From Laid Off to Leading: The Power of Doing the Right Things with Kristie Jones

🔥 Excerpt

"If you're not sure what your superpower is, ask those around you—because everybody else knows."

⚡ TL;DR

Sales strategist Kristie K. Jones joins me to map the path from unexpected layoffs to intentional leadership. We dig into superpowers, proactive career design, and how founders can stop playing "accidental VP of Sales" and build a real revenue engine—starting with the first rep, a playbook, and a culture of accountability.

📄 Show Notes

I brought Kristie K. Jones into the studio because too many founders and sales pros are stuck in reaction mode—job hunting, hiring, even "strategy" dictated by whatever pings their inbox. Kristie doesn't live there. After getting laid off from a SaaS leadership role, she built Sales Acceleration Group and doubled her income in year one by doing what she teaches now: identify your superpowers, design your ideal company profile, and make the market meet you where you're strongest.

We break down the difference between strengths and superpowers—and why the latter require deliberate reps, coaching, and pressure testing. Kristie's example: years as a competitive racquetball player gave her a wicked tennis slice… then hours "at the wall" made it automatic under pressure. Translate that to sales: if this, then that. Build mental memory so discovery, negotiation, and expansion aren't guesswork.

For job seekers and quota carriers, Kristie calls out a common failure pattern: you run crisp outbound for your pipeline, then treat your own career like an inbound-only funnel. Instead, define your ICP—role, selling motion, industry, buyer persona, deal size, cycle length, and leadership style—and pursue companies where your superpower compounds.

For founders, we get practical. Hiring Sales Rep #1 is the riskiest move you'll make—and no, an experienced IC is not your de facto head of sales. Before you hand over the "baby," document how revenue actually happens without your Rolodex. Build the playbook. Clarify expectations, activity math, and consequences. Then coach the art of sales—discovery, listening, psychology—because the science (tools, data, AI) won't carry a weak conversation over the line.

We also talk interviewing "professional interviewees," why inbound leads are rarely your ICP, when to hire junior talent, and how to use the founder as an evangelist while an IC team executes a repeatable motion. If you're a founder trying to step out of the sales seat—or a rep aiming for the top 10%—this conversation will save you months of flailing and a few bad hires.

✅ Key Takeaways

 • Turn strengths into superpowers with deliberate practice, coaching, and pressure tests.
 • Run your career like a pipeline: define your Ideal Company Profile and pursue it proactively.
 • Before hiring Rep #1, extract and document your process beyond your personal network.
 • Don't hire an IC and expect a VP; leadership designs the system, ICs run the motion.
 • Build accountability with clear activity math, skill coaching, and stated consequences.
 • Teach the art of sales (discovery, listening, psychology); the science is table stakes.
 • Treat inbound with skepticism; outbound is how you target true ICP.
 • Juniors can work—if you commit to training, feedback, and a clear path.

🧭 Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Sales Acceleration and Personal Journey
03:37 Understanding Superpowers in Sales
06:26 The Importance of Proactive Career Management
09:08 Leveraging Generosity as a Superpower
11:52 Identifying Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
14:45 Finding the Right Sales Role—Fit, Industry, Persona
17:27 Proactive Job Searching vs. Reactive Applications
20:15 Building Effective Sales Teams for Startups
22:58 Realistic Expectations for First Sales Hires
23:51 Sales Leadership vs. Individual Contributors
25:28 Extracting the Founder's Sales Playbook
27:16 Inbound vs. Outbound—Targeting True ICP
27:55 Interviewing Sales Pros: Buyer Beware
31:01 Creating an Accountability Culture in Sales
34:38 Hiring Junior Reps: Risks and Requirements
38:21 The Book: Selling Your Way In
42:41 Free Resource: How to Hire Rock Star Talent
44:39 Closing Thoughts: Get Quiet, Get Aligned, Take the Risk