Full Throttle Leaders Podcast- Jason Veiock

All right, everybody, another, another episode of, uh, Full Throttle Leaders. That's what the podcast is called. I'm Michael Falato, I'm your host. Um, GTM Full Throttle is my company. We do lead generation, top of funnel, GTM architecture, and so forth. And I have a really, uh, cool guy. He's a jiu-jitsu guy like me, and he's an Air Force veteran like me. And we go back, back maybe a month or more, but that's it. But we're brothers in life. Um, Jason Biak, founder of Bearing. Jason, tell us, uh, tell us a little bit what grabbed your attention to even want to chat with us today.

Yeah, well, I'm an unlikely entrepreneur. You know, most of my career was in the government and law enforcement and corporate security. So now that I'm a startup founder, I'm becoming a chief marketing officer, a chief revenue officer, all these different things and learning as I go. So I find it really helpful to get out and talk to people where this is their passion, this is what they do every day. And, you know, really just trade ideas and learn from them and potentially collaborate.

So what does Bearing do? I know it's a ServiceNow partner, is that right?

Yeah, that's correct. We're a build partner on ServiceNow. You know, my background was federal law enforcement and then primarily running security in a global technology company. So what we do is we're digitally transforming corporate security operations as an independent software vendor built natively and exclusively on ServiceNow. So ServiceNow is a data fabric, a platform system of record, It has got a number of modules for different functions, but it was lacking one for physical security. So through a number of relationships with them, they kind of identified the need, determined that maybe it was better to create an independent company to fulfill that need. So we're backed out of the ServiceNow Ventures through HighAlpha in Indianapolis.

Oh.

In order to fill this white space on the platform.

Who do you originally sell to? I mean, obviously they're using ServiceNow, but is it light enterprise? Is it software companies? Like, who is your main ICP and personas that you sell to?

Yeah, you know, it's funny. I got— so we just went through a fundraising round about 6 months ago. And during that time, I got asked the ICP question a lot. And I made the mistake in retrospect of saying, well, they're their physical security teams that are on ServiceNow. And that's probably our TAM, right? Like that's not our ICP. And what we need to do is figure out who that ICP is. And I mean, we're lucky in the sense that we serve several verticals and several different sizes of company. One of the real benefits of being on ServiceNow is scalability. So we have this opportunity to go to the higher end of the enterprise. Our customers are primarily in the Fortune 1000, They span different verticals between technology, manufacturing, healthcare, critical infrastructure, financial, pharma. You know, it's really about, do they have heavy adoption of the ServiceNow platform? Are they looking to get out of those manual processes and disparate point solutions? And, you know, do they wanna connect physical security with the business? So one of the problems that you have, and, you know, we deal with this everywhere, But fragmentation is really the enemy. And if you think about what ServiceNow does, it attacks fragmentation at the enterprise. Like let's make sure that HR is talking to IT. Well, physical security has been fragmented from the entire business most of the time, right? They're that kind of thing on the outside there. And the other piece of it is the tools that physical security teams use are fragmented. Is that like—

Is that like HID that you saw when you were younger? You had a pass to get into each of the—

Well, yeah, access control systems would be one of those tools, right? There's also video management systems, critical event management and intelligence systems, mass communications tools. You know, there's the hardware itself, the cameras and the badge readers, that key fob that you had. All of those things are the different resources that a corporate security team is gonna use to protect a company's assets. But generally, physical security's kind of played whack-a-mole. You got a travel problem, you get a travel solution. You have a badging problem, you get a badging solution. And in the age of AI, that doesn't play, right? You need these systems integrated, they need to be able to orchestrate, and ultimately you need a single unified data model so that you can put agentic solutions on top of it.

And who do you think you compete with now? Is there any particular company that you find, like, or, or a partner that would be a good partner of yours, like either a big competitor or a big partner?

