Guest Bio:

Ivana Taylor has spent 35 years translating complex marketing into simple, executable strategies. She's the founder of DIYMarketers.com, where she helps entrepreneurs compete without enterprise budgets. She's a self-described AI power user who tests tools for six hours a day. And she's built follow-up systems for everyone from manufacturing companies to consultants.

Key Points:

1. Cold Outreach Requires Far More "Touches" Than It Used To

A "touch" is no longer just a phone call or email. Every interaction counts. It includes:

· Social media posts

· Website visits

· Content consumption

· LinkedIn engagement

· Webinars

· Direct mail

· Comments and DMs

2. Most Small Businesses Skip the Foundational Steps

Before worrying about sequences, automation, or buying lists, you must clearly define your ideal customer, understand the problem you solve, identify the desired outcome your buyer wants and know how your buyer makes decisions. Without this groundwork, marketing becomes expensive guesswork.

3. Cold Email Alone Is Weak (and Often an Avoidance Strategy)

Response rates to pure cold email are extremely low. Buying lists and blasting emails often feels productive, is easy to automate and produces poor results. Cold email works best as a second step, not a first step.

4. Start Manual Before You Automate

The recommendation:

· Begin with real conversations

· Aim for consistent outreach (calls or personal messages)

· Learn from live interactions

· Identify patterns in objections, desired outcomes, and buying triggers

Only after recognizing patterns should you build automated sequences.

5. The Phone Is Still the Fastest Path to Revenue

Despite all the marketing tools available, the most consistent answer to "What's working?" was picking up the phone and having conversations. Why?

· Immediate feedback

· Faster learning curve

· Real-time objection handling

· Faster path to booked appointments

6. Mindset Matters: Service, Not Persuasion

Cold outreach works best when:

· You see yourself as helping, not convincing

· "No" is viewed as clarity (not rejection)

· Your goal is conversation, not immediate conversion

A clear "no" frees you to pursue someone who will say yes.

7. Specific Targeting Beats Big Lists

Instead of buying 10,000 names:

· Define clear parameters (industry, role, company size, revenue, keywords)

· Start with a focused segment

· Refine messaging based on real conversations

· Build segmented sequences based on actual buying motivations

Broad targeting = poor response. Specific targeting = stronger engagement.

8. Automation Is Powerful — But Only After Strategy

Automation should amplify a proven message, a clearly defined audience, validated buying patterns. It cannot replace foundational work.

9. Marketing Is Not Magic — It's Consistent Work

There is no shortcut. Successful outreach requires:

· Repetition

· Iteration

· Conversations

· Testing

· Refinement

The "eat your vegetables" truth: the people succeeding are doing the work.

Bottom Line

Cold outreach still works — but not as a blast-and-hope strategy. What works:

· Clear targeting

· Strong positioning

· Multi-channel touches

· Real conversations

· Strategic follow-up

And above all, start with the fundamentals before scaling with tools.

Guest Links:

Free Gift: An AI Outreach Ebook

IMPORTANT – You must Double Opt-in and confirm your email to receive this free gift.

Learn More

Visit DIYMarketers.com – Simple, actionable marketing strategies for small business owners who want to do marketing on less than $17 a day.

Fix Your Marketing Problem in Less Than 24 Hours – Fill out the form, tell me your marketing challenge, and I'll send personalized recommendations in less than 24 hours.

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

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If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest Bio:

Louise is an award-winning social media strategist, coach, four-time best-selling author, and the founder of SellOnSocial.Media Digital Marketing Agency & Academy.

For the past 20 years, I've helped coaches and consultants grow their businesses with fresh perspectives and innovative AI-powered tools.

Key Points:

Social media is marketing, not a separate skill

Louise didn't "get into social media" randomly; her foundation is traditional marketing. Social media is simply a modern channel for applying timeless marketing principles. The problem isn't social media itself; it's treating it as something different from marketing strategy.

