Podcasts about salesperson

When your property management business isn't growing, relying on cold digital leads or hiring a salesperson might seem like the obvious solution, but what if those are actually the biggest time and money sinks?  In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, property management growth expert Jason Hull breaks down why cold leads from digital marketers are "garbage," why most Business Development Manager (BDM) hires fail, and how he's seen a repeating pattern of busy owners having no time to execute growth strategies. He dives into the Door Machine, a game-changing new growth model designed to help property managers scale with warm, relationship-based leads and a Door Grow-trained salesperson, all with no upfront salary risk and a focus on guaranteed results.   You'll Learn (00:00) Introduction to DoorGrow and Its Mission  (06:50) The Door Machine: A New Solution for Growth  (12:25) Understanding the Cost and Value of the Door Machine   Quotables "When's the last time you actually worked on growing your business instead of just running it?"  "The real path to growth isn't more cold leads. It's warm leads from relationships." "Without the foundation, a salesperson is wasted. With it, a salesperson becomes a weapon." Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:01) All right, five, four, three, two, one. All right, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading coaching and consulting firm for residential property management entrepreneurs. We've helped hundreds of property management business owners add doors, increase profit, add and build winning teams. Think of us as like bar rescue for property managers. We've cleaned up and rebranded over 300 businesses.   At DoorGrowth, we believe good property managers can change the world and that property management is the ultimate high trust gateway to real estate deals, relationships, and residual income. We're on a mission to help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Let's get into the show. So, hey, property management entrepreneurs, I've got a question for you. When's the last time you made a cold call to an investor?   When is the last time you followed up with that realtor who said they'd send you referrals? When's the last time you actually worked on growing your business instead of just running it? If you're being honest with yourself, it's probably been a while. And look, I'm not judging you. I've been doing this for a while. I've been coaching property management managers for over 15 years. I've seen this pattern thousands of times.   and you started this business to manage properties, not to be a salesperson, but somewhere along the way, you became your company's only source of new business. The problem is you don't have time for it, you don't enjoy it, and if you're really being honest, you avoid it. So today I'm gonna share with you something we've been working on that solves this problem entirely. It's called the door machine. And by the end of this episode, you're gonna want to know everything about it. Okay.   So welcome to the DoorGrow show. I'm Jason Hull. And if you're a property management entrepreneur who wants to grow your business and your life, you're in the right place. Our mission at DoorGrow is to help property management business owners transform their businesses so they can have freedom and fulfillment. Today's episode is different. I'm not bringing on a guest. Instead, I'm going to pull back the curtain on something we've been developing that I believe is going to completely change the game for how property managers grow their doors. Let me paint a picture for you.   Okay, it's Monday morning. You've got a list of investors. They are people you should be calling. And there's that realtor you've been meaning to reach out to. And you told yourself, like last week, that this would be the week you finally get serious about sales. Then a tenant calls, something comes up, you have a maintenance emergency.   An owner is upset about a repair invoice. Your bookkeeper needs something. Someone on your team has a crisis. And suddenly it's 6 p.m. and you haven't made a single sales call. Again, sound familiar? Here's the thing. You're not lazy. You're not bad at sales. You're just spread too thin to give sales the attention that it deserves. You've got other fires to put out.   Maybe you're running other businesses. A lot of you are, you're entrepreneurs. Maybe a family that actually deserves your attention is waiting for you in the living room. The last thing you wanna do at the end of a long day is cold call investors or go schmooze at some networking events. So what happens? Growth stalls. You hit a plateau and you stay stuck. Not because you don't know how to grow, but because you don't have the time or energy to do what it takes.   And I've talked to hundreds, maybe thousands of property managers who are in exactly this situation. They know they should be doing more sales. They just never get to it. Okay, now at this point, some of you are thinking, Jason, I don't need to do sales myself. I just need more leads. So you call up a digital marketing agency. They promise you SEO, Google ads, Facebook leads. They show you fancy dashboards and talk about cost per lead.   You write a check every month and wait for the phone to ring and here's what those marketers don't tell you. Not all leads are equal. Digital marketing leads are cold leads. These are strangers who clicked an ad. They're price shopping. They're talking to five other companies. They convert it maybe 10 % if you're lucky. Here's the bigger problem. There just aren't that many people searching the internet for property management. You can prove this on Google Trends.   It's not like HVAC repair where people Google in a panic. Property owners aren't searching. 60 % of them are self-managing and don't even know they need you yet. So you end up paying 200, 300, sometimes $500 per lead for tire kickers who ghost you after one call or ghost you after you send your proposal to them. Meanwhile, the marketing agency keeps cashing your checks and showing you impressions and click through rates.   that don't translate the doors. The math doesn't work. The leads are garbage and you're still stuck. The real path to growth isn't more cold leads. It's warm leads from relationships. This is even going to be more pressing and more present in the future with AI. Human interaction is going to matter even more. There's AI Slop.   So what are warm leads? What are these relationships? They're referrals, they're strategic partners, direct outreach to investors who don't know they need you yet, but that takes time and effort you don't have. So at some point, most property managers realize they need help. They try to hire a salesperson, a BDM, business development manager, to take sales off their plate. You post a job listing, you sift through hundreds of bad applicants, finally hire someone,   who seems promising, pay four to $6,000 per month in salary, train them, wait, hope, six weeks later the salesperson quits or they get fired because they just don't produce. Meanwhile, you've burned 10 to $15,000 with nothing to show for it. Ask me how I know. I've watched this play out over and over again with clients. Here's what nobody tells you. The problem isn't just hiring. The problem is that most property management companies don't have the foundations   that make a salesperson successful. Without the right positioning, reviews, website, pricing, pitch, systems, accountability, and lead flow, even a talented salesperson will fail. And even if you do have all these things, who's gonna train them, manage them, hold them accountable? You? Mr. Busy Person or Mrs. Busy Person or Miss Busy Person? You barely have time to do sales yourself.   let alone manage somebody else doing it. Okay, so I'm gonna take a quick break and then we're gonna get into the solution, but this, I'm gonna tell you about our sponsor for this episode. If you're dealing with maintenance stuff, you may wanna check them out. This episode is sponsored by Vendero. Many of you tell me that maintenance is probably the least enjoyable part of being a property manager and definitely the most time consuming. But what if you could cut that workload by up to 85 %? That's exactly what Vendero has achieved.   They've leveraged cutting edge AI technology to handle nearly all your maintenance tasks from initiating work orders and troubleshooting to coordinating with vendors and reporting. This AI doesn't just automate, it becomes your ideal employee, learning your preferences and executing tasks flawlessly, never needing a day off and never quitting. This frees up you to focus on the critical tasks that really move the needle for your business, whether that's refining operations, expanding your portfolio or even just taking a well-deserved break.   Don't let maintenance drag you down. Step up your property management game with Vendero. Visit vendero.ai slash doorgrow today and make this the last maintenance hire you'll ever need. Okay, back to what we're talking about. Come with me for a moment. I want you to imagine something. It's Monday morning. You check your pipeline. There are three new owner leads that came in over the weekend, all qualified.   all in your target market, all ready to talk. You didn't generate those leads. You didn't make those calls. You didn't do any of the follow-up. Someone else did. You didn't pay to run ads to get them. By Friday, one of them has signed 12 new doors. You didn't lift a finger. Now imagine that happening every month, 10 doors, 20 doors, month after month. And here's the best part. You didn't pay a salary.   You didn't gamble on a maybe salesperson. You only paid when doors actually closed. No salary, no upfront risk, just results. No more guilt about the sales calls you're not making. No more networking events you dread. No more lying awake wondering how you're gonna grow this thing. Just doors showing up in your business while you focus on operations, owner retention, and actually living your life.   What I just described, that's the door machine, the door grow door machine, and it's real. Here's how it works in plain English. So we assign you a trained door grow salesperson who works your market. You pay nothing upfront, no salary, no retainers. You only pay when doors actually close. The salesperson executes our proven growth engines, getting realtors to introduce them to investor clients, reaching out to self-managing landlords, building relationships with other property managers   who send overflow your way. We recruit them, we vet them, we train them, we manage them. We hold them accountable. We're better at this. All you have to do is take on the doors they bring you. These aren't cold internet leads that close at 10%. These are warm leads from relationships that close at 90%. Our goal after a 90-day pipeline build is 10 to 20 new doors per month. Some of our clients have added over   300 doors in a year just using one realtor referral strategy and if the salesperson doesn't work out we replace them no hassle No drama, no extra cost. That's our problem to solve not yours They work for us Now some of you are thinking this sounds too good to be true. Let me explain why it's not we've spent 15 plus years coaching property managers on growth We are the best in the industry   We've helped hundreds of clients at Doors using our growth engines, sales strategies, and proven systems. We've also watched the same pattern repeat over and over. We teach the strategy, but the busy owner doesn't have time to execute. We train their salesperson, but the owner doesn't hold them accountable. The system works, but the weakest link in the chain is usually the overwhelmed business owner who can't give it the attention it needs. The Doormachine removes that weak link entirely. Now we recruit the salesperson.   We train them on our systems. We hold them accountable. We manage the process. We give them the support they dream of having. You just take on the doors. Same strategies that have worked for years, but now with DoorGrow controlling the execution. Now I need to be upfront with you. The door machine is not for everyone. We're selective about who we work with, and that's by design. This is for you if you want to add more doors, but don't want to do the selling yourself.   if you've been burned by hiring salespeople before, or if you're smart enough to want to avoid that mistake if your margins are too thin to gamble on another salary. If you have the operational capacity to handle 10 to 20 plus new doors every month, then it might be a fit. If you want predictable growth without the drama, it might be a fit. But here's the thing, a salesperson can only succeed if your business is ready for them. That's why Door Machine is only available to active members   of the DoorGrow Mastermind who have completed our rapid revamp. That means your brand, your website, your reviews, your pricing, your systems are dialed in first. We've watched too many property managers throw money at salespeople without fixing the foundation first, it never works. We refuse to set any of our salespeople up for failure like that. Without the foundation, a salesperson is wasted. With it, a salesperson becomes a weapon.   Let me break down what this actually costs versus what you're probably spending now trying to grow. So with door machine, you pay 50 % of the first month's rent when a door closes. That goes to the salesperson. They only get paid when they produce. Then there's a 20 % rev share, revenue share on the monthly management fee for the doors they add. That goes to door grow. And if it doesn't work, you pay $0. These are doors you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Compare that to hiring   your own salesperson, $4,000 to $6,000 a month in salary, whether they produce or not, plus failed hires that cost 10 to 15,000 each, plus your time recruiting, training, managing, holding them accountable, plus opportunity costs of all the doors you're not adding. While you're stuck being the bottleneck, let me give you a quick example. Say the salesperson has 15 doors in their first month, average rent of $1,500, you get 50 % of the first month's rent is commission. Well, they do, the BDM does. That's about   $11,000. Now you're collecting $2,250 per month in the new management revenue. Our 20 % share is for $50. You keep $1,800 per month in the new recurring revenue, plus your leasing fees on those 15 doors, plus the long-term value as those owners stay with you for years. That's the difference between gambling on growth and guaranteeing it.   Many property managers are already spending 20 to 30 % of their top line revenue, not just the management fee. There's lots of ancillary fees you can make money on, but they're spending 20 to 30 % just to acquire new business. Or they're discounting the rates. They're dropping from 10 % to 8 % by two points. They're giving up 20 % just to get business on because the leads are cold and garbage. All right, I've given you the overview. I painted the picture. Now here's what I want you to do. I put together   a complete document that breaks down everything about the door machine, what's included, how it works, the timeline, the investment, the terms, FAQs, frequently asked questions, right? Everything, I want you to read it. Go to doorgrow.com slash door machine to download the full offer doc. I'll say that again, doorgrow.com slash door machine, one word. Or you can text the word door machine to   512-640-2092. That's 512-640-2092 and I'll send you the offer doc. That's my personal iPhone. I respond personally. This document is going to answer every question you have and if you read it and you're interested, we'll have a conversation to see if you're a fit. Important note.   Salesperson slots are limited by our training capacity. That's our biggest constraint. We maintain a wait list and place clients on a first come first serve basis, but only after they meet our requirements. We're looking for the best match, not just anyone who applies. I want to build multi-million dollar property management businesses with them. We're partnering in this way. That's the idea. I want to build multi-million dollar property management companies where it's a win-win-win for all three parties involved.   the BDM salesperson that works for us and DoorGrow. Look, here's the bottom line. You didn't start this business to be a part-time salesperson. You started to manage properties, to build freedom, to have freedom, to build something. But somewhere along the way, you became the bottleneck in your own company. The door machine is designed to fix that, to take the thing you hate, the thing you avoid, the thing that keeps you stuck and hand it off to someone who's trained to do it and held accountable to produce.   Our goal is to build multi-million dollar property management companies. I'm looking for long-term partners who want to grow with us, that I can continually invest in your business, that I can give you more and more of my attention and time to help improve your growth. If that sounds like you, go download the full offer doc at doorgo.com slash door machine. Stop being the bottleneck, start being the business owner. You've got better things to do than cold call investors. Let us handle it.   Okay, that's it. If you're feeling stuck and you're ready to take your property management business to the next level, reach out to us at doorgrow.com. We can help. For free training on getting unlimited leads, if you want to do this yourself, go to, just text the word leads to 512-648-4608 and join our free community for property management business owners at doorgrowclub.com.   If this episode helped you subscribe and leave a review, we'd really appreciate it. Until next time, remember, the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.

Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, discusses with Ashton Thomas the concept of marrying private equity with property management operations. Ashton Thomas is a third-generation real estate broker in Central Florida, she got her real estate license right after graduating high school and, in February 2019, opened her own brokerage. She decided to start her own brokerage and grew to about 25 agents, but she realized she preferred property management and did not like dealing with realtors and their recurring issues, and shifted her focus after property management "fell into her lap" when employees from a failing company approached her You'll Learn (00:45) Introduction and Ashton Thomas's Background  (03:46) The Audacity to Start a Brokerage at 23  (07:16) The Marriage of Private Equity and Property Management  (07:42) Benjamin Hardy's "Science of Scaling"  (12:31) Understanding Private Equity and the Roll Up Strategy  (17:58) The Advantage of Property Managers in Roll Ups  (19:10) Advice for Getting into Private Equity  (22:29) Raising Capital and How to Connect with Ashton Thomas Quotables "I've been thinking too small. That's why it's been so hard." "That's like entrepreneurs worst nightmare is to be feeling stuck and feeling like I'm not moving and I'm not getting traction and I'm not accomplishing anything." "The slowest, absolute slowest path to growth is to do it alone." Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:00) All right, five, four, three, two, one. Hello everybody, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we've brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry.   eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now, let's get into the show. All right, so my guest today is Ashton Thomas. Welcome, Ashton. Ashton (00:43) Thank you for having me. Jason Hull (00:45) So Ashton is a client of ours, but she also is a badass. And so Ashen, I would love for people to get to know you a little bit, share a little bit of your background. How did you get into real estate and property management and all of this?   Ashton (01:02) Yeah, absolutely. So I'm actually a third generation real estate broker in central Florida. My granddad started in Orlando like way back in the 60s. ⁓ Both my dad and my granddad, a lot of my uncles, they're all builders. So just kind of grew up in that real estate world. I was on a job site from when I was very little. ⁓ And so I always just had a love for homes, real estate, just   the whole nine years. When I was wrapping up high school about to go to college, my parents suggested, I always had like an entrepreneurial spirit, and my parents suggested that I get my real estate license. And I was like, you know what, it can't hurt to have that. So I went ahead and took the class, got the licensing as soon as I graduated high school. So I was actually a licensed realtor already working before I started my freshman year of   college. ⁓ Real estate has been so fascinating because I've been able to see so many changes over the last 12 years since I got into the industry. I started with new home sales construction, actually working for my parents, ⁓ really learned about what it took to run a sales center. And then I switched to traditional real estate, like what you think of a realtor doing now. ⁓ From there, I ended up opening my own brokerage.   Jason Hull (02:03) Wow.   Ashton (02:28) ⁓ in February of 2019. And then property management really just fell into my lap. There was a company that was going out of business because the owner was embezzling funds. And their employees actually came to me and said, you know, we would like to work with you. We'd like to work for you. And we're bringing these clients. So   I had never written a lease, seen, really even put my eyes or hands on a lease, never. This was two years ago, roughly. ⁓ And like just didn't have any property management experience at all. Figured out that we needed to get some systems in place right out of the gate. And I really took the next year, year and a half.   Jason Hull (02:59) how long ago.   Okay.   Ashton (03:22) to develop those. And Jason, you've been so instrumental in helping us succeed in those systems. You helped us identify the holes in our business and really figure out what we needed to do. ⁓ So at the time that I had brought on the property management side, and when I say property management for us, we do both long-term property management and short-term vacation rental. So I two separate sister companies that operate.   Jason Hull (03:51) Yeah.   Ashton (03:51) So ⁓ at the time I had roughly about 25 realtors that worked for me under the brokerage. I had really developed that, grown that. We were one of the largest Zillow Premier agent teams in central Florida at that time.   Jason Hull (04:13) Wait, can I ask you question about that?   Not very many agents start their own brokerage. What? mean, how, do you mind me asking age here? How old were you you started your brokerage and what gave you the audacity to decide to do this big thing?   Ashton (04:19) Mm-hmm.   I was 23 when I started my brokerage and the funny part was is I actually wanted to buy a brokerage first and I had this is a wild story you'll love this so you know you look back and you say what was I thinking like I had some guts and one of those stories   Jason Hull (04:33) Okay, go ahead.   Okay.   Okay.   Yeah   Ashton (04:55) So I had initially gone to this guy's office, he had four branches, local real estate agent, or a local real estate brokerage. I'd ⁓ developed his brokerage over like 50 years, had over 200 agents working for him. And I walk in and I asked to speak with the broker. He was there, they put me in the conference room. He thought that I wanted to become an agent working for him. Yeah. And I said, no, sir, I want to buy your company.   Jason Hull (05:19) That's the default.   my god.   Ashton (05:25) And   like, this was a total cold call. Like I had never talked with him before, never met him before. I ended up negotiating a price for the company ended up getting securing SBA financing. Everything had lined up so perfectly. And then a couple of weeks before we were actually going to be making it official. He decided that he wanted to, to sell his brokerage to a family member and not go through with me. And so.   Jason Hull (05:53) Wow.   Ashton (05:55) Honestly, in hindsight, that was the best thing that could have happened. I had no business running that large of a brokerage at 23 years old with no experience. ⁓ Over 200. Yeah. And I had secured a price for 2.4 million for the company. So with an earn out and it was just, it was going to be an insane deal if I could have like actually done that. But ⁓ I was   Jason Hull (06:05) How large was it? How many Asians? Okay, yeah, I mean massive, yeah.   Ashton (06:24) You know, everything happens for a reason. coming off of like the adrenaline rush from that not happening, I was like, you know what? I'm just going to start my own. Why not? So that's how I started when I was 23.   Jason Hull (06:26) Yeah.   Yeah.   I mean,   starting your own brokerage at 23 doesn't sound as crazy if you were already trying to buy 200 agent brokerage. Like, I'll just, you know, step it back a little bit.   Ashton (06:49) Mm-hmm.   Yes,   let's like crawl before we run. Oh, so that was originally what I wanted to do was just build up a massive, brokerage with lots of agents. And I thought that in my head was the dream. No, for me, it was not. I had grown to about 25 agents, like roughly like steadily and kept that number for a while. I realized that I   Jason Hull (06:56) Yeah. ⁓   Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Ashton (07:21) to not like dealing with realtors and their issues over and over and over again, every day in and day out. It became like kind of toxic to me at least. And I went through and slashed a lot of agents jobs here ⁓ because it was either performance issues, attitude issues, whatever it was, they just were not the right fit for us. I ended up keeping a core five. ⁓   Jason Hull (07:32) Yeah.   Ashton (07:47) and they are phenomenal people with good ethics and good business sense who care about their clients and represent me and my company very, very well.   Jason Hull (07:58) What do feel like gave you the clarity to make that transition? Like, did you just wake up one morning or like, I don't like a lot of these people? Or how did you get clarity on what you really want?   Ashton (08:09) ⁓ One of the things was I told my office manager, I was so frustrated one morning, I told her, said, if one more person asks me another stupid question, I am gonna lose my mind. So I was fed up, I just couldn't deal with it anymore.   Jason Hull (08:23) Okay, we're just fed up.   Yeah, yeah. So I know when, when did that fit with you joining DoorGrow? Because I know you had worked on culture and we'd helped you figure out kind of what mattered to you and like, that align with, was that before you came on board? Was that after? When did you let go of all the... Okay. You don't move slow on anything, it sounds like.   Ashton (08:45) I don't want the same time. Yeah.   I try not to. I try not to. Honestly, I feel like that's where things go to die is if you move slow.   Jason Hull (08:57) Got it, yeah, right. Okay, cool, quick action taker. So obviously a very driven personality type. ⁓ And I know the topic that we were planning to talk about today is the marriage of private equity and property management, capital meets operations. So let's get into that. Again, you have big goals, big crazy goals.   Ashton (09:05) Thank you.   Yes.   Jason Hull (09:27) that sound pretty insane to most people. But you know, the people that are bold, that have the audacity to go after these big things, achieve big things. So what are you up to now?   Ashton (09:39) Yeah, so there's actually a great book by Dr. Benjamin Hardy. He has he's written like several and I know you're a big fan of Dr. Hardy's as well. He talks about like those impossible goals and how you really should and actually that one of his latest books, The Science of Scaling, is ⁓ really spurred me to action and not just having like a 10 year time frame, but like a three year time frame. And I can condense these goals.   what I want to do kind of vaguely into really specifics and get it done now. ⁓ So yeah, I would highly recommend anybody listening to also read his books.   Jason Hull (10:20) Yeah, agreed. Phenomenal book. I got to hear him speak down in Mexico and he hadn't released his book yet. And I was with a bunch of entrepreneurs that spent a lot of money to be there. And he all just walked out of the room with their mind blown. We were all just like, ⁓ I've been thinking too small. That's why it's been so hard. And it actually gets easier to grow and scale your business when you start thinking outside of your current mental limitations, which means it has to be something unrealistic or impossible.   Ashton (10:36) Mm-hmm.   Jason Hull (10:49) So that's been a game changer. I've done some episodes talking about this, but same thing for us. Like we've got some big things we're doing this year that are probably a bit ridiculous. And I don't know if we can pull it off, but if we do, DoorGrow will be the dominant player in the industry. And I already feel like we're a leader or leader, but this will be a game changer, some of the stuff that we have planned. And I've talked about it on previous episodes, just a little bit, what we're thinking of doing.   But I think it's going to be some of these things are going to be game changer. and we've got so many irons in the fire right now, like we move fast and it's bit crazy, but that's where the fun is too, right? In business. So I'd rather be lit on fire with too many ideas than be stuck. And I've been that way before where I'm like, what should I do next? know, I work on.   Ashton (11:35) That's like   entrepreneurs worst nightmare is to be feeling stuck and feeling like I'm not moving and I'm not getting traction and I'm not accomplishing anything. That is like absolute hell for us, isn't it?   Jason Hull (11:45) Yeah.   Yeah, I usually joke that entrepreneurs don't care about being happy or sad. They care about whether they're in momentum or whether they're stuck. And when we're stuck, damned, blocked, frustrated, that is hell. That's like, that's hell for us. We're miserable. And yeah, and it kills our motivation, everything. But when we're in momentum, that's the drug we crave. We want to feel like we're making progress and moving forward. And so   I'm that drug dealer. That's what I give out to clients. Like I'm like, let's go. That's hopium. So got to give them some hope. And then they're excited and believe they can do it. But yeah, if you believe you can do something big and you've got a big vision, a big dream, yeah, you start to find new pathways. You start to find new ideas. And so you're working on some crazy stuff. So let's talk about capital meets operations. How do we marry private equity with property management? And could other property managers do this?   Ashton (12:21) You do.   Jason Hull (12:47) excited to hear.   Ashton (12:47) Yeah,   absolutely. So I started in the private equity world really recently. It was like January of this year. And I feel like I've just been drinking out of a fire hose, like learning and being in, I've just made sure to put myself in the right rooms where I'm just like absorbing knowledge and information and wisdom from people and family offices that have been doing this so much longer than I.   Jason Hull (13:13) You've been really focused on learning the private equity space, which a lot of people, that's like some crazy thing they don't really maybe even understand. They're like, oh, don't know how it works. And you decided, hey, want get in on this.   Ashton (13:25) Yeah. ⁓ go   ahead. What was that?   Jason Hull (13:30) You said, I want to get in on this and learn about this and started figuring it out. All right, I'm going to plug our sponsor real quick, who you use, Vendoroo. How's it going with Vendoroo?   Ashton (13:33) Yes. ⁓   And here's amazing. We love them. They they honestly they take care of everything. They're really good about communication. I think they're they're phenomenal. They've been a game changer for us for our day to day ops.   Jason Hull (13:54) Okay, cool. I mean, it's So let me read this and then we'll get back into the show. So many of you tell me that maintenance is probably the least enjoyable part of being a property manager and definitely the most time consuming. But what if you could cut that workload by up to 85 percent? That's exactly what Vendero has achieved. They've leveraged cutting edge AI technology to handle nearly all of your maintenance tasks from initiating work orders and troubleshooting to coordinating with vendors and reporting.   This AI doesn't just automate, it becomes your ideal employee, learning your preferences and executing tasks flawlessly, never needing a day off and never quitting. This frees you up to focus on the critical tasks that really move the needle for your business, whether that's refining operations, expanding your portfolio, or even just taking a well-deserved break. Don't let maintenance drag you down. Step up your property management game with Vendero. Visit vendero.ai slash door grow.   today and make this the last maintenance hire you'll ever need. All right, cool. So let's talk about this private equity stuff. Help me understand what it is. I'm fairly ignorant, so.   Ashton (14:59) Hmm   So basically, I mean, it's a very big term, private equity, and it can span over so many different asset classes. And I think that's one of, I'm sidetracking a little just a minute, but like, I think that's one of my favorite parts about the private equity and PE industry is because you can meet somebody in your same asset class and they're doing something totally different. Like for instance, you know, what you're teaching Jason with the property management and like these operators and entrepreneurs who are   owner operators really, you're teaching us the same framework and we're doing the same exact thing, which there's nothing wrong with that. That's great. That works. It's systemized. In private equity, it's all wild cards. There's a lot of structure to it, but at the same time, everybody can be doing something different. And you're not in competition truly because you all have your own unique spin on it. So it's cool. But what it means is that ⁓ if, so our firm,   we bring in investor capital, ⁓ either through debt or equity. And then our investors trust us. We let them know like what we're investing in. usually have like a it depends on the type of investment. So I try not to get too technical here. It depends on the type of investment, but we let them know, hey, we're investing in XYZ companies, or we're investing in hard assets with like purchasing real estate that meet these certain criteria. So instead of   these investors taking their money and putting it into the stock market, they are putting it with private firms because the stock market is the public equities. then private equity is these private individually owned firms ⁓ that I mean, you have really large ones like BlackRock and Blackstone and ⁓ all of those. And then you have a lot of small ones like myself who are just getting off the ground. We don't have a lot of assets under management yet.   