Sales Against the Odds

How Strong Partnerships Help Companies Scale Smarter with Lance Black, MD, MBID

Champions are made, not found. In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/] sits down with Lance Black, MD, MBID [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-black-innovation/], Senior Associate Dean of Innovation & Strategic Projects of Texas A&M Engineering Medicine [https://enmed.tamu.edu/]’s innovation program, physician, engineer, and startup advisor. They explore what healthcare innovation can teach SMB leaders about customer development, champion building, early partnerships, and scaling without assuming one model fits every business. Lance shares why the first meaningful partner can become the key to unlocking growth, why founders must keep listening long after the first customer conversations, and how small, nimble teams can use technology as an advantage. From refining your message through real conversations to developing champions with frequency, depth, and diverse engagement, this conversation shows how businesses can move faster, learn sooner, and build growth around actual customer needs. Key takeaways: * Why strong champions are developed through consistent, intentional engagement * How customer conversations reveal the real value, timing, and fit of your solution * Why scaling requires a custom strategy, not a copied playbook Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (01:40) How engineering medicine connects innovation and industry (07:50) Why the first partner can unlock growth (10:24) What SMBs can learn from healthcare partnerships (12:07) Why the best pitch starts with conversation (14:16) How to develop champions with intention (18:53) Why small teams have an AI advantage (22:10) The founder mistake that slows growth (25:27) Why scaling needs a custom strategy (28:16) How real-world use reveals what customers need Connect with the team: Lance Black, MD, MBID on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-black-innovation/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-black-innovation/]  Explore Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine: https://enmed.tamu.edu/ [https://enmed.tamu.edu/]  Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/]  Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/]  Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ [https://salesxceleration.com/]

Stop Leading Alone: Build a Self-Running Team with Brent Robertson

What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't a people problem, but a missing piece? In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/] sits down with Brent Robertson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson/], CEO and Founder of Be Generative [https://www.be-generative.com/], to explore why the 150-year-old leadership narrative is leaving business owners burned out and bottlenecked. Brent introduces the choreographer mindset, the idea that leaders who design the right conditions for their teams, rather than controlling every outcome, unlock dramatically higher performance, accountability, and growth. Brent digs into how creating clarity around authority and decision-making can immediately release the burden from leadership, why vision is most powerful when co-created by the entire team, and how companies approaching succession and exit can use that transition as a catalyst for doubling or tripling in value, rather than simply minimizing disruption. Key takeaways: * Designing the right team conditions is what drives lasting performance * Clarity around authority and decision-making is the fastest way to eliminate leadership bottlenecks * Co-creating vision with your team transforms employees into owners and accelerates growth through succession Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (02:47) The old leadership narrative holding SMBs back (03:59) The choreographer mindset: designing conditions for performance (07:50) Most problems are symptoms, not the root cause (09:04) The architecture firm story: what was really missing (10:36) The $350K waiting tax: what decision bottlenecks cost you (12:42) Change where you're thinking from first (13:43) Vision is a story about the future you want to be true (15:05) Inviting your team to author and own the vision (17:26) The coming fire sale in businesses and how to stand out (28:41) Using AI and technology as a growth accelerant Connect with the team: Brent Robertson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson/]  Explore Be Generative: https://www.be-generative.com/ [https://www.be-generative.com/]  Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/]  Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/]  Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ [https://salesxceleration.com/]

How to Build a Significant, Sellable Business with Scott Snider

Unlock the strategies that turn business success into long-term value. In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/] sits down with Scott Snider [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/], President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) [https://exit-planning-institute.org/], to discuss the Four C's: Human Capital, Customer Capital, Structural Capital, and Social Capital, and their role in driving business value. Scott explains how decentralizing ownership and focusing on value creation, rather than just income generation, can help businesses scale and prepare for a successful exit. Scott shares how Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) guide business owners through the process of closing the "value gap" and making strategic improvements, such as building strong leadership teams, implementing scalable sales processes, and fostering a culture that aligns with long-term goals. He emphasizes the importance of involving key employees and advisors to ensure sustained growth and value creation. Key takeaways: * Decentralizing ownership helps drive long-term business growth and value * Focusing on the Four C's: Human, Customer, Structural, and Social Capital * Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) help close the "value gap" and guide strategic business improvements Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (01:33) The mindset shift: success vs. significance (03:34) Why structural capital drives long-term value (06:50) Understanding the value gap (07:33) What is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)? (09:21) How CEPAs close the value gap using the 4 capitals (10:23) How sales consultants drive both revenue and value (17:07) The 4 C's: what earns outlier multiples (22:51) Tying key employees to the business through culture and equity (27:48) The next-gen workforce and the need for purpose (29:43) Educating employees on the P&L to think like owners Connect with the team: Scott Snider on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/]  Explore the Exit Planning Institute: https://exit-planning-institute.org/ [https://exit-planning-institute.org/]  Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/]  Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/]  Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ [https://salesxceleration.com/]

