
That’s according to Sean Evers, VP of Sales at Pipedrive and a former professional football player for British clubs including Luton Town, Reading and Plymouth Argyle.
In the latest episode of Sales Rewritten, the #1 podcast for sellers, Sean reveals his unusual second ‘career’ in sales after hanging up his boots in 2003. From retraining as an estate agent to managing North American sales for an international firm, Sean’s story is a remarkable journey defined by luck, success and opportunity.
In this episode, we explore:
◼️ Why most footballers still need a second career after they finish playing
◼️ Why sales rewards resilience more than confidence
◼️ Why great sellers guide buyers instead of persuading them
Chapters:
0:00-1:55 Intro
1:55-2:48 How do you describe what you do?
2:48-5:43 Did you always dream of becoming a footballer?
5:43-9:40 The feeling of signing my first professional contract
9:40-11:25 How much I earned as a footballer at the time
11:25-12:27 Coming to the end of my football career
12:27-14:36 Deciding what to do AFTER football
14:36-16:20 Working as an estate agent and the ‘Gordon Ramsey’ manager
16:20-18:49 The danger of qualifying OUT a buyer too soon
18:49-21:58 Managing a contact center
21:58-23:47 A move to America?
23:47-24:28 Working for Pitney Bowes…what do they do?
24:28-27:01 Progressing from IC to sales manager - FAST
27:01-28:10 Building up your network
28:10-31:52 What type of manager are you?
31:52-33:01 Did football prepare you for the pressure of sales?
33:01-34:42 Working in different sectors as a salesperson
34:42-36:45 Thinking ‘strategically’ about career progression
36:45-39:25 AI in sales…what’s changing?
39:25-41:05 Is AI going to replace reps?
41:05-42:35 Applying AI to become a better seller
42:35-45:07 Defining a modern-day seller
45:07-46:18 The importance of having an opinion
46:18-47:10 What’s next for you?
47:10-48:32 Outro
Sales Rewritten is an honest conversation about sales - by salespeople, for salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting simpler and smarter.
Follow Sean:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-evers-b56494112/
Sales Rewritten:
📺 Watch on YouTube: @surfehq
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music & all major platforms
Sponsored by:
Surfe - https://kntn.ly/ca397b8b
Start your 14-day free trial today.

Sales Rewritten (S1E4) - Frances Arville, Head of Sales, Zinc
Why do salespeople love what they do?
In the latest episode of Sales Rewritten, the #1 podcast for sellers, host Alex Wood (Surfe) is joined by Frances Arville (Head of Sales, Zinc) as she reveals the “high” of closing a deal.
Frances fell into sales “by coincidence”, fell in love with the profession and admits she spent years believing sales managers were just lazy reps who couldn’t sell. Then the pandemic hit, and Frances moved from the US to London - managing a team while learning to sell into EMEA.
In this episode, Frances breaks down:
◼️ Why sellers chase the “high” of closing
◼️ Why reps hesitate to ask for commitment - even on £100k deals
◼️ The biggest difference between US and EMEA sales cultures
◼️ Why consistency matters more than being “number one”
◼️ How hiring, selling and dating are basically the same thing
Chapters:
0:00-1:03 Trailer
1:03-2:02 Introduction
2:02-2:42 What do you do for a living?
2:42-4:20 Landing my first sales job
4:20-5:42 Selling high-end whiskey
5:42-6:29 Sales…a job or a career?
6:29-7:43 ‘Nothing gets me high like hitting a gong’
7:43-8:59 The importance of staying in a first job for 3-4 years
8:59-9:31 Progression from rep to AE
9:31-11:25 Moving from Chicago to London
11:25-12:19 The impact of the pandemic
12:19-14:28 Why I NEVER wanted to manage
14:28-16:02 Working EMEA hours in the US
16:01-17:37 The THREE things I wanted to be as a sales manager
17:37-19:37 Gaining the respect of your team as a manager
19:37-21:11 Arriving in London and selling EMEA
21:1-23:38 Mistakes I’ve made as a manager
23:38-25:13 Why some reps won’t ask for a phone number
25:13-26:30 The importance of confidence in selling
26:30-27:53 Learning the art of cold calling
27:53-28:57 Learning from lost deals
28:57-32:06 Learning to love being a sales manager
32:06-34:41 Helping sales reps reach their potential
34:41-36:14 What I’m looking for in a sales rep
36:14-38:32 How can someone go from SDR to AE?