You know, I try not to think of it in those terms, but, you know, it's hard not to because obviously, you know, companies have, um, like a zero-sum game with budget. And, you know, so we're always competing for budget dollars. But in terms of competing head-on, um, I really think that we're a little bit more category-defining. Um, so what I find is that we compete with several different spheres of point solutions. So we compete with incident management systems, we compete with guard management tools, we compete with site security assessment tools, we compete with terms that are referred to as PSIMs or PIAM tools sometimes, right? The identity and access management or the security incident and event management. But really we compete in those silos, but our goal is to bring it all into one place. And that's what I think is different about us. It's what's category-defining about us and really what makes us attractive in today's world.

And how do you go to market now for your revenue? Like what's your go-to-market strategies that are working well, some that are just not, that you had to abandon?

Yeah, I don't think there's anything that we need to abandon yet. I think there's, you know, we need to find our legs in a couple of the different motions. I'm lucky in the sense that I'm a former end user, so I'm selling to my former peers. And you can ask them, I'll certainly be able to say I have a reputation, whether it's a good one or a bad one is, I guess, in the eye of the beholder there. But I do have the ability to kind of reach directly out and talk to folks, and they're generally gonna be open to taking my call based on that shared history. So I think there's a lot of direct outbound that we've done initially. And really what we're thinking about now is how do we translate that founder-led direct outbound to the consistent and repeatable and scalable go-to-market motion?

Yeah.

And like all the data tells you today, I think that meeting people in person is really, really important. And so field and event have been a big chunk of what we've done and where we've seen a lot of success in conversion.

Yeah, like at Full Throttle, we basically come up with that type of strategy for the events because those are— that's intent data, right? They're going to an event, they're gonna either, um, have a booth, they're gonna attend, or they're gonna speak. So why wouldn't you want to talk to them if they're there and they're potential clients? So one of the things that I thought about is like, how can I take all those people from email, LinkedIn, put them into a joint Zoom call before the event starts? and say, hey, we're gonna do a virtual meetup. We know that you're gonna go to this and would love to have you on this roundtable to talk about what you're trying to get out of this conference. So that turned out to be a great way to build up the whole, hey, I have 20 meetings already set up at this conference because I did some pre-work and I use automation. So that's one of the things that I've looked at as signal data or event data or intent data.

No, I think it's really powerful. And, you know, one of the things that I'm starting to see pop up in the industry is, you know, let's call it discrete events. You know, there's a couple of events that we participate in where the organizers are going out and qualifying buyers and then setting up those meaningful meetings face-to-face in a setting that, you know, works really well, right? There's a social component to it and you get some deep time with a qualified buyer in your space. It's almost like, you know, I say this jokingly, not comparatively, but it's like that speed dating concept.

Yeah.

With a little bit of prequalification, but I, You hit on something else about getting people together. There's 2 ways that I think about it. And one is we're a security platform built by security practitioners. So we have a really deep empathy. We don't, like, I'm not a big, hey, what keeps you up at night? Tell me your problems kind of seller. I am a, hey, this is what I think your primary problems are. Am I accurate? Let me show you how we solve them and why I think we provide value. And so I think one, that empathy, I heard a great podcast with the founder of Ramp. It's a financial management tool, and he's a multi-time founder. And the reason he founded Ramp was because the first time he was a founder, financial management was really, really hard. And so he felt that pain, right? He had the skinned knees and the scuffed elbows and really understood the problems that needed to be solved by these first and second-time founders. And one of the things What's that?

It's like jiu-jitsu, you lose and you learn.

Well, that's just it. And, you know, the thing that I love about it though, and what we've tried to internalize, is he's got a line where he says, listen, we don't sit across from our customers, we sit next to them, right? We've walked a mile in their shoes, we know their pain. We're not here to sell you a piece of technology, we're here to acknowledge that pain point and really sell you a solution. And I think that that's the thing that resonates. You know, the other thing when you talk about event strategy that I think is really important is by virtue of being on ServiceNow, we have actually multiple personas that we can sell into. So you mentioned, you know, who do we sell to? Direct, right, to my former peers. But because we're on ServiceNow, there's also that persona around the CIO, the ServiceNow platform owner, and really a key persona that we've identified is a lot of organizations today are gonna have a Chief Digital Transformation Officer.

Yeah.

