Sales Elevation Podcast

In this episode of the Sales Elevation Podcast, host Ed Kerr sits down with Stephanie Broadright, Global Head of Sales & Go-To-Market Strategy at Korn Ferry, for a deep dive into what it REALLY takes to build high-performing sales teams. 💡 From scientifically identifying top talent to embedding learning into daily workflows, Stephanie shares battle-tested strategies used at some of the world's largest organizations — AND how startups can apply them too. 🔥 We also explore the role of AI in sales, why value selling is a non-negotiable, and how to measure leading indicators that actually predict success. 📊 🔑 Key Takeaways: ✅ Why "gut instinct" hiring is costing you revenue ✅ Psychometric assessments vs. traditional interviews ✅ How AI is augmenting (not replacing) salespeople ✅ The #1 onboarding mistake sales leaders make ✅ Value selling: why so many sellers still get it wrong ✅ How Korn Ferry works with startups to scale growth 📌 TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Welcome & Introduction 0:59 — Identifying the "It Factor" in Salespeople 4:44 — Psychometric Assessments & Success Profiles 6:00 — Hiring Advice for Startups & Founders 8:34 — AI Tools Transforming Sales Hiring & Coaching 9:41 — Augmenting vs. Replacing Humans with AI 19:00 — The Calculator Analogy: Are We Too Dependent on Tech? 19:27 — Training vs. Doing: The Right Balance 21:21 — Embedding Learning into Daily Workflows 25:56 — The Importance of Onboarding 27:24 — Leading Indicators for New Sellers 31:20 — Why Value Selling Still Trips Up Seasoned Reps 34:55 — Co-Creating Value Metrics with Clients 38:10 — How Korn Ferry Works with Startups 40:20 — Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up 💬 Drop a comment below — what's YOUR biggest challenge when hiring salespeople? 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with top sales leaders! Sales #SalesLeadership #KornFerry #Hiring #ValueSelling #AIinSales #SalesTraining #Podcast

Henry Figueroa, VP of Sales at Spark Advisors, reveals how his company saved Medicare agents 1.1 MILLION hours in 2024 and helped partners grow their business by 40% year-over-year. In this episode, Henry breaks down: ✅ How Spark grew from 7 agents to 9,386+ in under 5 years ✅ The "password nightmare" costing agents hours every week ✅ Why breaking up with your upline is the #1 objection they face ✅ The 18-month path to profitability for new sales hires ✅ How AI enhances (not replaces) human connection in healthcare ✅ The certification process that gets sellers customer-ready ✅ Why Medicare agents need technology more than ever KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 - Introduction 0:23 - What is Spark Advisors? 1:30 - Managing 9,386+ independent agents 3:40 - Biggest challenges onboarding new sales reps 13:26 - The password problem agents face daily 23:24 - How Spark saved 1.1 million hours 26:18 - The emotional objection: Breaking up with your upline 29:38 - Onboarding process for new agents 32:34 - AI as a force multiplier for underserved communities ABOUT HENRY FIGUEROA: Henry is the VP of Sales at Spark Advisors, a national marketing organization revolutionizing the Medicare insurance space. With 16 years of industry experience, he's helped build Spark from a startup to a platform serving nearly 10,000 agents across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. ABOUT SPARK ADVISORS: Spark Advisors provides technology and services that help independent Medicare insurance brokers save time, grow their business, and deliver better customer experiences. Their platform consolidates carrier portals, automates post-enrollment work, and provides tools that helped agents grow 40% faster in 2024. MedicareInsurance #SalesPodcast #InsuranceTech #SalesLeadership #AIinSales #HealthcareInnovation #SalesTraining #InsuranceAgents #B2BSales #SalesEnablement

Diego Palacios, VP of Building Automation National Sales at Harris Company, shares his proven approach to building and leading high-performing sales teams. In this episode, Diego reveals the critical difference between sales managers and sales leaders, and why understanding your team as individuals is the key to unlocking their potential. Key Topics Covered: • The balance between "book smart" (technical expertise) and "street smart" (relationship building) • How to develop hunger and competitive mindset in your sales team • Why authenticity beats perfection in sales conversations • Leading vs managing: The Phil Jackson approach to sales leadership • Strategies for coaching teams with mixed experience levels (veterans and new hires) • The importance of staying relevant with customers • How to avoid the email trap and focus on relationship-building activities Best for: Sales leaders, sales managers, VPs of Sales, anyone managing technical sales teams or looking to elevate their leadership approach. 🎙️ About Sales Elevation Podcast Hosted by Ed Kerr, Sales Elevation features conversations with top sales leaders sharing actionable strategies to elevate sales performance. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 2:30 - About Harris Company 5:45 - Book Smart vs Street Smart 12:20 - Building the right team mix 18:15 - Sales methodology and authenticity 28:40 - Sales manager vs sales leader 35:20 - Advice for new sales leaders SalesLeadership #SalesManagement #B2BSales #SalesTraining #LeadershipDevelopment

