The Sales Evangelist

Today, Dr. Noah St. John is here to challenge everything you thought you knew about why some people thrive and others get stuck. If you want to level up your success in any area of your life, the first thing you must do is to change your mindset. Dr. Noah is going to show you how to conquer the "head trash" that holds us back, break through income plateaus, and unlock results.

Meet Dr. Noah St. John

• Dr. Noah has been teaching clients for 30 years and is credited with helping them add a collective $3 billion in revenue. 
• He is known as the "Done with Head Trash" guy and is a leader of the movement to help people get past their self-imposed limitations. 
• He has written 25 books on the subject and has helped individuals and organizations ranging from 100 to 10,000.

Inner Game vs. Outer Game: The 80% Rule

• Dr. Noah argues that success is at least 80% about your "inner game". The inner game is everything happening in your mind, including the beliefs and stories you tell yourself. 
• While "outer game" activities like making calls and sending emails are important, Dr. Noah emphasizes that mindset is the true bottleneck for most people.

Clearing Out the "Head Trash"

• Dr. Noah defines "head trash" as the internal voice that says, "I can't because...". This self-limiting dialogue is what prevents sales professionals and entrepreneurs from reaching their full potential. 
• He explains that by identifying and clearing this mental clutter, you can stop proving your own limitations right.

From $4 Million to $20 Million: A Real-Life Example

• Dr. Noah shares a powerful case study about a client whose company was stuck at $4 million in revenue for four years. 
• After hiring Dr. Noah, they focused on the inner game, and in less than 18 months, the company's revenue skyrocketed to over $20 million. This success was a direct result of addressing the team's mindset, not just their outer game tactics.

Practical Steps to Break Free

• Want to get off the "hamster wheel"? Dr. Noah gives steps to take right away.
• Get Clear on Your Goals: You must be specific about what you want to achieve, whether it's more money or a better relationship.
• Identify Your Limitations: Pinpoint the reasons you think you can't reach your goals, like not having enough time, money, or confidence.
• Take Action (Even Without Confidence): The myth that confidence comes first is dismantled here. Dr. Noah stresses that you build confidence by taking action, even if you don't feel ready.

Advice for Sales Leaders

• For those who lead teams, Dr. Noah suggests bringing in outside help to create a mindset shift. 
• He offers resources, including his online course, and invites leaders to book him to train their teams. 
• By focusing on mindset training and goal-setting exercises, leaders can unlock next-level results and help their teams become unstoppable.

“If you take action even if you don’t believe, confidence will come. Most people wait for confidence, but it’s action that really unlocks it.” - Dr. Noah St. John.

Resources

• Done With Head Trash Course: donewithheadtrash.com — Dr. Noah’s self-paced program to transform limiting beliefs.
• Main Website for Programs/Resources: noahstjohn.com — Books, courses, and tools for entrepreneurs and sales professionals.
• To Book Dr. Noah for Speaking/Training: booknoah.com.
• If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class.
• Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios. 

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Is traditional sales outreach becoming less effective? And if so, what replaces it?

In today's episode, I chat with Jean-Philippe Schepens van Thiel, founder of AxonJay, about how real-time data, predictive behavior, and AI-generated signals are fundamentally changing how we approach sales. If you’ve ever felt like your messaging is falling flat or that your timing is always off, this conversation is your blueprint for modernizing outreach.

Meet Jean-Philippe Schepens van Thiel

Jean-Philippe is the founder and CEO of AxonJay AI, a company helping B2B sellers harness the power of predictive signals to find the right opportunities at the right time. With over 15 years in data-driven sales and marketing, including a successful exit to Dun & Bradstreet, JP is now on a mission to help sales teams break through the noise and win deals with precision.

Sales Outreach at an Inflection Point

Buyers are bombarded by thousands of messages a week, most of which they delete without reading. Jean-Philippe believes we’ve hit a critical point in the evolution of sales, where volume no longer wins relevance and timing does. Instead of relying on old data and gut instinct, modern sales teams need to know when to reach out, what to say, and why it matters to the buyer right now.

Build Your Sales Cocktail

Jean-Philippe compares outreach success to making the perfect cocktail: timing, targeting, and content must all be in balance. One missing or outdated ingredient ruins the mix. Using AI, his company translates billions of daily data points into actionable signals then helps reps validate and fine-tune their approach using real-time context.

Let AI Enhance, Not Replace, the Human Element

Contrary to fear-mongering about AI replacing jobs, JP argues that AI will actually make sales more human. With technology handling research and signal aggregation, salespeople can focus on high-value conversations, empathy, and relationship-building.

“It’s not about more data. It’s about the right data.”

“Outreach isn’t dead—but it’s evolved.”

“You need the right message at the right time.”

“I want you to come to me with stuff proving.”

Lessons from the Field

• Stop using last year’s data to make today’s decisions.
• Think beyond single signals and build context with a cocktail of signals.
• Use AI to filter your target list down to the 10% who are ready now.
• Personalize messaging with current, relevant activity not guesses.
• Combine automation with human feedback to improve results over time.

Resources

• Learn more at Axonjay.ai
• Connect with Jean-Philippe via email ([email protected]) or through the website
• Improve your outreach and sales game join our Sales Mastermind Class
• Thinking of launching a podcast? Check out Blue Mango Studios

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Is it possible to get your entire sales team to work together and crush goals one after another? Consider all the benefits your organization would gain if this were to actually happen.

To make this dream a reality, listen to my chat with Justin Balik, co-founder of Wealth InsurED, in this episode. He shares three sales tactics that brought his company from half a million to three million in 90 days.

Meet Justin Balik 

• Justin has been a force in financial services since graduating from the University of Miami in 2012. He quickly rose from agent to a top 10 manager among 10,000+ peers. 
• Now, he and his wife own a business revolutionizing IUL sales training, producing high-end agents with unparalleled speed and results in the industry. 
• He has helped tens of thousands with insurance and retirement, specializing recently in tax minimization for high-net-worth clients.

Specialize Your Sales Roles 

• Most sales teams have reps doing everything: prospecting, appointment-setting, closing, and follow-up. 
• Justin broke the process into specialized roles—so each person focused only on their highest-value work. This helped free up the top closers, who were freed from low-value, time-consuming tasks. 
• The result: higher efficiency, faster pipeline movement, and more revenue. 
• Ask yourself: where is your team doing $10/hour work instead of $10,000/hour work?

Go After High-Ticket Clients 

• Instead of focusing on high-volume, low-value sales, Justin’s team intentionally shifted to larger, more valuable deals. 
• They targeted higher-level clients who not only respected the process, but were easier to work with—and produced exponentially greater revenue per deal. 
• Justin’s advice: Identify and pursue the upper echelon of your market, and don’t let assumptions about “difficulty” of big deals hold you back. The truth? Sometimes, bigger clients are actually easier.

Deliver Intensive, Practical Training 

• Justin condensed over a decade’s worth of his sales knowledge into a proprietary, one-week, 40-hour training program for new reps. 
• This training ensures each team member is truly equipped—not just motivated—with everything needed to sell at a high level. It’s practical, measured, and outcome-focused.

Bonus Mindset Tip 

• Justin emphasized the importance of personal growth alongside tactical skills. 
• Your self-image must outpace the rejection that comes with aggressive activity, or you’ll burn out before you break through.

“You can’t succeed in sales if you’re not constantly working on yourself.” Justin Balik.

Resources

Grab these books mentioned in the episode: 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Who Not How, and The Science of Scaling by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Follow Justin on Instagram. 

If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class. Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios. 

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

There’s a theory that if a seller focuses on a buyer’s inner feelings, then they’ll be more effective in closing a deal. This will require you to put your therapist cap on to tap into the customer’s emotions.

My guests, Jack Frimson and Zac Thompson, sales professionals and co-authors of Selling Is Therapy, share their techniques from their latest book. Listen to learn more about how you can start selling like a therapist to close more deals.

Meet Jack Frimson & Zac Thompson

• Jack and Zac are seasoned sales professionals and co-founders of an agency specializing in helping clients book more high-quality appointments. 
• Together, they have worked with hundreds of clients, developing practical, actionable strategies to make sales conversations more empathetic, effective, and rewarding for everyone involved. 

 Why the Therapist Approach?

• Salespeople often default to outdated, aggressive tactics that leave both parties feeling slimy.
• Drawing inspiration from therapy, Jack and Zac discovered that the best sellers act less like “persuaders” and more like thoughtful guides, catalyzing customer self-discovery.

