Merchants of Change

Excited to welcome Bill Burke to the show this week to wrap up this season of Merchants of Change!Bill played football at Michigan State under legendary coach Nick Saban before making his transition to the professional world.Currently, he is an Associate Partner at the Podium Group and has written a book on how athletes can rediscover their purpose post sports titled "Victory Outside the Arena"----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billburke16/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

A great conversation with Jennifer Beale on this week's Merchants of Change!JR & Jennifer chat about her transition from Division 1 hockey into a new career, the tactical skills for success as a new professional, and how she has climbed the ladder to her current role as a MidMarket Account Executive with HubSpot!8:47 Transitioning from Elite Athletics to a New Career17:34 Translatable Skills from Sports to the Professional World23:06 Tactical Skills for Long-Term Success33:40 Being Dialed In as a Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-beale-93677441/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Excited to welcome Jackson Brewer, RVP of Growth Sales at Toast to Merchants of Change this week!!JR & Jackson chat about winning a college hockey national championship, becoming a sales coach at Harvard Business School, and his growth in a new career after transitioning out of sports!8:21 Transitioning into A New Career from Sports20:49 Sales Coaching at Harvard Business School31:11 Keys to Success in Your New Career44:10 Being Dialed in as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-brewer-71122413a/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Joining us this week on Merchants of Change is Chrissy Gikas, former collegiate softball player and current Sales Development Manager at Starburst!Tune in Thursday for the full conversation on how athletes can leverage their unique skills into success in their new uniform!4:40 Transition to Sales16:49 Skills That Translate from Sports to Sales14:46 Advice to Senior Athletes Preparing to Transition27:18 Why I Love Sales----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-gikas-83856ab3/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Joining the show this week is former professional baseball player Branden Kline!After hanging up the cleats, he successfully transitioned to sales, leveraging his unique skills and experiences as an athlete. Today he is currently a Commercial Account Executive with SmartRecruiters and knocking it out of the park!10:23 Transition from Pro Baseball to Sales20:24 Skills that Translate from Sports to Sales23:55 Advice to Seniors/Transitioning Pro Athletes35:02 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional!----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/branden-kline-b2071a1a6/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Former NFL and College football coach John Bonamego joins Merchants of Change this week to talk about his coaching career & transition to sales!Johns's coaching career is impressive including stops with the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Miami Dolphins in the NFL and Michigan, West Point, and Head Coach at his alma mater, Central Michigan in college.3:05 Coaching Career & Lessons Learned Along the Way16:30 Common Traits of Elite Teams21:30 What Translates from Coaching to Sales32:25 Why John Loves Sales & Being Dialed In----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-bonamego-6122188/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Joining us this week on Merchants of Change is Samantha Schlicht, current Senior Commercial AE at Zscaler and former Minnesota cheerleader!JR & Samantha talk about the transition to sales, advice for women entering the career, what it means to be hashtag #dialedin, and much more!8:55 Transition & 1st Sales Experience 16:45 Challenges of the Transition 27:10 Advice for Selecting Your 1st Company33:35 Why I Love My Career in Sales----------------------Connect with us on social @shift_hq on all platforms! Today's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthaschlicht/Shift Group bridges the gap between military veterans, former athletes, and the business world through coaching and career upskilling. Our mission is to help these individuals unlock their unique skills and experiences and match them with top-tier companies in need of resilient, coachable, and team-oriented professionals. The Shift Connect platform, accelerates learning and streamlines the hiring process by connecting employers with pre-vetted candidates who are ready to excel. Customers reduce hiring time, lower costs, increase growth rates and improve retention. Shift Group is committed to helping businesses build high-performing teams and supporting veterans and athletes in their career development.Discover how Shift Group can transform your hiring process and unlock the potential of exceptional talent. Visit us at shiftgroup.io to learn more.

Joining this week's episode of Merchants of Change we've got Chris Davis, former Division 1 and professional hockey player!After his playing career, he transitioned to sales in the manufacturing space where he has climbed the ladder to his current position as Director of Sales at Roto Pumps.11:00 Transition from Professional Hockey to Sales17:30 Skills & Mindsets that Translate21:18 Pump & Manufacturing Sales Deep Dive32:10 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-davis-mba-81565126/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance. 

