Selling From the Heart Podcast

Dr. Bobby Low is a mental performance doctor, author, speaker, coach, and Founder of MOTYV8, a platform dedicated to helping athletes, teams, and high performers develop the mental skills needed to thrive under pressure.

A former NCAA All-American and professional pole vaulter, Dr. Bobby holds a Ph.D. in Sport & Performance Psychology. He works with athletes at Brigham Young University and elite performers across professional sports, helping them strengthen confidence, focus, resilience, and emotional control.

He is also the author of Wiring Intelligence: From Reactive to Proactive, Eight Mindsets to Control Performance Under Pressure, which explores how intentional thinking and consistent mental training can transform performance.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling From the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Dr. Bobby Low, mental performance doctor and author of Wiring Intelligence, for a conversation about overcoming fear, building confidence, and rewiring the mental habits that influence sales performance.

Drawing from his work with elite athletes and high performers, Dr. Bobby explains how repeated thoughts shape automatic responses to rejection, pressure, and uncertainty. He challenges sales professionals to recognize their inner dialogue and move from reactive thinking toward intentional, proactive mental habits.

The conversation explores why fear often comes from imagined outcomes, how self-awareness helps interrupt negative thought patterns, and why learning is a more productive response to setbacks than self-criticism. Dr. Bobby introduces a practical reflection exercise: identify three things you did well and one thing to improve after each sales conversation.

The takeaway is simple: confidence isn't just something you feel. It's something you can intentionally develop through the thoughts, language, and habits you practice every day.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Authentic selling starts with belief. Believe in the value you provide and the difference your solution can make for customers.
• Train your mind to respond proactively. Recognize reactive thinking patterns and develop intentional habits that support confidence and resilience.
• Replace fear with learning. Approach rejection, setbacks, and difficult conversations with curiosity instead of allowing imagined outcomes to control your actions.
• Pay attention to your inner dialogue. Self-awareness and intentional language help you recognize unproductive thoughts and choose more constructive responses.
• Reflect on three wins and one improvement. Reinforce what worked after each sales conversation while identifying one specific opportunity to improve.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

The antidote to fear is learning.

We get to be the architect or the narrator of whatever story we wanna create in our own life.

Even if you absolutely tanked the call, write down what worked, what went well.

Instead of saying, 'I'm anxious,' or, 'I'm nervous,' change the language to, 'I'm ready and I'm excited.'

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Jeff Davis is an award-winning author of four books, professional speaker, consultant, and mental health advocate specializing in authentic leadership, resilience, and workplace culture.

A TEDx speaker and Forbes contributor, Jeff has delivered keynotes internationally and works with businesses, nonprofits, schools, and organizations to promote healthier workplaces and more authentic leadership.

Known as "Mr. Mountaintop," Jeff brings a candid, thoughtful perspective shaped by his professional experiences, international travels, and conversations with influential leaders. He holds a master's degree from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and is the author of The Courage to Leave: Breaking Free from Toxic Workplaces.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling From the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome author and mental health advocate Jeff Davis for a conversation about authentic selling, toxic workplace cultures, mental health, leadership, and the courage to make difficult career decisions.

Jeff explains that selling from the heart begins with genuine care, being fully present, and removing the performance layer that can turn meaningful conversations into transactions. He challenges sales professionals to consider whether they truly believe in what they sell and whether their organization's values align with their own.

The conversation explores the warning signs of unhealthy workplace cultures, from manipulation and disrespect to chronic stress and burnout. Jeff emphasizes the importance of protecting mental well-being while recognizing that not every difficult workplace situation requires an immediate exit.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Authentic selling starts with genuine presence. Remove the performance layer, care about the person across from you, and prioritize meaningful relationships over transactions.
• Alignment strengthens authenticity. Believing in your products, organization, and values makes it easier to build confidence and customer trust.
• Recognize toxic workplace behaviors. Manipulation, disrespect, unhealthy leadership, persistent stress, and burnout can signal deeper cultural problems.
• Protect your mental well-being. Professional achievement should not require sacrificing your health. Leaders must address unhealthy workplace dynamics before they escalate.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

You get rid of the performance layer, and you're in the moment.

You have to truly believe in what you're selling.

Staying at the company could be a very courageous decision.

All leadership begins with self-leadership.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Darrin DeStasio is a sales leader, author, and Co-Founder of Horizon Five, with more than 25 years of experience helping enterprise organizations turn strategy into measurable business outcomes.

As a Transformation Principal at Horizon Five, Darrin works with leaders across Finance, HR, and Supply Chain to bridge the gap between data strategy and execution. His approach brings together technology, governance, and people to drive meaningful, lasting transformation.
Drawing on 27 years of experience with companies including Oracle, IBM, Demandware, and Alteryx, Darrin authored Sell the Hole, Not the Drill: What Top Sales Performers Do Differently. His philosophy challenges sales professionals to move beyond product features and focus on understanding customer needs, earning trust, and delivering outcomes that genuinely matter.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling From the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Darrin DeStasio, author of Sell the Hole, Not the Drill, to explore what top-performing sales professionals do differently.

Darrin challenges salespeople to stop selling features and start solving problems. He explains why the best sales conversations begin with curiosity rather than persuasion, how to avoid the demo trap, and why understanding a customer's personal motivations is just as important as identifying their business challenges.

