Bridging Education and Sales – A Career Transformation Story: David Cady, Chief Revenue Officer

When David Cady, Chief Revenue Officer of Virtuous, made a career jump from teaching high school English to sales, he carried a unique perspective. He started viewing sales as a teaching role.

Than, He’s discovered that stepping back and truly understanding customers’ needs, especially when introducing transformative CRM technology, creates successful sales. This is a crucial lesson that he, a former teacher, is keen to impart.

Leadership, Accountability & The 1% Improvement Philosophy

David’s wisdom extends beyond just sales strategy. He also has a unique viewpoint on leadership. This perspective emphasizes self-accountability, motivation, and continuous growth. He shares how he managed to find the right balance between his roles as a teacher and a results-driver.

These experiences have shaped his approach to nurturing future leaders. Interestingly, David has developed a healthy detachment from results. He chooses to concentrate more on the process, with a goal to improve by 1% each day.

Navigating Challenges & Enhancing Generosity in Nonprofits

In our conversation, David opens up about the challenges he’s faced in his leadership journey. This includes a deeply personal experience of a sales role loss. This sobering event reshaped his perspective on commitment. It highlighted the importance of staying committed to the process, not just chasing outcomes.

Shifting gears, we delve into the nonprofit sector. We discuss the significance of building strong donor relationships. We also cover the struggles of donor retention and understanding donors’ motivations.

David’s insights, particularly on how technology like a good CRM can enhance generosity, will be valuable. This is true for anyone interested in the nonprofit sector, leadership, or sales strategy.

Meet Our Guest: David Cady, Chief Revenue Officer, Virtuous

David Cady is the CRO at Virtuous. This company offers a CRM, Marketing, and Online Giving platform. It is designed to reimagine generosity in the nonprofit space. David has spent the last 17 years leading teams at some of the best tech companies in the world.

He has spent the last 7 years building the Go-to-Market (GTM) motion at Virtuous. This includes Sales, Marketing, Partnerships, and Revenue Operations. David’s all about building, creating, and helping others along the way. You’ll generally find him kicking back in sunny Arizona with his wife and trio of awesome kids. He enjoys hunting down the next great foodie spot or soaking up some outdoor time.

Key Takeaways You’ll Learn:

> David’s unique perspective on sales as a teaching role and understanding customer needs.

> Insights into leadership, self-accountability, and the philosophy of 1% daily improvement.

> How to find balance as a results-driver and nurture future leaders.

> The importance of process commitment over chasing outcomes, even after setbacks.

> Strategies for building strong donor relationships and addressing donor retention in the nonprofit sector.

> The vital role of CRM technology in enhancing generosity and nonprofit success.


Listen on Apple Podcasts

Quotes: 

“I think there’s this idea of opportunistic, risk taking and calculated risk. I think that is number one. It’s sort of born out of this maybe opportunistic or altruistic belief that you can continue to do more and believe that more is possible with effort and input and sort of you always have more to learn.” 

“Sales and deals are generally not closed in one day, especially CRM sales. We’re many times selling transformation, right? This is a large transformation. I always joke it’s open heart surgery that we sell and you have to deeply understand their why.” 

“The biggest thing that I love is helping people see things in themselves they didn’t see possible. There’s a biggest joy for me in leadership.” 

“My success will always be defined by how I work and what I do, and not necessarily the scoreboard, which is hard, right, because that’s not always what you’re taught in a go to market or sales environment.” 

“Sales is sometimes looked at as a four letter word. It requires people to believe that we’re playing the game on hard mode. Doing sales the easy way is cutting corners as shortcuts as things that doesn’t serve customers. So not everyone can actually do it, in the right way. All we’re doing is bringing customers close to a solution or outcome that they’re already expressing they need.” 

Links:
David Cady LinkedIn
Virtuous LinkedIn
Virtuous Website