Hello! I'm James
Accomplished sales executive with 17 years of progressive leadership experience at Workday, joining as employee #280 when the company generated $3 million in ARR and contributing to its growth journey to nearly $10 billion in ARR. Advanced through six positions from Business Development Representative to Regional Vice President, currently overseeing nationwide enterprise sales operations for the US Diversified Industries business unit while managing four regional directors and 33+ account executives.
My leadership approach, rooted in family values of hard work and sacrifice, has provided the resilience to navigate multiple economic cycles including the dot-com bust, financial crises, COVID-19, and market volatility. This foundation enables me to build scalable systems that drive sustainable go-to-market success while hiring exceptional people who enable continuous learning, precise forecasting, and sustained competitive advantage.
Currently driving 120%+ year-over-year growth in net new enterprise logos, with a proven track record of launching new business units and scaling high-performing teams from 5 to 42+ account executives. Previously achieved 11 consecutive quarters of over-attainment and "Region of the Year" recognition through deep expertise in matrix leadership across solution consulting, value engineering, and revenue operations. Success stems from solving complex challenges alongside great people committed to helping enterprise clients realize measurable outcomes in global expansion, compliance, workforce planning, and AI adoption.
EXPERIENCE
February 2023 - Present
Workday
Regional Vice President US Diversified Industries
As Regional Vice President of US Sales operating as a second line sales leader I lead comprehensive net new sales operations across the United States comprised of four regional sales directors, account executives, and cross-functional teams spanning value engineering, solution consulting, industry advisors, field marketing, and revenue operations. Our objectives are helping enterprise companies navigate complex challenges in global expansion, compliance, time and labor, workforce planning, application consolidation, and AI adoption through strategic technology solutions within the buying centers of CIO, CFO, and CHRO.
FY24 Launched an entirely new sales organization focused on net new Enterprise logos among enterprise accounts in diversified industries (Hired four first line sales leaders and 33 account executives)
FY25 120% YoY Growth
FY26 tracking to 126% YoY Growth
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Coverage as a % of TAM
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Emerging: 9%
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Core: 28%
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Enterprise: 55%
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Active Pipeline Units as a % of TAM
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Emerging: .7%
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Core: 3.8%
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Enterprise: 10.3%
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February 2020- January 2023
Regional Vice President Sales, West
Workday
As Regional Vice President of West Sales, I led a comprehensive sales organization across the Western States focused on medium enterprise companies, overseeing four first line sales leaders who managed 42 account executives. My organization operated through a matrix model that included specialized teams in solution consulting, industry expertise, value management, marketing, and revenue operations to deliver integrated enterprise solutions. My role encompassed both strategic leadership in developing market approaches and operational management of pipeline development, forecasting, and deal progression. Success is measured through revenue achievement, pipeline quality, team performance, and most of all an ability to help enterprise clients realize measurable business outcomes.
FY21 101% of COVID Plan
FY22 Region of the Year
FY23 112% of Plan
(11 consecutive quarters of over attainment)(Growth of 20 to 42 AEs)
FY21 H2 – FY24 H1 (271 Wins, 107m ACV, 398k ASP, 201 Avg. day sales cycle)(best 8 quarter performance among 22 business units)
October 2018 - January 2020
Regional Sales Director
WORKDAY
As a first line sales leader I led a team of five account executives. My organization operated through a matrix model that included specialized teams in solution consulting, industry expertise, value management, marketing, and revenue operations to deliver integrated enterprise solutions. My role encompassed both strategic leadership in developing market approaches and operational management of pipeline development, forecasting, and deal progression. Success was measured through revenue achievement, pipeline quality, team performance, and our ability to help enterprise clients realize measurable business outcomes.
FY18 Top Sub Region Medium Enterprise
January 2012 - September 2018
Workday
Account Executive
As an Account Executive, I managed a dual portfolio combining strategic account management of existing enterprise customers with net new customer acquisition. This role required building meaningful relationships, developing robust pipelines, and driving revenue growth through consultative selling and extensive cross-functional collaboration.