our SaaS growth stalls when sales, product, and strategy fall out of sync. Misaligned discovery and weak feedback loops quietly kill revenue momentum. Watch this episode to learn how modern sales leaders fix this at scale. What does it really take to scale a SaaS sales organization in an AI-driven world? In this episode, Ed Kerr sits down with Eric Blum, VP of Sales at ServiceChannel, to break down his journey from BDR to sales leader overseeing a 30+ person team. Eric shares how disciplined discovery, tight feedback loops between sales and product, and a “startup within the company” mindset unlocked new markets and accelerated growth. They also dive deep into how AI is reshaping sales roles, why communication skills matter more than ever, and what future-ready sellers must learn now. If you’re leading revenue or building the next generation of sales talent, this conversation is a must-watch. Key Insights from This Episode: ✅ Why discovery beats product knowledge in complex sales ✅ How sales teams drive real product-market fit ✅ Building feedback loops product teams actually use ✅ AI’s real impact on modern sales roles ✅ Why communication becomes a competitive advantage Resources & Links: ✅ Scale Smarter with Enterprise Sales Leadership from Eric Blum → https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-blum-bab02195/

Your pipeline stalls when your team “wings it” instead of preparing like pros. That costs you velocity, win rate, and credibility in every exec call. Watch this episode to steal a repeatable framework for sharper messaging and better deals. Sales teams don’t lose because they lack effort. Ed Kerr sits down with Brian Shawn (Senior Business Development Partner at Sanford Health) to break down how elite preparation, audience-aware messaging, and real-world storytelling translate directly into higher-stakes selling. They cover how to build trust fast, align a large org around consistent talk tracks, and why “more reps” is the unfair advantage in competitive markets. If you lead growth, sales, or revenue, this episode will help you tighten execution and turn conversations into conversions. This is how high performers sell when it matters most. Key Insights from This Episode: ✅ Prep beats talent ✅ Storytelling sells outcomes ✅ Talk tracks need reps ✅ Trust is follow-through ✅ Align teams with touchpoints Resources & Links: ✅ Brian Shawn’s work & contact: https://www.sanfordhealth.org/ ✅ Connect with Brian Shawn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bshawn/

Your reps aren’t hitting quota—and you can’t tell if it’s a skill gap or a coaching gap. That uncertainty quietly drains pipeline, inflates churn, and crushes forecast accuracy. Watch this episode to learn the strategic system that turns training into measurable growth. Most teams don’t need “more training”—they need better enablement strategy. In this episode, Ed Kerr sits down with Stephen Melson (Sales Enablement Manager at Lamps Plus) to unpack what actually improves performance: curiosity-led role plays, manager collaboration, consistent cross-team standards, and onboarding that builds confidence fast. They also dive into how Stephen uses AI to compress days of analysis into hours, validate real training needs, and help managers coach the right things—without more meetings. If you’re leading growth, revenue, or enablement, this is a practical playbook for tying learning directly to outcomes. If you’re trying to move from transactional selling to consultative execution, this will sharpen your approach. ✅ Key Insights from This Episode: ✅ Curiosity is the #1 sales skill ✅ Role play using real objections ✅ Coach leading vs lagging metrics ✅ Set goals with reps (not at) ✅ Build training from shared needs ✅ Use AI to speed needs analysis ✅ Onboarding wins reduce churn ✅ Prove enablement ROI with metrics ✅ Resources & Links: ✅ Stephen’s enablement approach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-melson/ ✅ Guest Resource: ✅ Want a repeatable enablement system that lifts revenue? https://www.lampsplus.com/

