B4OBVIOUS · COMPANION NOTES
Joe Vitalone: career and conversation guide
Companion reading for the conversation with Simon Dudley.
Download this document (.md)About the guest
Joe Vitalone is a sales and technology leader whose career spans video conferencing and unified communications, including PictureTel, ViaVideo, Polycom, ShoreTel, Mitel and Lifesize. In this conversation, he reflects on four decades of building sales teams, choosing opportunities and working through acquisitions. At the time of recording, he described returning from retirement to consulting and mergers and acquisitions work.
The conversation
Why do brilliant technology products lose while ordinary competitors win? Joe Vitalone joins Simon Dudley to explore sales teams, training, channel relationships and the decisions behind a long career in communications technology.
Ideas to take away
A good product still needs a route to market.
Joe argues that sales teams, training and channel relationships can determine whether a technically strong product reaches customers.
Train people in the craft of selling.
Technical certification and sales training solve different problems. Joe describes investing in a sales university and having experienced sellers teach others.
Build a reputation that travels with you.
A job title belongs to the company. Your judgement, relationships and personal brand can carry across companies, acquisitions and changes of direction.
Edited companion notes based on the interview. Roles reflect the recording, rather than a current employment claim.