SalesTechStar Interview with Patrick Finn, VP of Sales at Cloudflare

Patrick Finn, VP of Sales at Cloudflare shares some key sales, salestech and sales leadership best practices in this Q&A with SalesTechStar:

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Hi Patrick, tell us about your B2B tech journey so far and what led you to your role at Cloudflare

There are a handful of technology companies that have shaped the way organizations operate worldwide. I’ve had the privilege to work at three of them with IBM, Cisco, and now Cloudflare.

Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet and, while we’re not yet a household name, there’s a good chance you’ve already benefited from Cloudflare’s technology several times on the way to reading this. Today, we protect 20% of all websites against cyber attacks and stop 209 billion online threats every 24 hours. Because of our connectivity cloud technology, millions of organizations are able to easily connect their people, systems, clouds, and devices while staying safe online. Our customers range from small independent news sites to 30% of the Fortune 1000.

Why is this so exciting for me? Throughout my career I’ve helped companies benefit from the emergence of new technologies from robotics and automation to data analytics. Cloudflare has a unique opportunity to help businesses navigate the three waves of technological change that every company is experiencing: cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity. I couldn’t be more thrilled to help more companies realize the benefits of working and partnering with us. The future is bright and the best is yet to come.

What about B2B technology sales is not working today: what would you tell fellow technology sellers to do to drive sales conversations and conversions?

The biggest mistake in sales has always been—and always will be—failing to recognize the importance of both art and science in building successful customer and partner relationships. Every good sales leader should embrace new technology (the science) to drive efficiency. However, tools and software are available to everyone, so won’t necessarily give you a competitive advantage on their own.

The key to driving conversations and conversions is the art of sales: understanding your customer’s emotional state, desires, goals, drivers, and what they want to achieve for their business and in their career.

A simple way to begin to map those drivers and motivators is to identify which of three categories you prospect is in. Are they focused on ‘speeds and feeds’; just the product features and capabilities? Are they solving a specific problem which touches their most significant technology and business challenges? Or finally, are they solving industry-wide challenges which require you to demonstrate vertical and domain expertise? Understanding where your prospect is right now is the first step to knowing what type of conversation they’re open to having.

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Can you talk about the salestech and revtech you’ve relied on over the years to boost growth goals?

With the current pace of change driven by cloud computing and AI, the technology that helped me in the early part of my career is less and less relevant. There’s much more value in looking forward. At the same time, I would caution any salesperson to get too narrowly focused on what technology can do for them.

Yes, it is and will continue to change the game when it comes to applying data insights to improve how and where salespeople invest their time, but it can’t replace the relationships that are essential to B2B sales. Customers who feel like they’re on the receiving end of a chatbot won’t engage. Knowing your customer remains critical.

We’d also love to hear more on your use of AI in sales and how you’d tell sellers in the industry to optimize use of AI powered salestech to scale their efforts.

AI is already having a tremendous impact on the science of sales. From identifying the best prospects to spotting early signals in product usage and engagement that might indicate a potential issue to get ahead of. When it comes to the high-touch, high impact world of B2B sales, AI can only do so much.

What skills do you feel modern technology sellers need to hone in more to make a difference in sales today?

An openness to change, a willingness to learn and be vulnerable is going to be key to adapting to this new environment. I’m a firm believer that the human element has a long future when it comes to sales, but the world will always be changing.

A few last thoughts on the state of B2B SaaS Sales?

Navigating this moment of change requires sales teams to work on a consistent set of priorities that leaders should be insisting on. This includes a focus on a unifying goal, effective communication, process, accountability, and, critically, attitude. Building these strengths in the long-term will help salespeople, teams, and organizations adapt to whatever comes next.

Read More: Embracing the Sales Leader of the Future