The conversation also explores the habits behind consistent sales performance. From researching prospects and asking better questions to establishing mutually agreed-upon next steps, Darrin shares practical ways to make every customer interaction more meaningful.
He also reveals how working backward from sales goals, understanding conversion rates, and building a disciplined activity plan helped him predict his own performance with remarkable accuracy.

At the heart of the conversation is a powerful reminder: “Amateurs wing it. Professionals plan.”

If you want to build stronger customer relationships, improve your sales execution, and become a trusted advisor instead of another product-focused salesperson, this episode offers a practical roadmap.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sell the outcome, not the product. Customers aren't buying features. They're looking for solutions to problems that matter to them.
• Lead with curiosity instead of persuasion. Ask thoughtful questions, listen without rushing, and uncover the real business and personal motivations behind a decision.
• Preparation is a competitive advantage. Research your prospects before every conversation so you can spend more time discovering what matters and less time asking questions you should already know the answers to.
• Avoid the demo trap. Show customers only the capabilities that directly connect to their challenges and desired outcomes.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

The goal is to solve somebody else's problem that matters to them.

Care enough to ask better questions, listen long enough to uncover the real challenge, and only recommend something if it truly creates value to them, not to you.

Amateurs wing it. Professionals plan.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Dr. Stephanie Duguid is a Leadership Culture Strategist, keynote speaker, author, and founder of Do Good Leadership. With three decades of experience in education, leadership, and human performance, she helps organizations strengthen communication, build trust, and create healthier workplace cultures where people feel valued and empowered to thrive.

Her work focuses on intentional leadership, emotional intelligence, and the power of relationships to shape organizational culture. Through practical strategies, Dr. Stephanie helps leaders reduce miscommunication, strengthen teams, and lead with greater clarity, authenticity, and purpose.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Dr. Stephanie Duguid to explore intentional communication, emotional intelligence, trust, and the habits that strengthen relationships.

Dr. Stephanie defines selling from the heart as service rather than transaction. Instead of focusing on delivering a pitch or closing a deal, sales professionals should listen closely enough to understand what the customer truly needs—and be honest about whether they can help.

She explains why genuine listening requires presence, curiosity, and the willingness to stop preparing your response while someone else is speaking. The conversation also explores how to respond rather than react when facing rejection, pressure, or difficult conversations. A pause, a breath, and greater awareness of tone and body language can change the direction of an interaction.

Ultimately, Dr. Stephanie emphasizes three practices that strengthen relationships and workplace culture: communication, connection, and consistency. When people feel heard, valued, and safe to speak honestly, trust has room to grow.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Listen to understand, not to respond. Genuine curiosity helps you understand what customers and colleagues actually need.
• Give people your full attention. Intentional presence means putting distractions aside and engaging with the person in front of you.
• Respond instead of reacting. Pause, breathe, and choose your words and body language deliberately when pressure rises.
• Consistency builds trust. People need to know they can count on how you communicate, especially during difficult moments.
• Communication shapes culture. Words, tone, body language, and assumptions all influence how people experience a relationship.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

We’ve got two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Culture really stems from the way that you communicate with one another.

How do you communicate when you’re stressed? How do you communicate when you’re under pressure?

I don’t listen to respond. I don’t listen to react.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Kieran Read is one of the most accomplished leaders in rugby history and the founder of Kieran Read Leadership. During his 15-year professional career, Kieran captained New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks 52 times, earned 127 international caps, won two Rugby World Cup championships, and was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2013.

Today, Kieran helps leaders and organizations build high-performing teams through intentional leadership, trust, resilience, and accountability. Drawing from his experience leading one of the world’s most successful sports teams, he equips executives and teams with practical strategies to navigate pressure, strengthen culture, and achieve sustained excellence.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome former All Blacks captain Kieran Read for a conversation about preparation, performance, leadership, trust, accountability, and the mindset required to consistently perform at a high level.

Drawing from his years competing at the highest level of professional rugby, Kieran explains why preparation creates the foundation for performance. Routines, habits, practice, and analysis help professionals prepare for pressure before the pressure arrives.

But performance is only part of the cycle. Kieran emphasizes the importance of reflection—looking honestly at what worked, what didn't, and identifying the critical few improvements that can elevate the next performance.

The conversation also explores the human side of high-performing teams. Talent alone isn't enough. Trust, genuine connection, communication, and care create an environment where people can challenge one another, give honest feedback, and hold each other accountable.

Finally, Kieran shares how he learned to manage pressure in real time by controlling his self-talk, staying present, and repeatedly returning his attention to the next task.

For sales professionals, the parallel is powerful: you can't control every buyer, outcome, or setback—but you can control how you prepare, how you respond, and what you do next.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Preparation dictates performance. Consistent habits, routines, and practice give you the best opportunity to perform when pressure arrives.
• Prepare, perform, reflect, repeat. Use every performance as information to improve how you approach the next opportunity.
• Build connection before accountability. Trust and genuine care create the foundation for honest feedback and difficult conversations.
• Focus on the critical few. Identify the two or three improvements that will make the greatest difference instead of trying to fix everything at once.
• Stay present under pressure. Don't allow a previous mistake or future outcome to steal attention from the task directly in front of you.
• Control what you can control. Your preparation, thoughts, response, and next action remain yours even when the outcome doesn't.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Our preparation dictates what our performance is gonna be.

You can't have a great performance without the preparation.

Preparation is about habits, it's routines.

Feedback's tough to take... but it's the key for us to grow and to get better.

