National Quota Model Transformation
Turned a toxic, run-rate quota system into a fair national standard. Zero field complaints during rollout; Verizon's benchmark model for six-plus years.
Executive Operator · 12 Promotions · 4× President's Cabinet
Paul Takisaki
I redesigned systems that moved revenue, teams, and customer outcomes.
20+
Years at a Fortune 50
4×
President's Cabinet wins
$1B+
Revenue managed
1,000+
Team members led
20 years at Verizon across B2B sales, technical sales enablement, sales operations, customer success, and executive strategy. 12 promotions. Four President's Cabinet wins. Reported to the CRO of Verizon Business in my final AVP role.
Across four Senior Sales Director roles I led 1,000+ people across 20 states. My orgs generated over $1B in revenue. I supported thousands of B2B customers and built operating systems that scaled across territories and nationally.
The pattern was consistent: find the friction, redesign the system, align the people, ship it. The numbers below are what that pattern produced.
Signature wins.
Six systems that outlived the role that built them.
Quota model adopted nationally
Built a new quota model for a 225-person sales team based on territory potential instead of historical run rate. Quota complaints dropped to zero the next quarter. Finished #1 of 17 territories nationally. Verizon adopted the model nationally and it's still in place a decade later.
$53M in churn protection
Stood up Verizon's first dedicated customer success function for new B2B customer onboarding. Cut new-customer churn in half and protected $53M in annual revenue.
$220M annual revenue initiative
Designed and led a sales initiative that generated $220M in incremental annual revenue.
Playing to Win, 12 successful rollouts
Became the internal lead for Roger Martin's Playing to Win strategy framework at Verizon. Rolled it out across 12 different teams over my career. All 12 hit their goals. Helped kick off the trainings for new senior directors.
Master Red Team selection
Only field leader selected for Verizon's Master Red Team Program, 12 operators trained by Bryce Hoffman, pressure-testing CEO-level strategic initiatives and presenting findings directly to executives.
AVP, Solutions Architecture for National Technical Sales
Led 450+ across solutions architects, pre-sales engineering, cybersecurity, UC product specialists, SaaS enablement, and customer success. Reported directly to the CRO of Verizon Business.
Career journey.
12 promotions. 20 years. One company. The same pattern in every role: find the friction, redesign the system, ship the fix.
Associate Vice President
Verizon · National Technical Sales
+28%
Quota attainment
+22%
Subscriber growth
$220M
Incremental revenue
-50%
Churn reduction
View details
- Led nationwide organization including architects, engineers, and customer success professionals
- Designed real-time commission dashboards, increasing quota attainment by 28%
- Developed customer acquisition strategy: 22% subscriber growth over 2.5 years, $220M incremental revenue, 19 consecutive months YoY growth, added 10K+ qualified prospects to Salesforce
- Created first Customer Success Team, cutting churn by 50% and saving $53M
Sr. Director, Business Sales
Verizon · Southwest Region (AZ, NM, NV, El Paso)
+37%
Revenue YoY
+96%
Net adds
+20%
Quota attainment
Top 1%
President's Cabinet
View details
- Led sales across AZ, NM, NV, El Paso with 150+ reps and support staff
- Grew revenue +37% YoY, Net Adds up 96%
- Increased quota attainment by 20% through cultural reset
- Won President's Cabinet (top 1% nationally)
Sr. Director, Indirect Distribution
Verizon · Pacific Northwest
600+
Distribution points
COVID
Crisis leadership
100%
Partners retained
View details
- Managed 600+ indirect points of distribution during COVID-19
- Preserved partner relationships and market share in unprecedented downturn
- Key lesson: Sometimes leadership is about protecting the floor, not chasing the ceiling
Sr. Director, Business Sales
Verizon · Pacific Northwest · Jun 2017 to Mar 2019
19 consecutive months YoY growth
20% to 80% employee satisfaction
President's Cabinet 2019 · Winners Circle 2018
Sr. Director, Business Sales
Verizon · Minneapolis-St. Paul · Jan 2014 to Jun 2017
#1 of 21 territories
+60% new acquisitions
+22% subscriber base
President's Cabinet 2017 & 2018
Regional Director, Data Sales
Verizon · Kansas City · 2011 to 2014
+260% IoT sales Y1
+550% IoT sales Y2
2 Presidential Awards · Winners Circle 2012
Director, Technical Solutions Sales
Verizon · 2008 to 2011
+500% results in 3 years
+34% daily interactions
Principal Manager, Solutions Architect
Verizon · 2010 to 2011
Technical product strategies and go-to-market for emerging tech.
Client Executive
Verizon · 2008 to 2010
Fortune 100 accounts and enterprise client management.
Early career
Verizon · Where it all started · 2005 to 2008
Solutions Architect (2007 to 2008) · Data solution support for Retail and Indirect
Data Sales Consultant (2006 to 2007) · Supporting solutions sales
Indirect Account Manager (2005 to 2006) · First role at Verizon
How I lead.
01
The Handlebar Test
Let go. Let others fly.
02
Failure Fridays
Celebrate smart risks. Normalize learning.
03
The Vital Few
Focus on the 20% that drives 80% of results.
Core strengths
System design
Identifying structural problems and creating scalable solutions.
Team building
Building underperforming teams into top 1% nationally.
Growth strategy
19 consecutive months of YoY growth across multiple regions.
Expertise
Strategic planning, team turnarounds, AI strategy, sales strategy, P&L management, culture building, process optimization.
You've had an indelible mark on the business markets with all that you've done... always with a smile. I'm going to personally miss working with you.
Chief Revenue Officer, Fortune 50
Selected case studies.
Six of those redesigns, written up in full: the problem, the build, and the numbers it moved.
Building Verizon's First Customer Success Team
Designed and launched Verizon's first dedicated B2B customer success function, cutting early churn by 50% and protecting $14M in year-one revenue.
TSO Reporting Revolution
Real-time commission dashboards and a continuous payout model that lifted quota attainment 28% across the technical sales org.
AI-Powered Sales Intelligence
Rebuilt Verizon's sales knowledge stack, cut the document library 68%, and recovered 2,500+ weekly hours of lost selling time.
PDOM: Competitive Intelligence with a Twist
A structured competitive-intelligence program (with branded cupcakes) that hit a 62% meeting-acceptance rate and 19 months of consecutive growth.
The Tech Check Initiative
Replaced cold calls with a free 8-dimension technology assessment, shattering the 1% meeting rate that plagues B2B prospecting.
Let's connect.
Open to conversations about AI, leadership, or what's next. Always happy to connect with interesting people.