Sales as Service

Links for Show Notes - Phil "The Connector" Herrington

Phil “The Connector” Herrington spent more than three decades in sales, including years of cold calling and door-to-door prospecting. When he discovered business networking, he brought that same sales mindset with him—and admits he initially got it completely wrong. He treated every one-to-one like a lead instead of a relationship.

Today, Phil helps B2B business owners build strategic relationships through The Connector Community. In this episode, we talk about what changed when he stopped trying to close every conversation and started focusing on giving first. We also get practical about the other side of relationship-first sales: eventually, you still have to ask. Phil shares how to make that ask easier, why he prefers introductions over referrals, and how consistency and enough conversations keep a pipeline moving without turning people into numbers.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why your first networking conversation doesn’t need to become a sales call
• The simple shift from asking for “referrals” to asking for specific introductions
• How to create value before asking someone to buy
• Why relationship-first sellers still need to get comfortable making the ask
• How consistent prospecting keeps you out of the feast-or-famine cycle

Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

This week, pick one person already in your network—a client, former client, partner, colleague, or someone you’ve built a genuine relationship with.

Instead of asking, “Do you know anyone who needs what I do?” make the ask specific.

Think about the kind of person or business you want to meet, then ask: “Who comes to mind when you think of [specific role, industry, or type of business]?”

If someone comes to mind, ask whether they’d be comfortable making an introduction.

Then return the favor. Ask who they would like to meet and look for one connection, resource, or opportunity you can share.

Relationship-first selling doesn’t mean never asking. It means earning the right to ask—and making it easy for someone to help.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more The Connector Community
• Connect with Phil on LinkedIn
• Find Phil on Instagram and Facebook

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Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

Talking to someone outside your network can feel like a very different kind of sales conversation. Brian Ondrako helps founders make that shift. After 15 years in software sales, he now works with early stage businesses that need to move beyond their first warm introductions and build a more consistent sales process.

In this conversation, Brian and I talk about what changes when you stop trying to sell and start helping someone buy. We get into the questions that uncover the real problem, the habits that keep a pipeline moving, and why a message with someone’s name in it still might not feel personal. Brian also walks through the numbers founders need to know so “I need more business” can become a plan.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why sales is a skill you can practice, even if talking to strangers feels uncomfortable
• How deeper discovery can reveal a different problem than the one a prospect first describes
• The difference between personalized outreach and a message that shows you understand the person
• A simple way to start prospecting with a focused list of 25 to 50 people
• How deal size, close rate, and pipeline coverage help you plan for a revenue goal

Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Talk to someone new this week. Choose one type of client you can help and make a list of five people or businesses outside your immediate network. Spend a few minutes learning about each one. Then reach out to at least one with a short message that reflects something specific you noticed and opens a conversation.

Put another block on your calendar to keep going. The goal is to start a habit you can repeat and learn from.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Brian Ondrako
• Connect with Brian on LinkedIn and YouTube
• Let Brian roast your sales call!

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

A lot of women tell me they’re not good at sales or networking. But sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re bad at either one. We’ve just been trying to do them in a way that doesn’t feel like us.

My guest, Wendy Barr, has spent more than two decades creating a different kind of space for women in business. What began as a happy hour with five women in Denver grew into Women’s Business Link, a community that reached more than 5,000 members and eventually evolved into the virtual community Wendy leads today.

In this conversation, Wendy and I talk about what changes when we stop trying to fit ourselves into someone else’s version of sales, networking, or even personal branding. We also get into the importance of staying consistent long enough for something to work, finding the communities where you can build genuine relationships, and letting people see more than just your expertise.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why relationship-building can be one of our greatest strengths in sales
• What Wendy learned from growing a five-person happy hour into a community of thousands
• Why showing up matters even when networking or selling feels uncomfortable
• How personal stories help people understand who you are beyond your expertise
• Why consistency and knowing when to make a small adjustment can be more useful than constantly changing your strategy

Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/


Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

This week, put yourself in one room where a new relationship can happen.