Prepare, then you perform, then you reflect.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Simon Severinois the Founder and CEO of Strategy Sprints, where he helps B2B founders and business leaders accelerate sales, increase profitability, and build companies that can scale without burning out their teams.

Over the past two decades, Simon has helped clients generate more than $2 billion in additional revenue by simplifying strategy and focusing on disciplined execution. He is the creator of the Strategy Sprints® Method and author of Strategy Sprints: 12 Ways to Accelerate Growth for an Agile Business.

Simon is also a TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, and host of the Strategy Sprints Podcast. His work focuses on helping leaders simplify complexity, strengthen sales processes, and create sustainable growth by concentrating on the actions that generate the greatest impact.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling From the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Simon Severino for a conversation about preparation, process, trust, simplification, and selling in the age of AI.

Simon defines selling as helping another person make progress. But helping someone make progress requires more than good intentions. Sales professionals need to understand the buyer's world, prepare deeply, and bring a process that can confidently guide the conversation forward. Without preparation, sellers can become reactive, overly focused on closing, and more concerned with their own pipeline than the customer's progress.

The conversation also explores why trust may become the key differentiator in the age of AI. Technology can increasingly support research, strategy, and analysis, but buyers still need trusted people who can help them execute, navigate resistance, and make meaningful change.

Simon also warns sales organizations against using AI to accelerate processes they have never clearly defined. Before automating, teams should document how they prospect, follow up, close, onboard, activate, upsell, and serve customers. Otherwise, as Simon puts it, “the AI will only scale chaos.”

Finally, Simon challenges sales professionals to simplify their offers and rethink high-volume outreach. Instead of sending hundreds of generic messages, focus on fewer prospects, understand what is relevant to them, and create communication that is thoughtful, distinctive, and human.

The message is simple: prepare better, simplify the process, build trust, and use technology to strengthen—not replace—the human side of selling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Selling means helping people make progress. Keep the buyer’s desired outcome at the center of every conversation.
• Preparation and process build trust. Understanding the buyer’s world and following a clear process helps you guide the conversation with confidence and relevance.
• Trust will differentiate you in the age of AI. Technology can support research, strategy, and analysis, but buyers still need trusted people who can help them execute and create change.
• Don’t use AI to scale chaos. Simplify and document what already works before trying to automate or accelerate your sales process.
• Simplify what you sell. Focus on the central problem you solve and communicate one clear outcome instead of overwhelming buyers with products, features, and options.
• Send fewer, better messages. Replace generic volume with deeper preparation, relevance, personality, and communication that demonstrates you understand the person you’re trying to reach.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Trust will be the key differentiator in the age of AI.

If you stick to one process, you are more in service actually, in the service of the other person making progress.

What you want is AI. What you need is writing down the process first.

Instead of sending 200 things, let’s send 20 this week, but let’s go deeper.

Send less messages, but make them more interesting, make them stand out, make them about who you are and what you can do for them.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Rashmi Airan is a globally recognized keynote speaker, transformation expert, and former attorney whose story of resilience, accountability, and reinvention has inspired leaders and organizations around the world.

A graduate of Columbia Law School, Rashmi built a successful career as an attorney, Wall Street investment banker, entrepreneur, and business leader before a series of decisions resulted in a federal prison sentence.

Today, Rashmi uses that experience to help leaders navigate pressure, uncertainty, and ethical challenges with greater clarity and integrity. Through her Rise Through It™ framework, she helps individuals and teams strengthen resilience, self-awareness, trust, and values-driven leadership.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Rashmi Airan for a powerful conversation about ethical drift, achievement, pressure, and the decisions sales professionals make when the stakes are high.

Rashmi shares how her identity became tied to achievement and how financial uncertainty and the pressure to succeed influenced decisions that eventually changed the course of her life.

She explains how fear can disguise itself as ambition, urgency, creativity, or aggressive problem-solving—making it easier to rationalize decisions that no longer align with our values.

Rashmi introduces her Clarity Loop, four questions designed to create space between pressure and action: What am I feeling? What story am I telling myself? What matters most? What choice can I own later?

Ultimately, this episode challenges sales professionals to pursue performance without sacrificing alignment, integrity, or the ability to look back and own the decisions they made.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Integrity rarely collapses—it drifts. Small compromises can gradually move us away from our values.
• Pressure can disguise fear as ambition. What looks like urgency or aggressive problem-solving may be driven by something deeper.
• Create space between pressure and action. A brief pause can change the trajectory of a high-stakes decision.
• Use the Clarity Loop. Ask: What am I feeling? What story am I telling myself? What matters most? What choice can I own later?
• Move from performance to alignment. Results matter, but they shouldn't determine which values you're willing to compromise.
• Practice moral humility. Recognize that anyone can drift under the right circumstances.
• Make disagreement safe. Healthy cultures need people who are willing and able to challenge decisions without fear of punishment.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

We all have an inner voice. We all have a moral compass.

We need people to disagree with us.

If we’re acting out of alignment with who we are or what we believe, that’s where the bad decisions happen.

Integrity rarely collapses, it drifts.

What choice can I own later?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Collin Henderson is a mental performance coach, speaker, author, and founder of Master Your Mindset, where he helps leaders, sales professionals, athletes, and organizations unlock peak performance by mastering the inner game.

Drawing from his experience as a Division I athlete, top-performing medical sales professional, and national sales trainer, Collin focuses on mindset, leadership, culture, and sales psychology. A seven-time author and host of the Master Your Mindset podcast, his training has been used by organizations including Nike, Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, Zillow, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Through his coaching, speaking, and writing, Collin helps people strengthen confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and the mental habits required for sustainable high performance.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome mental performance coach Collin Henderson to explore the psychology behind sales performance and why mastering your inner game is essential to sustainable success.