Permission-Based Questions & “Softening the Blow”

• Simply asking before posing tough or blunt questions disarms prospects, making conversations feel safer and more genuine.
• This approach helps navigate tough topics, such as budget or decision-making authority, without sounding confrontational.

Levels of Listening

• Great salespeople distinguish themselves by noticing what isn’t said—body language, hesitations, or changes in tone.
• Calling out the “elephant in the room” (with empathy) opens space for honesty and trust.

The “Test Close”

• Instead of forcing meetings or pushing agendas, the “test close” invites prospects to design the most valuable meeting for themselves (“What would make a call next week worthwhile for you?”).
• This boosts the chances of attended and effective appointments—and prospects are more invested because they helped build the agenda.

The IKEA Curve

• When prospects participate in creating the solution (“If you could design your perfect platform/campaign/vendor, what would it look like?”), They feel a greater sense of ownership and buy-in.
• This technique is especially effective in competitive sales situations and discovery calls.

Low-Stakes Practice & Continuous Experimentation

• Jack and Zac encourage sellers to experiment with these tactics in everyday settings, like at a coffee shop, to build confidence before using them in sales calls.

Letting Go of Attachment

• The healthiest sales approach is one where you’re unattached to the outcome—focused instead on helping, not convincing.
• If you’re struggling with this, evaluate your alignment with the product, company, and your belief in the impact you deliver.

"Softening the blow is when we seek permission before we ask one of those big, big questions." - Jack Frimson.

"You always want to be calling out the elephant in the room. Another chapter of the book talks about the levels of listening.  It shares how salespeople tend to miss the things that aren't being said." - Zac Thompson. 

Resources

Grab a copy of their book on Amazon.

Follow and reach out to Jack and Zac on LinkedIn. If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class. Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios. 

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You’re posting content on LinkedIn but is it actually bringing in sales leads? In this rerun episode, I sit down with Tom Abbott, LinkedIn strategist and international sales expert, to talk about how you can create content that doesn’t just get likes but fills your pipeline. If you’re tired of playing the social media game with no ROI, this episode is your blueprint.

Meet Tom Abbott

Tom is the founder of SOCO Sales Training and one of the top voices when it comes to using LinkedIn for B2B sales. He’s trained thousands of sales professionals around the world, and in this conversation, he pulls back the curtain on what’s working on LinkedIn right now. Whether you're brand new to the platform or looking to sharpen your edge, Tom delivers actionable insights that can lead directly to revenue.

Turn LinkedIn Into a Lead Machine

• Tom explains why most sellers get LinkedIn wrong and what to do instead. It’s not about being overly polished or promotional. It’s about being intentional, authentic, and consistent.

Speak to your audience’s pain points

• Don’t just talk about your product. Talk about the problems your prospects are actively trying to solve.

Use a simple post structure

• Tom breaks down the 3-part framework: hook, value, and CTA. Get attention, deliver insight, and give them something to do next.

Stay visible without being spammy

• Consistency beats perfection. Tom shares how often to post, what formats are working best, and how to balance content types.

Connect, don’t just broadcast

• The magic happens in the comments and DMs. If you’re not engaging with your audience, you’re missing the point.

"LinkedIn is a sales tool not just a résumé. Use it that way, and it will change your business." – Tom Abbott

Resources

Follow Tom Abbott on LinkedIn to see examples of his post structure in action. Check out SOCO Sales Training if you want to take your team’s LinkedIn strategy to the next level. Need help building your sales content strategy? Join my Sales Mastermind Class. Visit thesalesevangelist.com for templates, tools, and more episodes to sharpen your selling skills

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

What if you could charge more without changing a single feature of your product or service? In this powerful rerun episode, I’m bringing back one of my favorite interviews with Bob Britton, a marketing expert who has helped thousands of entrepreneurs elevate their value, boost conversions, and command higher prices. If you’ve ever felt stuck competing on price, this episode is for you.

Meet Bob Britton

• Bob Britton is a business growth strategist with a long track record of turning small businesses into seven-figure machines. He’s not just theory, Bob built and sold multiple companies using the same strategies he teaches today. One of the big secrets behind his success?
• Understanding perceived value. According to Bob, the way you frame and present your offer can make the difference between being seen as a commodity and being seen as a premium solution.

It’s Not About Price, It’s About Value

• In this episode, Bob breaks down how to make your offer feel more valuable—without actually changing what you sell. It's all about presentation, psychology, and messaging.