Excited to welcome Kyle York to Merchants of Change this week!A great conversation with the CEO of our partners at York IE offering advice on leveraging the skills you learn as a seller into leadership and management roles, the importance of selling as an entrepreneur, and much more!----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyork20/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Merchants of Change is back this week with former Major League Baseball player Shane Peterson!!JR Butler & Shane talk about his transition out of baseball, finding a new passion in, and the skills from sports that have allowed him to find success in his new career as a sales professional!9:30 Skills that Translate from Pro Baseball to Sales18:49 Advice to Seniors/Retiring Athletes23:16 Why I Love Sales & Being Dialed In----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaneapeterson/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Awesome guest to wrap up another great series of conversations on Merchants of Change with Connor Gallo!!A former Union College football player turned sales professional, he has carved out an impressive career and provides a must-listen conversation for our listeners!7:37 Transition from Football to Sales15:25 Skills that Translate from Sports to Sales28:22 The Negative Stigma of Sales31:54 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional

This week on Merchants of Change, Katie Tynan, former Bentley Falcon and current Senior AE at Onshape, a PTC Technology joins the show!JR & Katie cover the value of being in-office to start your career, applying the mindset of an athlete for success, and much more!4:03 Transition from Sports to Sales8:58 Advice to Seniors Preparing to Transition19:23 Boxes to Check in Your 1st Company26:00 Preparing for Success in the 1st 30 Days----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-tynan-6159b0136/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

An awesome guest, Eddie Caron joins Merchants of Change this week to talk about his transition from sports to sales!Eddie played Division 1 hockey at the Univeristy of New Hampshire before starting his career in sales with Masco. Today he is the Ecosystem Sourcing Sales Director at Accenture.Some great advice for our audience and some even better stories!8:02 Transition from Hockey to Sales22:29 Advice to Senior Athletes Preparing to Transition33:04 Overcoming Adversity37:14 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-caron-905275100/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Joining Merchants of Change this week is Marine Veteran, David Guarino!!Currently, he is the VP of Sales for Tribar Technologies Inc. and has had a long and successful sales career after transitioning from service.Awesome conversation for our veteran audience on the opportunities of a career in sales and how to prepare for the transition!12:41 Transition from Service to Sales18:35 Challenges of the Transition28:13 Advice to Veterans Preparing to Transition36:00 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwguarino/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Former college baseball player Tyler Huntey joins the show this week to talk about his transition from sports to sales and eventually becoming a CEO!Some great nuggets in this conversation on leveraging the mindset that made you elite at your sport into becoming a successful sales professional!5:35 Transition from Baseball to Sales9:53 First Sales Job and Experience 16:55 Advice to Senior Athletes24:20 The Importance of Selling as a CEO/Entrepreneurship----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-huntey-16b90895/About Face Development: https://www.linkedin.com/company/about-face-development/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Big thanks to Pat D'Amico, for joining us on Merchants of Change this week!This is an awesome conversation digging into the science of selling and the keys to success from BDRs to the C-suite!After serving in the U.S. Army, Pat transitioned to sales and eventually sales development. After 20+ years leading and training sellers, he started his own company About-Face Development, LLC!8:10 Sales Development, Enablement & Training15:35 Training Elite Sellers23:50 The Science of Selling38:20 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patjdamico/About Face Development: https://www.linkedin.com/company/about-face-development/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Excited to welcome former NFL player Canaan Severin to the show this week!!After his college career at UVA, Canaan played with the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers before making his transition to sales as an Account Manager with Coinbase!8:32 Transition from the NFL to Sales13:09 Why Athletes Are Successful in Sales29:00 Skills to Develop as a New Seller33:14 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/canaan-severin-2a448417b/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

On this week's episode of Merchants of Change, we welcome Tad Gold, a former professional baseball player, two sport collegiate athlete, and current District Sales Manager at Toast!JR & Tad talk about his transition out of baseball, the skills that translate from sports to sales, and how he has quickly climbed the ladder and earned multiple promotions at Toast!10:43 Making His Transition to Sales17:37 Keys to Getting Promoted26:25 Advice For Your 1st Company32:41 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tad-gold-5b153751/Diverse Athlete Placement: https://wearedap.com/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