Collin begins with a simple philosophy: “Never sell, serve.” He challenges sales professionals to move from an “I-centered” mindset to a “we-centered” approach focused on curiosity, value, and helping customers succeed.

The conversation explores how limiting beliefs, self-image, confidence, resilience, and self-talk influence performance long before sales techniques are put into action. Collin also introduces The Oz Method, connecting the brain to belief and curiosity, the heart to emotional connection, the lion to courage and vulnerability, and the yellow brick road to the habits and systems that make success repeatable.

Ultimately, Collin challenges sales professionals to examine the stories they repeatedly tell themselves. Your strategy matters. Your skills matter. Your market matters. But your biggest competition may still be you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Never sell—serve. Shift from an “I-centered” mindset to creating meaningful value for the customer.
• Psychology precedes strategy. Sales techniques are only as effective as the beliefs driving the person using them.
• You never outperform your beliefs. Assumptions about yourself, buyers, the market, or the economy can quietly limit your performance.
• Self-awareness creates change. You cannot challenge a limiting belief until you're willing to recognize it.
• Master The Oz Method. Combine belief and curiosity, emotional connection, courage and vulnerability, and disciplined processes.
• Train your self-talk. The way you narrate wins, losses, rejection, and opportunity directly influences confident action.
• Stop blaming external competition. Before looking at the market, examine the beliefs influencing how you're showing up.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Psychology precedes strategy every single time.

You never outperform your own beliefs.

Our limits begin where our vision ends.

Self-talk is the number one driver of confident action.

The brain doesn't care what is true or false. The brain cares about what is repeated

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Lance Wright is an Addiction Recovery Specialist, TEDx speaker, author, and founder of Life Over Addiction. With more than three decades of personal recovery experience and years working professionally in behavioral health, Lance helps individuals, families, and working professionals navigate addiction, stress, identity, and personal transformation.

Through his concept of “Thought Addiction,” Lance explores how deeply rooted narratives, beliefs, and emotional conditioning can influence behavior. His work helps people reconnect with purpose, resilience, and lasting change through awareness, neuroplasticity-based practices, and honest human connection.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Lance Wright for a powerful conversation about high performance, addiction, validation, and the internal pressures many sales professionals carry.

Lance shares his extraordinary journey from addiction and incarceration to recovery and transformation, along with the lessons that helped him rebuild his life.

The conversation also examines a form of addiction that can easily hide behind professional success: the constant chase for validation. The next sale, ranking, award, or big win may provide a temporary high—but what happens when your sense of worth depends on achieving the next one?

Lance challenges sales professionals to separate who they are from what they achieve, recognize unhealthy coping patterns, and have the courage to seek support before those patterns become destructive.

Ultimately, this conversation is a reminder that sustainable success begins on the inside.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Your performance is not your identity. Sales results change. Your sense of worth cannot depend entirely on quotas, rankings, or recognition.
• Validation can become a chase. The emotional high of winning fades quickly when achievement becomes the primary source of fulfillment.
• Pressure can reveal deeper beliefs. Rejection and uncertainty can expose fears around failure, inadequacy, perfectionism, and acceptance.
• Unhealthy coping patterns can develop gradually. Behaviors used to escape stress or emotional discomfort can become increasingly difficult to control.
• Authenticity goes deeper than professional success. Knowing who you are apart from your achievements creates a stronger foundation.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

The win isn't the real thing, it's the chase, it's the hunt.

How do I not use my profession as a casino?

I don't need your validation. I know who I am.

I didn't have that thought. I was taught that thought.

The mirror never lies. Only the person looking into the mirror lies.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Cory Dunham is an Executive Advisor, Business Growth Strategist, Speaker, and founder of Cory Dunham Advisory. He also serves as CEO of BDB Marketing Design, LLC.

With more than 30 years of business and marketing experience, Cory helps service-based businesses grow through clearer messaging, stronger leadership alignment, and greater strategic consistency. His work focuses on closing the gap between the value a company delivers and how that value is seen, understood, trusted, and chosen in the marketplace.

Cory brings a practical, people-centered approach to helping leaders strengthen communication, clarify positioning, align their teams, and create sustainable growth.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Cory Dunham to explore why clarity, differentiation, and human connection are becoming increasingly important competitive advantages.

Cory explains that differentiation isn't simply about having a better product or service. Sales professionals must clearly communicate meaningful value while leaning into what technology cannot replicate—their stories, experiences, lessons, relationships, and human presence.

Drawing from his experience as a private pilot, Cory shares lessons about self-awareness, situational awareness, and making the next best decision when circumstances become overwhelming. The conversation also explores how sales professionals can use AI, video, podcasts, and social media to become more human and visible—not less.

Ultimately, Cory challenges salespeople to stop adding to the noise and get clear about who they serve, what customers value, and why they deserve a place at the table.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Clarity is a competitive advantage. Know who you serve, what they value, and how you create meaningful results.
• Your humanity is your differentiation. AI cannot replicate your experiences, stories, relationships, or perspective.
• Ask instead of assuming. Better questions and intentional listening reveal what truly matters to buyers.
• Use technology to humanize yourself. Let digital tools increase your visibility without replacing genuine connection.
• AI cannot fix confusion. Technology won't solve unclear messaging, positioning, leadership, or strategy.
• Make the next best decision. You don't always need every answer—you need enough awareness to determine the next right move.
• Meaningful value earns attention. Clearly articulating your value helps build trust and earn a place at the table.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

In any given moment, you have the capacity to make the next best step.

