More Than a Number: The Modern VP Sales Playbook, with Scott Leese [Episode 976]

Podcast Host: Andy Paul
Guest: Scott Leese, Sales Consultant, Author, and Podcast Host

About the Guest

Scott Leese is a startup sales leader, consultant, author, and podcast host known for helping early-stage and growth companies build high-performing revenue teams.

Scott has led sales organizations at multiple SaaS companies and now advises startups on building scalable sales processes, developing sales leadership, and improving go-to-market execution. He is the author of More Than a Number: The Modern VP Sales Playbook, a guide designed to help sales leaders navigate the challenges of leading revenue teams in high-growth environments.

Scott is also widely followed for his insights on sales leadership and startup growth, where he shares practical advice on leadership, team development, and the realities of scaling sales organizations.

If you’re looking to level up your sales leadership strategy, don’t miss our roundup of the 5 best sales playbooks, designed to help you drive consistent performance and scale smarter.

TLDR

Sales VPs often face unrealistic expectations and limited support from leadership. Scott Leese explains why this happens, how it leads to short job tenures, and what modern sales leaders can do to reset expectations, develop strong playbooks, and build high-performing teams.

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Sales Enablement Podcast, Andy Paul speaks with Scott Leese about the realities of modern sales leadership and the ideas behind his book, More Than a Number: The Modern VP Sales Playbook.

Scott explains why many CEOs and founders struggle to effectively support their VP of Sales, often setting unrealistic expectations without providing the resources needed to succeed. This disconnect frequently leads to short tenures for sales leaders and creates instability within sales organizations.

The conversation explores why many sales leaders remain passive in the face of these expectations and how they can break the cycle by proactively shaping performance metrics, aligning expectations with leadership, and developing clear operational playbooks.

Scott also shares practical strategies for building strong sales teams, creating repeatable processes, and helping sales organizations perform consistently as companies scale.

For founders, sales leaders, and revenue teams, this episode offers a candid look at the challenges of sales leadership and actionable guidance on building more sustainable sales organizations.

Key Topics Covered

• Why CEOs and founders struggle to support sales leaders

• The unrealistic expectations often placed on VP Sales roles

• Why sales leadership tenures are often short

• How sales leaders can reset expectations with executives

• The importance of developing repeatable sales playbooks

• Strategies for building and developing high-performing sales teams

Key Takeaways

• Sales leadership expectations are often misaligned.
  Many founders expect immediate results without understanding the time required to build a scalable sales engine.

• VP Sales roles require clear operational playbooks.
  Strong processes help teams perform consistently and reduce reliance on individual performance.

• Sales leaders must shape expectations early.
  Proactively aligning goals and timelines with leadership can prevent future conflict.

• Team development drives long-term success.
  Investing in coaching and team performance helps organizations scale sustainably.

• Sales leadership is more than hitting numbers.
  Effective leaders focus on building systems, developing talent, and creating repeatable success.

Who This Episode Is For

• VP Sales and sales leaders building high-performing teams

• Founders hiring or working with sales leaders

• Revenue leaders developing scalable sales processes

• Sales managers focused on team development

• Startup leaders navigating early-stage sales growth