Revenue growth without retention is just expensive churn. And sales strategies without financial grounding? That's a recipe for burning cash faster than you're making it.
In this episode of The Scaling CFO, Mark Stiles sits down with Jeff Kerchick, VP of Sales at Zorro, four-time startup veteran (three exits, one IPO), and author of Authentic Selling, to break down why the sales-finance relationship matters more than most founders realize.
Jeff shares why Net Revenue Retention (NRR) has replaced growth as the north star metric, how to build sales systems that scale without losing the human touch, and why AI might actually help you spend less on your tech stack instead of more.
Whether you're struggling with customer concentration, wondering how to justify your CAC to your CFO, or trying to figure out which tools to build versus buy, this conversation will help you align sales and finance so growth is sustainable, not just exciting.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Scaling CFO
00:38 The Box Method Framework
01:41 Sales and Finance Synergy
04:35 Jeff Kerchick's Journey
07:47 Sales Strategies and Metrics
12:14 Leadership and Customer Retention
28:00 Navigating the CFO-Marketing Relationship
28:32 The Role of Automation in Sales Outreach
29:32 Balancing Human Touch and Automation
30:36 Leveraging AI for Operational Efficiency
32:16 AI's Impact on Job Roles and Business Models
34:58 AI in Communication and Customer Relations
35:43 AI in Healthcare Benefits and Quoting
42:12 The Importance of Data Privacy in AI
44:41 ICRA: A New Model for Healthcare Benefits
46:07 Sales Strategies and Decision Making
51:23 Rapid Fire Questions with Jeff
53:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Connect with Jeff:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffkirchick
Website: https://jeffkirchick.com/
Connect with Mark:
Mark A. Stiles, CPA Founder, MASCPA [markstilescpa.com] | Host, The Scaling CFO [LinkedIn]
📅 Book a free consult with Mark → https://calendly.com/mark-stiles-markstilescpa/new-meeting
