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.

Most businesses that struggle to attract the right clients don't actually have a business problem — they have a message that's doing the opposite of what they think it is. 

In this episode of Sales as Service, Tam sits down with Kay McKenzie, founder of Women in Alignment, to explore how positioning, messaging, and relationship building work together to create steady business growth. Rather than chasing algorithms or trying to sound more impressive, Kay explains why the strongest brands are the ones people immediately recognize, remember, and confidently recommend.

Together, they unpack why women founders often hesitate to put themselves forward, how perfectionism quietly weakens sales efforts, and why referrals aren't passive at all—they're the result of consistently investing in people long before anyone is ready to buy. The conversation also explores how AI fits into relationship-driven businesses and why authentic human connection is becoming even more valuable as technology evolves.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why weak messaging focuses on you instead of your audience
• How positioning helps the right clients recognize you immediately
• Why referrals are earned through consistent relationship building
• How perfectionism keeps many founders from becoming visible
• Why trust is built through consistency across every customer touchpoint

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

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Choose five people already in your network.

People you've already built some level of relationship with.

Spend the next week intentionally reconnecting. Send a quick check-in message. Comment thoughtfully on something they've shared. Make an introduction. Celebrate a win. Offer help without expecting anything in return.

The goal isn't to generate a sale.

The goal is to become someone who stays top of mind by consistently showing up.

As Kay says, "Your network is good when you're good to your network." Relationships grow through consistent investment—not occasional outreach.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Women in Alignment
• Connect with Kay on Facebook and LinkedIn
• Join the Women in Alignment Facebook Group. 

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.

Persuasion has a reputation problem. 

For many founders and service professionals, it brings to mind pressure tactics, scripted sales pitches, and convincing someone to say yes. Danny Bobrow sees it differently.

In this episode, Danny shares the framework behind the Persuasion Blueprint, a practical approach built around three principles: signaling care, earning trust, and collaborating with the person in front of you. Rather than teaching people how to become more persuasive for their own benefit, Danny explains how better communication helps buyers feel understood, confident, and empowered to make the right decision.

Together, we explore why so many sales conversations stall after a promising start, how to avoid "expert override," and why listening may be the most overlooked sales skill of all. Whether you're having conversations in person, over Zoom, in your DMs, or through email, this episode will challenge the way you think about persuasion—and show you how to make every conversation feel more human.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why persuasion is an act of service—not manipulation.
• Danny's three pillars of persuasive communication: signaling care, earning trust, and collaboration.
• The "10-second rule" for creating an immediate sense of care and connection.
• How "expert override" quietly sabotages sales conversations.
• Why listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give another person—and how it changes the way people experience working with you.

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

Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!

Do a listening audit on one recent sales conversation.

If you're already recording your discovery calls, pull up your most recent conversation. If not, think back to one you remember clearly.

Ask yourself three questions:

• Did you signal care within the first 10 seconds, or did you jump straight into your agenda?
• Were there moments where you slipped into explaining your solution before fully understanding the problem?
• Did the conversation feel collaborative—or did it feel like you were presenting while the other person simply listened?

The goal isn't to get better at selling everyone. It's to get better at serving the people you're uniquely equipped to help when there's a genuine fit.

And the only way to do that is through consistent, intentional practice.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Danny Bobrow. 
• Access your Persuasion Score. 
• Connect with Danny on LinkedIn and Facebook. 

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.

Most small business owners wrestle with the same question: is it a sales problem or a marketing problem?

I recently recorded our very first Sales as Service LIVE office hours - and Shannon Kinney, Founder & CEO of Dream Local Digital, joined me to dig into exactly that. Shannon brings more than 30 years of leadership experience building scalable digital strategies for brands like LinkedIn, Google, eBay, and Microsoft. Since founding Dream Local Digital in 2009, she’s helped thousands of small businesses and media companies develop marketing strategies designed to grow and scale.

This episode is the full replay of that live conversation. We talk about why sales and marketing aren’t interchangeable, how to tell which one is holding your business back, and the practical systems that help the two work together - so you’re not stuck waiting on referrals or random inbound leads.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Do I need more leads, or do I just need to get better at closing the ones I have?” - this conversation will give you a clear way to answer that.

