In this episode, host Kyle Norton (CRO at Owner.com) sits down with his longtime colleague Steve Dinner, VP of RevOps at Owner.com. Together, they unpack how to build a revenue operations team that drives real business outcomes rather than just managing tools and processes. Steve shares lessons from his journey to becoming a world-class RevOps leader, and highlights why empathy, trust, and business alignment matter more than endless automation. The conversation touches on why ride-alongs are one of Steve’s secret weapons, agile frameworks for RevOps, and what CROs should look for when hiring their first operations leader. Packed with insights from two seasoned operators, this episode is a must-listen for CROs, RevOps leaders, and anyone scaling high-growth revenue teams.

Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday.

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• (00:00) Introduction & Kyle sets the stage
  
  

• (01:25) Steve’s background and path into RevOps
  
  

• (03:50) The importance of blending sales leadership with RevOps thinking
  
  

• (07:20) Empathy, rep experience, and solving business problems beyond tech
  
  

• (11:50) Winning big vs. losing small
  
  

• (19:15) Why trust and collaboration matter in cross-functional partnerships
  
  

• (23:55) Ride-alongs and staying connected to frontline reps
  
  

• (37:10) Transitioning RevOps to agile methodology
  
  

• (51:00) How CROs should think about hiring their first RevOps leader
  
  

• (1:05:10) Building the CRO–RevOps partnership and avoiding “yes/no” traps
  
  

• (1:13:20) Advice for new heads of RevOps
  
  

• (1:17:00) Hardest leadership lessons learned
  
  

Clay’s Everett Berry breaks down how elite revenue teams are actually winning with AI today. We cover the GTM Engineer model Clay runs in-house, why prompt iteration and “taste” still matter, and the unsexy but vital work of segmentation, account scoring, and orchestration across the funnel. Plus, where AI SDR efforts go off the rails, and the concrete first steps a CRO should take to get real adoption and lift.

Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday.

Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket.

Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.

Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.

Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!

Timestamps:

(01:16) — Guest intro: Everett Berry, Head of GTM Engineering at Clay

(02:09) — Origin story → growth roles → discovering Clay

(04:52) — What is a GTM Engineer? Clay’s embedded (Palantir-style) model & why it works

(08:10) — Automating the busywork: pre-call research & more

(10:53) — Why many AI GTM pilots miss ROI, plus AI-SDR hype

(17:01) — Agent scope and lossiness, checks/evals, and prompt iteration best practices

(24:20) — Day-1 win: industry classification; when to use GPT vs. Anthropic for the job

(27:54) — CRO AI rollout sequence

(33:32) — Data foundations: pipelines, API realities, and org readiness

(41:25) — Org design: where GTM Engineering lives

(52:10) — Team & stage: roles to hire, GTME + RevOps + agency model; what to insource vs. outsource

(1:00:24) — Rapid fire questions

Dr. Michael Gervais, renowned high performance psychologist behind the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl win and mental coach to Olympic athletes and NASA jumpers, reveals the often-ignored psychological drivers behind elite sales and leadership performance. This episode challenges revenue leaders to rethink competition—not as a zero-sum game, but as a relentless pursuit to be their very best while elevating teammates.

Visit revenueleadership.findingmastery.com to get Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine.

Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday.

Don’t miss GTM2025 — the only B2B tech conference exclusively for GTM executives. Use code TOPLINE for 10% off your GA ticket.

Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.

Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.

Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!

Key chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Dr. Michael Gervais and His High-Performance Psychology Impact
(02:30) - Finding Mastery: Mental Training for Peak Performance
(04:30) - Seahawks Legacy: Building Optimism and Mental Toughness in Teams
(08:00) - The Power of Input Focus: Clarity and Culture Over Outcome Obsession
(12:00) - Compete to Create: Redefining Healthy Competition in Sales and Sport
(18:30) - The Teammate Mindset: Bill Russell’s Blueprint for Winning Together
(22:30) - Stress and Survival: Why Leaders Struggle to Foster Collaborative Environments
(26:00) - Recovery Practices in Business: The Missing Link for Sustainable High Performance
(29:30) - The 92-Second Morning Mindset Routine: Setting Your Signal Amidst the Noise
(34:30) - Neuroplasticity in Leadership: Training Optimism and Confidence as Learnable Skills
(37:00) - Felix Baumgartner’s Mental Mastery: From Panic to Space Dive Success
(42:00) - Shifting from Performance-Driven to Purpose-Driven Leadership Identity
(47:00) - Purpose as the North Star: Aligning Thought, Word, and Action Under Pressure
(49:30) - Journaling, Conversations, and Meditation: Practical Steps to Discover Your Why
(52:00) - Introducing FOPO: Overcoming the Fear of People’s Opinions
(56:00) - The Evolutionary Roots and Neuroscience Behind FOPO
(59:30) - Navigating the High-Stakes Sales Ecosystem: Combating Insecurity and FOPO
(01:03:30) - Balancing Caring and Worry: Constructive Feedback vs. Destructive Noise
(01:06:00) - The Framework to Overcoming FOPO: Unmask, Assess, and Redefine
(01:09:30) - Leading Teams Through FOPO: Building Trust and Psychological Safety
(01:12:30) - From Insight to Action: Applying Gervais’ Mental Strategies in Your Sales Leadership