But as we develop that investor base, we're just going to keep that ball rolling and continuing.   Jason Hull (17:04) Yeah, so there's booty   firms, there's gigantic ones, there's lots of different categories of asset classes that they might be involved or invested in. And so somebody can pick a private equity company or something to partner with or get involved with that kind of is involved with the asset classes that they feel comfortable.   Ashton (17:23) Yeah,   absolutely. like, there's some, ⁓ like for us, we're real estate based and specifically Florida based real estate. There's, have friends who own hedge funds and that's all they do is hedge funds and specifically in like just in gold or in like just in commodities. We, there's people who are running funds based on really specific short-term rentals or within a five mile radius of national parks. So it gets down really, really, really specific.   ⁓ Up until like you large firms with very large funds and they have a diversified asset class over You know, they have hedge funds. They they're doing running venture They're doing ⁓ you know Secondaries they're actually in like the private equity sphere there. So it just really depends on on the firm itself and you want to make sure as if there's any investors listening you want to make sure that ⁓ your you fit with   how that firm is treating your money and running your money, and that it aligns with your goals, obviously, not just monetarily, but also with what they're investing in.   Jason Hull (18:32) Right, got it. Okay. And so how can property managers start to get involved in this and create this marriage? What are you doing?   Ashton (18:43) Yeah, so we're kind of doing it a little bit backwards. Most private equity firms, they start with raising capital and then they're going out and buying the asset and then they're outsourcing their vendors. So one of those vendors being property management and that's really where the gains and losses are happening is in the daily management style there. Then they realize and typically restructure   that they could be making more money. They could be increasing their bottom lines and everything else with that management. Everything hinges on the management when you're talking like hard assets in real estate, whether that's multifamily commercial, you know, residence, whatever it is. ⁓ So when they bring it in-house, they are restructuring. And there's also been a huge problem with   Jason Hull (19:36) Yeah.   Ashton (19:41) And I've been hearing this lately, huge problem with investor capital really not being watched out for by these firms because they're outsourcing all their vendors. What we did instead is I had already have the acquisition engine through our brokerage. We've already got all the systems set up in place for our property management firms, both short and long. Now we added the private equity firm. I have a series 65. So we're actually a state registered   Jason Hull (19:51) Right.   Ashton (20:10) like investment advisory firm for true asset management on the back end, which a lot of private equity firms do not have that. And then we added the capital. So we literally just did it backwards. And now we're focused on acquiring not only hard assets with cash flowing tenant occupied portfolios that meet certain metrics. We have to have a certain   Jason Hull (20:12) Okay.   Okay.   .   Ashton (20:37) IRR, we have to have a certain cap rate and a certain cash on cash return to even peak our interest. The other thing that we're buying is property management businesses. So we are working on acquisitions right now. We just completed one last week and we've got two more in the hopper. So we are going in and offering these off-market portfolios, know, minimum 20 up to, you   We have no limit on how many we'll buy, like minimum 20 units and we want creative financing. So we want to structure the deal where the seller and the owner is holding the majority of that note. We're using investor capital for the down payment. We're saving some to hedge for ⁓ reserves and we're going in and buying these companies to add to our revenue and our to our bottom line.   Jason Hull (21:35) I love it.   Ashton (21:36) Roll   up. That's the name and the term that's used in the private equity space is roll up.   Jason Hull (21:42) Roll-up, got it. So I've seen some of these companies in the past. I had a client, he eventually exited and sold his business to Home River Group. He had like 2,000 doors. So then he was kind more of a partner in Home River Group, 30,000 eventually. And he became kind of a consultant that would come in and these roll-ups that were being done in some instances, because they did it the reverse way from what you did, they thought they could just throw money at the problem.   So they went and acquired a whole bunch of property management companies. Sometimes, like some companies would acquire like 10,000 doors. Then they would fire like 7,000 of them because they realized there was so much garbage and it was difficult to manage. And then they thought they could just put in or install a property manager in and then the business would just run. But no real leadership for the boots on the ground. And so they would bring him in as a consultant. He would go in, fire everybody.   Ashton (22:34) Mm.   Jason Hull (22:42) organize a team, build a business and act as an interim CEO till he got the thing healthy and running. And he would make a lot of money because they were losing a lot of money trying to make this work. And people don't realize how hard property management can be. And so I think, yes, property managers have an advantage because they have the hardest piece of this entire puzzle, it sounds like.   Ashton (23:05) Yeah, it definitely is because you're dealing with you're dealing with tenants, you're dealing with the day to day your you are the boots on the ground. So that is why it is so important before we started any of this, I wanted to make sure that we had the proper systems in place that we could scale 500 more doors without blinking an eye. That is where you have to have that mindset and like you have to know what's going on before adding because when you just add   doors and just think that exactly what you said add doors and thinking that that's just going to like solve your problem you're just multiplying your problem whatever problems you have at 20 doors is going to be 10 fold at a thousand doors or more so ⁓ and more just doesn't necessarily equal better and that is one reason like in our contracts we actually do have clawbacks so if we do end up getting rid of owners that just aren't a fit   our purchase price is reduced down from the seller. So it gives the seller an incentive to ensure that they're selling us a good.   Jason Hull (24:11) Got it, yeah, that's important to have all that's in any sort of acquisition deal. So for other property managers that are looking to get into private equity and they're looking at maybe starting to do this, because they're like, you know what, I've got a healthy property management company, we've got the systems in place, is there somebody that I can partner with on this that already knows how to do it or can I go and learn to do this?   What would you say between those two options and where would you send them?   Ashton (24:43) Really? It depends on the person. This isn't for everybody. know, you, what I would recommend, and this is honestly what I tell anybody, no matter what business they're in, if they're thinking about growing, where do you want to be in three years? And let's reverse engineer it from there. So if you want to, like for us, our, our plan is to roll up to about 5,500 doors and then exit. So   Jason Hull (24:45) Yeah.   Got it.   Ashton (25:12) I already knew where I wanted to be. And so like, I wanted to exit at a certain amount. So I was like, how do I get to this amount? And then I just backed it up from there. ⁓ but that's, everybody's going to have a different goal. So I would highly recommend just like starting with that initial goal. that's, if that goal is freedom, if it is like, you want to be able to exit, you want to have, you want to just run a massive company, whatever it is, start there and then figure it out backwards.   Jason Hull (25:21) Okay.   Ashton (25:41) As far as bringing on capital and investor capital, whether they want to partner with somebody or if they want to like bring on debt, that's also a comfort level thing. ⁓ And it also depends on like what you and that other person that's bringing in the capital agree to and what you both feel like is the optimal solution. But before doing that, definitely educate yourself and find someone ⁓ either as a consultant like   Right now I am doing a little bit of consulting work for ⁓ different ⁓ funds as well as like companies like, you know, like what we're doing ⁓ for, you know, to help them with what their goals are. Let's back it up and then let's go from there. And like just adding some advice and getting them in touch with the right people that they need as far as connections. Analysts, numbers are so important when you're talking with investors.   You can't just be like, I think it's going to make this an investor, especially a sophisticated one is not going to go for that. Maybe friends and family will what I call country club money, but ⁓ a sophisticated investor, absolutely not. They're going to want to see a pro forma. ⁓ So there's so many steps involved before you ever, ever, ever bring on a dime of investor capital. So.   Jason Hull (26:51) Yep.   Ashton (27:09) I'm sorry, that's not like a ⁓ space.   Jason Hull (27:10) So, well, it sounds like   the path is maybe this. Like if you're a property manager first, you got to get your side of the room clean. You got to get your business tight. You got to get operations working, maybe reach out to DoorGro, get a little help, but you got to get things really well dialed in because it doesn't make sense to go start playing with other people's money and be on the hook for other people's money and investors.   Ashton (27:20) Yes.   was not.   Jason Hull (27:36) if you don't really feel like you have the ability to scale, you don't really feel like you can handle stuff, because if once money starts flowing and doors start adding, then if your stuff is okay, it's going to be stress tested and probably not okay. So that's probably first. Next, they need to learn about private equity, figure out that game, and then even once you figure out how that all works, then you've got to get good at selling it, which you are already a natural, you know...   Ashton (27:51) Yeah, exactly.   Jason Hull (28:05) Salesperson, you've invested a lot towards figuring that out, but then you're going out and you have to raise the cap.   Ashton (28:11) Raising capital is literally one of the hardest jobs. It is insane because you want to build a relationship and you want someone to trust you, but you're also asking for a check. And so it's trying to balance the relationship aspect as well as the transactional aspect. And it's even harder as a woman because private equity is definitely, ⁓ there's not a lot of women in this field.   Jason Hull (28:32) Yeah.   Ashton (28:41) ⁓ so it's even harder being like of the opposite gender. ⁓ so there's a lot to balance there. so getting, getting comfortable asking, but not being pushy. It's that I've learned so much from.   Jason Hull (28:56) As a woman, you've had   to take maybe a more feminine approach or you go in hot the way most guys would.   Ashton (29:04) It depends on the person.   It depends on my audience. You have to sell the way somebody wants to buy. So I've learned not to, at the beginning, I was definitely very transactional. And I've learned ⁓ through a dear friend of mine that to be more relationship-based and then that will come a little bit later with the transaction. ⁓ But at the same time, because I'm like,   Jason Hull (29:11) Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Ashton (29:32) I need to know now. Like, I don't want to waste my time. I don't want to waste their time. We just need to lay it out on the table right now. They need to know what I'm here for. ⁓ I've had to like roll that back a little bit. And since I have, the checks have been definitely coming in a little bit smoother. So it was a huge learning experience for me.   Jason Hull (29:51) Yeah.   Ashton, how old are you right now for those listening? All they've heard is 23.   Ashton (29:59) I'm 30 now.   Jason Hull (30:01) 30 now, okay, you're 30 years old, you're doing amazing things. What amount of capital are you raising right now? Like what's your goal?   Ashton (30:05) Yeah.   Yeah, so we do different like rounds or like tranches of raising and it right now we are raising for specific projects. So as the projects come up, then we go out to our current investors first and then to like new potential investors next. ⁓ So in the spring, we're about to start doing another raise for ⁓ one, a business and then two, a couple other. ⁓   real estate portfolios that I'm looking at. ⁓ So that is going to be around the $800,000 mark of capital. And typically we do like minimum commitments of 100 because when you get into smaller amounts, typically the investors that are, I just become a little bit more needy because they're only, they're not as sophisticated and we want to deal with the investors who are.   Jason Hull (31:06) Got it. Yeah, that makes sense. Very cool. Sounds like you're doing really cool things. So Ashton, for those that are listening and they're curious about you, they're curious about maybe getting into this, you mentioned you do some consulting, you mentioned there may be investors or maybe they want to get in on some of the investing stuff that you're doing. How can they get in touch with you?   Ashton (31:29) Yeah, so they can send us an email. That would be the best way to you can send it to info at FX to capital calm. ⁓ And we, you know, are one of our interns checks that email on the daily. ⁓ So then we can set up an investor call and go through really well what your goals are. What is your portfolio look like right now?   How are you diversifying yourself? And maybe we can talk about what we can do to help increase that, maybe rebalance you a little bit within the private space and in the private markets.   Jason Hull (32:06) Cool, well property managers, if you're listening, I think Ashton's definitely doing something that's very cool. A lot of you probably could get in on this or create some sort of alliance or relationships that could allow you to be part of something like this. Even if it's just you're getting doors from other people that are in the private equity space that are rolling up a bunch of investment properties, this would be easy doors for you to get on if you really could do a good job. And it sounds like that's the linchpin, that's the hardest piece of the puzzle.   And if you're a good property manager, you've got that down then. So you've got a competitive advantage. So Ashwin, I appreciate you coming on and sharing this here on the board.   Ashton (32:43) Thank you.   Yeah, that was so much fun. It was so great talking to you.   Jason Hull (32:48) Awesome, so we'll go ahead and wrap up. For those of you that are feeling stuck, stagnant, you want to take your property management business to the next level, reach out to us at doorgrow.com for a free training on how to get unlimited free leads. Text the word leads to 512-648-4608. Also join our free Facebook community. It's just for property management business owners at doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, ideas to learn maybe about some of our offers,   subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review. Anything like that would really help us out. We would appreciate it. And until next time, remember, the slowest, absolute slowest path to growth is to do it alone. And you heard Ashton, she's leveraging a lot of people to do what she's doing to grow. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.

