Struggling to balance technology and human connection in your sales leadership? You're not alone.

In this episode of The Sales Machine Podcast, I sit down with Alan Versteeg of Growth Matters, a sales leadership expert who’s spent over a decade helping CEOs and Sales Directors transform their teams into high-performance engines. Alan breaks down how to simplify communication, coach effectively, and use Socratic leadership to empower your team.

We tackle the tough stuff:

• Why most sales leaders fail to turn tech investments into real impact.
• How to hold your team accountable without killing morale.
• The secret sauce of sustainable growth: simple, consistent disciplines.

Whether you’re a seasoned leader or new to the game, this conversation is packed with actionable advice on mindset, methodology, and making tech work for you, not against you.

If you’re ready to cut through the complexity, simplify your approach, and lead your team to real, lasting success... hit play and let’s get into it!

Episode Highlights

“We have become so loyal to optics that we've forgotten about impact. Because we have the ability through technology to report on everything.” - Alan Versteeg 

“It comes down to mindset. Psychology, methodology, and then technology is just a tool to make things better, faster, more efficient.” - John Rankins

“The job of a sales lead is not to grow sales. It's to grow salespeople who grow sales.”  - Alan Versteeg 

“Professionals prepare, amateurs wing it. And the salespeople out there that are just looking for that bluebird from the sky are not sales professionals.” - John Rankins

“Be the GPS, not the driver. Just because you know where you're going, don't steal their steering wheel.”  - Alan Versteeg 

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:03 Simplicity in Complexity: The Art of Effective Communication

12:14 The Evolution of Sales: From Individual Contributor to Leader

17:57 Coaching for Success: The Role of Sales Managers

23:50 Accountability in Coaching: Creating a Supportive Environment

30:35 Socratic Leadership and Empowerment

37:31 Sales as an Ecosystem

43:09 The Force Multiplier Concept

50:15 Value Proposition and Market Adaptation

56:52 The Power of Simple Disciplines

58:17 Outro

Connect with Alan Versteeg

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

Twitter/X: https://x.com/alanversteeg 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growth_matters_international/ 

Connect with John Rankins

Website: https://thesalesmachine.com/

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

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial