Kathy Lord
Chief Revenue Officer, Zensai · 2 appearances on the record.
computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →
executiveoperatorinvestorLinkedIn ↗zensai.com ↗
Kathleen "Kathy" Lord is a B2B SaaS revenue executive recognized for scaling go-to-market teams at companies such as Intacct, Skilljar, and 1WorldSync. In addition to leading global revenue at Zensai, she is an operator-investor partner at Operator Collective focusing on early-stage enterprise software startups.
11statements → 0claims → 0claims resolved → 3.82/5average certainty → 2.09/5average debate potential →
11 insights · every statement was checked. none of them is a claim the record can settle: opinions, insights and disclosures never carry an assessment.
Everything Kathy Lord said on the Official SaaStr Podcast that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →
Lord: CROs should not own demand gen as it dilutes focus
“But I think you dilute the focus of the CRO by having them own that demand gen piece. So the short answer, I don't think it should be part of it because I think it's a different discipline and it changes the culture and focus of the revenue organization.”
Lord: Direct customer conversations educate incoming sales leaders more than call recordings
“It doesn't matter how many, you know, recorded videos of customer calls you give them, or how many transcripts, or how many times they talk to the sales or channel teams. Having the direct conversations with those customers or prospects is, is where the majori…”
Lord: VP of Sales executes current pipeline, CRO builds architecture to scale
“Where the VP of sales role is a little bit different is they need to be able to take and work within Where the organization is at today... They are actively in the trenches and engaged in a majority of the key deals. They should be taking a look at the assessm…”
Lord: Incoming revenue leaders must build a multi-quarter plan in 90 days
“You need to have more than the 90 day plan developed in that first 90 days, right? So this is where it's really critical and it really helps you make sure that you're focused on the things that are going to move the needles and that everybody has clarity in th…”
Lord: Hiring revenue leaders requires pattern recognition for next growth stage
“And one of the things I've found is the highest indicator of success in bringing somebody in is do they have the pattern recognition for your next stage of growth?”
Lord: Growth stalls when companies protect sacred people, processes, or systems
“There can't be sacred people, processes, or systems. Or else it's really difficult to drive the level of transformation that you want to scale your business.”
Lord: VPs of Sales should only get soft vetoes on CRO hires
“And I think if you totally trust them and you have a good relationship with them, I think they are a soft veto because the challenge is. They can look for cultural and ability to maybe understand the product or market, but that's likely where their experience …”
Lord: CEOs must spend 10% to 20% of time with customers
“You should always, regardless of size, the CEO should be actively involved, you know, at least 10% of their time to 20% engaged with customers and partners.”
Lord: Closing the wrong first enterprise deal can derail product development
“Is that prospect The right first six figure deal for you to close because you need somebody who's a little bit of a visionary who has a high risk tolerance that's willing to truly partner with you to help you bring your organization to service those types of c…”
Lord: Startups must use the buyer's contract paper for mega-cap customers
“I agree when it's the Boeing's, the GE's, I mean, you gotta use their paper.”
Lord: A prospect's tech stack reveals their risk tolerance before sales calls
“So what are the other technologies do they use? Are they cutting edge? Are they using sort of the latest and greatest and Implementary technologies, and that just says a lot from the outset, even without having had conversations with them to know, you know, wh…”
Appearances (2)
| Episode | Date | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|
| What to Expect from a New CRO with Kathy Lord, CRO at Zensai | Jan 22, 2025 | 21m |
| Secrets to Closing Your First 6 Figure Deal | Jan 3, 2018 | 8m |