Key Takeaways

• The simple way to know if you have a sales problem or a marketing problem - and why the fix is rarely “do more of everything”
• Why marketing generates attention, but sales is what turns that attention into revenue
• The risks of relying only on referrals and inbound interest (and how to break the waiting game)
• Practical first steps to build consistency without a full sales and marketing team
• The small, repeatable actions that keep your pipeline full month after month

Sales as Service Challenge — Join Now!

This week, run a quick 30-day audit to find out if you’re facing a marketing gap or a sales gap:

1. Look back at the past 30 days:
   • How many new leads or opportunities came in?
   • Where did those leads come from?
2. Of those leads, how many converted into paying clients?
3. Diagnose the gap:
   • Low new leads? That’s a marketing problem. Time to revisit your audience, offer, or messaging.
   • Lots of leads, low conversions? That’s a sales problem. Focus on follow-up, qualification, and guiding prospects to a decision.
   • Stuck waiting on referrals or the occasional inbound? That’s not a growth strategy. Make space for intentional, proactive outreach. 

Run this audit monthly and use what you find to focus your efforts where it matters most.

Share your audit results or next step with the hashtag #SalesAsService so I can cheer you on.

Links & Resources

• Join us for the next SAS LIVE Office Hours Event!
• Check out the LinkedIn Lead Generator to learn how to turn simple daily actions into real conversations with potential clients. 
• Grab your free 5-Minute Sales Audit for a quick scan to show what’s working, what’s not—and one thing you can improve right away.
• Learn more about Shannon:
  • Dream Local Digital
  • 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.

You don’t need more leads - you need the right ones. 

In this episode, I sat down with Jamie Cox, a Nashville-based brand and marketing strategist who helps B2B service providers get off the content hamster wheel by getting crystal clear on who they serve - and just as importantly, who they don’t.

Jamie’s approach to brand strategy isn’t about logos or color palettes. It’s about making your brand a filter. One that calls in the work you actually want to do and creates enough of a point of view to repel the rest. Because when your brand is built to be felt - not just seen - it naturally supports your sales process.

If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling over your messaging or stuck trying to “do it all” on social, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Key Takeaways

• Why brand clarity isn’t just about visuals - it’s the foundation of a sales strategy that attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones
• How to define your not-for list to get clearer on your actual niche
• The referral engine that clarity creates - and how to make it easier for people to talk about your work in rooms you're not in
• A simple mindset shift that makes visibility feel more like connection and less like performance
• The rhythms and systems that help solopreneurs stay consistent—even when client work takes over

SaS Challenge — Join Now!

This week, let’s focus on filtering for fit - so your brand can do more of the heavy lifting in your sales process.

• Pick one platform where you want to build a more consistent presence—whether it’s LinkedIn, your email list, or your website.
• Set a timer for 30 minutes. Jot down 3 characteristics of your best-fit clients - and 3 warning signs that someone’s not for you.
• Publish one piece of content this week that speaks directly to the client you want more of.

Share with the hashtag #SalesAsService, so I can cheer you on.

Links & Resources:

• Join us for the next SAS LIVE Office Hours Event!
• Check out the LinkedIn Lead Generator to learn how to turn simple daily actions into real conversations with potential clients. 
• Download the VIP Power Hour free guide.
• Learn more about Jamie: jamiercox.com; newsletter.jamiercox.com; linkedin.com/in/jamiercox13
• Resources mentioned in this episode: Jamie’s Brand Clarity Lab: jamiercox.com/brand-clarity-lab 

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.

In this episode, I talk with Nelson Dickson, founder of C3 Creations, about the power of relationships in sales.

Nelson shares how he built his marketing brokerage by focusing on genuine connections rather than transactions. As a self-described introvert, he changed his approach to networking by asking "How can I help?" instead of "What can I get?"

Key takeaways:

• 60-70% of Nelson's business comes from referrals
• Shift your mindset from collecting business cards to making real connections
• Give more value than you gain
• Be authentic - people can spot "quota breath" from a mile away
• Don't be afraid to stand out (like wearing silly Christmas suits!)

Nelson also recommends consistent content posting and doing a yearly "relationship audit" to strengthen connections that matter.

This week's challenge: Take 15 minutes to reconnect with one contact - no pitch, no agenda, just genuine connection.

Want to connect with Nelson? Find him on LinkedIn or visit c3creations.com.

Your next client - calculate what it takes.

Simply sales with the VIP Power Hour - download the FREE guide.

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

Have an episode idea? DM me on LinkedIn and let me know!

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.