Send a textWhy do companies go to such great lengths to avoid the word "Sales"? In this episode, Scott and Mike pull back the curtain on the "emotional baggage" attached to the sales profession. From the stigma of the "snake oil salesman" to the internal friction that revenue generation causes within a company, we explore why sales has become a dirty word—and why it shouldn't be.We break down the Sales Spectrum, helping you identify where you fall between being a "facilitator" and a "persuader," and why the best reps are actually "artists" who match products to real human needs. Whether you're an "opener," a "closer," or a "Business Development Specialist," this episode is your therapy session to help you embrace your role as a revenue generator.Support the showScott SchlofmanMike Williams - Cell 801-635-7773 #sales #podcast #customerfirst #relationships #success #pipeline #funnel #sales success #selling #salescoach

Are you running a business, or is your business running you? In this episode, I sit down with the powerhouse LuAnn Nigara– keynote speaker, author, and host of the top-rated podcast A Well-Designed Business. We dive deep into the uncomfortable truth: talent alone isn't enough to build a profitable company. LuAnn breaks down why "hustle" is often just a mask for a lack of systems– and why understanding your numbers and designing systems that allow you to become a force multiplier is the only way to move from surviving to thriving. Whether you're an interior designer or an entrepreneur feeling stuck in the daily grind, this conversation will shift your perspective on what it really takes to scale. Here's what we'll get into:00:00 – Why Your Business Feels Like It Owns You04:28 – From Cold Podcast Pitch To Friendship05:44 – High Point Market: Disneyland for Designers10:57 – "I Was Just the Sales Person"13:22 – The E-Myth Wake-Up Call16:35 – "Hustle Without Systems Is Just Chaos"22:48 – The Two Numbers That Determine Profitability25:16 – "Who Else Can Do This?"29:13 – When Profit Meets Passion34:43 – You Have to Believe It's Your Right40:52 – Resilience, Baseball Coaches & Fire Horses48:09 – Your One System to Simplify This WeekTo learn more about LuAnn and keep up with her work, visit her website & connect with her on Instagram! For more from Andrea on systems, listen to this STB episode next: Four Systems That Let You Step Away and Still Grow Your BusinessInterested in working with Andrea or bringing her coaching to your team?➡️ Book a consultation call with Andrea HERE. ⬅️⭐ Get Andrea's newsletter, packed with practical ways to lead and grow your business without losing yourself in it: https://bit.ly/STB-newsletter ⭐ Get Andrea's bestselling book – She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary: https://a.co/d/5xBdPvN Subscribe to Andrea's channel and watch all She Thinks Big episodes here: https://bit.ly/STB-subscribe Connect with Andrea on Instagram and LinkedIn!