FY13 Club Qualifier
FY14 Club Qualifier
FY15 #1 Top Performer Medium Enterprise
FY16 Top Bay Area Account Executive
October 2010- December 2011
Renewal Specialist
Workday
As a Renewal Specialist I was responsible for managing, expanding, and deepening relationships with our existing enterprise customer base. This role focuses exclusively on our customers first renewal with the company.
June 2008 - September 2010
Sales Development Representative
WORKDAY
As a Sales Development Representative (SDR) I partnered closely with Field Sales to drive new business development through strategic prospecting, lead qualification, and meeting generation. The role focused on building top-of-funnel pipeline by identifying, engaging, and qualifying enterprise prospects to create high-value sales opportunities for the field sales team.
FY10 Club Qualifier
EDUCATION
Kinesiology, Business Administration
Western Colorado University
A public university in Gunnison, Colorado, situated at 7,700 feet known for its mountain setting and focus on immersive, real-world educational experiences in a variety of liberal arts and specialized fields, including unique programs like High Altitude Exercise Physiology.
CLIENTS
PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK
LAURA HINCKLEY, SALES ENABLEMENT
James I wanted to formally thank you for your willingness to work with me on so many big picture items this past year! It's been an incredible opportunity for me to develop new skills, grow as an individual, and learn from your perspective in the West. I so appreciate your support of my feedback and your encouragement in continuing to provide it. Your trust in me to lead important initiatives for your team has been a huge confidence booster, and I can't thank you enough for the continuous support! Thank you!
MIKE QUIGLEY, GVP SALES
There’s never been a moment in our years working together where your effort hasn’t been 110%. Thank you for all you do.
JOHN MILLARD, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
James is one of the most influential leaders in my career. For 4 years it was incredible to see him truly build a culture and process across the ME org. He clearly worked tirelessly and passionately. He's the Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions Head Coach) of ENT
sales, he cares about his people, his company and his customer. There wasn't a situation James didn't have a top notch strategy for, and regardless of good or bad he keeps the course in a positive and uplifting way. He makes everyone around him better. I'm fortunate to have learned so much from him and truly enjoyed our pursuits together.
STEPHEN FRITSCH, SALES LEADER
James, I wanted to take a moment and congratulate you on your incredible 14 years at Workday. I have thought of this many times, but there are probably 3 or 4 leaders in my 18 years in software that have had the biggest impact on my career—and you are one of them. Your leadership and your ability to lift people up has not just changed my life, but has had an incredible effect on so many Workmates. I can see it. And I often think: this is the leader I aspire to be.
Thank you for all that you do for us. And I’m excited to help build the business with you. Stephen
JOHN MORTON, PRE-SALES LEADER
James, reflecting on the year, one of the greatest accomplishments witnessed is the culture you built within your organization. Watching the team celebrate you on your anniversary milestone was one of those moments that demonstrated the unique camaraderie, and bonds built as workmates. And I’ve seen it played out since. You’ve inspired the team to embrace FY25 as a build opportunity, and true growth is realized through adversity. I believe the team will agree that your leadership has created impact that will last beyond just this year. It’s a pleasure to serve with you.
DAYTON KEANE, SALES LEADER
Having worked alongside and observed numerous leaders throughout my career, I can confidently say that your skills stand out. Your strategic thinking, discipline, transparency, authenticity, and ability to foster camaraderie demonstrate exceptional
leadership. It's evident that you possess all the key elements needed to successfully lead a sales organization. Your achievements and the position you've earned are truly commendable, and you should take great pride in your accomplishments.
LEADERSHIP EXPERTISE: BUILD, GROW, OPERATE
When Your Cash Cow Stumbles: Leading a Strategic Industry Pivot
Storytelling & Presentation Excellence: A Learning System for Sales Impact
Driving Forecast Accuracy and Sales Excellence
The Challenge: Recognizing When Strength Becomes Weakness
In sales leadership, some of the most difficult decisions come when your historically strongest performers begin to falter. For our organization, Tech & Media had been our reliable cash cow—contributing $7.4 million in FY23 and consistently delivering predictable growth quarter after quarter. This industry vertical had become so dependable that it formed the backbone of our annual planning and revenue forecasting.
But halfway through FY24, the data told a concerning story. We had closed only $1.7 million in Tech & Media—a dramatic deceleration that couldn't be ignored. Our forecasting models projected continued weakness, with units expected to decline from 68 to 65, indicating not just slower growth but potential contraction in what had been our most reliable sector.