Two ears, one mouth. Let's use them in that proportion.

No one has the exact story or has walked in your shoes one step.

I think we're just all built as human beings to connect with other human beings.

Clarity, clarity, and more clarity, both personally and professionally.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Pamela Potts is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of Every Leader Is a Coach.

She is the creator of the Leader Coach Approach™ and OMO Method™, helping founders and senior leaders build trust, strengthen accountability, and multiply their impact through coaching-based leadership.

With more than 25 years of experience building and scaling high-growth technology and ed-tech companies, Pamela brings a practical, human-centered approach to developing people and creating sustainable performance.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Pamela Potts to explore why effective sales leadership is less about directing people and more about developing them.

Pamela explains why successful salespeople don't automatically become successful leaders. Leadership requires a different skill set—listening deeply, staying curious, asking better questions, and helping people develop solutions they genuinely own.

She introduces her OMO Method: Observe, Map, and Optimize, a practical framework for coaching without judgment, uncovering what is really happening, and helping people create their own path forward.

The conversation also explores accountability, trust, consultative selling, and self-coaching. Pamela challenges leaders to stop becoming the bottleneck and become the multiplier—because great leaders don't simply manage people. They develop them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Trust starts with self-awareness. Understand your own perspective before trying to understand someone else's.
• Become a multiplier, not a bottleneck. Leadership is about developing capability in others.
• Great sellers don't automatically become great leaders. Coaching requires a different set of skills.
• Choose curiosity over judgment. Listen to understand instead of immediately trying to solve.
• Ask better questions. “Tell me more” can unlock insights that advice never will.
• Use the OMO Method. Observe, Map, and Optimize to turn challenges into opportunities for growth.
• Let people own their solutions. People are more committed to ideas they help create.
• Accountability belongs in coaching. Clear commitments, follow-up, and feedback turn conversations into action.
• Coach yourself first. Self-coaching creates the awareness needed to effectively develop others.
• Treat failure as data. Use setbacks as information for improvement rather than reasons to stop.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

We stop being the bottleneck and start being the multiplier for our teams.

What we’re doing is listening to actually hear instead of solve.

What we solve and what we contribute to is what we own.

We’re not going to manage people. We’re going to develop people.

Once you can coach yourself, then you can coach others as well.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

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Nick Reich is a leadership coach, author, and CEO of Abundant Empowerment and CoLab, where he helps leaders build high-trust, high-performance teams rooted in purpose, accountability, and human connection.

With more than two decades of experience across business, nonprofit, and social impact organizations, Nick specializes in turning complex leadership challenges into practical strategies for developing people and strengthening culture.

His upcoming book, Every Player Is Bigger Than the Program, combines storytelling, strategy, and systems thinking to challenge leaders to measure their legacy not only by what they build, but by who they build along the way.

SHOW SUMMARY

What if higher performance doesn't come from putting more pressure on people but from investing more intentionally in them?

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Nick Reich to explore why great sales and great leadership begin with seeing people as human beings, not titles, quotas, or sources of revenue.

Nick shares the remarkable story behind Every Player Is Bigger Than the Program. While coaching at a small charter school without a gym or established basketball program, he built a people-first culture that helped his team become the fastest in Indiana history to win a high school basketball state championship.

The conversation explores why organizations cannot demand elite performance without investing in coaching and development, why leaders must focus on the people and processes behind the numbers, and how purpose, values, and accountability shape lasting cultures.

Nick ultimately captures his philosophy in one powerful statement: “Leadership is love with standards.” Caring deeply about people doesn't mean lowering expectations. It means developing, challenging, and holding people accountable because you believe in who they can become.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Selling is an act of leadership. Both require helping people believe something better is possible.
• See the person before the opportunity. People want to feel valued beyond their title or revenue potential.
• Develop before you demand. Sustainable performance requires coaching, support, and intentional development.
• Focus beyond the scoreboard. Revenue and quotas are outcomes of how well people and processes are developed.
• Lead intentionally. Purpose, values, and non-negotiables should guide daily decisions.
• Avoid “commission breath.” Buyers can sense when the transaction matters more than they do.
• Legacy is built through people. Great leadership is measured by who you help others become.
• People-first doesn't mean standards-free. The strongest leaders combine genuine care with clear expectations and accountability.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Selling from the heart for me is leading from the heart, which is living from the heart.

Sales and leadership, really, at its core, is an act of belief.

The only way to change the world is one person at a time, and that starts with you.

A legacy is not what you build, but who you build.

We exist to serve the kids, not the other way around.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/Home

Get Larry's New Book: Selling Food from the Heart, https://a.co/d/07dzlMx8

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart/

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Kim Bohris CEO at SparkEffect, where she helps executive teams navigate disruption, organizational change, and emerging technology without sacrificing trust.

With more than 25 years of cross-functional leadership experience, Kim advises leaders on aligning business strategy with human-centered practices that strengthen performance and relationships. Her work includes the SparkEffect Trust Elasticity™ framework, designed to help organizations evaluate and strengthen trust during periods of change.

Kim is also a board advisor, adjunct lecturer, speaker, host of the Courage to Advance podcast, and author of Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned.

