Lead Your Way - Tom Salley Coaching

In this episode of Lead Your Way, Tom Salley sits down with John Richardson, Director of Coaching at MySalesCoach and co-founder of the Institute of Sales Coaching, to explore what great sales coaching looks like and how it can transform sales performance.

John shares his journey from sales development manager to entrepreneur, building a recruitment business that evolved into sales training and coaching before joining MySalesCoach. He reflects on taking risks, building something of his own, and learning to make career decisions with intention.

The conversation explores why coaching is one of the most powerful tools available to sales managers. John explains why reviewing calls and developing individual skills can have a greater impact than simply analysing dashboards or discussing targets.

Tom and John discuss what makes an effective one-to-one. John shares 2 defining experiences that changed his approach to management: helping a salesperson admit they were unhappy in their role, and learning to embrace honest feedback from a team member. Both reinforced the importance of creating an environment where people feel safe enough to speak openly.

They also explore the Institute of Sales Coaching, a programme designed to help sales coaches and managers turn their experience and instincts into deliberate coaching practices. From imposter syndrome to balancing expertise with curiosity, John explains why great coaches sometimes need to step back rather than provide the answers.

Finally, they discuss AI coaching and MySalesCoach's vision for connecting coaching with the flow of work. From preparing for negotiations to improving cold emails, AI can support salespeople between sessions while allowing human coaches to focus on deeper, more strategic conversations.

Takeaways

• Coaching is one of a sales manager's most powerful tools for improving performance.
• Effective one-to-ones start with the person, not the manager's agenda.
• Psychological safety enables honest conversations and meaningful progress.
• Managers need to learn how to coach, not simply manage targets.
• Great coaches balance experience with curiosity.
• AI can amplify human coaching rather than replace it.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to John Richardson & MySalesCoach
00:49 From SDR Recruitment to Sales Coaching
03:50 Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship
06:55 Taking Control of Your Career
11:07 Building Systems for Sales Success
13:28 Keeping Sales Skills Sharp
14:48 Why Coaching Calls Matter
17:17 The Challenge of Sales Management One-to-Ones
19:27 Creating Space for Honest Conversations
20:47 Helping a Salesperson Admit They Were Unhappy
22:55 Letting the Coachee Lead
24:28 Why Managers Need Coaching Training
25:19 The Institute of Sales Coaching
28:57 Why Sales Coaching Needs Its Own Qualification
30:15 Building the Institute & Imposter Syndrome
33:02 Becoming a Better Sales Coach
35:46 Balancing Experience with Curiosity
38:30 Accountability & Psychological Safety
40:27 Why Independent Coaching Matters
41:31 The Mission to Elevate Sales Coaching
43:07 What AI Coaching Should Look Like
43:54 Human Coaching & Accountability
45:28 Learning from a Human Running Coach
45:46 Connecting Coaching to the Flow of Work
46:07 AI Support for Important Sales Conversations
46:45 Improving Cold Emails with AI
48:07 Will There Be an AI John Richardson?

In this episode of Lead Your Way, Tom Salley sits down with Antonia Gandke, Lead Account Manager at Pexapark and an AI enthusiast, to explore how AI is changing the way we work, sell and create value.

Antonia shares how she has integrated AI into her daily work, from building agents and onboarding systems to analysing sales calls, preparing for client meetings and surfacing opportunities from years of CRM data.

The conversation goes beyond using AI to write emails. Antonia explains how she became more AI-native through experimentation, building and iteration, and how her AI Build Clinics helped colleagues and senior leaders overcome resistance and start building with AI themselves.

Tom and Antonia discuss what happens when AI becomes more than a productivity tool: a working partner that can challenge your thinking, analyse your performance, help prepare for client conversations and even question commercial decisions.

A central theme is human value in an AI-enabled workplace. If AI can increasingly handle repetitive execution, where does the value of a salesperson or leader come from? Antonia argues that AI creates more space for strategic thinking, creativity and meaningful client conversations, while making human judgement and experience even more important.

They also explore the risks of AI-generated work, the importance of challenging AI outputs, and what happens to junior sales roles when traditional entry-level tasks become increasingly automated.

From AI adoption and organisational resistance to sales, career development and remote work, this episode explores what it really means to work alongside AI rather than simply use it.

