This interview is with an old friend and boss of mine; Pete Mickartz who is currently the Director of Sales at Veraset, the leading global location data provider enabling companies to innovate with anonymized GPS location data.

Throughout the first half of my discussion with Pete we delve into the story of his sales consulting venture, ZeroToTwenty. We explore Pete's leap of faith from a stable, full-time role to the unknown realm of entrepreneurship which was driven not just by ambition, but also by a bit of destiny.

Listen to the interview and I promise you’re going to gain some very invaluable insights as Pete shares his firsthand experiences, from pioneering a solo sales consultancy to scaling Tenbound’s practice with a team of consultants.

During the back half of the talk we run through some hot topics such as the transformative power of AI in sales, the evolving dynamics of remote versus onsite work environments, and the future trajectory of sales development.

We wrap up with Pete’s candid opinions on the significance of social selling, thought leadership, and the delicate balance between individual talent and organizational culture.

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Time Stamps:

[2:90] - We unravel the inception of Pete's consulting venture, ZeroToTwenty. It unfolded almost serendipitously, as if he were summoned to consulting. This serves as a lesson to other budding entrepreneurs: heed the signs and opportunities that present themselves.

[6:20] - Pete walks us through his thought process from a monetary standpoint with regard to leaving a full-time gig with a solid salary to starting his practice from zero (pun intended).

[13:00] - For the first time on the show we talk through what it’s like to lead a group of sales consultants, myself included.

[22:00] - We discuss what it’s like and the thought process involved in switching from consulting to a full-time sales leadership role. Pete shares stories about building Tenbound’s practice and the workload that came with which leads to discussing pivotal moments that led to his return to full-time employment.

[33:30] - Pete shares a wonderful personal story about a book that his mother wrote for him while he was coming up which she gave to him when he turned 30.

[38:30] - I ask Pete his perspective on AI in Sales: is it more noise or a real game-changer?

[40:40] - We chat about Onsite vs Remote Work and which mode works best in his opinion when a company is rapidly growing.

[43:50] - The next topic is “the future of Sales Development”: will it continue to grow or is it a dying model? Pete shares what he thinks.

[49:30] Is social selling and thought leadership a ‘nice to have’ or is it essential to a sales strategy? Pete gives is a very open and honest answer to this one.

[55:00] - Lastly we talk about what’s more impactful on a sales team’s success, individual talent or environmental conditions.

Connect with Pete:

Pete’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petemickartz/

Connect with Derrick:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickis3linksales/

These interviews are also available on Derrick’s YouTube page - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfMnGtGWVrzO3BorCimojw