John Akers is a Regional Sales Director at Grafana Labs. He possess expertise in enterprise software, cloud computing, solution selling, saas, professional services and 14 more skills. Colleagues describe him as "John is one of my all-time favorite sales leaders. He has helped me become proficient in emerging sales trends, the biggest being The Jolt Effect. John also has a fantastic model for getting the team to execute more efficiently via the power of simplicity. He uses a "customer first" approach to proposal design that de-clutters classic SaaS concerns, including 1) Technical outcomes that can be realistically implemented over the next 12-24 months. 2) The amount of time it will take to reach value realization that exceeds the initial investment. 3) The professional services required to ensure value is realized with minimal risk. Most sales leaders manage the number but fail to investigate why sales campaigns falter. Most sales leaders only share lessons learned that align with existing sales plays and selling tactics. John is the type of leader that solicits contrarian views and then works to find the best path forward. If you want an entire team to confidently sell big deals with integrity and empathy, ensure the leader operates like John." and "Over the last 28 years, I’ve worked with a number of sales managers and John is, by far, one of the most remarkable leaders! He exudes positive energy in everything he does. He has created a unique team culture of comradery and collaboration. We’re like a family! He consistently builds up and encourages people. I look forward to his weekly team calls and email shout outs. He challenges the status quo and is always innovating and exploring new approaches, techniques and ideas. Each of his directs and I have grown, both personally and professionally, as a result of his influence. He is infectiously warm and a genuine pleasure to work with."