Revenue Builders Podcast

Episode: Driving Pipeline with Christopher Vik
Hosts: John McMahon & John Kaplan
Guest: Christopher Vik, Chief Revenue Officer at Leapwork
Release Date: March 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the art and science of pipeline generation (PG) in B2B sales, addressing whether the practice is still “alive” in the age of AI and new sales methodologies. CRO Christopher Vik shares practical frameworks, stories, and hard-won lessons about building a culture of pipeline generation, designing scalable revenue architecture, developing sellers, and hiring with intent. The discussion blends actionable detail with storytelling, offering a master class on driving consistent, high-quality pipeline—and building organizations that can repeat the process.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of Pipeline Generation Today

[02:12]

• Pipeline Gen is Still Vital: Christopher Vik asserts that “it's still very much alive”—but the "rules have changed slightly" due to AI and new prep tools.
• Control Your Future: “We had to rebuild the culture of having a pipeline generation culture…this is how we’re going to control our own future.”
• Vision for Reps: Reps must believe in the bigger vision for why pipeline generation benefits them, not just the company.

2. The Five Cylinders ("Revenue Architecture") for Pipeline Success

[04:04] onwards
Chris details a framework of five "cylinders" required for sustainable PG:

1. Individual Pipeline Generation: The foundation—reps owning their outcomes.
2. Channel Building: Early partnership with the right scale, skill, and will.
3. Upsell and Expansion: Net dollar retention and growing accounts.
4. Community Building: Creating “groundswell” and champion networks (“champions that have power and influence over everyone in this specific region”).
5. Field Marketing: Intelligent, targeted events—blending specific account ABM with broader engagement.

Notable Quote:

“You can build a business on purely PG, but that’s going to take its toll...they have to see a bigger picture and a bigger vision of why PG is good for them.” — Christopher Vik [02:56]

Community Building and Referrals

• Develop champions not just to close deals, but to generate referrals and community buzz:

  “How can we add value to these people and build them up so that...everyone starts to talk about you?” — [05:26]

3. Integrating Sales, Channel, and Marketing

[09:06], [12:59]

• Joint Mission: Avoid sales/marketing silos—form unified go-to-market teams around shared objectives.
• Channel Readiness: The model adapts to different geographies and growth stages. Early stage teams may “wear multiple hats” to drive partnerships.

“If you look at cybersecurity...they typically buy from trusted partners. So you have to win those partners and relationships really, really fast.” — Christopher Vik [11:01]

4. The Power of Preparation in Pipeline Generation

[15:53] Preparation is Key:

• Preparation > Attitude: Lack of prep—not skill—leads reps to avoid PG.
• Tactical Preparation: Account selection, call sheets (“purpose, process, payoff”), learning the ICP, and checking in with channel partners are crucial steps.

Cappuccino Moment Story [18:55]:
Chris shares his “cappuccino moment”—every Sunday, he'd spend two hours researching accounts at Starbucks, emphasizing that personal routine and preparation makes PG sustainable and enjoyable.

“If you think about the actual planning and the actual execution of PG, what takes the most amount of time...is the planning and preparation.” —Christopher Vik [19:17]

Preparation Framework:

• Understand what the company does and its industry.
• How the company makes (or loses) money.
• What the customer/user experience is—pain points and reviews.

“As long as you have conviction—and you can only get conviction if you have knowledge—there is no reason why you shouldn’t be very, very bullish when you cold call.” — [21:48]

5. Developing Sellers: Leading by Example & Consistency

• Leaders Must Be "In the Pit": Leaders inspire and teach by doing—getting into the trenches and being seen making calls and handling rejection.
• Honesty About Skills: Leaders must be honest (with themselves and the team) about current capabilities.

“Your job as the leader is to help people get unstuck at that kind of moment of truth...if you can't prove that...then you can't coach and develop that aspect of the game.” — John Kaplan [25:38]

6. Recruiting & Building Teams

[26:32], [53:36]

• Treat recruiting as a form of pipeline generation.
• Build “team sport” interviews for authentically vetting candidates and demonstrating collective team strengths.
• Address the “why join us?” upfront and be honest about startup-context hurdles.