SHOW SUMMARY

What if every interaction with a buyer is either building trust or quietly eroding it?

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Kim Bohr to explore what it takes to build and protect trust in a world shaped by AI, disruption, informed buyers, and constant change.

Kim explains why authentic selling begins with genuinely believing that what you offer will improve the customer's work or life. She shares how trust is created through consistent patterns, honest communication, and actions that demonstrate you truly have the customer's best interests at heart.

The conversation also explores the changing role of sales professionals. Buyers may have more information than ever, but they still need someone who can provide context, ask thoughtful questions, connect the dots, and understand the realities behind their decisions. Kim challenges sellers to use AI to eliminate repetitive work—not replace critical thinking, curiosity, vulnerability, or human connection.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Serve before you sell. Believe in the value you bring before asking someone to buy.
• Trust is built through consistent patterns between what you say and what customers experience.
• Admitting when you don't know something can build more trust than pretending you do.
• Buyers may have information, but they still need sales professionals who can provide context and connect the dots.
• AI should support critical thinking and human connection—not replace them.
• Reinvest time saved through automation into research, better conversations, and stronger relationships.
• Understand the entire buying team, not just the person signing the agreement.
• Trust can be measured and should be treated as a meaningful business KPI.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Do I genuinely believe that whatever I’m offering is going to help this person’s work and life get easier?

Every single interaction we have, whether it’s human to human or from a digital lens, trust is either being built or eroded.

Our job is to help them see what they may not be able to connect the dots on.

Just because I know they can use what I have doesn’t mean I understand the problem.

Trust can be measured, and it is as important as any other KPI you are tracking.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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Jason Kramer is the Founder and CEO of Cultivize, where he helps businesses transform their CRM systems into engines for sales growth. Working with organizations across multiple countries, Jason specializes in implementing structured, repeatable sales processes that improve lead conversion, strengthen customer relationships, and maximize revenue.

A trusted CRM strategist, speaker, and podcast guest, Jason is passionate about helping sales and marketing teams align around smarter systems, better data, and consistent execution that drives measurable results.

SHOW SUMMARY

What if your CRM became one of your greatest sales assets instead of another administrative task?

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Jason Kramer to discuss why CRM success has very little to do with software—and everything to do with mindset, process, accountability, and consistency.

Jason explains that many salespeople view CRM as a reporting tool for management when it should be a performance tool that helps them prioritize opportunities, remember important customer details, and consistently follow through on commitments. He shares why even the most advanced technology cannot compensate for an undefined sales process or inconsistent leadership.

The conversation also explores the growing role of AI, automation, lead scoring, buying signals, and meeting transcripts. Jason offers practical strategies for reducing administrative work, improving follow-up, and helping sales professionals spend more time doing what matters most—building authentic relationships with their customers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Shift your CRM mindset from reporting to revenue generation.
• Technology cannot fix a broken or undefined sales process.
• Consistent follow-up builds trust and protects customer relationships.
• Leaders must model CRM adoption and create accountability across the team.
• Lead scoring and customer insights help prioritize the right opportunities.
• AI and automation should reduce administrative work—not replace relationships.
• Ongoing coaching and reinforcement are essential for long-term CRM success.
• Strong CRM habits improve consistency, productivity, and sales performance.
• The best CRM is the one your team actually uses every day.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Selling from the heart is being authentic, honest, and genuine.

The tool alone isn't going to solve the problem.

I've never met a salesperson that doesn't want to follow up.

Software doesn't solve problems. People solve problems.

Once you look away, things can go back to bad habits very quickly.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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Jim Effner is a master sales trainer, author, and founder of P2P Group, where he helps financial advisors and agency leaders achieve stronger results through mindset mastery, proven sales systems, and intentional communication.

A former top producer at Northwestern Mutual, Jim now trains financial professionals across the country to develop greater consistency, confidence, and mastery in their sales careers. He is also the author of Bridge Your Gap: Sales Strategies and Systems for Becoming a Top Financial Advisor.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Jim Effner to explore why sustainable sales success requires more than motivation, natural ability, or increased activity. It requires a proven system, disciplined habits, and a commitment to continually practice your craft.

Jim explains how a reliable process helps salespeople stop operating according to their mood, energy, or confidence level. He also introduces the idea of becoming “professionally perturbed”—reaching the point where inconsistent performance is no longer acceptable and meaningful change becomes necessary.

The conversation explores mastery, accountability, intentional questioning, and authentic relationship-building. Jim shares that prospects need to feel three things: that they can trust you, that you genuinely care, and that you have the knowledge to help them. When those qualities are combined with a proven system and consistent practice, sales professionals can close the gap between their current results and their true potential.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Stop winging it. Sales results become unpredictable when your actions depend on how you feel that day.
• Commit to a proven system that creates consistency, sustainability, and a clear path forward.
• Become “professionally perturbed” enough to stop accepting inconsistent performance.
• Remember that simple does not mean easy. Mastery still requires discipline, repetition, and effort.
• Schedule time to practice your sales skills instead of relying only on experience.
• Create accountability that measures your ability to apply what you have learned.
• Help prospects feel that they can trust you, that you care, and that you are knowledgeable.
• Avoid chasing every new sales trend. Choose a proven system, commit to it, and refine it over time.
• Bring intentionality to every conversation instead of relying on improvisation.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Systems allow a sales professional to get out of their own way.

If you’re going to be great in sales, you’ve got to spend some time working on your art.