Struggling to get consistent, high-performance from your sales team? Every mis-hire, misaligned rep, and weak manager is silently killing your pipeline and slowing growth. Watch this episode to learn how elite sales leaders build accountable, high-performing teams that actually close. Most B2B execs talk about “sales culture,” but very few know how to engineer it on purpose. In this episode, VP of Sales Paul Talbert breaks down how he builds high-accountability sales teams using clear expectations, a shared selling system (Sandler), and relentless coaching on behaviors—not just activity reports. We dig into qualifying vs. bloating your funnel, how to hold reps accountable without destroying morale, and why the best leaders still jump on calls, role-play, and “go first” in front of the team. Paul also shares how he’s using AI note-taking and call reviews to scale coaching across distributed teams while keeping the human side of leadership front and center. If you’re a B2B SaaS C-suite leader trying to turn a messy sales org into a disciplined, confident revenue machine, this one’s for you. Key Insights from This Episode: ✅ Why clear expectations beat “hero” sales reps ✅ Qualifying vs. disqualifying: fixing your clogged funnel ✅ Accountability without killing culture or camaraderie ✅ Using AI note-takers to coach more reps, faster ✅ Manager vs. leader: how top VPs actually inspire performance Resources & Links: ✅ Learn more about Paul & Approved Freight: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-talbert-22586522/ & http://www.approvedforwarders.com

SaaS growth stalls when frontline execution can’t scale with strategy. Missed onboarding and misaligned messaging bleed millions in CAC and churn. Watch to learn a leadership system that standardizes excellence and multiplies wins. A 22-year door-to-door veteran, Tyler Williams leads a 5,000+ rep org and onboards 500–700 reps every month. He breaks down the “standardize, then give autonomy” framework, the exact metrics that diagnose team health, and how to communicate vision daily so execution never lags. You’ll see how to make messaging “impossible to misunderstand,” turn training into systems, and create leaders who sell—not managers who watch. If you run a B2B SaaS sales team, this is a masterclass in scaling without chaos. Key Insights: ✅ “Impossible to misunderstand” messaging that closes faster ✅ Standardize core pitch, then give autonomy for relationship-building ✅ The 4 metrics: Applicants → Hires → Starts → Graduation ✅ Set - 80% Hires-to-Starts or fix onboarding now ✅ Daily vision cadence that compounds execution ✅ Leaders who sell: credibility = compliance ✅ Systems over heroics: lock what works, then broadcast ✅ Two–three touch close: educate, de-risk, convert ✅ Policy/market shifts: control the story, control outcomes ✅ Character - strategy: effort scales culture 👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more founder insights!

Struggling to scale your SaaS sales team beyond $10M ARR? Inconsistent pipeline and missed forecasts costing you growth? Watch now to learn a proven leadership framework from a top B2B sales exec who’s led teams at Zillow, SmartAsset & Angi. What separates elite SaaS sales orgs from average ones? It’s not just better tools — it’s better leadership. In this episode, veteran sales executive Dave Frisone (ex-Zillow, SmartAsset, Angi) reveals the Mindset, Preparation, Execution framework he’s used to lead teams of 10 to 1000 reps. We discuss how to create coaching systems that scale, build a performance-driven culture, and use data-driven playbooks to predictably hit revenue targets. You’ll also learn how to hire and develop top sales managers — the most critical role in your org — and why mindset is the ultimate multiplier of revenue performance. Key Insights from This Episode: ✅ The 3-part framework: Mindset, Preparation, Execution — and how to apply it daily ✅ How to scale from 10 to 1000 reps without losing performance or culture ✅ Why your sales managers are the #1 success driver (and how to coach them) ✅ Transitioning from rep to leader — overcoming imposter syndrome authentically ✅ Using data and funnel metrics to drive predictable revenue outcomes ✅ How AI is changing sales enablement — and where human leadership still wins 👉 Like, comment, and subscribe for more SaaS growth strategies and founder insights.

How do you scale a sales organization fast without losing performance? In this episode, Greg Davis, SVP of Sales & Support at Evolve, breaks down the exact playbook that helped him grow teams from 20 to 120 reps and double conversion rates—all while building a culture of ownership and consistency. Greg shares how he built scalable, high-performing sales cultures at Zillow, Trulia, and Evolve. From leadership cadences to permission-based selling, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone looking to sharpen their sales strategy or lead a remote sales org effectively. 🔑 Key Insights from This Episode 💬 The 3-Touchpoint Rule for Sales Leaders How consistent weekly connection drives accountability and trust in remote teams. 📚 Building a “Common Language” Sales Playbook Why clarity and cadence matter more than complexity—and how to create a repeatable system that scales. 🎯 Gaining Permission vs. Pitching How Greg’s approach to “earning permission” before the pitch led to massive conversion gains. ⚙️ AI and Speed-Based Enablement How Evolve replaced hour-long trainings with 5-minute interactive AI lessons that reps actually love. 🏆 Performance Culture through Ownership How Greg turns managers into business owners, not just productivity monitors. 📚 Resources & Links 🔗 Connect with Greg Davis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdavisj/ 💼 Learn more about Evolve: https://evolve.com/careers 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert insights on modern sales leadership, AI-driven enablement, and scalable growth strategies!