Growth is a team sport

As the founder, chair, and CEO of the Exceptional Women Alliance, I am fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinary female business leaders. Our purpose is to empower each other through peer mentorship that provides personal and professional fulfillment within this unique sisterhood.

This month, I’m pleased to introduce Sammie Dabbs. Sammie is passionate about building and scaling high-performing commercial organizations. As chief commercial officer, she oversees revenue strategy, sales, and marketing alignment—driving growth through a combination of operational rigor and customer-centric innovation. With a proven track record of leading teams, entering new markets, and unlocking sustainable revenue, Sammie brings a front-line perspective on how companies can thrive in an increasingly competitive and complex business landscape.

Q: As a chief commercial officer, how do you define your core mandate?

Dabbs: My mandate is to be the architect of growth. That means aligning sales, marketing, customer success, and revenue operations into one unified strategy. I don’t see these as separate functions—they’re different parts of the same engine. My job is to ensure that engine runs smoothly, efficiently, and with clear direction. Ultimately, a CCO has to deliver consistent revenue performance, but the path there requires strategy, executional discipline, and a relentless focus on the customer.

Q: Why is sales and marketing alignment such a challenge for many organizations?

Dabbs: Sales and marketing often grow up in silos—different metrics, different budgets, different perspectives. Marketing says, “We delivered leads.” Sales says, “Those leads aren’t qualified.” It’s a cycle of finger-pointing that hurts the business. Alignment requires shared ownership of pipeline, shared KPIs, and constant communication. In my role, I set a single commercial target, so everyone is working toward the same number. When sales and marketing win together, the customer feels it.

Q: What have you found to be the biggest barrier to growth?

Dabbs: Complexity. Companies layer on too many tools, too many initiatives, too many priorities—and in the process, they lose focus. The real barrier isn’t the market; it’s internal misalignment. I’ve seen teams hit their stride when we strip away the noise, focus on ideal customers, and empower reps with clear messaging and support. Simplicity and executional discipline will beat complexity every time.

Q: What’s your approach to leading a commercial team?

Dabbs: I believe in clarity and accountability. Teams need to know the strategy, their role in it, and how success will be measured. Then it’s about coaching for execution and celebrating wins along the way. I’m very data-driven, but data is only useful if it drives action. I set targets, track outcomes, and make adjustments in real time. At the same time, I want teams to feel empowered to bring forward ideas from the field—we learn the most from our customers.

Q: How do you think about the role of marketing in driving revenue?

Dabbs: Marketing is no longer just a brand function—it’s a revenue driver. A strong marketing team generates demand, accelerates pipeline, and positions sales to succeed. But that only happens when marketing is tied directly to commercial strategy and accountable for pipeline contribution alongside sales. When marketing owns revenue, they create campaigns that resonate with buyers, not just campaigns that look good on paper.

Q: Technology is changing the commercial function rapidly. What’s your philosophy on tools like AI and automation?

Dabbs: Technology is essential, but it’s not the strategy—it’s the amplifier. AI and automation can make sales and marketing faster and smarter, but they don’t replace human judgment or relationships. My philosophy is: Get the fundamentals right first. If you don’t have clear positioning, a disciplined process, and strong teams, no tool will save you. But if you do, then technology allows you to scale, personalize, and optimize in powerful ways.

Q: Can you share an example of a commercial pivot that made a major impact?

Dabbs: One example is when we restructured our go-to-market model to focus on fewer, higher-value customer segments. Instead of spreading resources thin across too many markets, we doubled down on accounts where we could deliver outsized value. That shift required marketing to retool messaging and sales to change their targeting, but the results were dramatic—higher win rates, shorter sales cycles, and better customer retention. Sometimes growth is about addition, but more often it’s about focus.

Q: If you had to give one piece of advice to other executives leading commercial teams, what would it be?

Dabbs: Treat growth as a company-wide responsibility, not just a sales number. Every function—product, finance, operations—contributes to the customer experience. As CCOs, we have to be the integrators, making sure the entire business is aligned around delivering value to customers. When you break down silos and build a culture of accountability, growth becomes sustainable.

Larraine Segil is founder, chair, and CEO of The Exceptional Women Alliance.

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