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Cresting Wave: A Journey of Evolution & Adaptation


July 25th, 2024 - People often ask about the origin story of Cresting Wave. It started 22 years ago with my first client. I realized early on that offering multiple solutions to technology executives was far more valuable than always trying to steer the conversation toward the single solution I was selling. For about 18 years, I did this by walking around Manhattan, bringing technology leaders new solutions I had found to help them.


During this time, innovation surged from Silicon Valley to Tel Aviv, fueled by a huge increase in venture capital funding.  As the market evolved, there were more single-point solutions that became harder and harder to differentiate, much less sell.   


My "aha" moment came when I realized buyers couldn’t keep up with this constant innovation – their time remained fixed while their roles transformed from hands-on builders to managers of a growing portfolio of resources, tools, processes, and vendors. To help technology leaders like Bill Murphy at Blackstone, we needed a solution to find viable options for their specific situation.  


In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, we rebooted the business. Bill partnered with me to take Cresting Wave to the masses, bringing his expertise from Blackstone and Capital IQ. We felt the entire enterprise sales formula was being upended, requiring sales teams to adapt and focus on delivering value in every interaction.  


The way I sold 25 years ago – bringing all the solutions I saw to my network of relationships – worked then, but doesn’t work now. Attention spans have shortened, pressure is high, every inbox is overflowing, and time is more limited than ever. We must evolve as a sales industry to combat this challenge.   


The key to success today is coming prepared, and that’s what the Cresting Wave model is all about. We take the time to deeply understand our buyers’ environments and needs and match them with a range of innovative solutions that we’ve vetted on their behalf. We identify use cases and equip sales leaders with context on every buyer to ensure each meeting is streamlined. 


I've learned that it’s not just about the best technology; it’s about the right innovation for the specific buyer. It’s about looking beyond technology – evaluating the people, investors, strategy, and vision behind companies. It’s about adapting as a sales force to align our incentives with our buyers’ needs and making good use of every minute they can give us. 


At Cresting Wave, we’re committed to leading the transformation of the go-to-market profession to continue to drive innovation forward despite modern complexities.  


Every technology leader can benefit from our briefings – please reach out to engage with us further or introduce us to the technology leaders in your organization. 


Additionally, if you are a young company looking to get to market, we would be happy to evaluate your solution to see if it can add value to our community. 


Contact

Rachel Persky

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