Ep 208 - "Sales Is a Contact Sport"

In this episode of Head, Heart, and Boots, Brandon and I sit down with our teammate Clinton Tierney to talk sales, leadership, and the mindset it takes to win in today’s restoration market. Clinton’s story is incredible—college athlete turned mold technician turned multi-million dollar producer and sales leader—and you can hear how every season shaped the way he approaches business development today. We spent a lot of time unpacking what actually creates successful salespeople. Not gimmicks or scripts, but consistency, volume, discipline, and learning how to fall in love with the process instead of obsessing over the outcome. Clinton shares some really practical insight from his years in the field, including how he built relationships, uncovered customer pain points, and developed the habits that made him successful. One of my favorite parts of this conversation was hearing Clinton talk about coaching sales reps. So many companies promote great producers into leadership roles, only to realize later that coaching people requires a completely different skill set. Clinton has a real gift for developing others, and that comes through loud and clear in this episode. If you lead a sales team, own a restoration company, or are just trying to become better at business development, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways and a ton of encouragement. Hope you enjoy Chris Why You Should Listen: [00:07:08] How Clinton went from an $8-an-hour mold tech to a multi-million-dollar producer in restoration sales [00:10:20] The sales culture lessons he learned inside a company that scaled from $3M to over $50M [00:21:22] Why great salespeople fall in love with the process—not just the outcome [00:24:26] The two sales disciplines Clinton says matter most: volume and face-to-face meetings [00:35:03] What Clinton learned transitioning from top producer to sales leader—and why most reps struggle in management roles Did you know... Only 30% of businesses listed for sale actually find a buyer? Even more striking, just 10% of those sell for the price their owners anticipated or higher, meaning only 3% of all business owners achieve their desired sale price. By focusing on understanding and enhancing your enterprise value, you can significantly boost your chances of joining that successful 3%. Business Health & Value Assessment Start Assessment Know Your Enterprise Value. See Your Potential Gaps. Complete this assessment in less than 15 minutes and receive a free assessment for your business that includes: A Lite Valuation Of Your Business Your Value Multiplier Per Your Industry Health Assessment Per Our PYB Methodology Business Value & Growth Roadmap Tailored For You Value Acceleration Strategies Spotlight on Floodlight: Your Secret Weapon for Sales & Scaling This isn’t a paid plug. It’s real talk from the front lines. If you’ve ever thought, “How do I get a VP-level sales leader or even a sales team without hiring full-time?” Floodlight has the answer. Fractional Sales Leadership They act as your outsourced VP of Sales, taking full responsibility for training, managing, and growing your sales team. No six-figure hire needed. Clients often close 20 to 50 percent more deals within six months, thanks to data-driven coaching, CRM setup, scripts, and performance reviews.More at floodlightgrp.com/sales Commercial Sales MasterCourse A self-paced, video-driven B2B sales course designed specifically for restoration teams. Perfect for building commercial revenue and getting free from TPA handcuffs. Covers mindset, prospecting, pipeline building, LinkedIn lead generation, and includes a $250 discount with code SALESBOOST.Details at floodlightgrp.com/courses Tailored Consulting & Coaching Floodlight’s Propel Your Business methodology offers a full-circle roadmap: financials, sales, marketing, leadership, recruiting, productivity. All built for contractors. These aren’t “life coaches.” They’re former restoration owners who’ve lived the chaos and know how to scale out of it.Explore more at floodlightgrp.com Live Training, Tools & Strategic Partnerships Floodlight also delivers live onsite and virtual training, keynote speaking, and leadership tracks covering operations, project management, and strategic growth. Bonus: They’ve vetted tools like Xcelerate, Liftify, and Sureti. Floodlight clients get access to exclusive discounts on tech that actually moves the needle.See all partnerships at floodlightgrp.com/partners Why it matters for you as a listener You don’t need to figure this stuff out alone. If you’re serious about sales growth, operational clarity, exit readiness, or leadership development, Floodlight is already helping folks like you scale smarter. And you get it from industry insiders. People who’ve sat in your chair, survived the fires, and built systems that actually work.