The moment you find yourself wanting something more for them than they want for themselves, you’re dead.

Intentionality means the opposite, or the antithesis, of winging it.

There’s a big difference between easy and simple.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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John Ray is a business consultant, executive coach, author, speaker, and podcast host who helps professional service providers grow through stronger client relationships, clear value positioning, and confident pricing.

Working with attorneys, accountants, coaches, consultants, and other trusted advisors, John teaches professionals how to communicate their expertise more effectively, build lasting trust, and create businesses rooted in service rather than transactions. He is also the host of The Price and Value Journey podcast, where he shares practical insights on leadership, value creation, and sustainable business growth.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome John Ray to explore how a generosity mindset transforms relationships, pricing, and long-term business success. John explains that generosity isn't about giving everything away. It's about giving your attention, your expertise, your curiosity, and your willingness to truly understand the people you serve.

The conversation explores why clients often recognize value in us before we recognize it in ourselves, how testimonials can become powerful confidence-builders, and why asking better questions leads to deeper relationships. John also challenges sales professionals to stop relying on assumptions and instead approach every client with fresh curiosity, reminding us that "people are deep mysteries."

Whether you're navigating a difficult sales day or looking to create more meaningful customer relationships, this episode offers a refreshing reminder that generosity isn't a weakness—it's one of the strongest drivers of trust, referrals, and sustainable growth.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Generosity means creating more value than you take—not giving everything away.
• Clients often see strengths and value in you that you fail to recognize yourself.
• Testimonials and client feedback can become powerful reminders of your impact.
• The best professionals lead with attention, curiosity, and genuine service.
• Never assume every client values the same things—keep asking thoughtful questions.
• Relationships deepen when you treat every customer as a unique individual.
• Giving value consistently creates trust, referrals, and long-term business growth.
• A generosity mindset helps sales professionals move beyond comparison, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Clients see more value in you than you see in yourself.

We've got to give more value first than we get back.

It's not giving until you're dry. It's giving value knowing that value comes back over time.

It's a generosity of spirit, attention, and giving a listening ear to those around us.

The more you understand people, the more value you can create.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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Ian Selbieis a globally recognized sales expert, author, speaker, and podcast host with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations improve sales performance and sustainable growth.

He has trained and coached more than 17,000 sales professionals worldwide and previously worked at Apple, where he was named the company’s Top Salesperson in the World in 1990.

Ian is the authorof If You Were Arrested for Selling, Would There Be Enough Evidence to Convict You? and the host of Confessions of a Sales Pro.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Ian Selbie to discuss selling with curiosity, compassion, and strong fundamentals.

Ian shares his framework: “Call high, find the pain, bring the gain, and do it again and again.” He explains why salespeople should begin with decision-makers, uncover real business challenges before presenting solutions, and avoid sending proposals to unqualified opportunities.

The conversation also explores several of Ian’s “Seven Deadly Sins in Selling,” including calling too low, proposing too early, and expecting CRM technology to fix a broken sales process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Selling from the heart begins with genuine curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to helping customers succeed.
• Start every opportunity at the highest level possible—decision-makers can say yes, while influencers often cannot.
• "Call high, find the pain, bring the gain" provides a simple framework for creating meaningful customer conversations.
• Never present a proposal before you've fully qualified the opportunity and uncovered the customer's true business challenges.
• Technology doesn't fix poor sales fundamentals—a CRM only amplifies the quality of your existing sales process.
• The strongest path into executive leadership is through earned referrals built on trust and consistent value.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Call high, find the pain, bring the gain, then do it again and again.

Influencers can say no. Decision-makers can say yes.

If your sales team were arrested for selling, would there be enough evidence to convict them?

A CRM doesn't fix broken sales processes—it magnifies them.

Value grows when you increase the benefit, not when you decrease the price.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Karl Schmidtis the Co-Founder of A to B Insight, where he helps organizations transform their sales approach by aligning with how customers actually make decisions. Drawing on years of experience at leading firms including Boston Consulting Group and Gartner, Karl has conducted award-winning research into buyer behavior, commercial strategy, and complex B2B decision-making—including work that contributed to the groundbreaking insights behind The Challenger Sale.

As the co-author of The Framemaking Sale, Karl equips sales leaders and organizations with practical frameworks for increasing buyer confidence, simplifying complex decisions, and creating customer experiences built on trust rather than pressure. His research and thought leadership have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and other leading business publications, making him one of today's foremost voices on decision science in modern sales.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Karl Schmidt, Co-Founder of A to B Insight and co-author of The Framemaking Sale, for a fascinating conversation about how customers truly make decisions—and why helping buyers gain confidence is more valuable than simply persuading them.

Karl introduces the concept of "framemaking," explaining that exceptional sales professionals don't just provide information or recommend solutions—they help buyers navigate complexity, clarify priorities, and build confidence in their own decision-making process.

The conversation explores groundbreaking research showing that buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, high-quality purchases. Rather than focusing solely on convincing prospects that your solution is the best, Karl explains why helping buyers feel confident in themselves creates better outcomes, stronger trust, and longer-lasting customer relationships.

Listeners will also discover why emotions play a critical role in decision-making, how trust is built through shared experiences, and practical ways to simplify buying decisions while preserving customer autonomy.

