Eric Quanstrom

#CMO @ciencecom - #Startup guy. Also Husband, Father, Surfer, Wine Geek, Rabid #SFGiants, @Warriors, #49ers #SDSU Fan.

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
-Milton Berle

[Josh Chambers @JoshChambers]

Steve Kerr says Roger Federer taught his Warriors team the secret to sustained success wasn’t outworking everyone, it was building a life around your craft you never want to escape from

“I’ll tell you a great story about Roger Federer. We were playing in China with the Warriors in 2017. Roger was in Shanghai for the Masters tournament, so we invited him to come speak to the team.”

“Draymond Green asked him, ‘How do you sustain success? How have you managed to win majors 20 years after you first won one?’ Everyone was expecting him to say, ‘I work harder than everybody,’ the will, all the clichés.”

“Roger Federer says, ‘I get up every morning and I make breakfast for my kids. Then I take them to school and drop them off. Then I go practice tennis for about two hours, and I’ve figured out a really good routine where I don’t destroy my body, but I can get all the work in I need.”

“‘Then I go have lunch with my wife. In the evening, we cook dinner together. The kids are all home from school. We ask them about school. There’s so much joy in the house. We put them to bed, and then I put my head on the pillow and go, “Man, that was just a great day.” And I’ve been doing that for 20 years.’”

“And it was like, yes. That’s it. That’s the formula. That’s what leads to sustained success. He loves tennis. He loves his family. He loves life. It’s not outworking everybody and banging your head against the wall, ‘I’m going to be better than everybody.’ It’s allowing your natural talent to shine through with a work ethic, with a great family life, with perspective, with peace, with mindfulness.”

“It’s perspective. It’s joy. It’s passion. It’s mindfulness. It’s an awareness that we are truly lucky. To get the most out of ourselves, it’s our daily rituals and experiences and love and joy.”

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@CarolWalshReal1 @deedydas Don't underrate Ocean Beach and Fort Point.

[SaaStr.ai @saastr]

SaaStAI: "Lusha or Apollo or ZoomInfo?"

When comparing @LushaData, @useapolloio, and @ZoomInfo , it really comes down to your specific use case, budget, and the stage of your business. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and they cater to slightly different needs. Let’s break it down:

1. ZoomInfo

Strengths: ZoomInfo is the gold standard for enterprise-level sales and marketing teams. It offers the most robust and accurate B2B contact and company data, with deep insights into org charts, technographics, and intent data. It’s incredibly powerful for account-based marketing (ABM) and targeting large enterprises. They’ve also added AI-driven tools like Sales AI Co-Pilot to enhance workflows.

Weaknesses: It’s expensive, and for smaller teams or startups, the cost can be prohibitive. Additionally, while the data is high-quality, it’s not perfect—no database is. You’ll still encounter outdated or incomplete information.

Best For: Larger companies with complex sales motions and bigger budgets. If you’re scaling aggressively and need enterprise-grade data, ZoomInfo is the way to go.

2. Apollo

Strengths: Apollo is a newer player but has gained traction fast, especially with SMBs and startups. It combines a sales engagement platform with a solid contact database, making it a great all-in-one tool for prospecting and outreach. Apollo’s PLG (product-led growth) motion means it’s accessible—there’s even a free tier—and it’s easy to get started. The platform also benefits from a network effect, as millions of users contribute to keeping the data fresh.

Weaknesses: While Apollo’s data is good, it’s not as comprehensive or accurate as ZoomInfo’s, especially for enterprise-level targeting. It’s better suited for SMBs and mid-market companies. Also, the platform can feel a bit clunky compared to more mature tools.

Best For: Startups and SMBs that need a cost-effective, all-in-one solution for prospecting and outreach. If you’re looking for a tool that scales with you and doesn’t break the bank, Apollo is a strong choice.

3. Lusha

Strengths: Lusha is simple, affordable, and focused on providing contact data for sales teams. It’s great for quickly finding direct contact information, like emails and phone numbers, and integrates well with tools like LinkedIn. It’s also priced competitively, making it accessible for smaller teams.

Weaknesses: Lusha’s database is more limited compared to ZoomInfo and Apollo. It doesn’t offer the same depth of company insights, intent data, or sales engagement features. It’s more of a lightweight tool for contact enrichment rather than a full-fledged sales platform.

Best For: Small teams or individual sales reps who need a quick, affordable way to find contact information. If you’re just starting out and don’t need advanced features, Lusha is a good option.

