Stop Selling, Start Earning: Leslie Venetz on Sales That Actually Work

🔥 Excerpt

“Most people talk at their prospects instead of with them—and then wonder why they don’t close. The win is in the listening.”

⚡ TL;DR

Sales strategist and author Leslie Venetz joins Rick Meekins to rip the curtain off outdated, tone-deaf selling tactics and rewire your thinking around what it takes to actually win in modern B2B sales. From AI-fueled noise to signal-based selling, Leslie shares a fresh, fiercely practical approach that’s grounded in trust, personalization at scale, and earning the right to close. Whether you’re tired of being ghosted or struggling to build real pipeline, this episode delivers a blueprint that works.

 

📄 Show Notes

Sales isn’t broken—but the way most people are doing it definitely is.

In this episode of The Relentless Pursuit of Winning, I sit down with Leslie Venetz—founder of the Sales-Led GTM Agency and longtime sales leader—to dissect why traditional outbound methods are falling flat in today’s B2B landscape. Spoiler: it’s not because people hate being sold to. It’s because most sellers forgot how to earn trust, speak like humans, and build real relationships.

Leslie’s approach is a refreshing departure from the templated nonsense clogging inboxes. She breaks down how sales leaders and founders can ditch the spam tactics and start building profitable pipelines rooted in listening, alignment, and relevance.

We get into:

• Why “buy my thing” messaging is killing your brand
• The dangers of obsession with outcomes instead of execution
• What personalization actually looks like in a world of AI
• How micro-campaigns can sharpen your targeting and increase win rates
• The difference between social selling and social posting—and why it matters

Leslie also shares her 9-step outbound blueprint (yes, it’s in the book), plus a mindset shift that every founder and sales leader needs to make if they want to win without burning trust.

If your team is struggling with outbound that gets ignored, if your pipeline is full but your win rate is low, or if you’re just sick of feeling like sales has become a bad word—this is the conversation you didn’t know you needed.

This isn’t theory. This is practice. Smart, strategic, and unapologetically focused on results.

 

✅ Key Takeaways

• Sales is still a people game. The tech is here, but relationships still win.
• Signal-based selling is the future—leverage buyer triggers, not gimmicks.
• Personalization at scale means small, smart lists with shared context, not creepy DMs.
• Listening to understand (not to respond) is your best sales weapon.
• A good sales process doesn't feel like selling—it feels like helping.
• Multi-channel engagement (phone, email, social) is table stakes—use the one they prefer.
• You’re not just building pipeline—you’re building trust.

 

👤 Bio

Leslie Venetz is the founder of Sales-Led GTM Agency, where she helps B2B SaaS and service organizations build profitable, repeatable outbound strategies. With over 15 years of sales experience across enterprise, startup, and player-coach roles, she now teaches sales teams how to sell with purpose, clarity, and zero cringe. Her first book Outbound That Converts drops August 5th and is packed with tactical frameworks and mindset shifts that actually work in today’s noisy market.

 

🎁 Giveaway

Leslie is offering over $400 in bonuses for those who preorder her new book Outbound That Converts.

Here’s what you get:

• Exclusive templates for outbound messaging
• Bonus micro-campaign worksheets
• Access to a private book launch training
• Behind-the-scenes look at the 9-step sales blueprint

👉 To claim your bonus:

1. Preorder the book at salesledgtm.com/book
2. Enter your receipt code to unlock your bonuses
3. Get ready to start selling with confidence and clarity

 

🧭 Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

09:52 The Importance of Sales in Business

18:07 Challenges in Modern Sales Practices

26:41 Effective Sales Strategies and Techniques

34:43 Personalization in Sales Messaging

41:00 Creating Ideal Customer Profiles

44:57 New Chapter