Takeaways

• Becoming AI-native is about building and experimenting, not just prompting.
• Clear instructions and boundaries can dramatically improve AI outputs.
• AI can free sales professionals to focus more on strategy and client conversations.
• Human judgement becomes more important as AI handles more execution.
• AI outputs should be challenged and iterated, not blindly accepted.
• Leaders can overcome AI resistance by building something themselves.
• Experience still matters when assessing whether AI-generated work is actually good.
• AI can become a critical thinking partner for sales and career development.
• The future of junior sales roles may change as AI takes over repetitive tasks.
• Remote teams still need deliberate rituals and in-person connection.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Antonia Gandke & Pexapark
01:16 Rebuilding the Revenue Organisation
03:14 Using AI to Transform Onboarding
05:01 Building AI Agents for Sales
08:09 What's Next: AI, Agents & Dashboards
09:03 Is Salesforce Still Necessary?
10:18 AI Adoption & Organisational Resistance
12:26 Why Leaders Struggle to Adopt AI
14:00 The AI Build Clinic
17:00 Becoming AI-Native
19:34 AI, Vision & the 80/20 Mindset
21:59 What's the Human Value in Sales Now?
23:17 AI Creates More Space for Client Conversations
24:57 The Risks of AI-Generated Work
29:27 Are We Becoming Less Critical of AI?
31:23 The Future of Junior Sales Roles
34:22 Why Experience Still Matters
36:21 Using AI to Critique Your Sales Calls
39:05 Can AI Challenge Commercial Decisions?
40:18 AI as a Thinking Partner
41:31 AI, Career Development & Remote Work
43:52 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Lead Your Way, Tom Salley sits down with Harry Pelivanidis, Managing Partner at Berg Search, to explore his journey from individual contributor to senior leader and his ambition to one day build something of his own.

Harry shares his journey from studying in Barcelona to building his career in Athens, from customer-facing and business development roles to Dialectica and Guidepoint, where he progressed to Vice President of Customer Success. He then moved into the startup world with Berg Search, where he now helps lead the company as Managing Partner.

The conversation explores what it really means to lead people: why trust should come first, how to balance being close to your team with maintaining professional boundaries, and why leadership success should be measured by what you achieve through your team, rather than what you accomplish yourself.

Harry reflects on building diverse teams, understanding different personalities and motivations, giving people autonomy, and creating an environment where people can grow. He shares a powerful leadership lesson: your role isn't to create people who are just like you, but to help each person become the best version of themselves.

Tom and Harry also discuss ambition, career progression and long-term goals, including what happens when you finally achieve a major milestone and find yourself asking: "What now?"

From studying abroad to building a career in Athens and eventually stepping into startup leadership, Harry offers a thoughtful perspective on trust, ambition, purpose and creating meaningful impact through other people.

• Leadership success comes from what you achieve through your team.
• Trust creates engagement, ownership and accountability.
• Great leaders balance approachability with professional boundaries.
• Diverse teams benefit from different personalities, strengths and motivations.
• Moving from individual contributor to leader requires redefining your own value.
• Delegation is about giving people ownership, not simply giving away tasks.
• Great leaders create an environment where people can grow.
• Your career path doesn't need to follow someone else's definition of success.
• Personal ambition and helping others succeed can go hand in hand.
• Leadership is about listening, trusting, coaching and inspiring.
• Achieving a major goal can create a new challenge: figuring out what comes next.
• Meaningful work comes from creating positive change in the lives of others.

00:00 Introduction to Harry Pelivanidis & Berg Search
01:03 From Corporate Life to Startup Leadership
04:09 Why Hiring for Startups Is Different
07:44 Harry's Multicultural Background & Early Years
09:42 Barcelona, Entrepreneurship & Expanding Your Perspective
10:27 How Different Experiences Shaped Harry's Leadership Style
14:20 Building Diverse Teams
17:42 Trust First: How Harry Leads His Team at Berg
20:10 Listening, Trust & Avoiding Micromanagement
22:28 Being Close Without Losing Boundaries
27:28 From Individual Contributor to Managing Partner
31:00 Defining Your Own Version of Career Success
38:20 What Happens When You Finally Reach Your Big Goal?
40:00 Measuring Leadership Success Through Your Team
42:00 The Power of Trust & Freedom in Leadership
45:01 The Long-Term Dream of Building His Own Company
48:24 From Greece to the Global Stage
52:27 Why Long-Term Goals Keep You Moving Forward
53:32 The Real Driver: Helping Other People Grow
56:14 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Lead Your Way, Tom Salley sits down with Sophie Allen, founder of Trampoline, a specialist recruitment company focused on helping SaaS companies find exceptional SDR and BDR talent.

Sophie shares her journey from building SDR recruitment teams at Venatrix to launching her own business and placing nearly 150 sales development professionals in her first year. She explains how focusing on a specific niche, building a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, and creating a candidate-first approach helped her grow a successful recruitment business independently.

The conversation explores the evolution of SDR recruitment, why traditional assessment centres are changing, how LinkedIn has transformed talent acquisition, and why specialization can become a powerful competitive advantage for entrepreneurs.

Tom and Sophie also discuss the future of sales development in the age of AI, whether SDR roles are really disappearing, how companies should balance automation with human connection, and what it takes to build a business while raising a young family.

From moving to Nice, France, to running a business remotely, Sophie shares the realities of entrepreneurship, staying present, and creating a lifestyle around the work you love.

