Warren Zenna is founder of The CRO Collective, and has over 25 years of experience in B2B sales and marketing. He’s made it his mission to redefine the role of CROs and help companies navigate the complexities of revenue generation.

Founders face a rapidly changing market that demands adaptability, self-awareness, and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. Warren shared a lot of advice for how founders and CROs can make more informed decisions about their growth strategies - from rethinking traditional sales approaches to balancing short-term gains with long-term vision.

That’s what this blog will focus on - but the whole episode covers that and much more.

You can watch the full thing here:

Here was what stuck with me from my interview with Warren:

Ditch the "Supposed To" Mindset

It's tempting for founder to follow a prescribed playbook.

• "You're supposed to hire a CRO at this stage."
• "You're supposed to build out an SDR team."
• "You're supposed to chase aggressive growth metrics."

But this mindset is a trap.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to scaling. Every company is unique and is shaped by its product, market, team, and circumstances. Blindly following conventional wisdom or investor pressure without thinking critically can (and will) lead to premature hiring decisions, misaligned strategies, and wasted resources.

Successful founders question assumptions, challenge industry norms, and make decisions based on their specific business context. This doesn't mean they’re ignoring advice or best practices entirely, but rather filtering them through the lens of their company's unique needs and goals.

Self-Aware Founders Scale Better

A founder’s leadership style has to grow with the company and that requires a level of self-awareness. Warren emphasized how critical this trait is:

The most successful founders I find are the ones that have a lot of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. They're like, wow, I get all this stuff and I know this about myself. And they can talk about themselves in the third person.

This level of awareness allows founders to recognize their limitations, seek complementary skills in their team, and make more objective decisions about the company's direction. Without it, they struggle to delegate effectively or adapt to their company's changing needs. This leads them to getting stuck in the "do-everything" mentality of early-stage startups rather than moving into the strategic leadership required in growth-stage companies.

B2B Sales Are Changing

Founders need to be attuned with themselves, but they also need to apply that awareness to shifts in the market.

One change we are seeing right now is the evolution of B2B sales. Decision-makers today are armed with sophisticated filters and a wealth of online resources. This is making them resistant to traditional cold outreach:

Years ago, you as a BDR would make a hundred phone calls a day. You sat in a bullpen. You had a boss that sat in the middle of the bullpen on a control panel, listening to every phone call, recording it, using all the technology. And then of course you're supposed to send out a thousand emails a week. The emails are all mediocre boilerplate crap. And then you wonder, you know, why isn't it working?

Volume-based strategies are no longer effective. B2B buyers conduct extensive independent research before talking with vendors, fundamentally altering the sales process.

You need a more nuanced, content-driven approach to marketing and sales. Companies must focus on being present and valuable during the buyer's research phase, providing insights and solutions before the prospect even reaches out. This requires a deep understanding of the buyer's journey and the ability to create content that addresses pain points at each stage. You’ve got to earn attention through value - not demand it through interruption.

BDRs as Marketing - Not Sales

Given the changes in B2B sales, companies have to reconsider their resource allocation. This may involve a significant shift from traditional outbound sales tactics to more value-driven marketing approaches. Here’s what Warren said he would do:

What I would do with that money… I think that BDRs and SDRs are not an extension of sales. They're an extension of marketing. That's what I think. And I think that marketing should get that money.

He’s suggesting a more integrated approach to revenue generation. By investing in valuable content and insights, companies can attract and nurture prospects more effectively, aligning with today’s B2B buying behaviors.

Balancing Vision and Execution

Navigating revenue growth is tricky business. On one side, there's pressure for immediate results. On the other, there's the need to build a sustainable, valuable business. Founders have to balance challenging conventional wisdom with maintaining enough structure to scale effectively.

In practice, this might mean:

1. Critically evaluating advice, even from investors, against your unique business context.
2. Investing in self-awareness and emotional intelligence as core leadership skills.
3. Adapting sales and marketing strategies to align with modern buyer behaviors.
4. Reimagining traditional roles to better serve evolving business needs.
5. Creating a strategic framework that aligns short-term actions with long-term vision.

Stay flexible and data-driven, reassessing and adjusting your approach as your startup evolves.

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