This week we welcome Danya Abrams, former Boston College basketball player, to Merchants of Change for an awesome conversation!After his college career, Danya played professionally before starting his own financial services firm and founded Diverse Athlete Placement, a platform helping minority student-athletes transition out of sports!7:57 Transition from Basketball to Sales & Entrepreneurship12:37 Skill That Translate from Sports to Sales20:21 Shift Group x Diverse Athlete Placement Partnership30:51 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danyaabrams/Diverse Athlete Placement: https://wearedap.com/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Super excited to welcome Keenan to the show this week to kick off another great season of Merchants of Change!!As a Best-Selling Author, Founder, and CEO, Keenan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in sales, making this a must-listen conversation!He pulls no punches, tells it like it is, and is convicted in his opinions not because they get impressions, but because he actually believes them.----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/Gap Selling: https://www.amazon.com/Gap-Selling-Problem-Centric-Everything-Relationships/dp/1732891001To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.6:55 Transition to Sales16:05 Writing His Book's Not Taught & Gap Selling29:17 What is Gap Selling38:55 Advice to Athletes/Veterans

Ending Season 7 of Merchants of Change with a bang! Super excited to have Ryan Feely, former Florida State football player, and current Senior AE at Seamless.AI join the show for an awesome conversation!Ryan has had an incredibly successful run in his sales career, being promoted 5 times in 5 years, from BDR to Director of Sales. This conversation highlights the skills, traits, and characteristics he took from his football career that allowed him to succeed in sales!9:12 Sales Degree's in College19:22 Climbing the Ranks & Getting Promoted29:49 Advice to Athletes Preparing to Transition41:07 Accountability & Extreme Ownership47:24 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional ----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-feely-%F0%9F%94%8E-91801a134/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

This week on Merchants of Change...we welcome Nathan Frieberg, former Vermont Catamount and current Outbound Sales Manager at 280 Group to the show!After his soccer career Nate started his own company and then transitioned to sales, where he's built an impressive resume as a sales professional leveraging the skills that allowed him to be a Division 1 athlete!10:56 Advice to Seniors Preparing For Life After Sports17:52 Critical Sales Skills to Develop23:17 Characteristics of a Good Hire27:14 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-frieberg/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Excited to welcome Katie Grimm to Merchants of Change this week!A former Virginia Tech lacrosse player and current VP of Sales at S2N Health, Katie offers some great advice for our audience on transitioning your experiences as an athlete into a successful career in sales!4:50 Transition to Sales & Leadership15:13 Importance of Coachability24:45 What to Look for in Your 1st Company/Manager36:08 What is MedTech42:33 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-spicer-8189b43/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Merchants of Change welcomes Ryan Spicer to the show this week to talk about the value your athletic background can bring to any organization!As a former professional soccer player and coach, Ryan took his experiences and translated them into a long and successful career in media sales!Sales is hard, but if you apply the same grit, determination, and resiliency that made you successful in sports or military service, you will succeed!15:50 Transition from Professional Sports to Sales24:30 What is Media Sales?42: 35 What to Look for in Your First Company47:44 Being Dialed In as a Sales Professional-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-spicer-8189b43/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Joining us this week is Kevin Reed Jr., former pro football player turned sales professional with Excedr!This conversation dives deep into skills, traits, and processes that translate from athletics into a successful career in sales!Kevin also talks about the NIL resource he has built for student-athletes called All Gas Athletics (link in the notes)10:49 First Cold Call Story12:52 Skills, Traits, and Processes that Translate from Sports21:15 First Company Advice25:21 Keys to Having a Quick Start as a BDR------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinreedjr/All Gas Athletics: https://allgasathletic.com/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Joining us on Merchants of Change this week is Matt Barr, former Bentley basketball player and current VP of Sales & Client Success at Breezeway!15:45 Starting at a Small or Large Company17:27 Advice to Transitioning Athletes27:45 Pillars to Sales Success as a BDR35:07 What it Means to be Dialed In as a Sales Professional-------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjbarr/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Awesome conversation this week with Jenn Haskell, Director of Sales Enablement & Training at Nasuni and former 3 sport collegiate athlete!Jenn is our first guest who works in sales enablement and provides some great insight into the career and how she is training her reps to be successful!9:37 The Value of Sales Enablement20:20 The Art of Sales28:20 Sales Enablement Playbook40:10 Why I Love Sales & Being Dialed In------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennhaskellmba/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

