The Mindset of a Top Performer: Sales Tactics, 75 Hard, and Stan Sher
Release Date: 09/17/2025
Built to Finish
“If you can’t admit you need a turnaround, you’re probably not going to make it.” In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Walter Simpson, a veteran business turnaround consultant with 40 years of experience and more than 60 middle-market company turnarounds under his belt. Walter is the author of the newly released book Core Turnaround Strategy: The Indispensable Restructuring Guide, which challenges conventional wisdom around fixing distressed companies. Rather than starting with layoffs and cost-cutting, Walter advocates for something far more fundamental:...
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
“At a certain point, the business doesn’t need a harder-working founder — it needs a more effective CEO.” In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Jim Schleckser, a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO coach, and trusted advisor to hundreds of founders who are scaling companies, navigating complexity, and preparing for successful exits. Jim has grown and exited multiple businesses himself and now serves as the Founder and CEO of The CEO Project, a peer advisory organization designed exclusively for growth-minded CEOs. Leaders seek Jim out when they hit the ceiling of...
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
“We are not broken as humans — we’re living in a culture that ignores how we actually evolved.” In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Tim Ash, renowned expert in evolutionary psychology, persuasion, and human behavior, for a wide-ranging and unapologetically honest conversation about what truly drives leadership, relationships, and modern society. Tim is a best-selling author, international keynote speaker, and founder of a digital marketing agency that helped create over $1.2 billion in value for global brands including Google, Expedia, and Nestlé....
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
In this episode of the Built to Finish podcast, Steven Pivnik sits down with Lisa Kirchenbauer, Founding Partner and Senior Advisor at Omega Wealth Management, to unpack what really happens before and after a liquidity event. Recognized by Newsweek and Money.com, Lisa shares how her firm has challenged the traditional, investment-first wealth management model for more than 25 years — putting life planning, psychology, and human behavior at the center of financial decision-making. Together, Steven and Lisa explore the hidden realities founders face after “winning the game,” including loss...
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineBuilt to Finish
info_outlineStan Sher, a respected writer, speaker, and president of Dealer eTraining, shares his personal journey from starting as a car salesman at 20 years old to founding his own company, overcoming going broke three times along the way. The conversation dives into why the car-buying process is often unpleasant, which Stan attributes to undertrained, transaction-focused salespeople and a lack of genuine communication.
He champions a "guest experience" mindset, urging a shift towards treating customers like people rather than dollar figures. The discussion also covers the importance of a consultative communication style, the power of personal discipline through challenges like 75 Hard, and the need for self-awareness, inspired by Mel Robbins' book.
Takeaways:
- Adopt a "Guest Experience" Mindset: Shift your focus from the transaction to treating every customer as a guest. This involves having personal conversations and building rapport, which can overcome the negative stereotypes customers often have.
- Practice Consultative Communication: Instead of being direct or confrontational, become naturally curious and ask more questions. A consultative approach helps you understand the customer's needs and leads to a more diplomatic and effective conversation.
- Start Your Day with Intention: Spend the first 15 minutes of your morning watching or listening to something inspirational instead of doom-scrolling. This small habit helps set a positive and motivated mindset for the rest of the day.
- Learn from Every Generation: If you're a young professional, ask yourself what you can learn from a 65-year-old coworker. Conversely, consider what you can teach and inspire in them. Bridging the generational gap is key for team growth.
- View All Experiences as Opportunities: Adopt the mindset that every experience you have in life is a good one, because you never know when a skill or lesson learned will become useful.
- Develop a Process for Failure: Success isn't about never failing; it's about having a clear process for what to do when you fail. Stan's process after going broke was to spend his "9 to 5" applying for jobs and taking every meeting, refusing to give up.
Quote of the Show:
- "I believe that we need to be consultative in every situation. We all need to be naturally curious. We need to ask more questions."
Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stansher83/
- Website: https://dealeretraining.com/
- Book Link: https://dealeretraining.com/