"Just checking in" is the fastest way to get ignored.In 2026, if your real estate business relies entirely on bothering people or burning cash on paid leads, you do not own a business. You are renting attention.In this episode, I dismantle the old-school sphere of influence advice. We move away from random, awkward check-in calls and replace them with a predictable Annual Review System.This shift positions you as a strategic wealth advisor instead of a desperate salesperson.I break down exactly how to structure the Annual Review call to add real value, even when home prices are flat, and why this is the single most powerful asset to stabilize your income in the shifting 2026 market.TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - The Problem with "Just Checking In" 1:03 - Why Paid Leads are Renting vs. Owning 5:22 - The Real Reason Most Sphere Systems Fail 8:01 - The Shift: Advisor vs. Salesperson 10:24 - The Annual Review System (Step-by-Step) 11:10 - How to Lead When Prices Are Flat 12:09 - Connecting Your Sphere to Listing LaunchesJOIN THE REAL ESTATE AGENT PLAYBOOK Ready to build a scalable business without the burnout? https://bit.ly/3Neh4hu#RealEstateSphere #RealEstateSystems #JeremyKane #RealEstateCoaching #RealEstate2026

In this episode, Travis sits down with Eric in the studio for a hilarious and insightful deep dive into the world of online sales training. Together, they react to viral clips from well-known sales coach Andy Elliott—an infamous personality whose aggressive methods, animated delivery, and controversial reputation make him one of the most polarizing figures in modern sales culture. On this episode we talk about: The fine line between confidence and cringe in sales training videos Why aggression and fake enthusiasm rarely work in real sales How “high empathy” and curiosity can instantly make you a better communicator The viral rise (and fall) of Andy Elliott and what that says about social media influence Practical, down-to-earth ways to handle objections and keep people talking Top 3 Takeaways The best salespeople don't shout—they listen longer and ask better questions. Controlling your tone and energy is more persuasive than trying to “dominate a room.” Modern buyers recognize authenticity—if it feels scripted, it won't work. Notable Quotes “It's your only job to keep the conversation going. Just keep asking more questions.” – Travis “People buy from real humans, not caricatures of confidence.” – Eric “Before you became who you are online, you were probably a really good salesperson.” – Travis Connect with Travis Chappell: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell Website: https://travischappell.com  Travis Makes Money is powered by HighLevel – the all-in-one sales and marketing platform built for agencies, by an agency. Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When do you know your discovery meetings are sabotaging your deals before they even start? Join Sprinter and Lee B. Salz (author of "First Meeting Differentiator") for a game-changing conversation where they expose why conversion rates are plummeting and what top-performing salespeople are doing differently in 2025. Discover why traditional discovery meetings need to die—and what consultation framework replaces them. In this episode, you'll hear:

Promoting your top salesperson to manager seems like a no-brainer. They exceeded every target, so leading a team should be easy, right? Wrong. Star performers often succeed through "unconscious competence"—they're naturally gifted but can't explain their methods to others. Without management training, they struggle with coaching, delegation, and difficult conversations. Your sales champion becomes a frustrated manager leading an underperforming team. The solution? Assess leadership potential separately from sales performance. Does this person enjoy developing others? Can they handle conflict constructively? Forward-thinking companies now offer dual career paths—letting top performers advance without managing people. For those who do lead, provide structured training and mentorship. Management isn't a reward for individual success; it's a distinct skill requiring dedicated development. Great salespeople deserve recognition. Great managers deserve proper preparation. Ashley Herd 

Want to CRUSH your sales goals in 2026? Follow WTF?! and the other shows we participate in. Our shows dive deep into sales strategies, growth lessons, and real conversations that help you get better, FAST. Global Dealer Solutions offers a network of high-performance providers while remaining product agnostic. Knowing which tools to deploy makes a big difference. Having a trusted adviser; priceless. Schedule your complimentary consultation today. https://calendly.com/don-278. BE THE 1ST TO KNOW. LIKE and FOLLOW HERE www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketinghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/@fixedopsmarketingGet watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts: www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtfJoin Managing Partner and Host, Russell B. Hill and Charity Dunning, Co-Host and Chief Marketing Officer of FixedOPS Marketing, as we discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in WTF?!#podcast #automotive #fixedoperations

Is your "swag" secretly hurting your brand? In this episode of Sales & Cigars, Walter sits down with Eric Turney from The Monterey Company to talk about why your promo gear should do more than just check a box—it should actually say something about your brand. Eric shares his unconventional path from construction, to almost becoming a physical therapist, to "falling backward" into sales and eventually buying the company he worked for. He and Walter dig into the real differences between being a great salesperson and being a great sales manager, handling customers who only care about price, and why saying "no" is sometimes the most professional move you can make. They also get into the nuts and bolts of branded merch: why quality matters, how to help clients think beyond cheap t-shirts, and what the pandemic and shipping chaos taught Eric's team about communication, margins, and long-term customer loyalty. If you've ever ordered promo products for an event, trade show, or team—and regretted it—this one's for you. In This Episode: College vs reality – Why what you learn in college has almost nothing to do with building wealth or becoming an entrepreneur. Rich Dad, Poor Dad mindset – The books that shifted Eric's view of money, business, and long-term wealth creation. From construction to custom merch – How a layoff, a false start in physical therapy, and a new baby on the way pushed Eric into sales at The Monterey Company. Learning sales on the fly – Word tracks, repetition, and what he learned from a top car salesman buddy. The Dutch Bros lesson – Why consistently great experience beats mediocre product—and how Eric trains his reps to "bottle" that. Salesperson vs sales manager – Why being good at selling doesn't automatically make you good at leading a sales team—and what Eric had to learn the hard way. Needing to be liked – Staying up late worrying about orders, over-promising, and the shift from "pushover" to respected advisor. When to say no – Recognizing problem customers, setting boundaries, and why "if they come for price, they'll leave for price." Niche focus – How Monterey naturally gravitated to government, military, and public service clients—and what those buyers really need. Helping the real decision-maker – Working with marketing coordinators and event planners who are tasked with buying merch but don't know where to start. The Core Four sales process – Call leads quickly, text often, quote fast, and get an art proof in front of the customer ASAP. COVID, ports, and tariffs – Container costs jumping 10x, shipping delays, switching to air freight, and choosing to eat margin to preserve long-term relationships. Quality vs cheap – Why spending 20–50% more can result in a 10x better product—and how that shows up in customer perception. Brand alignment in merch – Walmart polos vs Carhartt gear, why your team's apparel reflects your brand values, and how "one thing is how you do everything." Upselling the smart way – Medals plus shirts, plus stickers; building better event experiences instead of just pushing more product. Lifetime value thinking – Why Eric would rather lose margin on a few orders than lose a great client for good. Cigars & solitude – Eric's "special occasion" approach to cigars and why a great stick pairs well with quiet, not crowds. Connect with Eric Turney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-turney/ The Monterey Company: https://montereycompany.com/    Connect with Walter Crosby and Sales & Cigars: Website: Helix Sales Development LinkedIn: Walter Crosby Instagram: @wcrosby248 Facebook: Helix Sales Development   Share Your Thoughts: We'd love to hear your feedback and experiences! Drop us a line and join the conversation on social media using #SalesAndCigars.   Never Miss an Episode! Join the Sales & Cigars community by subscribing to our podcast and YouTube channel: Subscribe to the Podcast: Apple Podcasts: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Follow on Spotify ...and wherever you listen to podcasts!   Subscribe to Us on YouTube: Stay updated with our latest video content by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Hit the bell icon for notifications on new uploads! YouTube: Sales & Cigars Channel   Stay in the loop: By subscribing, you'll get instant access to new episodes, insightful conversations, and bonus content designed to elevate your sales skills and more. Keep savoring those cigars and stay sharp in sales! Until next time, keep listening to Sales & Cigars—the podcast where the only smoke we blow is from cigars.

Am I the Genius? is the show where you get real answers to questions you've always wondered but didn't think to ask. Subscribe on YouTube - youtube.com/@amithegenius?sub_confirmation=1 Am I the Jerk? on Instagram - instagram.com/amithegenius Am I the Jerk? on Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0uEkxvRMpxLuuHeyPVVioF?si=b279dadfe593432b⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ x.com/amithejerk facebook.com/amithejerk SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORIES HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://amithejerk.com/submit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Mint Mobile - Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/AITJ Quince - Keep it classic and cool — with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/AITJ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. EveryPlate - Dig into these flavor-packed meals your household will love. New customers can enjoy this special offer of only $1.99 a meal. Go to everyplate.com/podcast and use code AITG199 to get started. Green Chef - Head to Greenchef.com/50AITJ and use code 50AITJ to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping. Lola Blankets - Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code AITJ at checkout. Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/AITJ Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Uncommon Goods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kendra was shopping for a holiday party outfit and got stuck with a sales person that just wouldn't stop trying to help...

On this solo episode:Stacey explains why most entrepreneurs sound “salesy” and how to close more deals without pressure, scripts, or manipulation. Key Takeaways:-Neediness equals desperation.-Leaders don't chase. Ever.-Desperate energy will destroy a sale faster than any bad script ever could.Tweetable Quotes:"Instead of ‘Are you ready to get started?' (weak), ask ‘Based on everything we've uncovered, what feels like the right next step for you?' This is ownership, not pressure." -Stacey O'Byrne"When you oversell, you trigger buyer resistance. People don't trust volume. They trust clarity and confidence." -Stacey O'Byrne"Instead of ‘Are you ready to get started?' (weak), ask ‘Based on everything we've uncovered, what feels like the right next step for you?' This is ownership, not pressure." -Stacey O'ByrneResources: Instagram: @pivotpointadvantagehttps://pivotpointadvantage.com/sell-without-selling/Free Strategy Session: text Success to 646.495.9867Schedule a 15-minute call with Stacey: http://pivotpointadvantage.com/talktostaceyIf you're ready to take yourself and your business to the next level and are interested in a coaching program that will get you there check out: http://pivotpointadvantage.com/iwantsuccess Join an interactive environment to help you build the success you've always wanted with other like-minded, success-driven entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals: https://facebook.com/groups/sellwithoutselling

In this special episode of Takeaway Chinese, we're going to learn how to say "salesperson" in Chinese.

Spec Smarts: What Every BAS Salesperson Should Know If you're in BAS sales, your relationship with specifications and submittals can make or break your projects. Too often, opportunities are missed, or risks overlooked, simply because specs weren't fully understood or questioned. This episode helps you build that essential spec literacy. You'll learn how to approach project specs and submittals with clarity and confidence, so you can better support your customers, reduce risks, and win more work. Topics Covered How to decode and leverage Division 23, 25, and 26 specifications Navigating ambiguities and gray areas in project specs Building credible and accurate submittals Coordinating scope and responsibilities across trades Using specification knowledge as a competitive sales edge Don't quote blindly. Know the spec, win the project, and protect your margin.

Managing energy through fitness is vital for sales success, as Steve Whittington, President of Roadmap, go-to-market strategist, and mountain climber, well knows. Steve offers insights into the routines and habits that boost resilience, focus, and motivation in this demanding profession. From lead climbing and HIIT training to the importance of making fitness sacred, Steve highlights how prioritizing well-being can directly impact confidence, stress management, and ultimately, sales results.  Steve shares actionable tips on bringing your best self to every client interaction, and shares a real-world example tying peak physical achievement to peak sales performance. Outline of This Episode [00:00] Physical fitness is crucial for energy management & professional performance. [09:21] Prioritize exercise even amidst a busy schedule. [10:36] Staying fit while traveling. [14:20] Create a committed routine with an accountability partner to improve consistency. [17:05] How climbing Everest boosted Steve's professional career. The Energy-Confidence Connection For Steve Whittington, physical fitness is a lifelong foundation for managing energy and building unshakeable confidence. "When it comes to performance in a professional setting," Steve says, "having the right level of energy to draw from for the challenges that you're up against is critical." Regular exercise across flexibility, strength, cardio, diet, and sleep is his formula for sustainable energy and composure under pressure. We all know that confidence is infectious in sales. When you believe in yourself, your product, and your organization, buyers sense it, and they feed off it. For Steve, the discipline instilled through fitness translates directly to the sales floor, enabling professionals to be "always on" in fast-paced environments. Anchoring Success with Daily Fitness Habits Steve's approach to physical well-being has evolved with age, but consistency remains a key factor. Stretching every morning primes his energy and focus for the day ahead. He trains five to six days a week, ensuring he hits all the "pillars" of health. But the most energizing routine for him is lead climbing, an intense form of climbing where you clip in as you ascend, demanding total focus and delivering a powerful sense of accomplishment when finishing a route. It's all about focus and stillness, as they both give a physical and mental recharge that's hard to match. Three Habits for Sales Resilience When it comes to specific, actionable fitness habits that boost sales performance, Steve offers three clear favorites: HIIT Training Twice a Week: High-Intensity Interval Training gives a strong foundation for overall strength and endurance. Consistent Morning Stretching: This sets a positive tone and sharpens focus at the start of each day. Early Morning Movement: Whether it's running, hitting the gym, or another routine, getting moving before work has been transformative for Steve, creating momentum and energy that carries into his professional life. Overcoming the Salesperson's Fitness Dilemmas A common complaint among sales professionals is the lack of time for exercise, especially for those who are frequently on the road. Steve's solution is to make fitness non-negotiable and integrate it into your lifestyle. If you're traveling, scout gyms or running routes in advance, if possible, structure your work, like picking offices near your gym or walking routes, to bake physical activity into your day. Accountability partners, sacred routines, and progress tracking are all vital tools to make these habits stick. Improving your fitness powers your energy; it also helps you manage stress and sustain long-term motivation. After all, you can't be your best version for others if you're not taking care of yourself first. Connect with Steve Whittington Steve Whittington on LinkedIn  Connect With Paul Watts  LinkedIn Twitter  Subscribe to SALES REINVENTED Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

What happens when an enterprise SaaS seller discovers that improv and stand-up can make you a better salesperson, teammate, and leader?Kevin Hubschmann, founder of Laugh.Events, joins Anya to break down how humor, active listening, and “yes-and” thinking can transform high-stakes sales conversations, especially in emotional industries like homebuilding.In this episode, you'll learn:Why comedy skills = better communication, curiosity & connectionThe difference between being funny and using humor effectivelyHow to shrink the fear of failure (yes… bombing on stage helps)Improv rules every salesperson should steal (active listening, yes-and, F-your-good-idea!)How humor lowers defenses, builds trust, and boosts customer satisfactionSimple, low-stakes exercises any sales team can use to collaborate betterWhether you're in new home sales, leadership, or just want to communicate like a human again, Kevin's approach will help you sell with more confidence, and have a lot more fun doing it.

This is an outstanding AI generated discussion of my post:  A "Salesperson," The Reputation We Have Earned.  One of the terms they use in the conversation is intriguing:  "Automation for avoidance."  Listen to hear what it means.   Enjoy! Here is the link to the original post:  https://partnersinexcellenceblog.com/a-salesperson-the-reputation-we-have-earned/

"How do we make the most of the time that we have, realizing that there are so many things pulling at us for our focus and attention?" This week, Tim shares one of his courses from the 2025 Digital Fire Time Summit. In his course, Tim talks about: Managing the tension of the "whirlwind" and the wildly important work that has to get done. The axis scale of urgent vs. important and the four quadrants of work. "The Tim Rethlake Time Ratio" and the benefit of investing the time to understand a customer's problem and advise a solution. Prioritizing the 4 Critical Tasks of a Sales Person: 1.) Sit down with every customer and complete an Understanding Form. 2.) Write an estimate for every customer before they leave. 3.) Follow up with 15 customers each week. 4.) Send thank-you cards to your customers every month. Tune in now to experience this live class and learn how to have more capacity on the back end by being diligent on the front end. ------ Become a supporter of The Fire Time Network and get access to awesome rewards: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://itsfiretime.com/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://magazine.itsfiretime.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.itsfiretime.com/app⁠⁠

Most people think great salespeople are just born with it — with confidence, charisma, the ability to say the right thing at the right time. But that's a myth. "Natural" salespeople aren't born. They're built through identity, practice, tone, repetition, and learning how to think in the moment. In this episode, Art breaks down: Why hesitation happens even when you know what to say How identity beats tactics in real conversations Why confidence comes from conditioning, not hype What separates "natural-sounding" pros from script readers Why "feel-good, LinkedIn-influencer sales advice" leaves people stuck How real transformation happens through daily conditioning, not occasional inspiration How to start becoming that version of yourself today If you want to sound confident on calls — without forcing it — this is the episode to listen to Plus — at the end, Art previews something brand new that's launching next week… Something that delivers daily confidence, skill-building, tone training, support, and accountability — in small steps that compound into big results. If you've ever said, "I know what I should be doing — I just don't do it consistently," this episode is going to hit home.

The car business feels broken right now.Showrooms are quiet. Sales teams are restless. Managers are asking the same question:“Is it slow out there, or is it just us?”Everyone's looking for answers — but the truth isn't in the rumors or social media posts. It's in the data.In this premiere episode of Follow The Money (Ep. 18) on The Get More Frank Show, I sit down with Brian Kramer, EVP at Cars Commerce, to break down the Q3 automotive market data that every dealership leader needs to hear before heading into Q4.We're not talking about feelings — we're talking about facts.

Which of these 3 salesperson types are you?Do you truly think like an owner when it comes to selling your services, or are you simply "punching the clock"? What happens when you empower your team with both responsibility and authority? In this episode, I explore the three kinds of salespeople you might encounter (or be yourself), why it matters for your clients' confidence, and how acting with an owner's mentality can shape your success—and your referrals.Listen to this new 11-minute episode for insights on adopting an owner's mindset in every sale and building a team that inspires trust, loyalty, and long-term business.If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, please reach out directly to me at Alan@WeddingBusinessSolutions.com or visit my website Podcast.AlanBerg.com Please be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review (thanks, it really does make a difference). If you want to get notifications of new episodes and upcoming workshops and webinars, you can sign up at www.ConnectWithAlanBerg.com  View the full transcript on Alan's site: https://alanberg.com/blog/Coming to Wedding MBA this year? Join me for a brand new workshop, before the conference starts. Can't make that? Come to Charlotte NC on Dec. 3rd for a Mastermind Day. Visit www.MastermindDay.com for information and tickets on upcoming events. I'm Alan Berg. Thanks for listening. If you have any questions about this or if you'd like to suggest other topics for "The Wedding Business Solutions Podcast" please let me know. My email is Alan@WeddingBusinessSolutions.com. Look forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thanks. Listen to this and all episodes on Apple Podcast, YouTube or your favorite app/site: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/weddingbusinesssolutions YouTube: www.WeddingBusinessSolutionsPodcast.tv Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3sGsuB8 Stitcher: http://bit.ly/wbsstitcher Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/wbsgoogle iHeart Radio: https://ihr.fm/31C9Mic Pandora: http://bit.ly/wbspandora ©2025 Wedding Business Solutions LLC & AlanBerg.com

:  "We are discussing the role of the salesperson in collecting bad paying accounts.  We don't want to turn the salespeople into collection agents, but we do see a role for them.  What are your thoughts?"  Join with me as we take a deep dive into this question. *****************************************************************************        Dave Kahle's goal is to provide sales leaders and small businesspeople with practical actionable ideas that can make an immediate impact on your sales performance.          Dave is a B2B sales expert, and a Christian Business thought leader.  He has authored 13 books, presented in 47 states and 11 countries and worked with over 500 sales organizations.  In these ten-minute podcasts, his unique blend of out-of-the-box thinking and practical insights will challenge and enable you to sell better, lead better and live better.        Subscribe to these ten-minute helpings of out-of-the-box inspiration, education and motivation. WWW,DaveKahle.com Dave's Substack page (PW) Subscribe to Dave's Newsletters Check out the website

The Subtle Differences Between A Rookie vs Pro Salesperson

In this episode of Home Business Profits with Ray Higdon, Ray dives into five transformative tips to elevate your sales game from good to the best. Discover how to ask more people, creatively follow up, and bring unparalleled energy to the marketplace. Tune in now to learn how these techniques can make you stand out and surpass your competition.   ——

In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Kevin Surace, an inventor, keynote speaker, and the "father of the virtual assistant." They take a high-energy deep dive into the present-day impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the insurance industry. Kevin explains that the AI revolution is not a future event—it's happening right now. He details how AI is set to transform every aspect of insurance, from automating claims processing and quotation to serving as a powerful co-pilot for salespeople. They discuss practical, actionable ways agents can use AI today to find new clients, refine their sales pitch, and handle objections more effectively. Key Highlights: The AI Revolution is Now, Not Later Kevin Surace delivers his core message with urgency: the "train has left the station" on AI. He argues that professionals must choose to become "robot overlords"—experts in leveraging AI—or they will be crushed by competitors who do. This isn't a future trend to watch; it's a present-day reality that demands immediate adoption. Automating the Insurance Back Office The conversation explores the massive operational impact of AI. Kevin explains how AI is already capable of automating huge portions of the insurance value chain, including claims processing (issuing payments in minutes based on photos) and underwriting (generating complex quotes in real-time), which will drastically lower costs for AI-first companies. AI as a Salesperson's Superpower This highlight covers the practical tools for producers. The discussion details how agents can use AI today as a personal research assistant for meeting prep, a sales coach to "poke holes" in their pitch, and a writing assistant to instantly craft perfect responses to client objections, giving them an insurmountable edge. The Rise of the AI Agent The episode looks at the next evolution of customer interaction: AI agents (video chatbots) with realistic avatars and voice cloning. Kevin discusses his own "virtual Kevin," which holds real-time conversations with website visitors 24/7. They explore how this technology can automate Tier 1 support and even close sales for simpler products, creating new, passive revenue streams. Connect with: David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Kevin Surace LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp Appvance Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

What does the future AE look like in the age of AI?Toni and Raul break down how AI could transform sales productivity, reshape go-to-market structures, and create the $5M ARR AE. From hyper-optimized workflows to the rise of the “celebrity AE,” this episode explores three new models that redefine what top performance looks like.This episode is brought to you by Evergrowth  —  Their Agentic GTM Workspace enables revenue teams to collaborate and win with AI-powered teammates, breaking down silos and helping B2B teams grow smarter with fewer resources. Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (03:00) - The 5M ARR AE with AI (11:17) - Hyper Optimized Enterprise AE (15:18) - AI-Assisted Sales Meetings (19:04) - Maximizing Sales Efficiency (20:50) - Salesperson as a High Performer (22:01) - Factory Automation (24:42) - The SMB Multitasker (32:44) - The Celebrity AE (35:29) - Influencer Crossovers in Sales (39:00) - Wrapping up (40:42) - Next Week: The 2025 Hiring Playbook

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Episode 468 features Desiree-Jessica Pely, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Alfa by Loyee.ai (Top 50 GTM Startup).Find Jessica Online:Website: https://www.loyee.ai/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pely/About Jessica:Desiree-Jessica Pely, PhD, is pioneering a finance-led approach to B2B sales, go-to-market strategy, and revenue growth. As Co-Founder and CEO of Alfa by Loyee.ai (Top 50 GTM Startup), she leads the development of an AI-driven platform that transforms complex market signals into precise, actionable insights for sales, marketing, and finance teams.Jessica brings together a PhD in Financial Economics, a background in Computer Science, and hands-on entrepreneurial execution. She has collaborated with Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler, exploring the intersection of behavioral economics and decision-making, and began her career in quantitative finance and predictive modeling.Her passion for redefining GTM strategy grew from a common challenge: sales teams drowning in data yet struggling to identify the accounts that matter most. Loyee.ai was created to solve this, deploying AI research agents that identify high-value accounts, map markets, and adapt continuously to real-time changes, enabling companies to penetrate markets with precision and scale revenue smarter.Recognized as the “Queen of Leads,” Jessica has been named among the Top 100 People in SaaS, and awarded Salesperson of the Year. Beyond her company, she is an active mentor, investor, and coach, championing the next generation of innovators in SaaS, FinTech, and AI.