• Specialization can create a strong personal brand and make you the go-to expert in a specific market.
• LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful channels for finding and attracting modern sales talent.
• Recruitment success depends on understanding both companies’ needs and candidates’ motivations.
• Traditional group assessment centres can sometimes reward performance rather than true ability.
• AI will transform sales development but is unlikely to replace the human relationships that drive successful selling.
• SDRs and BDRs remain critical roles when combined with strong processes, technology, and coaching.
• Building a business around your strengths can create more freedom and flexibility.
• Entrepreneurship requires balancing ambition, family, and personal priorities.
• Remote work enables founders to build companies from anywhere in the world.
• Staying focused on delivering value today can be more powerful than over-planning the future.

00:00 Introduction to Sophie Allen & Trampoline

01:20 Building a Successful SDR Recruitment Business

03:00 From Venatrix Assessment Centres to a New Recruitment Model

06:20 How Trampoline Finds Top SDR & BDR Talent Today

09:20 The Power of Niching Down as an Entrepreneur

11:45 Are SDRs Being Replaced by AI?

14:30 How AI Is Changing Sales Development Skills

16:40 Building a Business While Raising a Family

20:10 Entrepreneurship, Lifestyle & Staying Present

23:20 Why Sophie Chose Nice, France as Her Base

27:10 Building Networks Outside Traditional Business Hubs

29:35 The Future of Trampoline & What Comes Next

In this episode of Lead Your Way, Tom Salley sits down with Suji Goetzke, Head of GTM at Trellus and one of the fastest-growing voices in modern B2B sales. Known online as "The American Who Cold Calls the UK," Suji shares how she built a personal brand from scratch, leveraged social selling to accelerate her career, and became a recognized thought leader in sales at just 23 years old.

From making collection calls at a local gym to leading go-to-market initiatives for a fast-growing SaaS company, Suji's journey highlights the power of consistency, resilience, and authentic relationship building. The conversation explores cold calling across different cultures, managing and coaching sales talent, the realities of digital nomad life, and why outbound sales remains one of the most effective growth channels.

Tom and Suji also discuss the role of AI in modern sales teams, the balance between automation and human connection, and what it takes to stand out in today's competitive sales landscape.

• Personal branding can create career opportunities faster than traditional paths.
• Cold calling remains one of the most effective outbound channels when done consistently.
• Social selling and sales development are becoming increasingly connected.
• Great sales leaders focus on coaching, adaptability, and individual growth.
• AI should enhance strong sales processes, not replace them.
• Digital nomad life offers freedom but comes with challenges around stability and relationships.
• Building genuine connections is still at the heart of successful selling.

00:00 Introduction to Suji Goetzke

02:00 Growing a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

08:00 Early Sales Lessons & First Cold Calls

13:00 Women in Sales and Standing Out

18:00 Living as a Digital Nomad in Europe

22:00 Building and Leading a GTM Team

27:00 Why Cold Calling Still Works

31:00 AI, Automation & The Future of Sales

36:00 Career Growth and What's Next

The conversation explores Elric Legloire's journey as the Outbound Chef, detailing his experiences from living in Mexico to leading sales teams. It delves into his career progression, the challenges of building a company, and the transformative role of AI in sales. Topics include leadership, entrepreneurship, AI integration, and the importance of strategic planning. Elric shares insights on effective outbound strategies, the role of leadership, and the impact of AI on modern sales processes.

Takeaways
Leadership Involvement: Essential from day one in outbound strategy.
Data Investment: Critical for targeting the right accounts.
AI Integration: Enhances efficiency and reduces manual tasks.
Strategic Planning: Avoids common pitfalls in scaling sales teams.
Coaching and Training: Vital for developing effective sales reps.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Elric Legloire

04:00 Career Journey and Challenges

12:00 Leadership and Management Insights

20:00 AI's Role in Modern Sales

28:00 Building Efficient Sales Systems

34:00 Future Plans and Entrepreneurship

The conversation covers Benoit Kuhn's journey as the co-founder of Atlas - The Recruitment Platform. It delves into his career progression, the challenges of building a company, and the influence of poker on his leadership and decision-making. The conversation covers topics such as hiring, entrepreneurship, poker, work-life balance, and sales strategy. Ben discusses his experience with hiring, the connection between entrepreneurship and poker, the growth of AI, and the importance of work-life balance. He also seeks advice on improving the sales pipeline for his company, Atlas.

Takeaways

• Entrepreneurial Journey
• Leadership Challenges Hiring is a critical aspect of business success
• Entrepreneurship and poker share common attributes
• AI is rapidly evolving and impacting business development
• Work-life balance is essential for productivity and well-being
• Effective sales strategy involves seeking 'no's' and empowering clients to find solutions
• Automating the sales process can enhance efficiency

Chapters

• 00:00 The Journey to Co-Founding Atlas
• 04:45 Building Atlas and the Role of AI
• 12:04 Challenges of Building a Company
• 18:57 Influence of Poker on Leadership
• 26:03 The Impact of AI on Business Development
• 35:57 Work-Life Balance and Productivity