You don't need to like social media to use it well

Many business owners dislike social media or don't want to spend hours online and that's okay. Social media is not about becoming an influencer or going viral. For business owners, it's about using social platforms efficiently and intentionally to generate leads and opportunities.

Followers ≠ business growth

Having thousands of followers means nothing if you don't know how to convert attention into revenue. A person with zero followers and someone with 15,000 followers can have the same problem: no system to turn visibility into sales. Social media success is not about features, hacks, or trends, it's about strategy.

The 5-step framework for using social media effectively

1. Clarify your core offer

2. Nail your messaging

3. Show up with intent.

4. Build a lead generation system

5. Use AI as a co-pilot, not the driver

Expectations depend on your starting point

Results vary based on size of your existing audience, email list strength and consistency of organic activity. Someone with a warm audience will see faster results than someone starting from scratch. Organic activity makes paid ads dramatically more effective.

Organic activity + paid ads = leverage

Ads work best when layered on top of consistent organic engagement. Cold ad accounts cost more and convert less. Platforms reward businesses that show up consistently before running ads.

What a "lead" really means in social media

A lead is someone who opts in; joins your list, attends a session, downloads something. Leads can be cold (just joined), warm (engaging) or hot (ready to buy). Most people don't buy immediately, social media supports direct, indirect, and future sales.

Social media doesn't sell high-ticket services, conversations do

Low-cost products can sell directly on social platforms. High-ticket services require lead generation, nurturing and sales conversations. You market online, but you sell offline.

The real outcome of social media

The goal isn't instant sales; it's building a pipeline of qualified prospects. Social media creates visibility, trust, and opportunity over time. Done right, it feeds a steady flow of future business.

Bottom line: Social media works when it's treated as a strategic marketing system, not a content treadmill. Clear offers, strong messaging, intentional activity, and lead generation, not virality, drive real business results.

Guest Links:

AI Powered Online 2026 Social Media Content Planner

To help you create impactful content week in, week out!

1. The 2026 content calendar with 950+ searchable dates and holidays

2. An AI post generator for Story, Advice and Testimonial posts in your own voice (2 posts per month, free forever)

3. High-converting post formats powered by smart prompts, so you can create content that works, in your own voice and tone

4. Simple tools to plan and organize your content

5. This smart tool helps you embrace AI as your co-pilot, so you create content easily in your voice and tone.

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest Bio:

Ivana Taylor has spent 35 years translating complex marketing into simple, executable strategies. She's the founder of DIYMarketers.com, where she helps entrepreneurs compete without enterprise budgets. She's a self-described AI power user who tests tools for six hours a day. And she's built follow-up systems for everyone from manufacturing companies to consultants.

Key Points:

AI has fundamentally changed prospecting and outreach—making it faster, cheaper, and more targeted—but only when combined with clear strategy and direct sales fundamentals.

The Old Way Is Broken

Cold outreach traditionally means endless spreadsheets, bad or outdated contact data, spray-and-pray marketing (webinars, lead magnets, mass email blasts), and huge time investment with little guarantee of ROI. Buying lists or relying solely on inbound marketing is increasingly ineffective.

What Still Works

Direct sales and direct outreach remain the most reliable growth strategy. Success starts with absolute clarity on your Ideal Prospect; industry, role/title, geography and specific expertise or problem area. Without this clarity, AI just produces faster garbage.

How AI Changes Prospect List Building

AI dramatically reduces the manual labor of prospect research. Instead of hours of Googling and data entry AI can find names, companies, websites, social profiles, and sometimes contact info and AI can organize data into usable spreadsheets. AI works best in small-to-medium batches (10–50 at a time).

Tools Mentioned for Prospecting & Enrichment

General AI platforms (for defining criteria and searching): ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

Spreadsheet & research automation: GenSpark (noted for strong spreadsheet creation)

Data enrichment & contact info (especially B2B): Apollo.io, Hunter.io, Clay.com

Outreach & CRM tools: Nimble.com (emails sent directly through Gmail for 1:1 feel)

Deal-finding for tools: AppSumo (one-time purchase tools)

What AI Can (and Can't) Do

AI can build targeted prospect lists faster. Find websites, LinkedIn profiles, phone numbers, and some emails. Segment prospects by expertise or role. Reduce human error in outreach sequences.