If you want to become the trusted guide your customers need—not just another salesperson competing for attention—this episode offers a refreshing, research-backed perspective on modern selling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, low-regret purchasing decisions.
• Great sales professionals help buyers gain confidence in themselves—not just confidence in the product.
• The best sales conversations move customers through know → feel → do, not simply know → do.
• Framemaking helps customers organize complexity instead of overwhelming them with information.
• Customers value guidance that preserves their autonomy rather than pressure that limits it.
• Helping buyers make the best decision—even if it's not your solution—builds long-term trust

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Our goal isn't to make customers choose us. It's to help them make the best decision possible.

Decision confidence isn't confidence in the seller—it's confidence in yourself.

People don't just need to know what to do. They need to feel confident enough to do it

The best salespeople don't tell customers what to think. They help them think more clearly.

Frame making creates clarity without taking away the customer's agency.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Mary Jane Copps helps sales professionals win more business by rediscovering the power of real-time conversations. For more than 20 years, she has coached sales teams, entrepreneurs, startups and customer service professionals how to build trust, open doors and strengthen relationships through effective phone, video and in-person communication. Her practical approach helps people turn everyday conversations into meaningful connections, leading to stronger client relationships and more business.

Mary Jane has worked with more than 800 organizations and trained over 30,000 professionals across North America and internationally in France, Britain and Australia. Her expertise has been featured by a wide range of media including Fox News, the BBC, CBC, and in The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

She publishes a blog each week that explores one valuable skill people can use immediately to strengthen their conversations with clients and prospects. This aligns with her mission to help companies increase their real-time conversations instead of losing opportunities by avoiding them.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome communication expert Mary Jane Copps—known as "The Phone Lady"—for a timely conversation about one of the most overlooked skills in modern sales: having meaningful real-time conversations.

As automation, AI, email, and texting continue to dominate business communication, Mary Jane explains why authentic voice-to-voice conversations remain one of the greatest competitive advantages a sales professional can have. She shares how curiosity, empathy, preparation, and genuine interest in others transform ordinary sales calls into lasting business relationships.

Together, they explore why conversational skills are declining, how sales professionals can intentionally rebuild them, and practical techniques for creating stronger customer connections—from asking better open-ended questions to leaving compelling voicemails and following up with empathy instead of pressure.

If you've ever wondered whether phone calls still matter in today's digital world, this episode delivers a compelling reminder that trust is built one conversation at a time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Great sales conversations begin by focusing on the customer, not yourself.
• Curiosity and empathy create stronger relationships than scripted pitches.
• Real-time conversations remain one of the most valuable—and underdeveloped—sales skills.
• Technology should support communication, not replace human connection.
• Open-ended questions encourage meaningful dialogue and uncover deeper customer needs.
• Your voice communicates conviction, authenticity, and enthusiasm in ways email never can.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Selling isn't about us. It's about the person sitting across from us.

Technology can make communication easier—but it can never replace human connection.

Your voice carries your conviction, your enthusiasm, and your authenticity.

People don't remember perfect sales pitches. They remember how you made them feel.

Persistence isn't pestering. Persistence is showing people they matter.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Mark Hunter, CSP, known globally as “The Sales Hunter,” is a renowned sales expert, keynote speaker, consultant, and best-selling author who helps organizations transform how they approach sales. With more than 30 years of experience in sales leadership, he has worked with companies around the world to help sales teams identify better prospects, build stronger relationships, and close deals with confidence and integrity.

Before launching his company, The Sales Hunter, Mark spent nearly two decades in the sales and marketing divisions of Fortune 200 companies, leading large sales teams and developing high-performing sales strategies. He is the author of several influential books, including High-Profit Prospecting, High-Profit Selling, and A Mind for Sales, and is widely recognized for his practical insights on prospecting, mindset, and building trust-based sales relationships that drive long-term business success.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome renowned sales expert, author, and keynote speaker Mark Hunter, known around the world as "The Sales Hunter," to discuss his latest book, Integrity First Selling: How to Create Better Sales with Better Customers.

Mark challenges conventional sales thinking by reminding listeners that sales is not about moving products—it's about serving people. He explains why the most successful sales professionals focus on helping buyers achieve outcomes they never thought possible rather than simply chasing quotas, commissions, or quarter-end numbers.

The conversation explores what it truly means to put integrity first in sales, including aligning with the buyer's journey, building trust through transparency, and playing the long game even when short-term pressure tempts salespeople to do otherwise. Mark also shares practical insights on prospecting, pipeline development, leadership, accountability, and why many organizations mistakenly create the very buying behaviors they complain about.

In a marketplace increasingly crowded by AI-generated noise and transactional selling, Mark makes the case that trust, authenticity, and consistency remain the most valuable competitive advantages a salesperson can possess.

This episode is a powerful reminder that sales done with integrity doesn't just create better customers—it creates better careers, stronger relationships, and lasting success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sales is fundamentally about serving people, not selling products.
• Integrity-first selling requires joining the buyer's journey rather than forcing your own agenda.
• Long-term trust always outperforms short-term sales tactics.
• End-of-quarter discounting often trains customers to delay purchasing decisions.
• Healthy pipelines eliminate desperation and create better customer experiences.
• Sales leaders should focus on creating opportunities, not simply closing deals.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Sales is serving people. It's not selling stuff. The products we sell are simply the medium we use to help people.

Closing without integrity creates revenue today and regret tomorrow.

The easy sale isn't the one you get. It's the one you deserve.

Desperation at the end of the quarter is usually the result of poor pipeline discipline at the beginning of the quarter.

Being the same person at work and at home makes life simpler and sales more effective.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at https://culturefromtheheart.com/!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose