For over 15 years, I’ve built high-performing sales teams and coached individuals at every career stage, closing over $100M in software sales. Now, I help sellers accelerate their growth, leaders build resilient teams, and founders scale revenue engines through proven GTM processes.

My clients describe me as process-oriented, an excellent communicator, and someone who helps them unlock their potential.

If you’re a seller, leader or founder seeking guidance to accelerate your outcomes, let’s schedule a call via the featured section below!

Mats Uddenfeldt

I wish someone had told me this in my first year of sales:

(It would’ve saved me a lot of stress and a few bad habits. )

1. Don’t take it so seriously.

Sales isn’t life or death. The pressure can be intense, but remember to breathe and keep perspective. At the end of the day, it’s just a job.


2. Show up to help, not just sell.

Sometimes the best move is to qualify out or even recommend a competitor. The trust you build with honesty will pay off later. Often in ways you can’t predict.


A seller I coach asked me about this recently.
It reminded me that the lessons you learn early shape how you sell for life.

If you could go back to year one, what would you tell yourself?

Driving GTM Excellence for Sellers, Leaders & Founders.

Chasing big goals isn’t supposed to feel great all the time.

At yesterday’s EliteGTM exec session with Luca Lazzaron on Scaling Culture Without Losing Control, one insight stood out:

The rule of thirds for performance:
- A third of the time, you’ll feel great.
- A third, just okay.
- And a third, absolutely terrible.

That last part doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re in the middle of something hard.

Most people panic in that tough third.
They second-guess, look for shortcuts, or quit too soon.

But if you expect the ups and downs, you don’t overreact.
You keep going.

And when you’re leading teams, the same rule applies.
Your job is to normalize the tough third. Not fix it.

A coach helps you see where you are in that cycle, and how to move forward when it feels rough.

Who helps you push through your tough thirds?

Most deal reviews stay internal.
Next week, EliteGTM is breaking that rule.

They’re launching the first Global Deal Review Hour where sellers bring real deal challenges to a global community of 600+ tenured GTM leaders.

In one hour:
- Stalled deals move.
- Dead deals revive.
- Sellers level up.

No deep dives or customer names.
Just quick, actionable reviews.

And for this first session, it’s free.

Want to join? Comment or drop me a note.

The best sellers don’t sound like sellers.

They sound like:
- Experts
- Problem solvers
- Someone worth trusting

That comes from unselling.
Leaning back instead of pushing to close.

My instinct was always to listen first.
To diagnose. To give real advice.
Not pitch. Not push.

But some orgs still ran the old playbook:
- “Overcome objections.”
- “Control the call.”
- “Push the close.”

So I forced it. And it killed my edge.

The moment I stopped trying to sound like a seller, and went back to sounding like myself, my numbers took off again.

3 ways you can start unselling today:


1. Don’t rush the close. Test urgency.

→ “Why not wait until next quarter?”

Their answer tells you everything.


2. Challenge the status quo.

→ “What’s working well today? Why even change?”

Uncover a critical reason to act now.


3. Invite criticism.

→ “If any part of this doesn’t fit how you work, tell me.”

Honesty builds trust faster than pitching ever will.


Unselling isn’t passive. It’s powerful.

Because when you create space, buyers lean in.

Or you can qualify out.

3 ways you can start unselling today:

Most sellers answer too fast.

“Do you offer discounts?”
→ “Of course!”

“Can you integrate with X?”
→ “Yes, we can!”

“How are you different from X?”
→ “Our USP is…”

You think you’re being helpful.
But when you jump to answer, you miss an opportunity.

Before you respond, find out why they’re asking:

“Do you offer discounts?”
→ “Happy to explore. What’s driving that question?”

“Can you integrate with X?”
→ “It depends. How are you planning to use it?”

“How are you different from X?”
→ “Good question. What outcome are you looking for?”

That’s how you get closer to the truth.
And often, it changes your answer completely.

From top performer to novice manager to trusted leader:

Early in my career I had a sprinter’s mindset. I was motivated to get ahead by outworking others and having an impact autonomously.

This made me super successful as an IC.

But in my first leadership role, it was obvious that this approach didn’t work.

The problem? My sprinter’s mindset left little room for others to learn or grow.

Later I learned to make a major mindset shift.