Driving Business Growth with Strategic CFO Insights with David Tramontana

Focus on the financial insights that drive growth, not just past numbers. In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/] sits down with David Tramontana [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tramontana/], Area President at FocusCFO [https://www.focuscfo.com/], to discuss how fractional CFOs can help SMBs scale with clarity and confidence. They get into why understanding your gross margin and cash flow is critical to making strategic decisions and ensuring sustainable growth. David explains how fractional CFOs act as a strategic partner, guiding business owners through forecasting, financial decision-making, and identifying the right revenue opportunities. He also shares how businesses can better assess their profitability by customer, streamline their financial strategies, and prepare for a successful exit. They explore the importance of building a predictable revenue stream, the role of a solid leadership team, and how financial clarity can relieve business owner stress, allowing them to focus on growth and value creation. Key takeaways: * Fractional CFOs provide the strategic insights businesses need to scale effectively * Understanding cash flow is key to making proactive growth decisions * Building a sustainable and transferable business value starts with strong leadership  Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (01:27) The rearview mirror vs. GPS analogy (03:53) The lesson David learned the hard way (06:27) Good sales, bad sales, and strategic sales (09:40) One-time, reoccurring, and recurring customers (13:22) Gross margin and fixed overhead (15:41) Leading vs. lagging indicators (17:49) Tracking the sales funnel as a leading indicator (19:32) Aligning personal goals with business exit strategy (23:57) The 13-week cash flow model (25:45) What are KPIs? Connect with the team: David Tramontana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tramontana/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tramontana/]  Explore FocusCFO: https://www.focuscfo.com/ [https://www.focuscfo.com/]  Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/]  Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/]  Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ [https://salesxceleration.com/]

Using AI to Improve Sales Timing and Targeting with Mehdi Tehranchi

Stop chasing more data and start acting on the signals that matter. In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/] sits down with Mehdi Tehranchi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehditehranchi/], Co-founder & CEO at KnowledgeNet.ai [http://knowledgenet.ai], to explore why revenue certainty matters, why more data does not create clarity every day, and why sales leaders should focus on the signals they are missing. Mehdi shares the three drivers of better sales execution: ICP, messaging, and timing. He explains why AI should act like a 24/7 coworker, how predictive signals can replace spray-and-pray outreach, and why companies must focus on outcomes instead of software alone.  They also discuss transparency, trust, governance, and how leaders can use AI to make automation native to their ideas, strengthen decision-making, and create reliable growth without losing the human judgment that protects reputation. Key takeaways: * AI should start with the missing signal, not a vague plan for “doing AI” * Better sales execution comes from getting ICP, messaging, and timing right * Trust in AI depends on transparency, human oversight, and strong governance Episode highlights: (00:00) Introduction (01:47) The three keys to quality leads: ICP, messaging, and timing (05:17) AI as a 24/7 coworker that never stops working (06:56) Real results: 10x lead pipeline increase case study (08:07) Moving from spray and pray to laser focused outreach (08:47) Trust and reputation in the age of AI transparency (12:02) Why AI hallucination puts your reputation at risk (17:25) The shift from software company to outcome company (19:31) Change the question: what signal am I missing? (22:19) AI revolution and the dependency on automation ahead (25:09) Getting AI to work for your ideas, not the other way around Connect with the team: Mehdi Tehranchi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehditehranchi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehditehranchi/]  Explore KnowledgeNet.ai: https://knowledgenet.ai/ [https://knowledgenet.ai/]  Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/]  Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/]  Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/ [https://salesxceleration.com/]