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In a world obsessed with unicorns, Chris Cabrera wants you to pause—and think.
Cabrera, the founder of Xactly and now CEO of Provarity, built a $2 Billion business, took it public, then private, and came out the other side with a surprising message: “Growth at all costs is a lie. It’s a dangerous myth that’s derailing companies and careers.”
In his spellbinding fireside chat at the April Sales Transformation Summit, Cabrera didn’t just dismantle the fantasy—he offered a roadmap for building durable, profitable, and sane businesses.
Too many CEOs and sales leaders have been seduced by what Cabrera calls the Unicorn Fallacy—the idea that hitting a billion-dollar valuation is the only mark of success.
“For years,” Cabrera said, “we were all chasing growth, and no one cared about profitability. The VC community enabled it. But now? There are hundreds of zombie companies that scaled without a foundation.”
Sound familiar?
He points to the collapse that comes when the market shifts, funding dries up, or unexpected events (hello, COVID) hit. “It’s like the tide going out and exposing who didn’t build their company the right way.”
Cabrera urges founders and sales leaders to build with realism—and revenue quality.
Check out this clip: https://youtu.be/uXa1omOkqBU
“Most sales leaders focus on hitting the number. But the real question is: What’s the quality of the revenue?” he asked.
That means:
It’s not sexy. But it’s what creates margin, confidence, and longevity.
💡 “Growth is great,” Cabrera said, “but it must be balanced. The rule of 40 means nothing if it’s 40% growth and zero profitability.”
One of Cabrera’s most passionate segments? Sales compensation.
He argues that most comp plans encourage bad behavior. “Telling reps you’ll pay them less for discounting? That’s not enough. You need real disincentives—and incentives that reward value, not just volume.”
He gave the analogy of a real estate agent pushing a quick discount to close faster. “Imagine if reps were paid more for holding firm on value. That changes the game.”
Instead of 20 different payout triggers, he recommends simplifying to 2–3 core drivers—and aligning them with long-term growth.
Chris also shared how his new company, Provarity, is solving one of the most frustrating problems in enterprise sales: the POC black hole.
“Proof-of-concepts can last 3–6 months and often end in silence. That’s wasted time, energy, and opportunity.”
Provarity gives sales engineers (SEs) a purpose-built platform to track, optimize, and even predict POC success. It uses aggregated, anonymized data to benchmark what’s working—and what’s not.
“The real advantage isn’t just the tech. It’s the data. That’s the moat. That’s what makes your sales machine smarter over time,” Cabrera said.
Check this video clip: https://youtu.be/apqCG9iTpZI
Perhaps the most powerful insight came near the end.
“What got you to $10M won’t get you to $50M,” Cabrera said. “I had to reinvent myself again and again. Most founders don’t. That’s why they don’t scale.”
His message to CEOs and sales leaders alike: Get mentors. Get humble. And keep growing.
“The day you stop evolving is the day your company starts dying.”
Whether you’re running a sales team or building a business, Chris Cabrera’s advice is a timely reset in a world high on hype and low on fundamentals.
✅ To watch the full session and hear more from Chris on how to build smarter, scale better, and win without losing your soul, join our Masterclass Program today.
✅ Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophercabrera/
Gerhard Gschwandtner is the founder and CEO of Selling Power.
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