Final Thoughts:

Go with ZoomInfo if you’re an enterprise or scaling aggressively and need the most comprehensive data and insights.

Choose Apollo if you’re a startup or SMB looking for an affordable, all-in-one prospecting and engagement tool.

Pick Lusha if you’re on a tight budget and just need strong contact data without the bells and whistles.

If you’re still unsure, you could try a combination. For example, use Lusha or Apollo for prospecting and ZoomInfo for deeper insights on high-value accounts.

Just remember, no database is perfect—data quality will always be a challenge, so you may need to supplement with manual research or additional tools.

Let me know if you want to dive deeper into any of these!

https://t.co/fu1MVMIufi

[Apollo.io @useapolloio]

‘Tis the season for giving back 🎁

We’re creating a directory of #ColdCallersForCharity that nonprofits can tap to help them fundraise.

AND we’re donating $20,000 to participating charities.

Learn more and sign up here: https://t.co/4UUbiVylnp

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@JeffWeniger Value of brands, in one simple chart!

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@trentjhughes Goalposts always move!

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

Brutal #49ers loss. Not sure ST Coach Brian Schneider has a job Monday morning:
* 4th down fake punt -- no prep
* 4th Qtr line drive punt when all that's needed is to hang it high and force a FC
* Moody miss

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@LawyerLiam Such sage advice @LawyerLiam !

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

Join me for CXO Games - Causal Analytics: Proving Out Marketing’s Impact On Sales
When: July 26th at 9am PT / Noon ET
https://t.co/wL1YUYANr9
Debaters:
Stevie Case – CRO, Vanta
Ashley Welch – Co-Founder, Somersault
Angeley Mullins – CCO, Resourcify
Eric Quanstrom – 5X CMO

[Jon Brosio @jonbrosio]

When I hear, "The market's too saturated!"

All I can think is, "The market is validated and ready to monetize. All you have to do is find the pitfalls, use new tech, tell a compelling story, and offer a better solution."

All the clues are literally in front of you.

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

Let me add to this to clarify...when I was young, one great piece of advice I got was be the non-complainer. When asked by someone to do something, I would do it.

When asked to build a deck, I did it. And obsessed about every word, transition, image and animation until I felt it was pixel perfect. This took time.

When asked to build a model, not only did I try to understand the purpose, I made the model flexible, structurally sound and elegant. This took time.

When asked to work on a project, I took it on head first, developed some sense of it and then wrote a few pages explaining what I had learned and why it may be valuable as the project went forward, or didn't. This took time.

Meanwhile, I didn't have time to gossip, I didn't have time to make friends at work, I didn't have time to complain.

I made myself indispensable to my superiors by being a reliable worker. They then took me into the rooms they were in because I was essential to them doing well. Eventually, as they transitioned further upwards, I took command of the rooms they used to run.

This is how the process is supposed to work.

So if you want to get into the rooms where it happens, don't complain and don't get distracted. Be a reliable worker to those you work for and with. The rest takes care of itself.

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@agazdecki Top of the anti-portfolio ('Greatest Misses') for each of these VC's...

[Andrew Gazdecki @agazdecki]

Airbnb is valued at $90+ billion today.

Here’s emails from investors passing when they were trying to raise $150,000 for 10% of the company.

These should motivate any entrepreneur.

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@conorgrennan This is bananas. About 5 industries completely disrupted here...

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

Check out my latest article: Prospecting Magic: Familiarity https://t.co/vAzLvVLfDZ via @LinkedIn

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

@Rustnailew Haha probably.

[Eric Quanstrom @EQuanstrom]

Tweet #cookie

[CIENCE @ciencecom]

BREAKING NEWS -- CIENCE Appoints Michael Gear as new CEO to lead next chapter of growth for leading sales & marketing software and services company. #revenue #leadgen https://t.co/PUW0rSSv7S

[CIENCE @ciencecom]

This is CIENCE’s fourth year in a row to receive the Inc. 5000 award as it continues its growth journey.

Here is where the company has successfully placed over the last four years (three-year growth rate percentages):
https://t.co/vBNJrs3eeD

[CIENCE @ciencecom]

High-quality data is the fuel that makes the sales funnel engines spin.

84% of B2B companies saw a rising demand for data-based insights in their organizations during the COVID-19 breakout.

https://t.co/ue3AzjSNLW