Simplify the decision

• When prospects are confused, they don't buy. Bob explains how to structure your offer so it feels easy and obvious to say yes.

Stack the value

• People don’t buy features, they buy outcomes. Learn how to package and position your benefits so they stand out.

Anchor your price

• If you’re not using strategic price anchoring, you’re leaving money on the table. Bob shares his favorite ways to do this without feeling manipulative.

Add scarcity and urgency

• A great offer is only as strong as the reason to act now. Discover the exact language Bob uses to ethically drive urgency.

"People will pay more when they believe your offer solves a meaningful problem, better than anything else." – Bob Britton

Resources

Want to dive deeper into pricing and packaging? Join my Sales Mastermind Class. If you’re working on messaging or need to create a premium offer, check out Blue Mango Studios. Follow me on LinkedIn for daily sales insights and strategies. Visit thesalesevangelist.com for more episodes and tools to help you sell more effectively

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

What do you do when no one believes in your vision? When every door seems closed and you keep hearing the word “no”? In this powerful rerun episode, I sat down with my good friend Alex Quin to talk about rejection, resilience, and what it really takes to build something meaningful when the odds are stacked against you.

Meet Alex Quin

Alex Quin is the CEO of UADV, a full-stack marketing agency, and the host of the Hustle Inspires Hustle podcast. He's built a name for himself in the world of marketing and branding, working with top global brands like McLaren, Red Bull, and Puma. But his journey wasn’t easy. Alex didn’t start with connections or capital. He built his business from the ground up, and at every stage, people told him it wouldn’t work. They told him “no” but he didn’t stop.

The Power of Rejection

In this conversation, Alex shares how rejection shaped his growth and why hearing “no” was one of the best things that ever happened to him. We talked about mindset, perseverance, and how to build momentum even when no one’s clapping for you yet.

Create your own lane

• You don’t need permission to start. Alex breaks down how he carved out his own path in marketing when the industry gatekeepers ignored him.

Let the "no" fuel you

• Every time someone doubts you, it adds fuel to your fire. Use rejection as a signal that you're on the right track, especially when you’re building something new or unconventional.

Focus on value, not validation

• When you stop chasing approval and start solving real problems, the right people start paying attention.

Stay true to your voice

• Don’t let “no” change your identity. You’re not for everyone, and that’s okay. The people you’re meant to serve will get it.

"Rejection isn't the end. It's just feedback that you're breaking into something new." –

Alex Quin

Resources

Listen to Alex’s podcast Hustle Inspires Hustle for more mindset and brand-building tips Connect with Alex Quin on Instagram or LinkedIn to learn from his journey Need help developing your brand or message? Join my Sales Mastermind Class Looking to launch your podcast? Check out Blue Mango Studios

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Are your mornings setting you up for success? Or are they throwing your whole day off track? In this rerun episode, I’m diving into one of the most requested topics from the archive, how to structure your morning routine for consistent sales success. Whether you're an individual contributor or leading a team, these habits will help you focus, prioritize, and perform better every single day.

Start the Day Off Right

When I first started selling, I struggled with mornings. I’d roll into the day reacting to emails, jumping on calls, and chasing activity but not results. Everything changed when I started being intentional about how I began my day. These are simple but powerful strategies that help me stay focused and in control. In this episode, I’ll share the exact routine I follow and why it works.

The Morning Framework

Clarity is key. I start with 5 to 10 minutes of reflection, this could be prayer, journaling, or just quiet thinking. The goal is to reset and get my mind right. Then I review my pipeline so I know exactly which deals to prioritize. I write down one to three clear outcomes I want to accomplish that day. I also get moving whether it’s a workout or stretching, that physical energy helps jump start mental clarity. And finally, I stay out of email and Slack first. That’s reaction mode. I want to start in creation mode. These practices help me take control of my time, my mindset, and my performance. If you’re in sales, this will help you take control of your results.

"Control your morning and you’ll control your momentum." – Donald Kelly

Resources

Want to build a strong morning routine? Grab our free guide: Start Your Morning Like a Top 1% Seller Join my Sales Mastermind Class and level up your productivity and pipeline. Thinking about starting your own podcast? Get professional support from Blue Mango Studios.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

How do you take a company that’s been winning in the SMB and mid-market world and help it thrive in the enterprise space? On today’s episode, I chat with Adam Block, Chief Revenue Officer at Motive. Adam shares the exact strategies his team used to move upstream without losing their core customers. If you're thinking about scaling your sales motion to land enterprise-level clients, this one is a must-listen.