Or a chief, you know, so that transformation word has a lot of value for us. And what it's done is opened up different events because listen, you know, you can go and we do it and I love them. I mean, I'm going to one in August, we went to one in March, like these industry events, but now you're one of many and you're in a sea of your competitors and you're all angling to get that call. When we go to, like, we're looking at a conference, I don't know if they call it this, but the acronym is basically HIMSS. That's like H-I-M, the healthcare—

Healthcare, like, I-T.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, it's one of the biggest ones there are compared to—

Right, but imagine being a physical security provider there. And, you know, people are like, whoa, what is that? Why are you here? Right? And I think that because we're on, and, you know, we co-brand. So I don't have it on, uh, my screen today, but we co-brand with ServiceNow on all of our events. So people see it and they point at it, they're like, wait a second, what's that ServiceNow thing? What's this company? How do you guys work? Um, and it really generates a conversation. And, you know, that's really what it's about.

But if you—

it's about, can you generate the conversation? Sorry, I cut you off.

This, this whole thing, like what we're doing now, is a great way to think about it too. It's like the podcast gets you In front of somebody, whether it's a roundtable podcast pre-event, right? So you should think about for these events, how do I get someone to book a time with me either at the event or before? And you say, listen, I'm thinking about putting you on my podcast. It's for security, uh, people in, um, healthcare, right?

Yep.

We're doing this for the next month and going to have probably 10 people that are going to do a podcast with us. We're, we're picking and choosing, but we want to see if it's a good fit. Can we do a, a call real quick to see if it's a good fit? That's going to be way better than saying, you know, how, how can I help you solve a problem? Right? Which is going to put— it's going to put their like, okay, maybe, but sounds salesy. You know, the whole idea is to give versus ask. So you're going to give, give some sort of, hey, we're doing an event. You know, a pre-dinner, you know, get some— get a couple of your friends that are in companies that sell to the same people and say, let's do a little dinner, but you take your people and my people, we're pulling them together and split the cost, you know.

No, and we— that's, that's part and parcel for what we do. And, you know, honestly, kudos to you for the podcast thing because, you know, I think a lot of people get into it and, well, that's just it, right? People are like, oh, it's free, all I need to do is record a call and It's not free. It takes a lot of time and effort and energy. And I think it's incredibly valuable. It's just something that we haven't been able to invest in, but we've taken that easier route, if you will. I find that I don't need to sell when I put 10 security leaders around a table at a steak restaurant, right? They start talking about the problems and it becomes pretty— that's gold. Right, whether or not you actually get in front of them, getting them into the room, throwing that little nugget in the middle of the table, right, that gets the conversation going, and then hearing that feedback and just the direction that it takes. I mean, it's gold. And, you know, I'll be honest with you, like, you know, don't get me wrong, being a startup founder is stressful, you know as well as I do. But it is true what they say, right? If you love what you do, you never really work a day in your life. And I, I love what I do. I love talking about this stuff. Like, the passion comes through. It's authentic, it's genuine, um, and it's steeped in, in experience. And I'm doing this for, you know, this, this beard's gray for a reason. I've been doing it for 30 years.

Yeah, I totally agree. It's like, if you don't love what you do, don't do it. Um, I just think people try to pitch slap so much, and it's like, guys, you gotta think about who you're talking to. No one wants to be sold to. And then if you're throwing stuff at somebody, um, and it's not about who, who they are or what they do and how's it going to help them, or is it about their ego a little bit, you're not going to get them on a, on a call or, or Zoom or at a dinner. And so you got to think about how can you help them off the bat and take down that little wall.

So no, 100%. And it's, it's been a You know, a key area of emphasis for me and a learning personally, right? 'Cause I built something that I'm really proud of and I like talking about it and showing it off. That's not always the best way to run a sales call.

No.

You know, and so we've—

Talk about them more.

Yeah, you know, that's why we have a really good and growing sales team. Right, and it's given me a real appreciation for the art of solution selling and value creation, 'cause I don't wanna lose sight of that, right? I think that sometimes when we make selling the outcome, we forget about the solution that we're providing. And, you know, I think that selling is a means to solving a problem for an end user. And if we can communicate it effectively, right, A, acknowledge that they have that problem, help them scope that problem, measure that problem, Then the solution becomes easy because now it's about value, right? If I know that you're doing a thing 1,000 times a year and it costs $1,000 of time to do it, and I can make that automagically go away with an AI agent, well, that's real money.

