BastionZero’s Romani Brings Over a Decade of Sales Experience to the Table
I had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin Romani, Chief Revenue Officer for BastionZero, a Boston based cybersecurity company. Kevin has nearly 20 years of experience in enterprise selling and sales leadership. He specializes in building and scaling global enterprise software sales teams that deliver rapid growth. He’s led sales for Seed stage companies through Series D stage companies.
Thank you so much for joining us!
How did you break into a career in tech sales?
I got my start at a company in the cut-flower industry down in San Diego where I spent time working in both sales and operations during my first 8 years out of college. But, I was in a rut and wanted to sink my teeth into a more interesting challenge. I spoke to several friends and asked them for their opinions on what I should pursue next. One of those friends suggested I join his company, Dyn — an Internet performance management and web application security startup. They were growing quickly and in the process of opening a new office in San Francisco. So, he wanted someone he could trust to help him scale the business and keep everything else in check. It was a big swing, but I decided to make the leap to Software sales. And, boy was it a jump! I took a $40,000 a year pay cut and went from leading a team of roughly 50 people to being an individual contributor (IC) with the title “Enterprise Software Sales Representative.”
What has been your biggest challenge in your sales career?
It was when I first started out in software sales. I didn’t know the tech industry and lacked a lot of knowledge, which I felt everyone else seemed to already know at the time. I went from managing a bunch of people in an industry I knew super well to being an IC in a space where I had no idea what I was selling and had to interact with Engineers who routinely threw around acronyms that I’d never even heard. Honestly, it was 6 months of hell, but I wouldn’t change a thing. It taught me a great deal about perseverance and the importance of rising to new challenges.
What is it that most excites you about sales?
I think of selling as the opportunity to solve problems for people. I’m a problem solver. That’s what gets me up in the morning — hopping on a call, learning about a problem someone has, and then walking them through how it can be solved. That’s why I’ve never liked the analogy that sales people are “hunters” because it implies that sales reps are just out there looking for vulnerable prey — AKA customers. It’s demeaning to both sides and couldn’t be further from the truth. At the end of the day, sales is a partner to the customer. And seeing a customer (and their business) light up when your tech is a good fit never gets old.
If you had to share, “words of wisdom,” with a new Sales Rep who’s about to start their career, what would they be?
I say this all the time, and I’m sure my AEs get tired of hearing it, but it’s important for reps to realize that they can’t control outcomes. They can, however, control their inputs. Sales is fundamentally a scorecard game, but obsessing about the score won’t help you win! You have to focus on the inputs. Start by concentrating on your activity. Is at a consistent and high level? Is it of the finest quality? You also need to follow a consistent prospecting and sales process… are these processes documented? What tools can sales leverage for better results? And lastly, lead through kindness but act in confidence. There is inevitably a lot of rejection and many mountains to climb for anyone in sales, but if you remain focused on the inputs you’ll be successful more often than not.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I’m active on LinkedIn and Twitter.
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinromani/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bastionzero
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/getBastionZero
This was very insightful. Thank you so much for joining us!