Instead of operating as a sprinter, I thought of myself as a long distance coach.

I needed to be able to pace myself so I could have sustained impact over a long time, empowering my team to do the same.

Here are 3 ways you can start making that shift:

(I’m still working on 3)

1. Go slow to go far
Don’t just sell your vision, enroll your team and bring them along for the ride. 

Start with why.
Delegate with context.
Ensure everyone’s on board. 

You may need to move a bit slower, but it will help you go further.


2. Set a sustainable pace

Enable your team to do their work at a sustainable pace.

They will take cues from you: when you send emails, how you balance your work/life, and how you delegate during PTO.

If you want a peak performing team, make room for rest and recovery.


3. Ask questions instead of giving answers

This is a big shift if you used to thrive as an IC by quickly solving problems autonomously.

As a leader, your role isn’t to give answers.
It’s to help your team figure it out.

Partner to discover solutions instead of giving directives.
Prompt them to think critically and your team will build confidence and have even more impact.


What mindset shift has had the biggest impact on your career?

I've never met a top 1% sales rep who doesn't prospect religiously.

I mean the very best. The ones at the top every quarter.

You're never too senior to build your own pipeline.

Here's why:

1) Ownership and control

Taking charge of prospecting gives you full pipeline control. You can quickly adapt, seize opportunities, and build stronger client relationships.


2) Unpredictable changes

BDRs/SDRs might get promoted or leave, creating pipeline gaps if you rely solely on them.


3) Consistent pipeline

Consistent prospecting ensures a steady flow of deals, reducing the risk of pipeline gaps from market changes or slow inbound leads.


4) Skill development

Regular prospecting hones your skills, keeps you sharp, and aligns you with market dynamics and customer needs.


5) Inbound flow

Inbound leads might go to someone else. Also, outbound deals are typically 4x larger, as you shape requirements rather than just fulfill requirements.


Top performers know prospecting is a mindset.

Stay proactive. Stay at the top.


How do you invest in your pipeline?

Why you're never too senior to build your own pipeline:

Delayed rewards are often the most meaningful ones.

Because the best work pays off on its own timeline, not yours.

A month after running my half marathon, the medal and shirt finally arrived.

A good reminder: important stuff rarely pays off instantly.

Not in sales.
Not in your habits.
Not in anything that matters.

You put in the work now.
You collect the payoff later.

And some fights demand that mindset even more.

Ukraine’s fight isn’t about quick wins.
It’s about staying committed long after the world stops paying attention.

Because the best results rarely come fast.

In business. In life.
And in the fight for freedom.

#SlavaUkraini

Hitachi Vantara

Sr. Solution Consultant

Couchbase

Sr. Solutions Engineer

Cisco

Working with partners to develop go-to-market plans and strategies on Cisco Enterprise Networking technology to develop labs, demonstrations, sales SPIFFs, and demand generation. Ensured technology decisions aligned while working with partners and customers in design and architecting of WAN, LANs, and wireless networks including routers, switches, access points, firewalls, ACI, and WLC. Specialized in Software Defined-WAN (SD-WAN) (Viptela) in multi-cloud networking and security services. Collaborated with customers and partners in designing multi-domain and multi-cloud network architectures including AWS, Azure, and GCP.
        ◦ 126% attainment of a $208M FY2019 goal in hardware and software sales in the US west region
        ◦ 2018 America Sales Champion
        ◦ Achieved sales goals of 100% at Cisco from 2017-2019    
        ◦ Sales Engineer of the Quarter (Q1FY18 / Q3FY19)

Technical Solutions Architect for Enterprise Networking

• Worked with Hadoop Software Vendors and Cisco Business Units to provide technical leadership in building solutions to address customer business needs. Completed live demonstrations to customers and partners. Led sales teams in positioning technical strategies for connected roadways, manufacturing, entertainment, IoT, Splunk, ML, and hybrid cloud solutions.
• Addressed specific needs with sizing and selling Hadoop in excess of $900M (FY2017) in hardware/software sales in the US.
• Technologies: Hadoop, Splunk, IoT, Kubernetes, Firewall, Load Balancer, Route Switch, and SAN Storage