That can be an in-person networking event, a virtual community, an industry group, or even a conversation you’ve been meaning to start with someone already in your network.

Your job isn’t to pitch yourself or walk away with a lead. Just show up as yourself and talk to someone you don’t already know.

Ask a question. Get curious. Find out something about the person on the other side of the conversation.

As Wendy said, there are people out there looking for someone like you. But they can’t find you if you don’t show up.


Links & Resources:

• Find Wendy on Instagram and Facebook
• Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn
• Drop Wendy a note at [email protected] or schedule a call

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

When it comes to sales and business development, most of us know what we should be doing. Reach out. Follow up. Ask for the referral. Start the conversation. But knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things.

In this episode, I'm talking with Robin J. Emdon, creator of GetResultsology, about why capable, motivated business owners still procrastinate on the work that matters. We look at procrastination through the lens of sales, including why we'll suddenly decide the website needs our immediate attention when there are outreach calls to make. Robin shares how accountability can help close the gap between knowing and doing, why big goals can sometimes create more resistance, and how taking small, imperfect action can help us build momentum instead.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why procrastination isn't always a discipline or motivation problem
• What makes sales outreach particularly easy to avoid
• Why accountability works differently than simply knowing what you should do
• How Robin's "island hopping" approach makes big projects easier to start
• Why small, imperfect action can be more effective than waiting until you have the whole plan figured out

Find the complete show notes here: https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Pick one sales or business development task you've been avoiding — the follow-up, the outreach, the referral ask, whatever keeps getting pushed to next week.

Then make the next step almost ridiculously small.

Not "do my outreach." Send one message.

Not "follow up with my pipeline." Follow up with one person.

Not "build a referral strategy." Ask one happy client if someone comes to mind who could use your help.

Then add Robin's accountability piece. Tell one person exactly what you're going to do and when you're going to do it.

And do it before you have time to make it bigger.

You don't need the perfect system before you start. You need one small, imperfect action that creates enough momentum for the next one.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Get Resultsology: https://getresultsology.com/
• Connect with Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinjemdon/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinjemdon/

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

What if being good at sales has less to do with personality and more to do with practice?

Chaz Horn didn't start his career as a natural salesperson. In his first commission-only sales job, he went months without making a sale. Then a mentor helped him change what he believed was possible, gave him a process to follow, and challenged him to practice it. Within 45 days, Chaz had become the number-three salesperson out of a team of 119. That experience eventually shaped the way he now teaches sales to B2B founders and teams.

In this episode, Chaz and I talk about what actually makes someone better at sales. We get into his TTABS framework—tactic, technique, attitude, behavior, and strategy—but we also spend a lot of time on something even more fundamental: taking action before you feel completely ready, learning from what happens, and treating sales as a way to help someone move toward a goal rather than convincing them to buy something.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why salespeople are developed, not born
• How belief in yourself and what you sell affects the entire sales conversation
• Chaz's TTABS framework for diagnosing where a sales process is breaking down
• Why execution—not access to more information—is often the real challenge
• How to use LinkedIn conversations, content, and your existing network without jumping straight into a pitch
• Why rejected prospects can become one of your best sources of sales feedback
• How founders can turn what works for them into a repeatable process a sales team can actually follow

Find the complete show notes here: https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Before your next sales or prospecting conversation, take a minute to notice the thought you're bringing into it. Are you worried about sounding salesy? Feeling like you need to prove your value? Already thinking about whether they'll say yes?

I do this exercise myself because when I get too focused on serving, solving, or proving I can help, I can end up talking too much and oversharing—the exact behavior I'm trying to avoid.

Write down that thought, then ask yourself: If I believe this, how am I likely to show up?

Replace it with a simpler reminder: My job is to show up, ask good questions, listen, and help this person make the best decision for themselves and their business—whether that's me, someone else, or something else entirely.

