ACQ2: The Art of Selling Enterprise Software (with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott)

We sit down with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott for a masterclass in the art of enterprise sales — a topic where Bill ranks as one of the all-time greats by any measure. Bill started his career as a bag-carrying salesman at Xerox in New York City (alongside Howard Schultz!) back in 1983, and rose to become the company’s youngest corporate officer at age 36 before going on to become CEO of global software giant SAP. Since joining ServiceNow in 2020 Bill has grown the company from $3.5 billion in revenue over $10 billion today, and a nearly $200B market cap — which makes it one of the largest enterprise software companies in the world. Whether your job directly involves selling or not (and if you’re a founder, make no mistake — selling is the MOST important part of your job) there’s something here to be learned for everyone. Break out your notebooks and enjoy! Links: ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com The SPIN selling method: https://www.highspot.com/blog/spin-se... Bill’s fantastic interview with Ben Thompson on Stratechery: https://stratechery.com/2025/an-inter... More Acquired: Get email updates https://www.acquired.fm/email and vote on future episodes! Join the Slack http://acquired.fm/slack Check out the latest swag in the ACQ Merch Store https://www.acquired.fm/store! Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.