In our surveys, CEOs indicate “on the job” training as the predominant method of developing salespeople.  If everyone is doing it, it must be OK, right? Maybe not.  Let's look a little closer. *********************************************************************        Dave Kahle's goal is to provide sales leaders and small businesspeople with practical actionable ideas that can make an immediate impact on your sales performance.          Dave is a B2B sales expert, and a Christian Business thought leader.  He has authored 13 books, presented in 47 states and 11 countries and worked with over 500 sales organizations.  In these ten-minute podcasts, his unique blend of out-of-the-box thinking and practical insights will challenge and enable you to sell better, lead better and live better.        Subscribe to these ten-minute helpings of out-of-the-box inspiration, education and motivation. Dave's Substack page (PW) Subscribe to Dave's Newsletters Check out the website Sales Training Program

In this episode of the Stronger Sales Team podcast, Ben Wright tackles the challenge of hiring and retaining top B2B sales talent during uncertain economic times. He highlights the need for adaptability and continuous learning as global markets slow, urging leaders to seek candidates who can thrive under pressure. Ben introduces three key strategies: testing for grit, assessing a salesperson's ability to connect, and verifying strengths through referee checks. His insights emphasise the value of resilience and relationship-building in sustaining sales success. The episode reinforces Ben's commitment to equipping teams to not only withstand adversity but excel in it.Key Takeaways: • Focus on identifying candidates who have demonstrated resilience and determination in various aspects of their lives, not just in their professional experiences.• Determine if the candidate is someone that customers would want to buy from, focusing on traits such as trustworthiness and relationship-building capabilities.• Use the critical question, “Would you hire them again?” during reference checks to gain objective insights into the candidate's suitability.• Recognize the challenge of hiring professionals who may not have faced difficult sales environments and find ways to assess their adaptability.• Encourage an ongoing commitment to training and development among sales teams to help navigate complex economic shifts.Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro2:00 Hiring5:00 3 Areas To Focus on With Hiring5:45 Recruiting For Skill6:55 Grit10:10 Would You Buy From That Person?12:55 Validating The Decision15:59 Recap17:08 OutroRate, Review, & Follow If you're liking what you're hearing, make sure you ‘follow' the show wherever you listen to your podcasts…so you never miss an episode! I'd also love to hear what you think, so drop us a review after you close that next deal…tell me what you're liking, and what you want more of so I can look to cover it in a future episode.

I took a sales ability test, and this sales test revealedmy #1 weakness. The results showed that in a sales context, I have a tendency to believe that talking is more important than asking good questions.In this unique episode, sales expert Mike Irving, founder of Advanced Business Abilities, analyzes my live test results, breaking down my strengths (like being a "Hunter") and my opportunities for growth (like "Discernment" ). We explore why everyone is in sales, whether they know it or not, and how understanding your personal traits can make you a more effective communicator.00:00 - Taking a Sales Test on a Live Podcast 01:00 - Why Everyone is in Sales (Even If You're Not a Salesperson) 02:50 - My Overall Results: The Good News 05:50 - A Surprising Weakness: "Knowing How to Deal With People" 07:50 - My #1 Weakness: The "Questioner" Trait 10:05 - Why I Subconsciously Talk More Than I Ask 14:35 - The Key to Success: Understanding "Discernment" 20:45 - My Unexpected Strength: The "Hunter" Trait 24:00 - My Secret Weapon: A High "Not Nice" Score 29:30 - Key Takeaways & How to Improve Your Own Sales Skills

We are delighted to be back from our summer mini-hiatus and have been busy working away on our exciting upcoming podcast series. We'll say no more about that for now.... In the meantime, something a little bit different - a solo Matthew episode, recorded at the Couture Show in Las Vegas back in May of this year. Courtville was exhibiting at the Antique Jewellery and Watch Show down the hall and were asked to give a talk at one of their educational events. Matthew spoke to a live audience of jewellery salespeople but these are insights that will be just as relevant for people who are interested and curious about the history of jewellery design. www.courtville.ie Get social with Courtville, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok This podcast was produced for Courtville by Tape Deck

In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers joined by Jon Bassford, author of the insightful book, "The Curious Leader," to discuss the transformative power of curiosity in leadership, sales, and personal growth. We explore how an inquisitive mindset fuels innovation, the crucial distinction between a salesperson and a true consultant, and the flaws within the insurance industry's compensation models. The conversation also touches on the parallels between endurance challenges like running marathons and the journey of leadership, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability, building diverse teams, and fostering psychological safety. Key Highlights: The Power of the Curious Leader Jon Bassford shares the core message from his book, explaining how fostering an inquisitive mindset is the engine for genuine innovation. We discuss the importance of educated risk-taking and creating an environment where acknowledging mistakes is seen as a vital part of individual and organizational development, not a failure. Salesperson vs. Consultant in the Insurance Industry The conversation shifts to the insurance sector, where we critique flawed compensation models that incentivize policy-pushing over problem-solving. Using real-world examples like the Fisker Auto bankruptcy, we highlight how true value comes from objective audits and a consultative approach that enhances a client's risk profile, drawing a clear line between surface-level sales and deep operational consulting. Leadership Lessons from Marathons and Writing We explore the powerful metaphors of running a marathon and writing a book. Jon and I discuss how these challenging, introspective journeys teach profound lessons in vulnerability, perseverance, and self-discovery, mirroring the trials and tribulations faced by any effective leader. Building Psychologically Safe & Diverse Teams This segment focuses on common leadership pitfalls and the critical need for psychological safety. Jon Bassford offers compelling insights on how leaders can empower their teams by building diverse groups where every individual feels safe to contribute, challenge ideas, and innovate without fear of reprisal. Connect with: David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Jon Bassford LinkedIn Visit Websites: The Curious Leader (Book) Power Producer Base Camp Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

Last week's discussion about The Zero Accountability Salesperson seemed to resonate with a lot of people. And the biggest questions I got were related to how to fix this. How can I help myself and/or my salespeople to be more conscious of the actions we need to take, and to take those actions on a consistent basis? Hi and welcome back. In our last episode, we touched on a lot of important points related to what I would call The Zero Accountability Salesperson Culture: Most businesses don't deliberately create a zero accountability culture. It just happens when systems and processes are missing. When salespeople say things like, "It's going great, I'm having a lot of good conversations. I've got a lot of people in the pipeline," that tells you nothing. Without metrics, it's just wasted words. Accountability is not punishment. It's about providing clarity on what's working, what's not, and how to fix it. If you haven't thoroughly reviewed that episode, I encourage you to go back and check it out now. But today, I'd like to give you a quick, bullet-pointed list on the things you can do right now to start creating a culture of accountability for yourself and your sales team. To get started: ✅ Start with one key metric. Don't overwhelm your team. Begin by tracking a single activity, like the number of new targets acquired or prospects qualified in or out each week. In our Total Market Domination program, we have an Activity/Results Audit that our clients use to track the ten most important activities that lead to sales. But even starting out small will begin to create a sense of accountability for yourself and your people. ✅ Define what counts. Be clear about what “initiating contact” means in your organization. Making a phone call and not getting an answer doesn't count if no contact is initiated. Real contact, conversations, and interactions count. The rest is meaningless. ✅ Add one metric at a time. As you start getting consistent application on the first key metric, introduce the next one that flows from there. What are steps you and your salespeople need to take to move a new prospect from total stranger to paying client? Those are the activities that need to be taken and tracked in your business. ✅ Create a cadence of accountability. Establish a weekly rhythm where salespeople report on the metrics you require. Make it consistent, like a drumbeat. Miss just one or two and the whole thing will be forgotten in no time. ✅ Build accountability into your systems. Use your CRM or even a simple shared Google Doc to capture and share activity. The easier it is to track, the less resistance you'll face. ✅ Focus on metrics that matter. Don't waste time with busywork stats that don't impact sales outcomes. There are a lot of those, so be sure to measure only the activities that truly drive sales results. ✅ Link activity to outcomes. Help salespeople understand how improving even one single metric (like initiating new contacts) drives the next step (like getting those prospects qualified in our out as quickly as possible.) When you do this correctly, accountability feels more like a reward than a punishment. ✅ Frame accountability as support. Make sure your team understands this isn't about a lack of trust. It's about you helping them to systematically identify and eliminate the bottlenecks that keep them from selling up to their potential. ✅ Stay consistent. Don't let reporting slide over time. The moment accountability becomes optional, the culture of zero accountability will come roaring back to life. ✅ Adapt for individuals. High performers might require less oversight, but everyone benefits from clarity. Make sure everyone in your organization knows that you're there to help them thrive. This means customizing expectations of your team, without ever lowering standards. The best salespeople want to succeed, and they'll be open to any of your efforts to help in that regard...