Take that mindset into the conversation and notice what changes.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Chaz Horn: https://chazhorn.com
• Connect with Chaz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaz-horn and YouTube: https://youtube.com/@chazhorn547
• Download the B2B Blueprint to Predictable Sales: https://chazhorn.com/the-b2b-blueprint-to-predictable-sales

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

You made the sale. You delivered the work. Now comes the part a lot of business owners would rather avoid: asking to be paid.

In this episode of Sales as Service, I'm talking with Dee Bowden, founder of Collect the Cash and a revenue recovery expert who has recovered more than $100 million over the course of her career. Dee makes the case that accounts receivable isn't simply a back-office function. It's part of sales, customer service, and the overall client relationship.

We talk about why unpaid invoices usually have a story behind them, how to investigate what actually happened without immediately assuming the worst, and why the confidence required to collect your money is built the same way sales confidence is: through practice, coaching, and repetition.

In this episode, we get into:

- Why the sale isn't complete until the money is actually in the bank

- Dee's Four Keys to Collect the Cash: problem solving, customer service, gratitude, and relationship building

- The common administrative issues hiding behind unpaid invoices

- Why asking to be paid doesn't have to feel confrontational

- How to build the confidence to have uncomfortable money conversations and keep the client relationship intact

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Pick one invoice or one client who's gone quiet on payment. Don't assume the worst. Reach out and ask what happened.

Maybe your contact changed. Maybe something got lost in a system update. Listen for the real story, thank them for their business, and write down what you learn so you're better prepared the next time it happens.

Dee's work is a good reminder that the follow-through is part of the sale, not separate from it.

Links & Resources:

- Learn more about Collect the Cash: https://collectthecash.biz/

- Connect with Dee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deebowden

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

If your marketing feels like a never-ending demand to post more, follow trends, and figure out the latest algorithm, Hailey Rowe has a different approach. The marketing and sales coach teaches a four-step client attraction framework designed to move people from stranger to client without making social media the center of your business.

In this episode of Sales as Service, Hailey and I talk about why marketing and sales work better together, what it actually means to proactively meet new people each week, and why the sales conversation should feel like an invitation rather than a push. We also dig into handling objections with curiosity, turning word of mouth into a more intentional referral strategy, and knowing when to stick with a marketing strategy instead of abandoning it for the next shiny object.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Hailey’s four steps of client attraction: Connect, Engage, Pre-Offer, and Sell
• Why visibility doesn’t have to mean constantly posting or following social media trends
• How to approach sales objections with questions and curiosity instead of canned responses
• How service businesses can turn word-of-mouth referrals into a repeatable strategy
• Why you should improve what’s already showing signs of working before adding another marketing tactic

Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Look at the people you’ve connected with recently—on LinkedIn, in your inbox, at a networking event, wherever—and pick one.

Don’t pitch them. Don’t tell them what you do.

Ask a genuine question about what they’re working on, what they’re trying to solve, or where they’re getting stuck.

Then actually listen to the answer.

Because connecting with someone is only the first step. Engaging them in a real conversation is step two—and it’s the one most of us skip.

Your job this week isn’t to make the sale. It’s simply to start the conversation.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Hailey Rowe.
• Find Hailey on Instagram and Facebook. 
• Connect with Hailey on LinkedIn. 
• Listen to the Health Coach Nation Podcast. 
• Get the 4 Steps to Client Attraction without Social Media Overwhelm. 

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

You can have years of experience, deliver great work, and still be one of the best-kept secrets in your industry. Because expertise alone doesn't make you visible - and it doesn't automatically give people a reason to remember you.

