In this episode, Frank and Ian break down the most overlooked skill in sales, leadership, and communication: the ability to read people and adapt your approach.

Too many salespeople, managers, and founders rely on scripts, tactics, and “best practices” without understanding who they’re actually talking to. The result? Ghosted deals, stalled conversations, frustrated teams, and missed opportunities.

Frank and Ian explain why traditional sales training is failing in today’s market, why the Golden Rule doesn’t work in business, and how understanding social styles and personality types can dramatically improve sales performance, leadership effectiveness, and relationship-building.

They walk through the four core social styles: Driver, Expressive, Amiable, and Analytic, and show how mismatched communication styles quietly kill deals, create tension on teams, and sabotage leadership credibility.

This episode is a practical guide for anyone in sales, entrepreneurship, management, or leadership who wants to communicate more effectively, ask better questions, and close more deals without being pushy or manipulative.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why modern sales training focuses on the wrong things

How to read people before you try to sell or lead them

Why “treat people how you want to be treated” fails in business

The four social styles that influence every buying decision

How personality mismatches silently kill deals

Why execution beats tactics when communication breaks down

How great leaders adapt instead of forcing their style

Why asking the right questions matters more than pitching

⏱️ Show Notes & Timestamps

00:00 – Banter and episode setup

Frank and Ian set the tone and tee up a conversation about sales, leadership, and communication.

00:28 – Why sales training is broken right now

Why focusing on closing tactics instead of people creates ghosting, friction, and lost deals.

01:55 – Why the Golden Rule doesn’t work in sales or leadership

Treating people how you want to be treated fails when they don’t think like you.

03:40 – Selling vs. reading the room

Why awareness beats scripts in high-stakes conversations.

06:15 – The cost of misreading people in business

How personality mismatches quietly sabotage deals and teams.

09:20 – Introduction to social styles

An overview of the four core social styles and how they show up at work.

11:18 – Driver personalities explained

Fast-paced, decisive, and results-focused — and how they unintentionally steamroll others.

14:05 – Expressive personalities explained

Vision-driven, energetic communicators who thrive on ideas and momentum.

17:30 – Amiable personalities explained

Relationship-first thinkers who value trust, harmony, and consistency.

20:45 – Analytic personalities explained

Detail-oriented decision-makers who prioritize logic, data, and process.

25:10 – Michael Jordan vs. Ted Lasso

A powerful metaphor for understanding personality clashes in sales and leadership.

27:02 – If you can’t read people, nothing else matters

Why social awareness is the foundation of every successful sale.

27:47 – Doing everything right and still losing the sale

How better questions and adaptability create control without pressure.

29:30 – Final thoughts on adaptive leadership and communication

Why great leaders learn to flex instead of forcing outcomes.