Ai can't guarantee perfect data (bounces still happen). Replace human judgment. Eliminate the need to review and understand each prospect.

Best Practices for AI-Powered Prospecting

Always review and "get your hands dirty" with the data. Read prospect websites and make personal notes. Expect some bad data—scrubbing is still required. B2B data is far easier to find than consumer data. Free versions of tools are sufficient to test and validate workflows.

Outreach Strategy Matters

Use AI to support structured outreach sequences, not spam. Follow a 3–5 touch email sequence. Personalization improves responses. Segment based on expertise, role, or interest. Automation reduces mistakes while preserving a personal tone.

Guest Links:

FREE GIFT

Business by Referral Course: https://diymarketers.trainercentralsite.com/course/business-by-referral Promo Code "WENDY25"

AI + Sales Tools from the Podcast

ChatGPT – Use it to write outreach emails, brainstorm follow-ups, or summarize client notes quickly and naturally.

Genspark – Great for researching topics and generating accurate, human-like marketing or sales content fast.

Perplexity – Ideal for researching prospects, finding their websites, social links, and key insights before reaching out.

Hunter.io – Find and verify professional email addresses so you always reach the right person.

Apollo.io – Combines verified contact data with built-in email outreach and engagement tracking in one platform.

Learn More

Visit DIYMarketers.com – Simple, actionable marketing strategies for small business owners who want to do marketing on less than $17 a day.

Fix Your Marketing Problem in Less Than 24 Hours – Fill out the form, tell me your marketing challenge, and I'll send personalized recommendations in less than 24 hours.

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Samantha Phillips

Guest Bio:

Samantha Phillips is the Sales Enablement Manager at SHI International, leading strategic initiatives across Commercial and Public Sector divisions. With over five years of enablement experience in high-volume IT sales, she builds scalable onboarding programs, develops impactful training, and drives process improvements that boost sales performance. Samantha partners with sales and technical leadership to coach enablement teams, ensuring sellers are equipped for success. Her programs have achieved high satisfaction scores and retention rates, reflecting her commitment to results and culture. Samantha is passionate about creating engaging learning experiences and fostering professional growth. She is recognized for her collaborative approach, problem-solving skills, and dedication to elevating sales teams. Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phillips-samantha

Key Points:

Background & Career Path

Samantha Phillips started her career in sales at SHI, not enablement. She transitioned into sales enablement after networking with the enablement team and being encouraged to apply. Her enablement experience includes Sales enablement trainer (onboarding & workshops), Program manager, and Sales enablement manager (for the past 3 years). She values continuous learning and has worked across nearly all aspects of sales enablement.

Why Sales?

Samantha entered sales after moving to Austin and being drawn to the energy and culture of sales, the competitive environment, the ability to build her own book of business, the people and fast-paced atmosphere were the biggest drivers.

What Sales Enablement Is (and Is Not)

Sales enablement has evolved beyond traditional L&D (Learning & Development). It is no longer just training or professional development. Modern sales enablement focuses on driving the sales process, helping sellers close deals faster, improving sales productivity and developing the right mindsets and behaviors. L&D serves the whole organization; sales enablement is specific to the sales org.

What Sellers Need to Be Equipped for Success

The most critical focus is a customer-centric approach. Relationship-building is more important than just "getting the meeting." Sellers should aim to become a trusted resource, not just a vendor, build long-term customer relationships and short-term wins are easy; long-term relationships drive sustainable success.

Cold Calling & Prospecting Philosophy

Samantha agrees that meetings matter—but they should be pursued with strategy and value, not just metrics. Effective prospecting requires researching what matters to the customer, understanding why it matters, and clearly articulating value. Cold calling without value is just "throwing things at the wall."

Role of Sales Enablement Tools

Tools include CRM, internal systems, data resources, and content. Sellers must first be exposed to tools early (despite information overload). Enablement focuses on high-level understanding of frameworks and strategies and application, especially through role play. Role playing helps sellers sound natural and authentic, avoid reading scripts and build conversational confidence. AI is increasingly used to support practice and application. Skill retention requires ongoing practice—like muscle memory or sports.

Research & Preparation

Sellers should deeply research their customer and the customer's customers. Understanding the full ecosystem helps sellers communicate broader value. This approach resembles a modern, automated version of a sales readiness checklist.

Driving Tool Adoption (Especially CRM)

Tool adoption fails when middle managers aren't bought in. Success requires buy-in at all levels: Executives, Sales enablement, Middle managers and Sellers. Managers must reinforce tools during one-on-ones and team meetings. Enablement should test tools with pilot groups, gather feedback and adjust based on real usage. Sometimes tools don't fail—they're just being used differently than expected. "Fail forward" and pivot based on how sellers actually work.

CRM Challenges & the Future

CRM resistance is common across sales organizations. Current problems include complexity, too many fields/tabs and poor usability. Samantha believes CRM is entering a new phase, driven by AI with more automation, less manual input and more "behind-the-scenes" functionality. The future of CRM should reduce friction for sellers.

What Samantha Loves About Sales Enablement

• Creativity in approaches and problem-solving
• Different strengths across sellers, managers, and trainers
• Freedom to experiment, test, and learn
• A "fail forward" mindset

What Drives Her Crazy

• People who don't try or limit themselves
• Sellers and leaders who stay stuck in their comfort zones
• Seeing people underestimate their potential
• Belief that even 1% improvement per day can be transformational

Final Takeaway

Growth—in sales and enablement—comes from stepping outside your comfort zone, practicing consistently and being open to feedback and change. Sales enablement succeeds when it blends strategy, application, mindset, and leadership buy-in.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillips-samantha/

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Tom Dee

Guest Bio:

Tom began his sales management career over eight years ago, and he is passionate about turning underperforming teams into high-performing, revenue-generating ones.

Tom loves using tools like AI-driven sales insights to stay sharp and ahead of the game. His approach to leadership is all about mentorship, making smart decisions, and keeping the focus on the customer, building relationships that last.

Key Points:

Career Journey

Started in sales by accident. Studied TV and radio production at the University of Dayton, but couldn't find work in that field. While waiting tables, he met the president of a copier company who was impressed by his "sales pitch" and hired him. Learned cold calling and sales fundamentals in copier sales. Connected through the Chamber of Commerce to Ryden, where he started as a sales account representative. After two successful years, he was promoted to sales manager despite having no prior management experience. His boss recognized his leadership potential and sales acumen. Has been with Ryden for nine years, discovering his true calling in leadership, mentorship, and sales management.

Music and Sales

Tom is also a musician and band singer. Believes music and sales share core similarities: both require creativity, persistence, and appreciation of the process, not just the outcome. Says the best salespeople, like musicians, hone their craft over time — success isn't innate; it's developed through discipline and practice. Comparing recording music ("you don't see how many takes it took") to the sales process, the journey matters as much as the final result.

Sales Philosophy

Rejects the myth of the "born salesperson." Emphasizes that sales success comes from process, practice, and consistency, not innate talent. Says the best reps "get out what they put in". Hard work and repetition pay off. Values creativity, resilience, and self-belief in sales performance.

Leadership & Coaching Approach

Focuses on individualized coaching to help each rep become "the best version of themselves." Builds on strengths and raises the floor on weaknesses, progress can mean moving from a D to a B, not perfection. Believes in incremental improvement - small, consistent gains lead to big results. Encourages trust-based coaching by explaining the "why" behind feedback. Promotes two team types:

· Business Development Reps: Need direction, creativity, and fresh energy.

· Account Reps: Need structure, process optimization, and focus on managing existing clients.

Overcoming Sales Call Fear

Recognizes fear of cold calling as common, "there's no magic wand." The only real solution is repetition and desensitization: pick up the phone, make calls, and learn from experience. Sales managers often act like psychologists, helping reps shift their mindset from "I'm bothering people" to "I'm helping people." Acknowledges that sales isn't for everyone, and that's okay.

The Power of Process

Process brings structure and rhythm to an unpredictable job. Encourages reps to block time and eliminate distractions during call sessions. Teaches that routine builds confidence and consistency, helping overcome discomfort. Note the moment of breakthrough when reps see results from their effort; that's when confidence clicks.

Use of Scripts

Provides scripts to new reps, especially since Ryden is in the print industry with its own terminology. Scripts help reps learn the "language" of their customers. Encourages reps to act as if, use scripts as training wheels until they internalize the message and make it their own. "Fake it till you make it… But eventually, you have to make it."

Management Philosophy

Believes in meeting people where they are, not forcing everyone into one mold. Success comes from helping each rep develop in their own authentic way. Leadership is about guidance, empathy, and helping others grow, not control.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-deee/

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Matt Gregory

Guest Bio:

Matt Gregory's story is one of quiet transformation, shaping the brokerage division from within while never losing the drive to help clients. A strategist and mentor, he co-founded the Office Brokerage Group, launched the firm's Fast Track training program, and has closed 1,200-plus deals worth more than $810 million. Clients value his mix of precision, urgency, and clear foresight; colleagues value his commitment to developing future leaders. Having recently earned his broker's license, Matt now serves NAI Ohio Equities in an official Management-Level Broker capacity, bringing even greater authority to the guidance he provides.

Education: BA Communication - The Ohio State University

Professional Affiliations: SIOR, CCIM

Matt continues to pair strategic vision with hands-on coaching, ensuring both clients and the next generation of brokers achieve their full potential.

Key Points:

Career Background & Path into Real Estate

While studying at The Ohio State University, he interned at Ohio Equities, helping modernize their marketing and tech systems. After graduation, he became Director of Information Technology for the firm. Over time, he was drawn into sales after assisting agents with listing presentations and realizing he enjoyed the client-facing, persuasive side of the business. Encouraged by the company's owner, Sandy Simpson, he got his real estate license and transitioned into brokerage.

View on Selling

Matt prefers to think of sales as education, advising, and consulting rather than traditional selling. His philosophy: "Educate clients so they can make confident, informed decisions." He defines selling as persuading someone of value, aligning with the dictionary meaning of "to sell." He believes in consultative selling—building trust through information, not pressure.

Fast Track Program (Training for New Agents)

Originally created in 2006, revived and redesigned in 2023 under his leadership. Matt discusses in depth the structure of the Fast Track Program he designed and uses to train new agents. The Goal: give three years of experience in one year to reduce new-agent failure and speed up success.

Hiring & Recruiting Philosophy

Matt looks for candidates who are confident but not arrogant, emotionally intelligent and adaptable, self-motivated and resilient, and realistic about the long sales cycle in commercial real estate. The recruitment process he uses is multiple conversations (3–4 meetings), both formal and informal, emphasis on intuition and relationship-building, not just testing, considers diversity in career stages and backgrounds (new grads, mid-career switchers, experienced professionals), and avoids personality assessments; it relies on observation and cultural fit.

Leadership & Management Style

Matt's biggest management challenge is balancing autonomy and oversight. He wants agents to feel empowered but not reckless. Some agents over-communicate; others under-communicate—he strives for a healthy middle ground. He focuses on mentorship, working directly on deals with new agents to model behaviors and decision-making. Matt encourages agents to become future leaders, not just team players.

Outcomes & Culture

Strong retention and development culture—agents tend to stay long-term. Emphasis on learning, collaboration, and shared success. Fast Track alumni are performing well and contributing to the firm's growth. The company's local reputation attracts new candidates organically.