Big Data Analytics Engineer

NetApp

• Delivered IT foundation for NetApp appliance across multiple disciplines, including virtualization, computing, networking, and storage to increase new business. Partnered with sales teams to educate customers on NetApp products and innovations.
• Developed strategic product messaging for creative selling strategies to position FlexPod with cDOT into the sales cycle with a focus on cloud strategy. Coordinated with NetApp and Cisco on go-to-market strategies with Cisco Validated Designs. 
• Recognized as a key contributor for over achievement of team sales goals in meeting Americas team goal of $465M for FlexPod sales revenue by conducting training, meeting with CXOs, and becoming highly knowledgeable of competitors’ products.
• Technologies: UCS Director, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware, and NetApp OnCommand tools. Converged Infrastructure Platform

Data Center Architect

• Guided customers through the transition to cloud services by addressing customer’s specific needs with a public cloud offering using CIAC (Cisco Intelligent Automation for the Cloud) that generated in excess of $2M in hardware and software sales.
• Exceed $10M in annual sales by partnering with sales team to deliver technical presentations, product demonstrations, and competitive information. Achieved 109% of FY 2012 goal and 125% of FY 2011 goal for UCS America West.
• Technologies: Hyper Visors/VMware, Red Hat KVM, Hyper-V, OVM, X86 Architecture, Windows, Red Hat Linux, Solaris, Oracle, Oracle RAC, and Microsoft Exchange

Consultant Systems Engineer

Oracle

• Consolidated research on computing platforms and solutions to present to technical sales staff in support of customer sales throughout the U.S. and internationally. 
• Increased worldwide sales of a new product by 200%, benchmarking scalability and publishing results in a white paper. 
• Developed and presented technical architecture training to Sun systems engineers around the world. The training, which included sales strategies, helped to increase sales 10%-55%.
• Technologies: VMware Certified Professional (VCP), VMmark, Oracle VM (XEN), and AMD/Intel processors

Principal Application Solutions Manager

Sun Microsystems

As a Regional Systems Engineer for Sun Microsystems, I specialized in customer sales engagements for Windows, Linux, and Unix on Sun's Opteron line of products. I provided the computer architecture, X86 management infrastructure, system tuning, and competitive analysis to support key accounts in the financial, manufacturing, government, and legal sectors.

* By overcoming significant technical obstacles and performance issues, I was able to position Sun servers as the Raster Image Processor (RIP) engine for Xerox printers' a huge boost in annual sales for Sun.

Awards:
* Sun Systems Engineer of the Year, 2001 & 2003
* 10-time Sun Systems Engineer of the Quarter
* Two-time Sun Rise Club Winner
* Sun Customer Satisfaction Award

Regional Systems Engineer

As the Technical Account Manager and Systems Engineer for Sun, I designed and architected creative multi-tier technical solutions that solved a wide range of customer business problems. I served as the technical lead and architect for Sun platforms, operations system (Solaris), and compilers.

* In order to retain Xerox as a client, we needed to transfer them to a new platform. As a stop-gap measure while our technicians created the permanent x86 Sun server, we created the temporary Growler server. We provided Xerox with excellent customer service and a rapid response to their needs.

Technical Account Manager

I offer progressive experience in data center, cloud, and hybrid cloud architecture challenges including virtualization, servers, networking, storage, security, IoT, machine learning, and big data applications. As a Technical Solutions Architect at Cisco Systems, I had the opportunity to learn from industry experts and leverage best practices in order to identify the correct stakeholders and manage expectations across organizations. Additionally, I have a background as a consultative technical (sales) leader, supporting sales while working directly with prospective customers on the technical aspects of projects through to a successful solution deployment.

During my tenure at Cisco Systems, I worked together with sales teams to address difficult business and technical problems as well as communicating solutions to account stakeholders. While serving in technical roles, I collaborated with sales teams in positioning technical strategies via a solid foundation of industry knowledge and systems engineering principles. In each of my positions, I met performance goals, and achieved excellent feedback from internal and external customers. 

My passion for developing innovative solutions that combines cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of customer needs is well documented. In addition to my background and personal qualities, I have demonstrated outstanding technical and presentation skills in creating videos and automation scripts to train teams on new technology. Through my combination of experience to design and implementation address real-world problems.

Outside of work, my biggest accomplishments are raising two great young adults. I also compete in Ironman competitions.

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