“When you are an unknown entity and you might not have the CV and the experience...your job is to make them super successful. Recruiting is a team sport.” — Christopher Vik [28:11]

Qualities to Look For:

• Preparation, note-taking, and evidence of qualifying the opportunity as worth their time.
• Match not just skill but energy—will they get energy from the day-to-day work?

“How someone does anything tells you how they do everything.” — Christopher Vik [54:17]

7. Tools & Tactics (Including AI)

[33:18]

• ChatGPT and similar tools can “boil down” company research, strategic initiatives, and even surface info about specific personas.
• Use AI to accelerate “value pyramid” building and to research panel speakers, influential figures to warm up outreach via association.

Warming Up Outreach:

“PG is kind of like...knocking on a random door. But if you come to that party with someone everyone knows, they have kind of vetted you and the door opens for you.” — Christopher Vik [36:02]

8. Differentiation: Challenger Selling & Early Value

[41:00+]

• Position yourself as an expert and consultant—even in first contact.
• Use tailored challenger approaches, bringing “point of view” discovery and insight to open doors early.
• Ask: “If you’re anything like our other customers, you’re likely struggling with [X], [Y], [Z]...does that resonate?”

“If you have conviction as a seller, it doesn’t matter what they scream or shout.” — Christopher Vik [22:34]

9. Connecting the Dots: Systems Thinking in Sales

[51:52]

• Major sales components (PG, champion-building, engagement process, etc.) must be connected for team understanding and buy-in.
• When reps see the bigger, interconnected picture, pride and effectiveness rise.

10. Candidate Fit: Matching Traits, Skills & Timing

[56:58], [57:26]

• Fit is not just about current ability—skills must align with the demands of the specific company stage.
• Be honest about gaps and whether you can cover them with training and support.

“It doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. They’re just not a good fit for us right now.” — John McMahon [60:22]

11. Leadership Values & Authenticity

[63:27]

• Leaders must know and articulate their own values in recruiting and team building.
• Examples: “Excellence” and “Safe and Sound” (transparency about expectations and feedback).

“If you don’t understand your own values, it’s very hard for people to read and understand you if you can’t articulate it.” — Christopher Vik [64:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Preparation:
  “Preparation typically leads to attitude. If you’re really prepared, you have a better attitude.” — John McMahon [16:56]

• On Warming Up Calls:
  “It’s amazing. The simple—why would you...when you pick up the phone, what makes something warm for you?” — John Kaplan [37:01]

• On Humanizing Sales:
  “You don’t have conviction unless you have knowledge...people get conviction because there’s evidence, and evidence comes from the knowledge of the problem.” — John Kaplan [22:59]

• On Recruiting & Selling:
  “One of the greatest ways to help a first-line leader...why us...same as with customers or recruits. If you don’t believe what you do matters, why should I?” — John Kaplan [31:14]

• On Leadership & Failure:
  “Failure is good if you learn something from it.” — Christopher Vik [64:03]

• On Striving for Excellence:
  “What we’re doing is we’re chasing perfection. And if we chase perfection hard enough, we might just catch excellence.” — John McMahon quoting Vince Lombardi [67:03]

Timestamps for Essential Segments

• 02:12 – Is pipeline generation still viable?
• 04:04 – The “Five Cylinders” revenue architecture
• 09:06 – Integrating Sales and Marketing for PG
• 15:53 – Why most reps fail at PG (preparation)
• 18:55 – The “cappuccino moment” preparation story
• 24:24 – Leadership’s vital role in PG culture
• 26:32 – Recruiting as pipeline gen: lessons from the trenches
• 33:18 – Using AI/ChatGPT and warming up outreach
• 41:00 – Challenger selling in PG calls
• 51:52 – Building systems for connected selling motions
• 56:58 – Matching skills, energy, and stages in hiring
• 63:27 – Leading with values and authenticity

Summary

This episode delivers an in-depth blueprint for world-class pipeline generation, leadership accountability, and recruiting for B2B sales teams. Chris Vik’s real-world stories, actionable frameworks, and “in-the-pit” leadership philosophy combine to show how excellence in preparation, execution, and hiring—all anchored in core values—drive sustainable revenue growth.

For listeners: This is an essential listen for aspiring sales leaders, CROs, and anyone invested in turning sales teams into high-performing, connected engines for pipeline generation and revenue.

Listen to the full episode for more tactical stories and actionable sales wisdom.