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.ohioequities.com/brokers/mgregory.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgregoryohioequities/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjgreg

Twitter: http://www.x.com/officegrp

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/officegrp

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Jon Ostenson

Guest Bio:

Jon Ostenson is the Founder and CEO of FranBridge Consulting, a 2-time Inc. 5000 company, and he is a top 1% franchise consultant. Jon is also the author of the bestselling book, 'Non-Food Franchising'. Jon draws on his experience as a former Inc. 500 Franchise President and Multi-Brand Franchisee in helping his clients select their franchise investments. Jon is a frequent contributor on franchising for publications such as Forbes, Inc., and Bloomberg.

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Key Points:

Background and Experience

Jon never planned to be in franchising, but transitioned from corporate sales leadership. He became president of Shelf Genie, a national non-food franchise (custom pull-out shelving for kitchens/pantries), managing support for all franchisees in North America. Jon fell in love with franchising due to the diversity of industries and supportive business model, and has personally invested in multiple franchises and now helps others identify opportunities.

Why Non-Food Franchising

Many think "franchise = fast food," but non-food franchises often offer easier paths to profitability:

o Fewer employees needed

o Lower operating hours

o Lower CapEx investment

o Higher margins, less waste, less susceptible to consumer whims

Jon focused industries: home/property services, health/wellness, kids, pets, seniors, B2B services, and takes a contrarian approach by cutting out food franchises to go deeper into other industries.

Why Choose a Franchise Over Starting Your Own Business

Not all entrepreneurs thrive on full autonomy; some benefit from a proven system. Franchising is easier, not easy; it still requires work, but with structured support. Advantages of franchising:

o Training wheels and guidance

o Higher success rates than solo businesses

o Proven playbook and marketing already optimized

o Support from other franchisees – a built-in mastermind

o Step-by-step framework helps shortcut growth and profitability

How to Start in Franchising

Doing independent research can be noisy and inefficient; many top 100 franchise lists are paid PR placements. FranBridge Consulting acts like a broker for franchises:

o Free to work with clients

o Access to over 600 non-food franchise opportunities

o Matches clients to opportunities in their market

o Helps narrow options from 10–12 down to 3–4 for deeper exploration

o Provides funding resources, franchise attorneys, and support through the process

Key Considerations Before Buying a Franchise

Buying a franchise is like a business partnership or marriage. It's important to "date around" – talk to multiple franchises before committing. Success comes from following the system, not trying to reinvent it. Common mistakes:

o Not following the franchise system

o Thinking you can do everything your own way

Territory exclusivity protects franchisees from competition within the same system. Franchises allow you to build your own team and avoid inheriting issues from an existing business.

Advice for Potential Entrepreneurs

Explore all options: buying a franchise, an existing business, or starting your own. Franchises offer proven models and support, making them ideal for most would-be business owners. Understanding your own style: Some are too entrepreneurial to follow a system, which may make franchising a poor fit.

Guest Links:

Sign up for a complimentary copy of our book, 'Non-Food Franchising'

Schedule an intro call with Jon to discuss opportunities further (no cost)

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Dia Bondi

Guest Bio:

Dia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst for high-impact people. In her private coaching and programs, she works with C-level leaders, VC-backed founders, and ambitious professionals, helping them find their voice and lead with it. Her workshops and talks are hosted by corporations including Quartz, Salesforce, Google's X-team, and Dropbox. In global sport, she helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares ambitious professionals, and especially women, to ask for more and leave nothing on the table, called Ask Like an Auctioneer. She's been featured on CNBC Make It, Forbes, and Fast Company. Her book, Ask Like an Auctioneer: How to Ask for More and Get It, is available now.​

Key Points:

Dia's Backstory & Career Path

Started her career in fitness, where she loved helping people feel powerful and embodied. Then, transitioned into training and development (professional development) after college. She discovered her passion for storytelling and communication while observing a workshop for finance leaders. Dia founded Dia Bondy Communications in 2009 to help leaders and VC-backed founders communicate effectively in high-stakes moments.

