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"...
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S6E17 - Eric Iannello - Surf's Up, Prospects Down: Riding the Waves of Relationship-Driven Sales
Surf and Sales
In this episode of the Surf and Sales podcast, hosts Richard, Scott, and special guest Eric Iannello, Head of Sales at Commsor, dive deep into the evolving landscape of sales outreach. The discussion covers a range of topics, including: Eric's journey from experiencing consecutive layoffs to embracing a network-driven sales approach, and how that shaped his perspective on the value of relationships. The pros and cons of leveraging AI and automation in the sales process, particularly when it comes to managing warm introductions and preserving the human element of prospecting. The panelists'...
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S6E16 - Kevin Hopp - How AI Will Destroy Sales Reps (But Make Them Superheroes)
Surf and Sales
Richard and Kevin go head-to-head in an epic battle of sales tactics, AI hype, and generational warfare. Discover the secret to booking meetings on Discord and why email will never die (no matter how hard we try). And how the future of the top of funnel will begin in Reddit more than Google This episode has it all - don't miss out!
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S6E15 - Anis Bennaceur - Finally, A Founder Who Got it Right
Surf and Sales
In this episode of Surf and Sales, Richard Harris and Scott Leese interview Anis Bennaceur, CEO and co-founder of Attention.com, a platform revolutionizing sales with AI agents that automate sales conversations. Anis shares his journey from hacking web servers as a kid to working at Tinder in its early days, and then founding his own startups. The most fascinating revelation? He joined forces with his biggest competitor to create Attention.com after years of "waging war" against each other. Key highlights: Why Attention.com's AI was able to identify the exact reason a six-figure deal was...
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S6E14 - Mark Ackers - How to Know Your Sales Leader Doesn't Care
Surf and Sales
Scott Leese and Richard Harris talk with Mark Ackers, founder of My Sales Coach, about the massive disconnect in sales coaching today. Mark reveals shocking stats from his 1,600-person survey showing 38% of reps rarely or never receive coaching, while 90% of leaders claim they coach monthly. Mark also shares his personal journey from mediocre sales rep to successful founder, including the brutal first coaching session that changed everything. The hosts also explore the future of coaching with AI and why human coaches will remain essential for accountability and relationship building. Key...
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S6E12 - John Karsant - Being Honest Being Good in Sales
Surf and Sales
In this episode of the Surf and Sales Podcast, Scott Leese and Richard Harris are joined by John Karsant, Founder and CEO of Level Up Leads, an appointment setting and sales development agency. Key Topics Covered: How Level Up Leads helps companies implement sales campaigns and book more demos Why only 8% of companies report positive experiences with outsourced sales development The importance of setting realistic expectations with clients How to stand out in a commoditized industry Latest effective cold calling tactics that are working in 2025 The debate on permission-based openers vs....
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