Sales Against the Odds

The market is splitting in two, and smart businesses are already quietly repositioning to the right side.
In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Joseph Frost, MBA, co-founder of yorCMO, serial entrepreneur, and expert in fractional marketing solutions for SMBs. They explore what founder-led companies can learn about strategic marketing, customer understanding, and scaling with clarity without assuming one-size-fits-all solutions.
Joseph shares why fractional CMOs provide the leadership SMBs need to move past tactical frustration, how clear messaging based on real customer insights drives growth, and how integrating AI with human strategy can create a sustainable marketing engine.

From simplifying the buyer journey to building systems that continue to learn and scale, this conversation shows how businesses can grow smarter while freeing founders to focus on what matters most.

Key takeaways:

• How fractional CMOs deliver strategic leadership to align marketing with business goals
• Why customer interviews reveal the triggers, language, and needs that drive conversions
• How combining human expertise with AI-powered systems can create continuous growth

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:31) Transition from video business to fractional CMO
(03:24) Six marketing fundamentals overview
(06:28) Pre-sale insights drive messaging success
(08:04) Modern buyer journey and trigger points
(10:18) Enhancing word-of-mouth and sales support
(12:32) Effective website messaging and conversion tips
(16:01) Preparing marketing for AI integration
(21:09) Core growth system explained
(27:44) Founder-led marketing solutions

Connect with the team:
Joseph Frost, MBA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfrost/ 
Explore yorCMO: http://yorcmo.com 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 
Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 
Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Champions are made, not found.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Lance Black, MD, MBID, Senior Associate Dean of Innovation & Strategic Projects of Texas A&M Engineering Medicine’s innovation program, physician, engineer, and startup advisor. They explore what healthcare innovation can teach SMB leaders about customer development, champion building, early partnerships, and scaling without assuming one model fits every business.

Lance shares why the first meaningful partner can become the key to unlocking growth, why founders must keep listening long after the first customer conversations, and how small, nimble teams can use technology as an advantage. From refining your message through real conversations to developing champions with frequency, depth, and diverse engagement, this conversation shows how businesses can move faster, learn sooner, and build growth around actual customer needs.

Key takeaways:

• Why strong champions are developed through consistent, intentional engagement
• How customer conversations reveal the real value, timing, and fit of your solution
• Why scaling requires a custom strategy, not a copied playbook

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:40) How engineering medicine connects innovation and industry

(07:50) Why the first partner can unlock growth

(10:24) What SMBs can learn from healthcare partnerships

(12:07) Why the best pitch starts with conversation

(14:16) How to develop champions with intention

(18:53) Why small teams have an AI advantage

(22:10) The founder mistake that slows growth

(25:27) Why scaling needs a custom strategy

(28:16) How real-world use reveals what customers need

Connect with the team:

Lance Black, MD, MBID on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-black-innovation/ 

Explore Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine: https://enmed.tamu.edu/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ 

What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't a people problem, but a missing piece?

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Brent Robertson, CEO and Founder of Be Generative, to explore why the 150-year-old leadership narrative is leaving business owners burned out and bottlenecked. Brent introduces the choreographer mindset, the idea that leaders who design the right conditions for their teams, rather than controlling every outcome, unlock dramatically higher performance, accountability, and growth.

Brent digs into how creating clarity around authority and decision-making can immediately release the burden from leadership, why vision is most powerful when co-created by the entire team, and how companies approaching succession and exit can use that transition as a catalyst for doubling or tripling in value, rather than simply minimizing disruption.

Key takeaways:

• Designing the right team conditions is what drives lasting performance
• Clarity around authority and decision-making is the fastest way to eliminate leadership bottlenecks
• Co-creating vision with your team transforms employees into owners and accelerates growth through succession

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:47) The old leadership narrative holding SMBs back

(03:59) The choreographer mindset: designing conditions for performance

(07:50) Most problems are symptoms, not the root cause

(09:04) The architecture firm story: what was really missing

(10:36) The $350K waiting tax: what decision bottlenecks cost you

(12:42) Change where you're thinking from first

(13:43) Vision is a story about the future you want to be true

(15:05) Inviting your team to author and own the vision

(17:26) The coming fire sale in businesses and how to stand out

(28:41) Using AI and technology as a growth accelerant

Connect with the team:

Brent Robertson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson/ 

Explore Be Generative: https://www.be-generative.com/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ 

Unlock the strategies that turn business success into long-term value.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI), to discuss the Four C's: Human Capital, Customer Capital, Structural Capital, and Social Capital, and their role in driving business value. Scott explains how decentralizing ownership and focusing on value creation, rather than just income generation, can help businesses scale and prepare for a successful exit.

Scott shares how Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) guide business owners through the process of closing the "value gap" and making strategic improvements, such as building strong leadership teams, implementing scalable sales processes, and fostering a culture that aligns with long-term goals. He emphasizes the importance of involving key employees and advisors to ensure sustained growth and value creation.

