Calero CRO Eric Martorano Knows Stories Can Be Our Most Powerful Tool

Eric Martorano, a former GM at Microsoft who now serves as the president and chief revenue officer at the tech firm Calero, knows that numbers and data points can be hard to grasp. But stories—they might just be the most powerful tool we have in business. 

The high-energy leader, who was named to CRN’s list of top 100 Executives and 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, understands that making a connection to a point is just as crucial as the point itself. 

“Data tells you what’s happening,” Eric says on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “Stories tell you why it matters.”

For Eric, who was responsible for more than $17 billion in revenue while at Microsoft for close to a decade, leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room. Instead, it’s often about “getting out of your own way” and listening to those around you. 

Ultimately, clarity is what Eric is after. 

At Calero, a global leader in Technology Business Management, Eric knows that he could put a batch of important facts and figures on a screen, but none of that would matter if he could not express his message clearly. 

“People don’t commit to spreadsheets,” he says. “They commit to stories.”

People also commit to those who understand that, which is why Eric has been so successful. 

He talks about all this and more, including:

• Victory favors the prepared. Eric’s father taught him that preparation is not optional. So, he always aims to be ready to meet a challenge. But if failure happens, Eric doesn’t sweep it under the rug. “When things don’t go your way—don’t explain it away,” he says. Learn from it.”

• Success comes step-by-step. After a natural disaster upended Eric’s life, he didn’t give up hope. Instead, he took to the yellow pages and started making calls to rebuild. “One disciplined step at a time,” he says, adding, “Reinvention is possible and effort compounds.”

• Failure is fleeting. For Eric, it’s important to view a misstep as temporary, not something career-defining. And he shares that perspective with his employees. “People recover faster and perform better when they know one miss doesn’t define them,” he says.