We are excited to welcome Steve Travaglini to Merchants of Change this week to discuss what makes an elite sales professional!Steve is a former football player at Assumption University who transitioned to sales, quickly climbing the ranks, and is currently the Chief Sales Officer at LinkSquares! 7:57 1st Sales Job17:48 Advice to Young Athletes30:34 Sales Playbook41:21 Elite Sales Skill & Being Dialed in------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetravaglini/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Former Boston University hockey captain, Patrick MacGregor joins us on Merchants of Change this week for an awesome conversation!JR at Pat talk about the challenges of the BDR role, what to look for in your first company, and how to translate your skills as an athlete into becoming an elite sales professional!9:50 Transition to Sales19:10 1st Company and Advice to Transitioning Athletes24:25 Telling Your Story34:53 Elite Sales Skill & Being Dialed In------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-macgregor-32945386/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Merchants of Change is back with a brand new season, loaded with elite guests and awesome conversations!In episode 1, we welcome Charles Ruiz, a former college & professional baseball player who transitioned to sales and eventually started his own coaching company, CLR Connection.JR & Charlie talk about his transition to sales, advice for young sellers, his playbook for sales success, and what it means to be dialed in!9:37 Transition to Sales19:40 Telling Your Story25:50 Playbook for Sales Success29:30 Elite Sales Skill & Being Dialed In------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-ruiz/CLR Connection: https://www.clrconnection.com/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

On the last episode of Season 6 of Merchants of Change, we welcome Esther Iyamu, Founder & CEO of GrowthQ to the show!Esther is a former NFL and NBA cheerleader who successfully transitioned into a successful sales career before founding her own company, GrowthQ!A conversation filled with advice on starting your sales career, the importance of selling in entrepreneurship, getting dialed in, and much more!1:53 Cheer/Dance Career17:40 Transition to Sales29:40 Entrepreneurship38:50 Core Sales Beliefs44:05 Elite Sales Skill and Being Dialed In------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-ayorinde/GrowthQ: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthq/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Excited to welcome another elite guest to Merchants of Change this week, Vince Nistico, former college football player and current Strategic Enterprise Account Executive at ServiceTitan!Another awesome conversation, loaded with advice for anyone looking to start a career in sales! JR & Vince talk about picking the right company, establishing your operating rhythm, and being dialed in!9:10 Preparing for the Transition25:25 Picking the Right 1st Company31:55 Establishing Your Operating Rhythm41:40 Being Dialed in------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincenistico/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

This week on Merchants of Change we welcome Dan Fantasia, President & CEO of Treeline, Inc. to the show!With over 20 years of experience in helping companies build elite sales teams, this is an episode packed full of great advice for athletes & veterans preparing to break into a career in sales!Getting prepared for your interviews takes a lot more than just showing up. There are countless steps you can take to ensure you show up to that interview prepared and land that sales role!9:00 Core Sales Beliefs17:15 Preparing For Your Interviews25:50 Telling Your Story30:30 Choosing Your 1st Company------------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfantasia/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

This week on Merchants of Change, we welcome Cianna Levi, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and current Enterprise SDR at Outreach to the show!Cianna has taken the skills & characteristics that allowed her to be elite in dance and used them to transition to a successful start in sales.JR & Cianna talk about her transition, advice for telling your story in an interview, picking your first company, and getting comfortable with starting a new career from the bottom of the ladder.7:40 Dallas Cowboys Operational Excellence16:50 Cianna's Transition24:40 Telling Your Story34:15 Picking Your 1st Company38:30 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Pro-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levici/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

This week we welcome Josh Richards, former West Point hockey player & Army Ranger to Merchants of Change to talk about his military service, transition out of the army, and much more!As a platoon leader in the Army, Josh understands what it takes to be a successful leader. The traits that served him in the military have translated directly to sales success as a Senior Sales Manager with Cherry.8:24 Military Career12:55 Advice for Veterans & Companies 23:00 Telling Your Story28:40 Skills That Translate from the Military to Sales31:05 Elite Sales Skill & Being Dialed In-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamrichards/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.

Merchants of Change is back this week with Darnell Shiver, one of our first veteran placements! Darnell currently works as an SDR on the Intent team with Limble. After serving in the army he has made a successful transition to sales and is crushing it so far in his new career!Darnell & JR talk about his military service, his transition into sales, the challenges he faced and that all vets face in their transition, and how his sales career has been going so far.9:20 Challenges of the Transition from Service 11:25 What Companies Can Do to Support Veterans21:25 Advice for Veterans Making the Transition28:00 Skill That Translate from Service to Sales32:35 What it Means to be Dialed In-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darnell-shiver-115361276/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

One of the most common questions we get from our candidates is "What should I look for in my first company?" For this reason we ask every one of our guests what advice they would give someone looking for their first sales job. These are some of our favorite answers over the past few season of Merchants of Change!0:32 Marcus Taylor4:37 Kelly Dostal8:38 Ken Grohe16:13 Michael Paladino19:35 Carrie Bosworth22:12 Ernest Owusu25:25 David Fales29:00 Ryan Baker-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTo our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

A must-listen episode of Merchants of Change this week, with Jon Sibley, former USC and Team USA water polo player, and founder of TrueBuilt!JR & Jon talk about foundational sales skills that every young sellers needs to develop, building an elite team, and the importance of selling in the CEO role!5:30 Transition to Sales11:20 Advice for New Sellers18:45 Becoming a Founder23:00 Building Elite Teams28:35 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonsibley1/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Former Green Beret, Matt Parrish, joins the show this week to talk about the transition out of service, what companies can do to help vets succeed, and some awesome stories from his military career!After his service, Matt transitioned to sales where he currently works as the VP of Strategy & Markets for Trifecta and serves as the Executive Director of the Task Force Dagger Special Operations Foundation that supports US special operators and their families.Learn more about Matt and the Task Force Dagger Foundation at the links below!5:20 The Importance of Being a Great Teammate15:50 Why the Transition is so Hard for Veterans21:50 Advice for Companies to Help Veterans32:05 Advice For Veterans Transitioning44:32 How to Tell Your Story-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-parrish/Task Force Dagger: https://www.taskforcedagger.org/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

Merchants of Change is back with former Penn State & Bentley Football coach, Bill Kavanaugh!Bill successfully made the transition from coaching to a career in sales and recently started a new role as a Senior Account Executive at Blue Mantis!Former coaches are some of our favorite guests and this conversation is no different. They bring a unique skill set to sales that most people don't have and an approach to the job that sets them up for success! 8:40 Advice for Coaches Making the Transition20:30 Establishing Your Operating Rhythm 25:05 Hard Sales Lessons31:30 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Pro-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-kavanaugh-914a67a/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

What makes a true sales professional? Reliabilty! Thanks to Alexa, Sales Director at Datasite, for joining JR for an awesome conversation on athletes in sales!With a focus on the similar mindsets of an athlete and salesperson, understanding if sales is right for you, and the importance of reliability, there is insight for anyone thinking about entering a career in sales.6:40 The transition from sports to sales13:00 Advice to young athletes entering sales careers29:10 Elite Sales Skill31:05 Being a Sales Professional-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioToday's Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexaegilbert/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance.

If you want to be an entrepreneur and start your own business, you have to be able to sell!Thanks to former baseball player & professional poker player Casey Cavell for joining the show for an awesome conversation on the importance of sales if you want to be an entrepreneur. Casey has helped countless entrepreneurs to help them take their small businesses to the next level, with a primary focus on the ability to sell your vision and product.2:45 Transition from Poker to Entrepreneurship12:35 Sales Advice for Entrepreneurs 18:30 Traits of a Successful Entrepreneur 26:00 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioTodays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseycavell/https://www.caseycavell.com/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance. 

Extremely special episode this week with Eric Kapitulik, Founder and CEO of the Program, former US Marine and Naval Academy lacrosse player!The conversation focuses on being a good teammate and leader in both sports and the office which is the primary ideology of The Program. This is another can't miss episode that will get you fired up and motivated to take your career to the next level!14:15 How companies can assist in the transition21:55 The Program28:30 Being an Elite Seller38:25 Advice for Leaders-----------------------Connect with us on social @shiftathlete on all platforms! Learn more about Shift Group at shiftgroup.ioThe Program: https://theprogram.org/ Todays Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-kapitulik-6996a048/To our Athletes & Veterans: We will find you a career that you love, over prepare you for success, and connect you with great companies where you will grow, learn, and earn consistently.To our Hiring Partners: We will help you find the best candidates in the world that will outwork, outlearn, and outperform your highest expectations. We will work closely with you to match our candidates to your leadership style, your culture, and your expectations for performance. 

