#9 - The #1 Global AE at Mambu Wasn’t Even a Salesperson | Ashwin Sirse

#9 - The #1 Global AE at Mambu Wasn’t Even a Salesperson | Ashwin Sirse

One of the biggest myths in sales is that top performers all look the same. They're charismatic, extroverted, and natural-born salespeople. They're great at presenting, excellent communicators, and master negotiators.  But after coaching hundreds of top performers, I've found the opposite is true. The best sellers win because they lean into their strengths…not because they try to become someone else. This week on the Untap Your Sales Potential Podcast, I sat down with Ashwin Sirse, a UYSP client who became the #1 Global AE at Mambu, finishing 295% of quota and closing multiple eight-figure deals. What makes Ashwin's story so compelling isn't the result. It's how he got there. When Ashwin entered enterprise software sales, he had no banking experience. He was surrounded by people who had spent 10+ years in the industry. He struggled with anxiety, imposter syndrome, and questioned whether he belonged in sales. And yet, a few years later, he was the top performer in the company. Why? Because he stopped trying to be a stereotypical salesperson.  Instead, he leaned into his superpower: Project Management. Before sales, Ashwin worked in client services managing complex projects. Most people would have viewed that background as irrelevant, but Ashwin turned it into his competitive advantage. He used his project management skills to build and execute a repeatable sales motion.  He used his project management skills to build out org charts and empower his champions to multi-thread.  He used his project management skills to build a comprehensive spreadsheet to map out the exact steps and timeline that clients need to follow for a successful project.  His philosophy was simple: "Keep customers so busy they don't have time to look elsewhere." He introduces mutual action plans in the second or third meeting, not when the deal is ready to close.  He even introduces himself to clients as the “Project Evaluation Lead,” not an AE.  Because real deals are not “opportunities,” they are “projects.”  This approach helped him close an 8 figure deal and convert 40% of initial meetings into qualified projects.  But this interview isn't just about enterprise sales. It's about building confidence, reducing anxiety, and learning to trust yourself.  And becoming the person you're capable of becoming. In this Fireside Chat, Ashwin shares: • How he overcame anxiety, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome in sales • The mindset shifts that helped him build true confidence • His approach to executive conversations and point-of-view selling • The exact mutual action plan process that accelerates eight-figure opportunities and a demonstration of the spreadsheet he uses • Why he took a three-month sabbatical after becoming #1 globally • The coaching lessons that changed his life forever The biggest lesson I hope people take away from this interview: You don't need to become someone else to be elite. Everything you need to succeed is already within you. You just need to trust yourself and lean into the unique abilities that make you great.  That's exactly what Ashwin did. And it's exactly what every seller can do. Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast [https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast]

#8 - He Almost Lost His Job, Then He Made $1M Two Years in a Row | Jonathan Samuelson

When I interviewed Jonathan Samuelson, I knew his numbers were incredible. 248% of quota his first year with Untap Your Sales Potential, 318% the next, and two consecutive years earning over $1,000,000 W2 in tech sales.  What I didn’t know was his personal story and how much adversity he’d overcome to get here.  Before joining UYSP, Jonathan had been at Genesys for five years and had nearly lost his job due to poor performance. Then his son Miles was born with a heart condition and couldn’t breathe on his own from the moment he entered the world. They spent 21 days in the pediatric ICU. By God’s grace, his son survived and he’s now a happy and healthy boy.  When Miles stabilized, something shifted in Jonathan as a father and a man. He had a much deeper purpose in life, and a greater appreciation for how fragile and precious life can be. At that point, he made the decision to invest in himself and go ALL IN on his career, his family, and his future. The next year he was at Chairman's Club. Then he did it again. In the process, he also runs Ultra-marathons including running a 100-miler. To top it off, he published a children's book called Little Trail Runner to teach kids some of the valuable lessons that he learned from trail running, and is raising two kids under four at home. Want to know how he does it all? This is exactly what we discussed on the podcast.  This conversation is one of the most inspiring and energizing ones I’ve had since starting the podcast. Here is what we covered: * His rock bottom before starting coaching: spending his workdays browsing Zillow, being constantly distracted, and feeling deep anxiety from not performing at his potential * How Miles being born with a life-threatening heart condition became the moment everything changed * Going from under $200K to over $1M in his first year in the program, and the exact shifts he made to 5x his income  * The daily planning system that keeps him focused and intentional despite having ADHD * How he closed an $8M ACV deal at the director level without ever having true executive access, and what that taught him about champion-building * The 40X ROI of coaching: investing $20K and earning $800K that year  * Why he started doing daily affirmations after mocking them for years * How faith changed his relationship with anxiety and quota pressure * Running 100 miles in 24 hours and what that taught him about endurance * Writing a children's book * The decision to go ALL IN that changed his entire life If you are sick and tired of getting average results, this conversation will inspire you to make the necessary changes to succeed at the highest level in sales and in life.  Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast [https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast]

