S6E20 - Chris Cicconi - Freelance Hustle: Navigating all the Ups and Downs
Release Date: 04/14/2025
S6E27 - Nigel Green - How to Hire Elite Salespeople: The Only Sales Leadership Skill That Matters
Surf and Sales
Sales leader and author Nigel Green joins Scott Leese and Richard Harris on the Surf and Sales podcast and discuss the critical skill of hiring elite salespeople. Nigel shares his expertise on why this is the single most important sales leadership skill, and how to effectively identify, attract, and integrate top talent onto your team. The conversation covers a range of valuable topics, including: Why elite salespeople don't apply to job postings, and how to proactively recruit them Techniques for uncovering the non-obvious behaviors that separate top performers from the rest Strategies for...
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S6E26 - St. John Craner - You have to sell slow to sell fast.
Surf and Sales
St. John raner dive into the fascinating world of agricultural sales and the rapid technological advancements transforming the industry. Sinjin is a sales training expert focused on the agricultural sector, shares insights on how farmers are embracing cutting-edge technologies like AI, precision farming, and data analytics to drive efficiency and productivity. The conversation explores the unique challenges and relationship-driven nature of selling to farmers, as well as the generational shift towards younger, tech-savvy farm owners driving innovation.
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S6E25 - Mike Muhlfelder - What AI f*cking up about sales?
Surf and Sales
Acandid conversations between sales leaders Scott Leese, Richard Harris, and Mike Muhlfelder In this episode, they chat with Mike Muhlfelder, founder of CalmOcean Sales, about the current state of B2B sales. Mike shares his insights on the "epidemic" of not having enough pipeline, and how proper qualification is key to solving this issue. He explains his "four Ws" approach - focusing on what happened, why it needs to be solved now, who owns the project, and when it needs to be live. We also discuss what AI is f'ing up in sales, with Mike cautioning that while AI can be helpful, it can't...
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S6E24 - Riley Blaisdell - Last Chance for Redemption
Surf and Sales
Riley shares his fascinating journey, from being a high school dropout to building a successful sales career. Key Takeaways: Riley's early entrepreneurial spirit, selling candy and snacks as a kid to buy ice cream His struggles with getting into trouble as a young adult, and how a mentor's disappointment in him was a turning point The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and mentors to help you grow Riley's impressive sales accomplishments, including turning a $500 deal into a $4.5 million account The value of patience, persistence, and developing business acumen in sales ...
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S6E23 - Lori Richardson - Bridging the Gap: Preparing the Next Generation of Sales Professionals
Surf and Sales
Lori, Scott, and Richard discuss the evolving sales landscape, including the impact of AI and the importance of sales education programs to prepare the next generation. They explore the challenges and concerns around AI's role in sales, as well as the opportunities to enhance the sales profession through technology. The group also highlights Lori's work with the Barb Giamanco scholarship, which provides financial support to women in university sales programs, and the need for more industry involvement in academia.
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S6E22 - Cory Terre - The Best Way to Evaluate a Potential Unicorn
Surf and Sales
In this episode of the Surf and Sales Podcast, hosts Scott Leese and Richard Harris sit down with Cory Terre, a sales performance coach at Cellfire. Cory breaks down the 3 key factors he looks for when evaluating new job opportunities - people, product, and potential. Cory shares wild stories from his early days working at Main Street Hub alongside Scott, including the time Scott gave him a brutal wake-up call that changed the trajectory of his sales career. Scott and Richard share their thoughts on the latest AI and automation tools impacting the sales world. This episode is packed with...
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S6E21 - Cynthia Barnes - From Breaking Point to Breakthrough
Surf and Sales
his powerful episode of the Surf and Sales podcast features Cynthia Barnes in a candid conversation with hosts Richard Harris and Scott Leese. Cynthia shares her journey from a toxic marriage to becoming a successful entrepreneur, executive coach, and founder of the "Thank You It's True" movement. The conversation covers critical topics including AI's impact on critical thinking, the power of small curated communities vs. massive networking events, and the importance of recognizing your self-worth in both personal and professional settings. Cynthia reveals how she built resilience through...
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S6E20 - Chris Cicconi - Freelance Hustle: Navigating all the Ups and Downs
Surf and Sales
Chris Cicconi joins the Surf and Sales Podcast to discuss what it was like to officially cut the W2 cord and go out on his own. Topics include... Importance of focusing on revenue-generating activities vs. getting bogged down in branding/marketing tasks when starting a consulting business Strategies for building a sustainable client base through networking, partnerships, and leveraging your personal brand Challenges of scaling a consulting business too quickly and the risks of over-hiring/overhead Benefits of maintaining multiple income streams and not being overly reliant on a single client...
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S6E19 - Sean Tepper Navigating Sales and Investing in Turbulent Times
Surf and Sales
In this episode of the Surface Sales Podcast, we sit down with Sean Tepper, the founder of Tykr, a SaaS platform that helps investors make informed decisions in the stock market. Sean shares his expertise on building a successful SaaS business, as well as his insights on the current state of the market and how investors can navigate the turbulence. Key Takeaways: Sean discusses the importance of focusing on product-market fit and churn rates as key metrics for SaaS growth. He shares his strategies for building partnerships and leveraging channel sales to scale a SaaS business. Sean provides...
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S6E18 - Shawn Sease Fixing Cold Calling in the SDR Industrial Complex
Surf and Sales
The Professor of Prospecting reveals why cold calling isn't dead but your approach might be killing you. The founder of INeverAnswer.com, Sean Sease, shares his deep expertise on effective outbound prospecting and why the traditional cold calling approach fails for most companies. Key topics covered: Why there's no "secret sauce" in prospecting—it's about doing the work properly The surprising data on follow-up calls generating 2-12x more meetings than first-time connects How to rethink your first-call objectives to build a pipeline of follow-ups Sean's innovative "Round Table"...
info_outlineChris Cicconi joins the Surf and Sales Podcast to discuss what it was like to officially cut the W2 cord and go out on his own. Topics include...
- Importance of focusing on revenue-generating activities vs. getting bogged down in branding/marketing tasks when starting a consulting business
- Strategies for building a sustainable client base through networking, partnerships, and leveraging your personal brand
- Challenges of scaling a consulting business too quickly and the risks of over-hiring/overhead
- Benefits of maintaining multiple income streams and not being overly reliant on a single client or project
- Differences in approaches between "jumping in" full-time vs. building a consulting business gradually alongside a day job