The Strategic Inflection Point
This moment presented a classic strategic inflection point. We could continue investing heavily in our traditional stronghold, hoping for a market recovery, or we could acknowledge the fundamental shift and pivot our go-to-market strategy. The stakes were clear: without growth in other industries, we wouldn't grow our business at all.
The decision required both analytical rigor and leadership courage. Historical performance data suggested doubling down on Tech & Media, but forward-looking indicators demanded a different approach. Sometimes the most successful strategy is knowing when to evolve beyond what made you successful in the past.
Building the New Framework
Rather than abandoning Tech & Media entirely, we developed a revised industry go-to-market approach that accomplished three critical objectives:
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Diversified Risk: Reduced over-dependence on any single industry vertical
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Accelerated Investment: Reallocated resources to higher-growth potential sectors
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Maintained Foundation: Preserved existing relationships while building new market presence
The implementation required cross-functional alignment across sales, marketing, product, and customer success teams. We had to retrain account executives on new industry dynamics, develop sector-specific messaging, and create measurement frameworks that tracked progress across multiple verticals simultaneously.
Results and Lessons Learned
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Leading indicators over lagging indicators: Market signals often precede revenue impact by quarters
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Organizational agility: The ability to reallocate resources quickly based on changing market conditions
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Strategic patience: New industry development requires sustained investment before showing returns
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Data-driven decision making: Letting objective analysis guide strategy rather than emotional attachment to past success
Key Takeaways for Sales Leaders
This experience reinforced several critical principles for revenue leadership:
Embrace Strategic Discomfort: The most important pivots often feel uncomfortable because they require abandoning proven approaches for uncertain outcomes.
Build Diversification Early: Waiting until your primary revenue driver weakens puts unnecessary pressure on pivot timing and execution.
Invest in Market Intelligence: Understanding industry trends and buying patterns enables proactive strategy adjustments rather than reactive responses.
Align Teams Around Change: Successful pivots require organization-wide commitment and clear communication about why change is necessary.
Moving Forward
Today, our diversified industry approach has created a more resilient revenue foundation. While Tech & Media remains an important vertical, it no longer represents a single point of failure for our business. The systems and processes we developed during this pivot have become repeatable frameworks for future market expansion.
The lesson isn't that Tech & Media was wrong—it's that over-reliance on any single market creates vulnerability. True sales leadership means building organizations that can thrive regardless of any individual market's performance.
Effective storytelling begins with genuine curiosity about your prospect's situation, challenges, and desired outcomes. Our framework teaches executives to structure interactions around building trust first, then strategically introducing relevant customer stories that demonstrate outcomes without feeling promotional. This approach transforms the dynamic from vendor-customer to trusted advisor-client.
The Story Arc Framework
Sales executives learn to structure compelling narratives using a proven storytelling architecture that creates emotional connection and drives action:
1. Acknowledge Their Desires: Begin by recognizing and validating what the prospect wants to achieve. This demonstrates understanding of their aspirations and establishes immediate relevance.
2. Explore the Problem: Dive deeper into the specific challenges preventing them from reaching their desired state. This creates tension and urgency while showing you understand their current reality.
3. Tease the Promise Land: Paint a compelling picture of what success looks like—the transformation they could experience and the outcomes they could achieve. This creates emotional pull toward the solution.
4. Reveal the Hidden Enemy: Identify the underlying obstacles or systemic issues that aren't immediately obvious but are preventing success. This positions you as an insightful advisor who sees what others miss.
5. Show Your Recipe for Success: Present your methodology, approach, or solution as the pathway to overcome the hidden enemy and reach the promise land. This isn't about product features—it's about your proven process for delivering transformation.
Building Your Story Portfolio
Through practical application, participants develop 4-5 core stories using this framework:
Your Personal Story: How you discovered your passion for helping organizations transform
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Acknowledge career aspirations → explore professional challenges → tease fulfillment possibilities → reveal industry misconceptions → show your approach to customer success
Customer Success Story: A relatable client's journey from challenge to transformation
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Acknowledge their original vision → explore implementation obstacles → tease potential outcomes → reveal unexpected barriers → show collaborative solution approach
Differentiation Story: Why traditional approaches fall short and what makes your methodology unique
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Acknowledge market desires for efficiency → explore common implementation failures → tease transformational possibilities → reveal systemic issues others miss → show your distinctive recipe
Prospect's Future Story: Helping them envision their path to success
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Acknowledge their stated objectives → explore current impediments → tease their potential achievements → reveal organizational blind spots → show collaborative success methodology
Closing Story: Reinforcing confidence in moving forward together
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Acknowledge decision complexity → explore risk concerns → tease partnership outcomes → reveal decision-making pitfalls → show proven implementation recipe
Business Impact and Differentiation
This approach enables sales teams to:
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Articulate complex solutions in memorable, emotionally resonant ways
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Drive confidence in high-stakes customer meetings through authentic relationship building
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Create differentiation through genuine understanding of customer desires and challenges
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Build trust by revealing insights that others miss (the hidden enemy)
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Provide clear pathways to success that feel collaborative rather than vendor-driven
The Ultimate Transformation
The focus shifts from winning minds to winning hearts and minds—creating emotional connections that lead to lasting business relationships. By following the story arc framework, sales executives move beyond product pitches to become trusted advisors who understand desires, illuminate problems, paint compelling futures, reveal hidden obstacles, and provide proven pathways to success.
The ultimate goal: Empowering sales executives to communicate with clarity, creativity, and confidence while building genuine trust through stories that demonstrate real transformation rather than product capabilities.
In sales forecasting, relying on gut feel often leads to inconsistent results and missed opportunities. The PREDICT framework addresses this by promoting a disciplined, data-driven approach that emphasizes gathering critical information to inform strategy and execution. Top-performing sales professionals understand that information is power—those who ask twice as many questions are better equipped to uncover insights, build stronger cases, and ultimately win deals. By systematically inspecting each PREDICT category, we shift from intuition to evidence-based forecasting, improving accuracy, identifying risks early, and driving proactive sales behaviors.
Forecast Call Requirements: In addition to standard comment/note updates and next steps, should include a Plan for each PREDICT area marked Red or Orange. These plans should focus on targeted questioning and information gathering to deepen understanding, strengthen our position, and mitigate risks—remember, the goal is to ask the right questions to reveal hidden opportunities or obstacles.
Required Plans by PREDICT Category if we don’t have a thorough understanding and/or strong position (include Red, Orange, or Green indicator):
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Pain/Gain/Why Do Anything: What is our plan to understand specific challenges the prospect is facing across lines of business and whether there is executive sponsorship supporting the investment? Outline key questions to ask stakeholders to quantify pain points and gains.
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ROI/Value: How strong is the business case for change? If it’s weak, represent as Orange or Red and describe a plan to improve our position, including questions to validate ROI metrics and build a compelling value proposition.
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Economic Buyer: Are we engaged directly with the EB? If not, do we have a plan with our Exec Sponsor to gain access or approval to funding the project? Specify questions to map influence and secure buy-in.
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Signer: Is it known or unknown? Have we met the person? Detail a plan to identify and engage them, emphasizing introductory questions to establish rapport.
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Connections: Specify your strategy to engage missing Executive Sponsors, key leaders, or influencers, including a list of targeted questions to expand our network within the account.
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Mutual/Close Plan: Do we have a commitment from our Exec Sponsor to a joint workstream, and have we been able to influence the JEP to win the Decision Criteria phase? Describe the plan to improve our position if needed, focusing on collaborative questions to align timelines and expectations.
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Trend: Positive, Negative, Neutral. Describe the plan to improve our trend, incorporating questions to track momentum and address any negative shifts.
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Key Processes: Outline your approach to understand their buying process, including specific questions to map stages, decision gates, and potential roadblocks.
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Competition: Who are we competing with, and what is our plan to win on functional, technical, ownership, and customer validation? Include competitive intelligence questions to differentiate our offering.
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Compelling Event: Explain the rationale behind your SFDC close date—what specific business driver, timeline, and executive supports this forecast date? Detail questions to confirm urgency and validate the event.
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Overall Risk: Color code the overall risk and your plan to improve it, summarizing high-level questions across categories to reduce uncertainty.