Start with a truth most salespeople dodge: momentum is fragile, and it collapses without structure. That’s where Ben Smith begins—by tracing the line from a July 4th goodbye-to-booze to nine steady years selling life insurance, and how AA principles quietly power the phones, the pipeline, and the patience. We don’t glamorize a turnaround; we map the small moves that stack: daily meetings, public accountability, and the Big Book reframe that alcohol is an allergy, not a debate.

From there, we translate recovery into revenue. Ben lays out how automatic lead orders shift “spending” into “investing,” why expectations save you from doom loops, and the phrase that changed his close rate: what we’re going to do today. We get tactical with virtual selling: the pros and cons of leaving living rooms for Zoom rooms, realistic numbers on Ethos abandoned cart leads (think five to eight times ROI over time), and a clean opening script that disarms while it directs. Contact rate hacks take center stage—FaceTime Audio to beat call filters, light-touch memes to spark replies, and disciplined callbacks that turn six-month-old leads into same-day issues.

We also open the black box on agency building. Ben is blunt about chargebacks, why business means modeling for losses like a retailer, and how modern carriers reduce risk by paying on issue with verification. Hiring shifts from hopeful to intentional: proximity, daily Zooms, and community over lone-ranger dreams. And there’s a personal pivot with real impact—moving from a small desert town to Las Vegas, finding new networks in recovery and the gym, and watching production climb because comfort finally lost its grip.

If you’re chasing consistency instead of a hot streak, this conversation gives you the blueprint: own your story, automate your inputs, set firm expectations, control the call, and let disciplined effort compound.