Key takeaways:

• Decentralizing ownership helps drive long-term business growth and value
• Focusing on the Four C's: Human, Customer, Structural, and Social Capital
• Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) help close the "value gap" and guide strategic business improvements

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:33) The mindset shift: success vs. significance

(03:34) Why structural capital drives long-term value

(06:50) Understanding the value gap

(07:33) What is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)?

(09:21) How CEPAs close the value gap using the 4 capitals

(10:23) How sales consultants drive both revenue and value

(17:07) The 4 C's: what earns outlier multiples

(22:51) Tying key employees to the business through culture and equity

(27:48) The next-gen workforce and the need for purpose

(29:43) Educating employees on the P&L to think like owners

Connect with the team:

Scott Snider on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/ 

Explore the Exit Planning Institute: https://exit-planning-institute.org/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

Focus on the financial insights that drive growth, not just past numbers.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with David Tramontana, Area President at FocusCFO, to discuss how fractional CFOs can help SMBs scale with clarity and confidence. They get into why understanding your gross margin and cash flow is critical to making strategic decisions and ensuring sustainable growth.

David explains how fractional CFOs act as a strategic partner, guiding business owners through forecasting, financial decision-making, and identifying the right revenue opportunities. He also shares how businesses can better assess their profitability by customer, streamline their financial strategies, and prepare for a successful exit.

They explore the importance of building a predictable revenue stream, the role of a solid leadership team, and how financial clarity can relieve business owner stress, allowing them to focus on growth and value creation.

Key takeaways:

• Fractional CFOs provide the strategic insights businesses need to scale effectively
• Understanding cash flow is key to making proactive growth decisions
• Building a sustainable and transferable business value starts with strong leadership 

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:27) The rearview mirror vs. GPS analogy

(03:53) The lesson David learned the hard way

(06:27) Good sales, bad sales, and strategic sales

(09:40) One-time, reoccurring, and recurring customers

(13:22) Gross margin and fixed overhead

(15:41) Leading vs. lagging indicators

(17:49) Tracking the sales funnel as a leading indicator

(19:32) Aligning personal goals with business exit strategy

(23:57) The 13-week cash flow model

(25:45) What are KPIs?

Connect with the team:

David Tramontana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tramontana/ 

Explore FocusCFO: https://www.focuscfo.com/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

Stop chasing more data and start acting on the signals that matter.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Mehdi Tehranchi, Co-founder & CEO at KnowledgeNet.ai, to explore why revenue certainty matters, why more data does not create clarity every day, and why sales leaders should focus on the signals they are missing.

Mehdi shares the three drivers of better sales execution: ICP, messaging, and timing. He explains why AI should act like a 24/7 coworker, how predictive signals can replace spray-and-pray outreach, and why companies must focus on outcomes instead of software alone. 

They also discuss transparency, trust, governance, and how leaders can use AI to make automation native to their ideas, strengthen decision-making, and create reliable growth without losing the human judgment that protects reputation.

Key takeaways:

• AI should start with the missing signal, not a vague plan for “doing AI”
• Better sales execution comes from getting ICP, messaging, and timing right
• Trust in AI depends on transparency, human oversight, and strong governance

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:47) The three keys to quality leads: ICP, messaging, and timing

(05:17) AI as a 24/7 coworker that never stops working

(06:56) Real results: 10x lead pipeline increase case study

(08:07) Moving from spray and pray to laser focused outreach

(08:47) Trust and reputation in the age of AI transparency

(12:02) Why AI hallucination puts your reputation at risk

(17:25) The shift from software company to outcome company

(19:31) Change the question: what signal am I missing?

(22:19) AI revolution and the dependency on automation ahead

(25:09) Getting AI to work for your ideas, not the other way around

Connect with the team:

Mehdi Tehranchi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehditehranchi/ 

Explore KnowledgeNet.ai: https://knowledgenet.ai/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

Stop sacrificing profits to close deals and start maximizing your pricing potential.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Casey Brown, founder of Boost Pricing and author of Fearless Pricing, to break down what price objections really mean, and why discounting is usually a symptom, not a solution.

Casey shares the two biggest reasons sales teams cave on price, skillset and mindset. She explains how fear shows up in the moment, why leaders can become the “Chief Discount Officer,” and how SMBs can build simple guardrails that keep reps focused on the right deals. They also get tactical on how to raise prices, how to “fire” bad-fit customers the right way, and a simple 1% exercise every sales leader should run this week. 