"Ask Like an Auctioneer" Concept Inspired by her side work as a fundraising auctioneer. The key principle: ask big enough to get a "no", because a "no" signals you've reached the upper limit of what's possible. In business, people often limit their asks based on what they think they can get, leaving money and opportunity on the table. Instead of selling to the first yes, push further to uncover maximum value.

Overcoming Fear of Asking

Fear of rejection keeps people from asking boldly. Many assume rejection damages relationships, but often it doesn't. Leaders should teach teams that discomfort (the Zofo—Zone of Freaking Out) is a signal of courage and potential growth. Reframe rejection: it's information about value, not a judgment of personal worth.

Lessons from Auctioneering for Business & Sales

· Price = a reflection of value, not worth. The same item can sell for vastly different amounts depending on the audience.

· Know your "reserve." Like an auctioneer's minimum acceptable price, know your bottom line before asking.

· People are irrational. Decisions are often emotional, even in data-driven environments—so storytelling is critical.

Four Types of Asks That Drive Growth

1. Money – dollars, budgets, contracts.

2. Influence – visibility, access to networks, platforming yourself.

3. Authority – positioning yourself to make important decisions.

4. Balance – aligning deals and clients with the kind of work you actually want.

Why People Struggle with Asking

Fear of rejection. Lack of clarity on what to ask for and when to ask. Sometimes people make asks that are too small, too vague, or to the wrong audience.

Framework for a Strategic Ask (first 4 of 6 steps)

1. Define your main concrete goal.
2. Identify the next big move toward that goal.
3. Determine the ask that advances that move.
4. Ensure the ask is big enough to risk rejection.

Storytelling Framework: "Blocker Buster"

1. What your audience wants.
2. What's blocking them from achieving it?
3. How do you remove the blockers?
4. Your ask (to move them forward).

Big Takeaways

• Asking boldly is a skill that can be learned.
• The most powerful ask live in the Zofo—the zone of freaking out.
• Rejection is not failure; it's valuable feedback about what the other side values.
• Asking strategically, with courage and clarity, maximizes opportunities for growth, influence, and alignment.

Guest Links:

Connect on LinkedInCon

Connect on Instagram

https://www.diabondi.com/salesology

Download The Powerful Ask Plan, a free tool to help you design a strategic ask.

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

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Guest: Vaughn English

Guest Bio:

Vaughn English is a growth-focused sales leader with over 10 years of experience driving revenue across industries including digital marketing, 3D visualization, tourism, and insurance. He has a proven track record of building high-performing outreach strategies, leading cross-functional teams, and closing complex B2B deals. Vaughn specializes in leveraging CRM platforms, marketing automation, and creative campaigns to engage prospects and accelerate the sales cycle. From launching national tourism campaigns to scaling 3D content solutions for enterprise clients, he brings a consultative approach that aligns client goals with actionable solutions. Vaughn thrives at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and execution, consistently turning opportunities into lasting partnerships.

​

Key Points:

Background and Path to Sales

Started in theater; transitioned to sales due to communication skills and confidence. First job: selling DirecTV inside Costco, a challenging experience that taught resilience. Gradually moved into more prestigious roles, now at Fracture.

Role at Fracture

Tasked with building the B2B infrastructure from scratch, including identifying the ideal customer profile (ICP), creating case studies, lookbooks, product menus, and developing marketing and outreach processes.

Finding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Initially targeted hospitality, but realized sales cycles are very long. Exploring design firms and higher education as more promising ICPs. Higher ed (e.g., Boston College) often needs ongoing art installations, recognition plaques, etc., making them strong repeat buyers.

CRM and Sales Technology

Strong proponent of using CRMs despite challenges. Believes CRMs are essential for organizing contacts and outreach, launching automated email campaigns, and tracking sales activity.

Sales Outreach Strategy

Focuses heavily on cold email campaigns. Personalized and well-researched. Uses intent data (from sources like ZoomInfo, Bombora) to identify companies showing buying signals. Example: campaign to Ben & Jerry's using their "Flavor Graveyard" as a custom subject line. Warm leads via email before calling; cautious about cold calling personal cell phones (though interviewer disagrees).

Team Dynamics and Management Style

Small team (essentially 2 people); the other focuses on account management. Balances trust with light micromanagement, uses CRM visibility (e.g., BCCs, task tracking) to monitor activity, steps in when new leads aren't followed up quickly enough. Believes in hiring people he can trust to reduce the need for hovering.

Challenges and Learnings

Struggles with ensuring consistent follow-up on new leads while handling large ongoing projects. Building out processes and infrastructure in real-time while scaling the B2B arm. Emphasizes that real ICP identification comes through direct conversations and testing.

Guest Links:

[email protected]

Connect on LinkedIn

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.

Guest: Melissa Palmer

Guest Bio:

Melissa started her sales career by accident, but quickly learned. She enjoyed connecting a customer with a solution and helping solve their problems and protect their interests. She is very good at building lasting relationships because her intention is always honest. She soon learned the best way to truly protect the customer is to also protect the company she represents; there has to be a win-win scenario, or no one wins in the long run. In management, she can do the greatest good as she works with the sales team to do just that, focusing on creating winning solutions for all. Melissa is also very energetic about what she does, and that energy is contagious.

Key Points:

Career Journey into Sales & Manufacturing

Melissa began working in manufacturing while studying elementary education, after passing a tape measure test at a temp agency. She started on the shop floor, moved into office roles, then customer service, sales, management, and technical roles. Melissa wanted a fresh start in sales after over 20 years at her first company, where she was often the "fixer." Within six months, she was promoted to Sales Manager due to her proactive ideas and contributions.

Sales Team Development at LS Industries

Melissa feels her biggest win is unified messaging—the entire sales team aligned in language, story, and mission. She took advantage of team turnover to rebuild with aligned, enthusiastic hires. There is strong support from leadership (including the owner) who models the company's values. Focus on educating the team on purpose, customer-centric values, and collective goals.

Sales Philosophy & Leadership

Set clear expectations for customers, build trust, and prevent miscommunication. As a sales manager, Melissa retrains and coaches. Leads by example (e.g., joining calls to demonstrate customer communication). Shows the real-time impact of proper communication. Success in sales depends on trust, not just rapport. Repeat business comes from being dependable.

Sales Challenges

Pain points: Reps either say "no" too fast or say "yes" too easily without assessing feasibility and avoiding hard conversations with customers (especially around timelines or product complexity). Melissa's coaching approach is to educate on the long-term impact of honesty and setting realistic expectations, and emphasize quality and ROI over speed when needed.

Team Composition & Structure

Melissa's current team consists of 12 people, including international, e-commerce, parts, and general sales. She describes her team as mostly "hunters" (actively seeking new business). The "Farmers" exist mainly on the parts team (inbound calls, upselling).

Talent Development

Melissa has successfully transitioned shop floor workers into top-performing sales reps based on drive and hustle. People who are eager to grow and win tend to excel, even with little formal experience.

CRM Adoption & Usage

The biggest challenge is getting reps to consistently use the CRM. Melissa was initially skeptical, but now sees it as essential for success, organization, and maintaining relationships. Her approach is to minimize complexity—track only essential data, use automation (autosave communications, recurring tasks), regular reminders, training, and reinforcement, and "Trust but verify" through reporting and light oversight—not micromanagement.

Key Sales Leadership Insights

Missing documentation in CRM can cost deals. Frequent retraining, reinforcement, and modeling behavior help build habits. Being transparent and reliable is more effective than always being agreeable.

Guest Links:

(316) 670-6283

[email protected]

www.lsindustries.com

www.winonavannorman.com

Connect on LinkedIn

Connect on Facebook

About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders

Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts.

Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs.

If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time.

Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website at https://gosalesology.com/.