On this week's Merchants of Change, we welcome our first guest in the media sales space, Trent Staley!Trent is a former USC swimmer and is currently the President and COO of Cast Iron Media.JR and Trent talk about the world of media sales, how to get into the career and the career path, advice for young athletes, and much more!9:40 Transition, Career Path & Importance of Networking24:39 What is Media Sales36:44 Ideal Traits in a Potential Hire47:52 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro

Flipping the script on this week's Merchants of Change with our CEO JR Butler on the other end of the questions we usually ask our guests and a state of the union on everything Shift Group!Thanks to Tom Sullivan for hosting an awesome conversation about the trajectory of Shift Group, plans for the future, candidate success stories, what we've learned in our first 18 months, and more!

On this week's episode, we feature some of our favorite responses to what it means to be a true sales professional.We believe the best compliment you can give to a salesperson is that they are a pro, which is why we ask every guest the question. Through the first 4 seasons of the show we've gotten some awesome answers and wanted to share some of the best!0:00 Intro / 0:33 John Kaplan / 2:36 Melissa Puleo / 3:50 Ernest Owusu / 5:24 Kat Mackey / 7:55 Porchia Jenkins / 9:27 Donell Boucher / 12:38 Scott Campbell / 15:09 Mari Malatos / 16:32 Marcus Taylor / 17:55 Kelly Dostal / 20:14 Jeff Bull / 21:20 Jim Fahey / 22:40 Haley Skarupa24:05 Zoltan Mesko / 25:08 Jim McInerny

This week on Merchants of Change, Tyler Warden joins JR for an awesome conversation on the world of insurance sales!A former college football & basketball player who is now the Director of Sales for Kin Insurance!Tyler & JR talk about his transition to sales, what the insurance sales world looks like, building effective teams, the hallmarks of a successful insurance sales agent, and much more!9:40 Transition to Sales17:40 The World of Insurance Sales22:00 What Makes a Successful Agent25:55 Building Elite Sales Teams37:55 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro

Extremely excited to welcome former Navy Seal, Jeff Bull to the show this week for a great conversation on transitioning from military service to a new career in sales!Jeff and JR talk about the challenges of the transition, skills to develop for success, and advice for companies looking to hire veterans.Be sure to check out the non-profit Jeff and his wife founded to support veterans and their families when they transition out of the military at the link below.https://www.epizelus.org/12:20 The transition out of the military and its challenges26:25 Advice for veterans making the transition38:10 Translatable skills & telling your story46:10 Jeff's non-profit50:50 Elite sales skill & being a sales professional 

Huge shoutout to former Fordham Ram football player, Marcus Taylor, for joining the show this week for a great conversation!JR & Marcus talk about his football career, the transition to sales, his elite sales skill, and what it means to be a true sales professional!After 10+ years of sales as a Senior Director of Sales and VP of Sales with Indeed and Karat, Marcus recently founded his own career & life coaching business, to empower underrepresented minorities to reach their full potential. Link below for more information on his coaching program!https://www.marcustaylorcoaching.com/9:00 His Transition to Sales16:00 Advice for Your 1st Sales Role/Company20:20 Marcus Taylor Coaching32:40 Elite Sales Skill & Being a True Sales Professional

We kick off Season 5 of the Merchants of Change podcast with Joelle Graham, an elite sales leader with medical device giant Stryker!Some incredible insight in this conversation on the world of med device sales, advice for getting into the field, keys to success, and much more!20:36 Advice for Young Athletes/Sellers30:45 Build Your Perfect Med Device BDR38:10 Importance of Mentorship40:50 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro

We wrap up Season 4 of Merchants of Change with Senior VP of Sales at Checkr and former Jacksonville volleyball player, Carrie Bosworth!!JR and Carrie talk about some of the great companies she's worked at, advice for young sellers, skills to develop, and what she looks for when building out her sales teams!7:30 Transitioning to Sales17:15 Advice for Young Sellers & Skills to Develop29:50 Building Elite Sales Teams37:17 Elite Sales Skill & Being a Sales Pro