Cold Rush

Ep. 12: Gifting: Use it wisely

Caspian breaks down his full gifting playbook: how he finds personal details on prospects, why books are the ideal gift, his exact follow-up sequence, and the conversion rates that made gifting his most reliable meeting source at Gong. Eric shares the results of the Spaghetti Tour, a direct mail campaign where he hand-delivered 50 boxes of real spaghetti to B2B companies across San Francisco for $500 total. They cover when to use gifting in the sales cycle (net new, closed lost, mid-deal), why overly expensive gifts can backfire, the tools that make it repeatable, and the stories that prove it works, including golf balls with a prospect's face on them. Plus hot takes on Heelys and Stanley Tucci. Check out the read landing page and video at demonstro.io/spaghetti

11: What the Best Cold Callers Do Differently | with Giano Fiore @ Nooks

Cold calling isn’t dead. Bad calling is. In this episode of Cold Rush, Eric Wiegand and Caspian Lewke sit down with Giano Fiore to break down what the best cold callers are doing differently right now. Giano shares what he’s learned from his own time in sales, his work at Nooks, and years of watching top reps perform live in cold call blitzes. The conversation gets into why cold calling still works, why preparation matters more than openers, how top reps handle objections without sounding robotic, and why calling with other people can completely change your results. We also get into one-off emails, AI-generated outreach slop, confidence on the phones, and a few very important non-sales hot takes. In this episode: * Why cold calling still works in 2026 * What top performers do before the call block starts * Why tonality and confidence matter more than clever openers * How to handle objections without trying to “win” * Why most meetings get booked late in a call block * The case for bringing back one-off emails * Waffles, fake plants, and Captain Planet If you’re an SDR, AE, sales leader, or anyone trying to sharpen outbound, this one’s for you.

10: List Building for Outbound: Why Most Prospect Lists Are Trash

In this episode, Eric Wiegand and Caspian Lewke break down one of the most overlooked parts of outbound: list building. They get into why most prospect lists fall flat, the difference between a total addressable market and a truly usable outbound list, and how to think beyond basic filters like industry, revenue, and headcount. The conversation covers intent signals, technical fit, lead scoring, prioritization by deal size, and the tools they use to turn a broad TAM into a focused list worth working. They also share real examples of “sales that doesn’t scale,” including ultra-targeted gifting, scraping creative signals, and where experimentation can go very right or very wrong. Plus: * Why most lists are too broad to be useful * How to move from possible → probable → likely accounts * Intent signals that actually matter * How AEs should prioritize time across large, medium, and small accounts * Tools like Sales Navigator, Apollo, Clay, HubSpot, RB2B, and more * A debate on whether Starburst counts as a gummy * Eric’s dream of the self-driving RV Next episode: a special guest from Nooks joins to talk cold calling.

9:How to Run Sales-Led Events That Aren’t a Waste of Budget (and Actually Close Deals)

Sick of trade shows packed with tire kickers and booth bandits? This episode is for sales reps, AEs, and founders who want real ROI from events—not just a stack of pointless badge scans. Caspian and Eric bring on Alix Pommier, who unpacks how to design and fill sales-led events that actually drive pipeline, including practical ways to get buy-in (even if you’re not holding the budget), the invites and copy that convert top prospects, and why most companies utterly whiff on the follow-up. Expect straight talk on what moves the needle, common event faux pas, and plenty of spicy operator stories about dinners that close deals (and happy hours that go hilariously sideways). Hit follow so you don’t miss future episodes of Cold Rush.

8:“Just Go Home, Dude”:Why Good Reps Need to Chill (and What Happens When You Miss Quota)

This one’s for every SDR, AE, or sales leader who’s ever stared down a quota and thought, “How the hell am I supposed to stay sane doing this job?” In this episode, Eric and Caspian get real about the mental toll of sales—from anxiety to burnout—and share the actual strategies that keep them steady when the pressure’s relentless. You’ll hear how to shift your mindset from chasing numbers to managing inputs, tactical ways to avoid death-by-pipeline-slump, and how to advocate for yourself when it’s time to push back with leadership. If you want frameworks for staying even-keeled (and maybe permission to take a damn break), this one’s for you. Hit follow so you don’t miss future episodes of Cold Rush.