The TSC Story
2,000 Tech Sellers
In the summer of 2023, TheSalesCycle was born with a mission to help 2,000 tech sellers impacted by widespread layoffs. We identified that the interview is just another sales cycle — an opportunity to guide someone to a decision. You are the product, your skills are the features, but more importantly, your stories — are your true capabilities. When you tell a compelling value story, your compensation grows along with your perceived value. Drawing from a 20-year background at companies like IBM, Box, and Salesforce, Dan reached out to a colleague, Matt Rathke. They recognized a crucial gap in how sales professionals were approaching the post-pandemic job market.
TheSalesCycle began as a podcast with a simple mantra: treat the interview process like a sales cycle — Identify, Discovery, Value, Negotiate, and Close. The key was how you told your story at each phase in the funnel. The podcast resonated quickly, With over 3,000 downloads in the first two months. Professionals had a story framework to approach interviews like seasoned sellers, applying enterprise sales strategies to job searches.
We soon realized we had tapped into something bigger.
Dan, leveraging his network, reconnected with Kawi Vongfak, a talented designer he had met in the early 2000s during his Metra Rock Island commutes from the suburbs to Chicago. Together, they scaled a concept beyond individual job searches. TheSalesCycle became a strategic partner for startups, teaching Founders, CROs, and CFOs how to tell their story across all aspects of their business — from pitch decks to custom business cases and investor presentations. With expertise in sales, leadership, and storytelling, TheSalesCycle focuses on a core belief: it’s not what you say, but how you tell the story. Whether you're pitching to investors, selling value, or hiring top talent, the story you tell makes all the difference.
TheSalesCycle was created with a mission rooted in helping others, now focused on supporting startups in shaping value stories that unlock growth.
Your Storytellers
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Dan Mayer
Founder & Chief Storyteller
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Kawi Vongfak
Head of Design
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Raj Panday
Strategic Advisor