Well, that's what Challenger sales is, right? Challenger customers— like, you have a $6 million problem that Baron could solve for $60,000 a year.

No, and I've looked at all the different, you know, like I said, I This was not an area that I was even aware of.

You're, you're in, uh, DOD and state. I grew up DOD but reserve in the Air Force, and my whole life is sales, and I've been really good at it. So you gotta— I've always been taught all these different tactics, like what to use and not use. Really, it's just being understanding. Like, tell me what brought you here today, Tom. You know, like, why'd you book them? Why'd you book time with me, Jason? You know, and just, yeah, don't say what keeps you up at night. Don't say I'm gonna, like, you know, I'm gonna solve some of your problems. Partnering is a big, great word to use too instead of selling, you know, like there's people that get triggered now.

Oh, 100%. And we, you know, one thing, so like, you know, Challenger is a good one. And there's, you know, obviously I've learned them all now, the medic and the med pick. And, you know, you can get into like force management and like all the different people that build these kinds of processes and they're all great. And I think what you have to do is understand who your market is, understand, you know, I think that's the stage that we're at as a company right now is really, can you capture that signal and that feedback so that you know, and can you do the A/B testing, right? Just because you hired a salesperson that was really successful in their last job using one methodology doesn't mean it applies to, Your customer and that problem statement and that use case. And like, that's the— it's an art. Like, don't get me wrong, I think revenue operations is a science and there's a lot behind that, but I really do think that go-to-market is an art. And, you know, it's a very dynamic art.

It's business creating. So the RevOps part, the go-to-market part like that I do is great, but if you don't know how to date someone in life, you're never gonna get married. Same thing with if you don't know how to business date, you're never gonna get a deal.

Well, and I think there's a— there's even like, let's kill that analogy a little bit deeper, right? Um, because I know plenty of people that end up marrying the wrong person. So like, how do you figure out that? No comment. Um, I, I'm, I'm lucky there. Um, but, uh, you know, How do you figure out? Because it's a 45-minute call, it's a 30-minute call, like that's a big decision to make. And one of the things that we talk about is, you know, we, we sell trust and we sell it through confidence and competence, right? We want to prove to our customer that we're very competent in what we do and that we're confident that our solution solves a real problem that's of value to them, and that'll ultimately create that trust. And, you know, then we have to be the guardian of that trust throughout the lifecycle of that account. It's not just about— like, I, I saw, you know, I do a lot of podcasts and I listen to them. Sorry, I don't do a lot of them on the speaking side like this, but, you know, like, I— it is the, the selling starts the minute you sign the contract. Like it never stops.

No.

Like, you know, we need to be going back to our champion 6, 8, 12, 24 months post-contract and go, hey, did that thing that brought you in the door, that same thing that caused you to spend that money and sign that contract, like, is that still the most important thing? Are we still providing value? Do we achieve the value that we said we would create? And, you know, the beauty is that in some of these, new categories like where we're operating, um, we're finding new ways to create value every day, and that gets really exciting. So I think that, you know, selling after the contract is just as important as selling before the contract.

Yeah, land and expand. OKRs and KPIs, measuring those and having a weekly call is my— the way I do it. But, uh, Jason, great having you on today. Um, tell us how to get a hold of you. And who's the best folks to reach out to you?

Yeah, any corporate security leader, ServiceNow platform owner looking to solve a problem around their physical or corporate security teams that are ServiceNow customers. getyourbearing.com is our website. We have a LinkedIn page, company page, that's super important, and we put a lot of content on there, but I'm a very active LinkedIn user and I have kind of a unique name. So not that hard to find. Um, encourage you to connect with me directly and message me as well.

And thank you for being on. I'm Michael Falato. Obviously reach out to me, any type of top of funnel, go-to-market strategies, 512-639-3375. Thanks, Jason.

Thanks.