In this episode of Sales as Service, I'm talking with personal branding strategist Nuria Garcia about how service-based founders can use their own experiences and stories to stand out in a crowded market. We talk about why we tend to overlook the most interesting parts of our own stories, how to connect personal experiences back to your expertise, and why that becomes even more important as AI makes information easier for anyone to generate. We also get into the piece that often gets missed: visibility isn't business development until you use it to start conversations.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why doing great work isn't enough if people don't know what makes you different
• How to uncover stories and experiences you've probably been taking for granted
• Why your story becomes more valuable as AI-generated content becomes more common
• The difference between being visible and actually building trust
• How to turn engagement into business development by being the first person to say hello

Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Set a timer for 15-20 minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about the experiences that have shaped how you work, think, or serve your clients.

Don't edit. Don't filter. Don't decide yet whether something is interesting enough to share. Just write.

Then go back through what you have and find one moment you can connect directly to a business lesson, perspective, or outcome. It doesn't have to be dramatic. It just needs to be true.

Share that story this week in whatever way feels right-a LinkedIn post, an email, a message to a client, or a conversation with someone in your network.

The story you take for granted may be the one that helps someone understand why they want to work with you.

Links & Resources:

• Find Nuria on Instagram
• Connect with Nuria on LinkedIn

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

What if the business that got you here is also the thing keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m talking with Income Architect and International Keynote Speaker Christina Kokologiannakis about what she calls Shadow Success: the point when a business can look successful from the outside while the model behind it requires too much time, energy, or effort to keep growing. Christina has spent years building and studying business models designed to create more revenue without requiring more hours - and helping other founders rethink what growth can look like.

We dig into her Income Jump framework and why breaking through a revenue plateau may not require finding a new audience or starting over. Instead, the opportunity may be hiding inside what you’ve already built: a bigger problem you can solve, a stronger transformation you can sell, a different pricing structure, or a more focused approach to sales. We also talk about Christina’s idea of becoming a Time Billionaire - building a business that supports the life you want instead of becoming the life you have.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to recognize when you’ve fallen into Shadow Success
• Why a revenue plateau doesn’t necessarily mean you need more leads
• How Christina approaches an Income Jump using the audience and expertise you already have
• Why undercharging can be connected to confidence and how clearly you communicate the transformation you provide
• What Christina would do if she had only one hour a day to grow her business - and why her answer is sales, not more content

Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Look at how many clients or customers you need at your current price to hit your revenue goal. Then do the math again at double that price.

If that new number feels uncomfortable, pay attention to that. You may be undercharging.

You don’t have to make a full Income Jump today. Choose one offer and raise the price enough to stretch your comfort zone. Then practice saying that new number out loud until it starts to feel normal.

Links & Resources:

• Find Christina on Instagram and YouTube
• Connect with Christina on LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Time Billionaire Society

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

For a lot of founders, writing a book lives on the “someday” list. But what if a book isn’t simply a personal milestone? What if it could become a strategic tool for building authority, reaching the right people, and creating new opportunities for your business?

In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m joined by publishing strategist Ally Machate, founder of The Writer’s Ally. Ally has spent her career working with books, authors, and publishers, and she makes an important distinction: there’s a difference between writing a good book and writing the right book. We talk about how to work backward from your business goals to determine what your book should actually be about, why knowing your reader matters as much as knowing your subject, and how the process of writing a book can change the way you see your own expertise.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why a book can be a business-growth tool, not simply a credibility piece
• The “good book, wrong book” problem—and how to avoid it
• How to work backward from your business goals to find the right book idea
• Why your book needs to meet readers where they are instead of simply sharing everything you know
• How becoming an author can help you more fully step into your authority

Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Pick one piece of content you’re working on—a proposal, pitch, lead magnet, or presentation—and run it through Ally’s process.

Define the business goal and get specific about who it’s meant to serve. Then ask: Does what I’ve created actually deliver what that person needs, or is it simply what I wanted to say?

If there’s a gap, close it before you invest more time.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about The Writer’s Ally
• Watch the free webinar Don’t Write the Wrong Book
• Connect with Ally on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
• Follow The Writer’s Ally on YouTube
• Find Ally on Goodreads and Amazon

Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call. 

Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. 

Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.