#7 - He Sold $87M at 34 Years Old | Mike Brandt

When I was at Salesforce, I fiercely competed for the #1 Enterprise AE position against another seller named Mike Brandt. I haven’t spoken to him in 8 years since then, and we recently caught up for this month’s Fireside Chat.  You may not have heard of Mike Brandt before, but after today’s conversation you won’t forget him. Mike has one of the most impressive track records I’ve ever seen in tech sales: 12 of 13 years over quota, earning 500K to 1M as a top Enterprise AE at Salesforce, before getting promoted to Enterprise RVP and now leading one of Snowflake’s strongest teams. Mike and his teams have personally sold over 87M in net new ACV!  The most impressive part – he is only 34 years old.  And he’s achieved this without sacrificing his health or personal life.  Mike has five kids under eight years old and his family is “screen-free.” He lives on a small hobby farm with goats, sheep, chickens, and a pony. He’s also been sober for three years. Mike is a force of nature, and this is the first time he has ever gone public with his story. Here are some of the topics we explored during our conversation:  1. How he “does it all” The habits, boundaries, and lifestyle choices that enable him to lead at an elite level, finish work by 5pm, and spend quality time with his family.  2. How he landed a job as an Enterprise AE at Salesforce at just 22 years old.  3. Why selling like a consultant is key to landing big software contracts, and the exact playbook to sell like a consultant.  4. How he develops sales superstars with the goal of getting one person on his team promoted every year, and another to pay off their house!  5. The shift from license to consumption model in software sales, and how to adapt your sales approach to meet the changing market landscape.  6. Why Mike got sober three years ago, and the impact it’s had on his mind and health.  I know this conversation will inspire you as much as it inspired me.  Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast [https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast]

#6 - She Climbed From 38% Quota to $14M in One Year | Carolina Chavez

What does it take to go from 38% quota attainment to closing $14 million in a single year, landing one of only 20 elite sales roles in all of SAP, and doing it all as the youngest person on her team (and the only Latina woman in the room)? For Carolina Chavez, it started with facing herself. Carolina is now an Account Executive in SAP's Strategic Customer Program, where she manages one of SAP's global strategic accounts. She spent two years in Untap Your Sales Potential and during that time tripled her sales production, closed $14 million on a $5 million annual quota, and earned a promotion that only 20 people in the entire company hold.  She is also a certified hypnotherapist with over 250 hours of training, a co-founder of the Latinas in Tech Denver chapter, and one of the most self-aware sellers I’ve ever coached. But the version of Carolina who walked into our first coaching call was a completely different person. She had hit only 38% of quota in her first year at SAP. She was the youngest on her team, one of the only women, and had zero enterprise sales experience. She was operating from a place of fear and proving herself to others.  She questioned herself constantly and wondered “why would anyone listen to me?”  She was in hustle mode, pouring from an empty cup, and had no idea that the real problem was not her skills. It was what she believed about herself. And underneath all of that was something even deeper. In 2020, she had been through a traumatic personal event that shook her sense of confidence and safety to its foundation. She eventually had to get a restraining order. She tried traditional talk therapy and it didn’t work. Then she tried hypnotherapy for the first time and was shocked by how much it helped. That experience started a years-long personal healing journey that would eventually transform the way she showed up in every room she walked into. Here is what we covered on my latest podcast episode: * How to go from a new Enterprise Seller with zero experience to closing $14 million on a $5 million quota and earning one of only 20 strategic customer roles at SAP by age 30 * Going from hustle mode and proving worthiness to showing up calm and authentic  * The deep multi-threading playbook she used to break through IT and build C-suite relationships at a 20-year customer who had never once responded to outreach * How she went back to a prospect's college years on LinkedIn to find a warm path to a chief accounting officer and what happened when she finally got the meeting * Her morning routine: hypnotherapy, movement, visualization, and why she calls it non-negotiable * Why investing $18,000 in coaching transformed her sales and life * How she was able to rise above a traumatic experience through hypnotherapy, and her powerful advice for anybody who remains stuck because of their trauma  * What she would tell anyone sitting at 38% quota right now who feels like the role is beyond them Carolina's story is proof that the inner work is not separate from the results. When you do the work on yourself, your results skyrocket.  Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast [https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast]

#5 - From Homeless Shelter to $1M in Tech Sales | Mikhail Avant

Most people never come close to achieving their full potential. Not because they lack talent. Because they never fully commit. This week on the Untap Your Sales Potential Podcast, I sat down live with one of the most intense, disciplined, and inspiring sellers I’ve ever coached: Mikhail Avant. It was one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve ever had.  Mikhail was born in a homeless shelter. He grew up in violence, chaos, poverty, and instability. By age 10, he was helping raise his younger brothers while his mother worked to survive. He became obsessed with discipline through basketball and hardship. Then life humbled him. He dropped out of college and worked as a janitor. Lived in a tiny apartment with cracked walls. He had no mentors, degree, or roadmap to follow.  But he refused to accept his current life.  He started working as a trainer and found out he was really good at sales.  If only somebody would give him a shot in corporate sales, he would take care of the rest.  Eventually, he broke into tech sales and got his opportunity. He became a high performer and continued to put himself in bigger opportunities, finding his way to ServiceNow.  That’s when he decided to level up and coach with me.  When Mikhail joined my coaching program in 2023, his biggest year ever was around $200K. The next year he made over $500K. The following year, he made $1M. But the most powerful part of his story isn’t the money. It’s HOW he transformed. He made a decision to go ALL IN and become the very best in sales.  In this conversation, we go deep on: • The mindset shift that completely changed his life • Why champions don’t “set goals”, they make decisions • What “ALL IN” actually looks like in practice • Executive selling and how to get access to power • How he sold massive enterprise logos like Snowflake, Microsoft, and Lyft at a startup • Why most people never reach their potential • The role spirituality, purpose, and identity play in elite performance • Why he left SaaS for AI and where he sees the future going • The mentality required to become truly world-class This was one of the most emotional, raw, and powerful interviews I’ve ever done. If you know you’re capable of more… If you’re tired of playing small… If you’re ready to stop making excuses and fully commit to your potential… There are nuggets in this conversation that can genuinely change your life - but only if you make a decision to take action afterwards. Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast [https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast]