What happens to a sales team built on inbound when the inbound slows down? In this episode of Hunters and Unicorns, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Mark Ebert, SVP of Revenue at Profound, to unpack how you build a world class sales organization in the middle of the AI gold rush one that is ready for the hard times before they arrive. Profound went from Mark and five reps in a room in Union Square to well over 50 ICs in about a year, mostly on the back of inbound demand. Mark explains why that is exactly the moment to start building the prospecting muscle, how he gets the whole org from himself on down to own its pipeline number, and why he hires people who want to learn rather than people chasing the hype. The conversation also gets personal: the advice that "no one's looking out for you in your personal life," why being on 24/7 is a myth, how he stays present for his family, and the "make the invisible visible" culture at Profound that changed the way he leads including why your reps may be afraid to tell you what's broken.
In this episode:
• Why strong inbound can hide a future pipeline problem
• Building a prospecting culture from the top down call blitzes, competitions and no free passes • Hiring for learners: "What have you not mastered that you want to master here?"
• Lessons from eight years building and leading at 6sense
• Development plans and career paths in a hypergrowth sales org
• "No one's looking out for you" work-life balance as a sales leader
• Why being on 24/7 is a myth, and how to be present at home
• MTIV: Make the Invisible Visible and why acting like everything's fine is the worst thing a leader can do
• How to get honest feedback from reps who are afraid to give it
• Profound's mission and the AEO opportunity
About Mark Ebert Mark Ebert is SVP of Revenue at Profound, the AEO platform that helps brands understand how AI talks about their products and services. He started his career as a BDR, grew into complex enterprise selling, and spent around eight years building and leading the sales organization at 6sense before joining Profound.
About Our Sponsor: Big thanks to Aurasell for sponsoring this episode. Aurasell is an AI-native GTM platform designed to intelligently automate every aspect of the sales cycle from prospecting and deal management to forecasting and coaching.
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Timestamps:
0:00 – Trailer
1:12 – Welcome & Introduction
1:54 – Building a Sales Org That Lasts Beyond the Good Days
3:51 – Staying Power in the AI Gold Rush
6:48 – Why the Foundations Matter: Hiring People Who Want to Learn
8:39 – Preparing for the Day Inbound Slows Down
11:49 – Everyone Owns the Pipeline Number
14:04 – Call Blitzes & Making Prospecting Fun
15:41 – Tuning Out the Noise & Finishing the Job
18:41 – Development Plans & Career Paths
20:53 – Who Is Mark Outside of Work?
23:06 – "No One's Looking Out for You" — Work-Life Balance
25:43 – The Myth of Being On 24/7
27:35 – Being Present With Your Family
30:33 – Tough Times & Making the Invisible Visible
34:12 – Turning MTIV Into a Culture, Not a Complaint Box
35:40 – Scaling From 5 Reps to 50+ ICs
37:00 – Why Your Reps Are Afraid to Tell You What's Broken
41:18 – Making Decisions Not Everyone Will Like
43:07 – Showing Up for Your Team on a Rocket Ship
44:38 – Profound's Mission & the AEO Opportunity
47:23 – Closing
