E33: What It Takes to Be a Revenue Leader in the AI Era with Mike Donohue, CRO of 11x

21 May 2025 · 77 min
Episode

21 May 2025 · 77 min

0:00

In this episode of the Revenue Leadership Podcast, host Kyle Norton interviews Mike Donohue, CRO of AI‑go‑to‑market platform 11x. The conversation explores how revenue teams are navigating the early‑adopter phase of AI, the spectrum of AI adoption across company sizes, and the practical impact of digital workers (Alice the email agent and Julian the voice agent) on sales and marketing workflows. Mike explains why most Series‑B/C SaaS firms sit around a 20/100 AI‑adoption score, how early‑stage startups can build AI‑first GTM motions, and why large incumbents struggle with cultural and operational change. They discuss the shift from copilot tools to fully agentic workflows, the importance of teaching AI fluency across the organization, and concrete steps for CROs to experiment, measure, and scale AI‑driven efficiency gains. The dialogue also delves into first‑principles thinking for revenue leaders, the evolving skill set required of sales reps, the role of psychology and behavioral economics in motivation, and practical advice on hiring, enablement, and continuous learning in an AI‑centric world. The episode ends with quick‑fire reflections on leadership, risk‑taking, and recommended reading (The Checklist Manifesto).

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