The zero accountability salesperson is at a big disadvantage. Selling is all about being able to produce. And the only way you're able to produce is if whoever is doing the selling has some level of accountability, whether it's to themselves or to a sales manager, or to your spouse, whoever it is, right? If you get home from work, and you didn't sell anything as a salesperson, you might get in more trouble at home than you got in at work. So accountability is always big. David: Hi, and welcome back. In today's episode, co-host Kevin Rosenquist and I discuss the zero accountability sales person. Welcome back, Kevin. Kevin: Good to see you. Zero accountability salesperson. What does that look like in a sales team? David: Salesperson? Salespeople? It's not pretty, man. It is not pretty. And it's nothing that anyone deliberately sets out to do. In most sales organizations, the problem is that the company itself does not have the systems and processes in place to allow their salespeople to become more accountable to anything. I mean, a lot of times salespeople are held accountable for sales. Are you hitting your numbers? Are you generating the sales that you need to generate? But if they're not tracking other things, then they really have no idea what it is that's going to get them to the numbers that they really need to reach. Kevin: So how does that lack of accountability affect the overall sales performance of the team? David: Well, it's not good because it's just erratic. It's all over the place. You'll have some salespeople who are very good and very consistent because that's the way they're wired, and you'll have other salespeople who are all over the place. And the reason I thought this was a good topic to have, is that I was having a conversation with someone earlier today, someone who's considering joining our Total Market Domination program, and she was talking about the fact that she's got a number of salespeople in her organization, and she doesn't feel like they're all sort of on the same page. They're not doing the same things. And when I started talking to her and asking her about what sort of accountability was in place, she was sad to admit that there wasn't a whole lot of it. And what happens when you're in this situation, as a business owner or as a sales manager, if you find that you're having conversations with your salespeople and you're saying to them, so what's going on? How's everything going? And they say, oh yeah, it's going great. Having a lot of great conversations. Got a bunch of people on the fence or people I'm working, got a lot of leads I'm working and everything like that. That tells you nothing, right? It tells you nothing. It's feel good talk, but it's wasted words. Because until you are able to provide any sort of metrics, any sort of numbers, any sort of accountability that turns those comments into something real, you just don't have anything that you can even help them with. Kevin: I think a lot of times salespeople have their methods. They love their methods. That's their tried and true, understandably so. Is it hard to get sales teams on the same page when it comes to accountability when people want to kind of do it their own way? David: Well, it certainly can be, and if you've got a sales person who is a high performer, that person may just want to do it their own way, and they might not be open to a whole lot of conversation or a whole lot of interpretation Kevin: And you might not worry about it. David: Exactly. And that's very true. And I'm not saying that you should have different standards for different people in the organization. I'm just talking about what actually happens in the world. And so when you've got salespeople who are very good at what they do, and they don't need to provide you with some of the additional data that would allow you to help them figure out where things might be going wrong,

We're all hearing the hype about AI. But most sales pros still don't really understand how it works, they just know it can save time if you know how to use it right.This show took a step back from prompts and dove into what's actually under the hood of the tools everyone's talking about.We demystified the components of AI (like LLMs, agents, APIs, and model types) so reps and leaders can start thinking more strategically.Whether you're trying to use AI to hit quota faster or just want to keep up with the tech, this episode will give you the clarity to take action.You'll Learn:A plain-English breakdown of LLMs, fine-tuning, agents, and moreHow to compare and use top AI toolsWhat AI agents are, how they're different from normal chatbotsThe Speakers: Jed Mahrle and Sam MallikarjunanIf you want to catch The Daily Sales Show live, join hereFollow Sell Better to get the latest actionable tactics from sales pros at the top of their gameExplore our YouTube Channel

A credit card is a versatile and overall amazing tool for business expenses, rentals, and other items for your purchases in solar. This episode will go over strategies for using these cards, specific purchases to use it for, and some examples of cards that I know have worthwhile incentives.CLICK HERE: https://apply.solarpreneurs.com/ https://zendirect.com/ https://crmx.app/ https://zapier.com/ https://www.solarscout.app/taylor TOP 10 MOST DOWNLOADED EPISODES OF ALL TIME https://www.youtube.com/@solarpreneurs goals.solarpreneurs.com oneliners.solarpreneurs.com https://solciety.co/ - JOIN SOLCIETY NOW! SIRO APP - LEARN MORE

Interview with Colson Steber from Ag Access on the importance of market data I'm convinced that every salesperson out there can improve the management of their sales, their customers, and prospects with better data. Especially data from farmers. Today, I'm joined by Colson Steber from Ag Access. Coslon is co-CEO and Co-owner of Ag Access. […]

Ever wonder why Scott in the next cubicle breaks every sales rule you've learned... yet consistently crushes his numbers? Why some reps can open calls with "Got a minute?" and get prospects leaning in, while others use perfect technique and get hung up on? In this eye-opening episode, sales legend Art Sobczak reveals the hidden psychology behind why rule-breakers often outperform rule-followers. What You'll Discover: The real reason "perfect" sales techniques sometimes fail spectacularly Why prospects can instantly sense desperation through the phone (even when your words are flawless) The 5 components of "command presence" that top performers naturally possess How your internal beliefs leak into your voice, tone, and timing without you realizing it Why "fake it till you make it" actually backfires in high-pressure sales situations The difference between acting confident and being confident (and why it matters more than any script) How to stop exhausting yourself trying to maintain a sales "performance" The identity transformation that turns techniques from forced to effortless Plus: The "Jim Furyk Effect" - why unconventional approaches sometimes work better than textbook methods, and what that means for your sales career. If you've ever felt frustrated watching less skilled reps outperform you, or wondered why your perfect pitch isn't converting, this episode reveals the missing piece that changes everything. Warning: This content challenges conventional sales wisdom and may fundamentally shift how you approach every prospect conversation. (The link to the transformation mentioned is http://UltimateSalesPro.com.)  

In this conversation, Michael Baraky shares insights from his journey as a salesperson at Beck Electric Actuators, discussing the intersection of engineering and sales, the importance of problem-solving, and the challenges faced in sales leadership. He emphasizes the need for trust, motivation, and understanding the economic landscape while navigating the complexities of customer relationships and internal dynamics.Contact Michael here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-baraky-11b53b38/Connect with Wesleyne on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleyne/Discover how Transformed Sales helps field sales teams grow from the inside out by shifting mindsets and building lasting skills. Visit transformedsales.com to learn more.Serious about shifting your sales team's performance?Book your 30-minute call and get the clarity and strategy you've been missing. https://calendly.com/transformedsales/30-min-sales-strategy-callConnect with Wesleyne on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleyne/Discover how Transformed Sales helps field sales teams grow from the inside out by shifting mindsets and building lasting skills. Visit transformedsales.com to learn more.Serious about shifting your sales team's performance?Book your 30-minute call and get the clarity and strategy you've been missing. https://calendly.com/transformedsales/30-min-sales-strategy-call#careerdevelopment #mentorship #leadership #sales #marketing #personalgrowth #professionaladvice #worklifebalance #sales #practice #goals #success #leadership #confidence #risktaking #performance #motivation #strategy

Chris Carr is the founder of Farotech, a comprehensive digital marketing agency specializing in lead generation, automation, and conversion since 2001, as well as the founder of Dynaimix.ai. Chris discusses how AI is transforming the way businesses operate and it's practical applications in businesses while also providing a live demo of it's capabilities!

Al Kushner is a LinkedIn strategist and AI enthusiast with a background in sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Originally from Coney Island, Brooklyn, he studied at the High School of Art and Design and NYU before starting his career in telephone sales. ⁣ Al has been an early adopter of digital tools, leveraging LinkedIn since 2005 to build meaningful professional connections, especially within niche markets like CPAs, attorneys, and financial planners. He uses AI tools like ChatGPT daily to create targeted, value-driven content that helps others grow their LinkedIn presence authentically. ⁣ Through his company LinkVantage, Al offers training, profile optimization, and speaking engagements, and is the author of The AI LinkedIn Advantage, guiding professionals on integrating AI strategically and ethically for lasting growth. Now based in Florida, he remains deeply connected to his New York roots and continues to advocate for genuine, high-quality networking in the digital age.

In this episode, Tom Reber gets real about his early experiences in sales and the emotional journey that followed. He opens up about a time when he embodied every negative stereotype of a salesperson, pushing unethical deals that left both him and his customers worse off. Tom shares a turning point that led him to completely change his approach and build an ethical, value-driven sales process. This episode is a must-listen for contractors struggling with head trash around sales and seeking a way to sell with integrity.In this episode, Tom discusses:[00:00] How Tom fell into unethical sales shortly after leaving the Marine Corps[00:21] The deceptive sales script and high-pressure tactics used by the window company[01:11] Becoming the top salesperson despite feeling conflicted and dirty inside[01:29] A pivotal sales call with a young family that triggered his turning point[02:23] Forcing high-interest financing on customers and consolidating their debt[02:53] The decision to quit despite high earnings due to moral conflict[03:34] How this experience created deep head trash around sales[04:07] Learning that it's possible to sell with integrity and still reach financial goals[04:18] The Shinfu sales process and its emphasis on truly understanding client motives[04:45] The cultural contrast between ethical selling and high-pressure tactics[05:15] Why zero-pressure selling builds long-term trust and better business outcomes[05:33] Addressing the belief that “your work should speak for itself”[06:01] Introducing The Contractor Fight's Platoon coaching group for ethical sales training[06:52] Invitation to apply for Platoon and start selling in a way that feels right=================================

Title: The Art of War! How Do You Beat the Top Salesperson in Your Profession or City? Host: Michael J. Maher Guest: Keith Krikorian Description: In this strategic episode of Referrals Podcast, host Michael J. Maher is joined by Keith Krikorian—top-producing Realtor and author of The Art of War for Real Estate Agents. Together, they dive into how Sun Tzu's ancient principles of military strategy can be applied to real estate—and more importantly, how you can position yourself to compete with and even surpass the top salesperson in your market. Keith reveals how agents win before they fight through preparation, market insight, relationship-building, and strategic communication. Michael and Keith also tackle negotiation tips, niche domination, and the mindset needed to turn competitors into allies. If you're looking to gain a tactical advantage and become the most referable agent in your area, this episode is for you. (7L) Referral Strategies and Podcast Topics: Events, Strategic Marketing, Mindset, Communication, Time Management Special Offer: Event Mastery class starting June 3rd — a proven system to dominate your neighborhood with high-impact events and referral strategy.

Are you a teacher, homeschool hybrid leader, or microschool founder who feels overwhelmed by marketing your school? You're not alone—and you don't need to become a full-time marketer to attract the right families. In this episode, we're diving deep into the real, raw struggles of building a microschool from the ground up—juggling curriculum, enrollment, communication, and finances—while trying to find students who actually belong in your program. Makenzie shares the exact struggles she faced in Years 1–3 of launching her microschool—from having no enrollment system, no marketing consistency, and no follow-up strategy—to finally unlocking the systems that grew her school from 6 to 12, then 18 students in her living room… to 50… and now over 100 projected. If you've ever thought: “I'm not a salesperson.” “Marketing feels awkward.” “I just want to help kids and make a difference.” Then the Microschool Marketing Blueprint was made for you. This step-by-step course is packed with the foundational systems every microschool or homeschool hybrid needs to enroll students with confidence—and implement real growth strategies in as little as 3–6 weeks. Whether you're in Year 1 or stabilizing in Year 3, this is the marketing mentorship you've been praying for.

More of the craziest reviews on the internet! We get into some summer fun with some complaints about a Six Flags park where the lines may take up most of your day, and your honeymoon. A potato chip that makes you feel like you live during The Great Depression, and may, or may not smell like dog paws. A Psychic that may approach you with a sales pitch about demons in your chakra & much more!!Join comedians James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman as they explore the most opinionated part of the internet: The Reviews Section!Subscribe and we will see you every Monday with Your Stupid Opinions!!!Don't forget to rate & review!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this deep dive, we explore key actionable strategies from David Newman's book 'Market Eminence.' Targeted towards CEOs, founders, and professional services firm owners, the episode focuses on boosting professional standing and business growth. Key strategies discussed include defining a unique perspective (slant), positioning as a visionary (future), owning industry thinking, resisting detrimental industry practices, building brand certainty through proof, and cultivating brand gravity to attract high-quality opportunities.

In this episode, Scott Becker explores the dual roles CEOs often play in small and midsize companies.