38:32-41:12 Go and find yourself a mentor!
41:12-42:09 What I look for in a mentor
42:09-44:59 Deciding to leave G2 for Zinc
44:59-46:45 Why SALES and DATING are basically the same thing
46:45-47:20 What I’m leaving behind in 2025
47:20-48:51 Biggest deal WON
48:51-50:22 Biggest deal LOST
50:22-51:00 What you love most about working in SaaS sales
51:00-51:45 What you hate most about working in SaaS sales
51:45-52:48 What’s next for you?
52:48-53:53 Outro
Sales Rewritten is an honest look at modern sales - for salespeople, by salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting simpler and smarter.
Follow Frances:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesarville/
Sales Rewritten:
📺 Watch on YouTube: @surfehq
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music & all major platforms
Sponsored by:
Surfe - https://kntn.ly/cde7a84f
Start your 14-day free trial today.

Sales Rewritten (S1E3) - Coralie de Robert, Director of Account Management, G2
Coralie de Robert’s sales career didn’t follow a straight line.
From reading the news on French radio to selling coffee at Borough Market, Coralie’s path into SaaS was built on curiosity, resilience and learning the hard way. After getting fired in her late twenties, she reset her career, joined tech sales as an SDR and climbed to senior leadership in just four years - 10x’ing her salary along the way.
In this episode of Sales Rewritten, the #1 podcast for sellers, Coralie shares:
◼️ How her background in journalism HELPED her transition to sales
◼️ Why she LOVES selling at markets
◼️ Why she got fired
◼️ How she went from SDR to sales leadership in four years
◼️ What she looks for when hiring salespeople at every level
Chapters:
0:00-1:12 Trailer
1:12-1:53 Introduction
1:54-2:30 How do you describe what you do?
2:31-4:41 Becoming a journalist
4:41-6:01 Working in radio and interviewing politicians
6:01-6:56 Transferrable skills between journalism and sales
6:56-8:33 Why nerves can be good
8:33-9:23 Why I love market selling
9:23-11:56 Moving to London in my early 20s
11:56-14:37 Learning to sell with no real experience
14:37-16:28 Selling coffee for a living
16:28-19:50 Admitting I was a terrible manager
19:50-22:44 Working in the food industry
22:44-27:02 Getting fired and starting in SaaS
27:02-28:25 I went from SDR to AE in 4 years and 10x’d my salary!
28:25-31:01 What I did to become a top performer
31:01-32:48 Cold calling the same prospect every day for 6 months
32:48-33:34 Is it harder being an SDR or an AE?
33:34-35:55 Managing a team at G2
35:55-39:30 What NOT to do in a sales interview
39:30-43:02 What to do AFTER a sales interview
43:02-44:49 Life at G2 and why B2B software reviews matter
44:49-47:37 The impact of LLMs on search
47:37-49:45 My BIG prediction for sales and marketing teams in 2026
49:45-51:22 Outro
If you’ve ever had to start again in your career, or wondered whether a non-linear path can work to your advantage, this episode is for you.
Sales Rewritten is an honest look at modern sales - for salespeople, by salespeople. Brought to you by Surfe, the high-quality data platform that makes prospecting simpler and smarter.
Follow Coralie:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coralie-de-robert-15b4a550/
Sales Rewritten:
📺 Watch on YouTube: @surfehq
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music & all major platforms
Sponsored by:
Surfe - https://kntn.ly/b51a5292
Start your 14-day free trial today.