Key takeaways:

• Price objections usually mean the value case is not clear enough yet
• Guardrails beat gut feel, define what good deals look like, and what you will not sell
• A 1% price increase can drive a meaningful jump in profit, with less risk than chasing volume

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:23) Why pricing is part math, part human behavior

(04:32) The real issue is confidence, not better scripts

(08:58) How leaders accidentally train teams to discount

(12:05) Deal swim lanes that protect margins

(15:57) Raising prices to move on from bad fit customers

(21:10) Communicating price increases with clarity and control

(25:16) Why discounts create the wrong expectations fast

(31:14) The 1% move that builds confidence and profit

Connect with the team:

Casey Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseybrownboost/ 

Explore Boost Pricing: https://boostpricing.com/ 

Explore Fearless Pricing: https://www.caseybrown.com/books
Explore Casey’s website: https://www.caseybrown.com/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

Sales growth isn’t just about hiring more people, it’s about building the right systems.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh talks to Jason Flanzbaum, president of Boca Bearing, and Michael Wills, Fractional Sales Leader at Sales Xceleration, about the journey of transitioning from a marketing-driven to a sales-driven organization. 

Jason shares the challenges of scaling his business, the frustrations of managing salespeople, and the critical moment when they realized they needed a structured sales approach. They explore how Michael helped align sales processes, redefine roles, and pivot the company toward targeting industrial buyers. 

From managing sales teams to refining incentive structures and using tools like HubSpot, this conversation will give insight on the key strategies for SMBs to achieve sustainable growth and long-term success.

Key takeaways:

• The importance of transitioning from a marketing-driven to a sales-driven organization
• How fractional sales leadership helps align strategy and drive growth
• Why structured sales processes and clear role definitions are key to scaling an SMB

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:33) Discussion on sales challenges

(04:03) Transitioning from a marketing-driven to a sales-driven organization

(06:26) Implementing effective sales strategies for growth

(08:03) Building and managing a high-performing sales team

(11:03) Adapting to new market demands and evolving the business model

(14:19) Leveraging technology for sales growth and efficiency

(21:04) The role of AI in enhancing sales operations

(24:49) Networking and its role in driving business success

Connect with the team:

Michael Wills on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwills2/ 

Jason Flanzbaum on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-flanzbaum-32674362/
Explore Boca Bearing: https://www.bocabearings.com/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It accelerates them.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Sam Sharma, founder and CEO of Elevate AI Tech, to discuss what AI adoption really looks like inside growing SMBs. Sam reveals why most AI initiatives fail, how poor data and broken workflows breed chaos, and why AI is more of a change management challenge than a tech issue. 

They dig into real examples from sales, operations, and training, including how Sales Xceleration leverages AI to cut admin drag, boost consistency, and plug revenue leaks faster. From AI opportunity mapping to the shift from AI-enhanced to AI-first businesses, this conversation cuts through the noise and focuses on building systems that drive confidence, not just speed.

Key takeaways:

• Why AI tools fail without clean data and connected systems
• How AI opportunity mapping identifies the highest ROI use cases
• Why systems build confidence, and confidence drives revenue

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:10) Sam Sharma on 20 years in tech and the human side of AI

(03:23) Find workflow gaps with AI opportunity mapping

(05:12) Where AI fits in sales for prediction and smarter plays

(09:23) Real examples of AI in action from clicks to conversions

(12:31) Why AI rollouts stall and how to get real adoption

(16:59) How to measure ROI before you buy the next tool

(21:41) What is next for AI and personalized sales training

Connect with the team:

Sam Sharma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsconsultant/
Explore Elevate AI Tech: https://elevateaitech.com/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/  

If you communicate clearly, you win.

In this episode, Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and bestselling author of Building a StoryBrand, to break down why clear messaging is the ultimate competitive advantage in sales and marketing.

Donald explains why customers tune out most marketing, how the human brain is wired for survival, and why short, repeatable, zero cognitive load messages outperform clever or complex language every time. 

Together, Lee and Donald connect the dots between marketing clarity and sales execution, from subject lines and calls to action to sales enablement, AI, and owning a single problem in the marketplace.

Key takeaways:

• Why customers only pay attention to messages tied to their survival
• How to create zero cognitive load messaging that sales teams can actually use
• How marketing should warm leads before sales ever gets involved

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:11) Why buyers tune out most marketing messages

(02:05) How survival language cuts through noise

(04:14) Writing emails buyers actually open and read

(07:30) Why clarity wins attention in any market

(11:53) Turning marketing clarity into sales momentum

(17:47) Where AI helps and where it hurts sales and marketing

(20:43) What StoryBrand is focused on next

(26:33) Using clear language at work and at home

(29:35) One focus every SMB needs to grow

(32:47) Owning one problem to drive scalable sales

Connect with the team:

Donald Miller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-miller-storybrand/
Explore StoryBrand: https://storybrand.com/ 

Explore Building A StoryBrand 2.0: https://storybrand.com/building-a-storybrand-book-new/ 

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ 

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ 

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/