Do the Opposite: The Contrarian Playbook for Outbound Sales with Justin Michael – Ep 40

Do the Opposite: The Contrarian Playbook for Outbound Sales with Justin Michael – Ep 40

David Kreiger sits down with Justin Michael, Creator of the Justin Michael Method and author of over 10 books, to explore why doing the opposite of what feels natural is the real key to winning in outbound. His central premise is simple and uncomfortable: whatever thousands of sellers are doing right now is probably the wrong move. In this episode, he breaks down: * Why permission-based openers make buyers want to hang up * How dating psychology explains why availability and neediness kill your pipeline * The three walls every seller hits, and why most people never get past the first one * How to build a semi-automated tech stack without losing the human edge that closes deals If you're a sales leader still coaching your team on what feels safe, this conversation will change how you think about outbound entirely. Connect with Justin Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljustin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljustin/] Connect with David Kreiger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/] https://salesroads.com/ [https://salesroads.com/] Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Podcast LinkedIn page so you don't miss any episodes! https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/]

What Most Inside Sales Leaders Get Wrong and How to Fix It with Lynn Hidy – Ep 39

David Kreiger sits down with Lynn Hidy, Founder of Up Your Telesales, to explore the most common mistakes inside sales leaders make and what it actually takes to build a team that performs consistently over time. Lynn spent over two decades on the inside sales floor and made the unconventional choice to step back from management and stay a seller. That decision gave her a rare, ground-level view of what leadership gets wrong and what it takes to get it right. In this episode, they cover: * Why the skills that make a great individual contributor rarely transfer to leadership * How redefining success inside a sales org keeps your best sellers doing what they're actually good at * The bell curve reality that most leaders are ignoring * The shift from product talk to problem talk, and how it makes your team less transactional almost overnight If you're a sales leader trying to build a durable inside sales team without burning out your best people, this conversation will challenge how you think about promotions, performance, and coaching in 2026. Connect with Lynn Hidy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnhidy/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnhidy/] Connect with David Kreiger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/] https://salesroads.com/ [https://salesroads.com/] Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Podcast LinkedIn page so you don't miss any episodes! https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/]

Your Prospecting Problem Is Actually a Playbook Problem with Tom Stearns & Peter Cleary – Ep 38

David Kreiger sits down with Tom Stearns and Peter Cleary for a rare two-guest episode inspired by their newly released book, Graphic Sales: How to Build a Prospecting Playbook for Sales Leaders. Together, they turned decades of real client work and hard-learned lessons into a sales book unlike any other. In this episode, they cover: * Why most sales leaders are misdiagnosing their biggest problem * What a sales manager's day actually looks like once a real playbook is in place * The evergreen fundamentals that have driven pipeline for decades and will still matter * How the "Hell No" list transforms SDR performance, protects AE time, and stops your team from chasing wrong leads If you're a revenue leader who's been putting out fires instead of building a system, this episode is for you. And if you want to start applying these ideas right away, you don't have to wait for the episode to sink in. You can actually get your hands on the material behind it. Download the first two chapters of Graphic Sales for free, along with the templates and tools behind the book here: https://www.stearns.io/ [https://www.stearns.io/resources] And if you want to go a level deeper, there are also paid kits available. Use code PODCAST for 30% off. Connect with Tom Stearns: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomstearns/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomstearns/] Connect with Peter Cleary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterecleary/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterecleary/] Connect with David Kreiger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/] https://salesroads.com/ [https://salesroads.com/] Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Podcast LinkedIn page so you don't miss any episodes! https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/]

What Private Equity Really Looks for in Your Sales Org with Jason Mironov – Ep 37

David Kreiger sits down with Jason Mironov of TA Associates to unpack how growth-focused investors evaluate sales organizations. With over a decade of experience leading investments in tech-enabled services, Jason brings a rare "outside-in" lens to what revenue leaders must do to build an investment-ready business. In this episode, he breaks down: * Why gross vs. net retention tells the real story of your repeatability and why you should be tracking 10-15 key data points from day one * Why spending an extra month upfront on sales education pays the biggest long-term dividends for rep productivity * Why vibe coding your way into an enterprise customer base is a myth, and how AI is leveling the playing field for analytics * What founders and revenue leaders should be building right now if they ever want institutional investment If you're a revenue leader who wants to understand how world-class investors evaluate talent, culture, and the "direction of travel" for your revenue, this conversation is for you. Connect with Jason Mironov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmironov/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmironov/] https://www.ta.com/ [https://www.ta.com/] Connect with David Kreiger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/] https://salesroads.com/ [https://salesroads.com/] Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Podcast LinkedIn page so you don't miss any episodes! https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/]

Predictable Revenue in Unpredictable Times with Aaron Ross – Ep 36

David Kreiger sits down with Aaron Ross, author of the bestselling Predictable Revenue, to revisit the principles that reshaped how the SaaS world thinks about sales, and examine what those principles mean in today's high-noise environment. Aaron brings two decades of perspective on outbound, specialization, and pipeline building, and he challenges revenue leaders to stop chasing the playbook and start developing the instincts the current climate demands. In this episode, he breaks down: * Why the tactics from Predictable Revenue may have changed, but the core principles are more relevant than ever * How AI is accelerating buyer attention fragmentation, and why ICP focus is now a non-negotiable * The case for even deeper sales specialization as AI agents take on more of the SDR and AE workload * Why the corporate world's hunger for stability is colliding head-on with a fundamentally non-linear era * How emotional agility, intuition, and creativity are becoming the true competitive differentiators in sales leadership Aaron's outside-in perspective will challenge how you think about building predictable revenue in 2026. Connect with Aaron Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronross [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronross] Serendipity Sheet (new projects): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gCSfmPJRKzwl_1g2z5nxoEEOWDBAXojGglEUGU6yIp8/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0 [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gCSfmPJRKzwl_1g2z5nxoEEOWDBAXojGglEUGU6yIp8/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0] www.freshair.substack.com [https://www.freshair.substack.com] www.IronCrown.co [https://www.IronCrown.co] www.Delphi.ai/airzilla [https://www.Delphi.ai/airzilla] http://www.fromimpossible.com/talk [http://www.fromimpossible.com/talk] Connect with David Kreiger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger/] https://salesroads.com/ [https://salesroads.com/] Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Podcast LinkedIn page so you don't miss any episodes! https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sell-like-a-leader-podcast/]