Meet Adam Block

Adam Block is the CRO of Motive, a company that offers an AI-powered operations platform for the physical economy. Their platform helps businesses in sectors like logistics, construction, and energy run safer and more efficient operations. Motive is used by massive organizations such as FedEx, Halliburton, and Centos and they didn’t get there by accident. Adam and his team made a strategic decision to go enterprise, but they made sure not to break what was already working.

Going Enterprise Without Breaking Your Foundation

Adam shares that Motive's journey upstream started with demand from the market. Their technology was attracting attention from larger organizations across a variety of industries. But rather than jump too fast, the team took a thoughtful approach focused on three major pillars:

Do No Harm

The team made a commitment to keep serving existing customers while building out the infrastructure for enterprise. This meant careful segmentation, performance tracking, and redefining metrics to ensure success across the board.

Rewire the Business for Enterprise

From the sales process to customer support, Adam's team rebuilt their entire operation to accommodate longer sales cycles and more complex buying processes. They also rebranded from KeepTruckin to Motive to reflect their broader market.

Hire the Right People

Talent was key. Motive built a team of top-tier sellers and developed a farm system for internal promotion. With a focus on RAD, Resilience, Accountability, and Discipline, they created a high-performing culture that thrives under pressure.

Lessons from the Field

Adam shared practical tactics for leaders looking to move upmarket:

• Don't chase enterprise at the cost of your base. Segment carefully and let each part of your business do what it does best.
• Rebranding isn't just about a name, it's about a new story. Make sure it matches your long-term vision.
• Build internal mobility. Create opportunities for junior talent to grow into enterprise roles, which lowers hiring risk and strengthens your culture.

“You have to be bold. But you also have to be intentional.” – Adam Block

Resources

To learn more about Motive, visit GoMotive.com

Connect with Adam Block on LinkedIn Thinking about starting your own podcast? Check out Blue Mango Studios. Want help improving your sales skills? Join our Sales Mastermind Class.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Should you email or call prospects? Which method is best for effectively reaching your clients? To find out, listen to my chat with Matt Tharp, the CEO of Hunter.io. He provides data and insights on why businesses should focus more on cold email than cold calling.

Meet Matt Tharp

• Matt might be perceived as biased towards email since he's the CEO of Hunter.io, but he was drawn to the company precisely because of its commitment to email.
• He enjoys working with fast-moving businesses that prioritize high velocity and product-led growth strategies. He believes this approach helps build a robust pipeline with marketing, while the sales motion supports and supplements that pipeline.
• Sales-driven models, heavily dependent on closing the next deal, can make it challenging for new sellers or businesses to find their footing. Relying solely on cold calling makes pipeline building particularly difficult, and the current business environment is only making cold calling harder.
• Matt shares his own experience as a decision-maker: if someone cold calls him unexpectedly, he's likely to get annoyed because it almost always interrupts something he's doing.

Marketing Strategy for Email Outreach

• Matt and his team conducted research to determine which marketing strategy prospects prefer. The results showed that 61% prefer cold emails, while less than 10% prefer cold calling. He also found that individuals in the US prefer digital outreach 71% more than calling.
• To successfully begin email outreach, Matt suggests keeping two key things in mind:

1.   How you build and segment your email list.

2.   How you write your content.

• He advises against trying to reach everyone when building your list. Instead, personalize it and make it relevant to your target audience. Keep your audience segments under 100 contacts to help maintain message relevance.

Subject Line Trends

• To create subject lines that generate clicks, Matt emphasizes the importance of addressing a problem the buyer is facing.
• It's better not to be overly playful. Instead, speak to a problem that prospects genuinely care about, and in the first one or two sentences, demonstrate that you are there to solve it. Then, explain how you will solve their problem. The final step involves adding a clear and easy call to action at the bottom of the email.

"Looking at current trends for business scaling investments, it's clear: phone calls are becoming less and less effective." - Matt Tharp.

Resources

If you need help scaling your business with email outreach, consider Hunter.io (I highly recommend it). 

If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class.

Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios. 

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.