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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, hosts Brandon Lee and Carson Heady are joined by special guest Anthony Iannarino to explore how to successfully navigate the changing B2B sales landscape.

They discuss why traditional outreach methods are failing, how buyers' expectations have shifted, and what sales professionals must do to build real connections that drive results.

1. The Evolution of the Buyer’s Journey

• Buyers no longer rely on salespeople for information; they are well-researched before engaging.
• Salespeople must focus on building unique relationships and offering value that cannot be easily found online.

2. Why Cold Outreach is Becoming Ineffective

• Traditional cold calls and mass email outreach are becoming less effective because buyers are overwhelmed with unsolicited messages.
• Instead of pitch-based messaging, sales professionals should prioritize relationship-building through social selling and thought leadership.

3. The Power of Personal Branding and Social Selling

• Posting relevant content and engaging on LinkedIn can help salespeople build credibility and stay top of mind with prospects.
• A well-placed social media post, personal story, or insightful comment can open doors that traditional cold outreach cannot.

4. Creating Strategic Value in Sales Conversations

• The best salespeople create value by deeply understanding the buyer’s business and offering insights, rather than focusing on their own company’s strengths.
• The "Four Levels of Value in Sales" framework suggests that sellers should move beyond product features and focus on delivering strategic outcomes.

5. How to Crack the Code of Modern B2B Sales

• Stop Selling, Start Helping: Salespeople should focus on facilitating the buyer’s decision-making process rather than forcing a sale.
• Introduce and Connect Decision-Makers: Providing introductions to key players within and outside the buyer’s industry builds trust and influence.
• Use Insights to Guide Buyers: Rather than pitching, sales professionals should bring valuable insights to the table, showing buyers what they might be missing.
• Adapt to Buyer Behavior: By leveraging social selling, community engagement, and digital platforms, salespeople can meet buyers where they are rather than forcing outdated outreach methods.

The key to modern B2B sales lies in adapting to the way buyers make decisions today. The old-school approach of persistent cold calling and aggressive pitching is losing its effectiveness.

Instead, success comes from creating meaningful connections, understanding what truly matters to buyers, and positioning oneself as a valuable resource.

By focusing on trust, insights, and strategic collaboration, sales professionals can crack the code of modern selling and build long-term relationships that

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, hosts Carson and Tom dive deep with James Buckley, host of the Sell Better daily sales show.

James shares how going live every day transformed the way sales professionals learn, engage, and sell in today’s fast-paced digital world.

He walks through his journey, the shift from traditional selling to content-driven engagement, and how sales teams can stay ahead by becoming practitioners—actively doing what they teach.

1. Consistency Builds Authority & Trust

James and his team went from occasional webinars to a daily sales show, proving that consistent content drives engagement and credibility. The show started small but quickly became a go-to resource for sales professionals.

Lesson: Showing up regularly (whether through content, calls, or engagement) makes you a trusted expert in your field.

2. Stop Chasing—Create Demand Instead

James emphasizes that salespeople should provide value first, rather than immediately trying to sell.

By sharing insights, helping others, and engaging meaningfully, potential buyers naturally come to you when they need your solution.

Lesson: Be the person buyers come to for guidance, instead of always chasing cold leads.

3. The Phone Is Hot Again

With inboxes flooded with AI-generated emails, James points out that the phone has made a comeback as an effective sales tool.

He still makes cold calls and actively demonstrates outreach techniques, proving that direct human connection still wins.

Lesson: Use modern tools, but don’t ignore proven sales tactics like personalized calls and relationship-building.

4. Sales Is More Than Just Closing Deals

James describes modern selling as more than just making sales—it’s about being a valuable resource, mastering time and task management, and adapting quickly.

His structured calendar and disciplined workflow ensure he balances live shows, sales, and engagement without burnout.

Lesson: If you manage your time right, you can sell effectively while also creating content and engaging with your audience.

5. Face Your Fears & Keep Testing

One of the biggest lessons James learned is that fear holds many sellers back—whether it's making cold calls, appearing on video, or trying new strategies. He encourages sales pros to test new approaches constantly and embrace change.

Lesson: Get uncomfortable, experiment with new sales methods, and always be learning from the results.

James Buckley proves that modern selling isn’t just about transactions—it’s about transformation. By going live daily, staying close to his audience, and constantly refining his approach, he’s built a community that trusts him.

His advice? Stay consistent, provide real value, and never stop learning.

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, Brandon Lee, Carson Heady, and Tom Burton discuss the importance of the Digital CEO—a modern-day executive who actively engages on LinkedIn and other digital platforms to build trust, credibility, and relationships.

The conversation dives into why today's CEOs can no longer afford to remain invisible and why being digitally present is a core job responsibility for leaders in 2025 and beyond.

1. The CEO as a Brand Evangelist

• A CEO’s presence on LinkedIn is not about self-promotion, but about showcasing company culture, vision, and values.
• Companies with digitally active CEOs are viewed as more trustworthy and attract better talent and clients.

2. LinkedIn Is a Business Necessity, Not an Option

• LinkedIn is no longer just for job seekers—it’s the world’s leading business networking platform.
• CEOs and other C-suite executives who fail to engage digitally risk losing relevance and missing key relationship-building opportunities.
• The organic reach on LinkedIn is still strong compared to other platforms where paid advertising dominates.

3. What Should a CEO Be Posting?

• CEOs should not just talk about themselves or their company’s products.
• Instead, they should share:
  • Industry insights and observations
  • Company culture, successes, and behind-the-scenes moments
  • Engaging stories about customers, employees, and the journey of leadership
• Regular, authentic content builds a CEO’s credibility and strengthens their company’s brand.

4. The Time & Resource Commitment for CEOs

• Many CEOs resist social media due to time constraints, but a strong strategy can be executed in under an hour a week.
• Options include:
  • Hosting a live show or podcast to generate content effortlessly
  • Engaging briefly but meaningfully with followers and industry discussions.
• The investment in time and resources is minimal compared to the return in brand trust, sales opportunities, and talent attraction.

5. Shouldn’t Marketing Handle This?

• Marketing plays a critical role, but nothing replaces the credibility of a CEO’s personal voice.
• The best approach is a collaboration—CEOs share their thoughts, and marketing amplifies them through various channels.
• Live shows, interviews, and consistent engagement make content creation easy without requiring extensive preparation.

The conversation makes it clear: in 2025, a CEO’s digital presence is non-negotiable. Being active on LinkedIn and other platforms is not just about marketing, it’s about leadership, credibility, and visibility in the modern business world.

Companies whose executives embrace this shift will have stronger brands, better t

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Larry Levine, author of Selling from the Heart and Selling in a Post-Trust World, returns to Mastering Modern Selling to discuss the power of authenticity in sales. Drawing from his journey in copier sales, Larry highlights that true sales success isn’t about scripts or techniques, it’s about being real, building trust, and forming genuine relationships.

As AI and automation reshape sales, he stresses the importance of self-reflection, confidence, and human connection as key drivers of long-term success.

Authenticity is More Than a Buzzword

• Many sales professionals claim to be "authentic," but Larry argues that most haven’t done the self-work to understand who they really are.
• True authenticity means aligning your social presence with who you are in real life—no façades, no gimmicks.
• Sales leaders need to help their teams develop confidence in themselves first, which translates into stronger client relationships.

AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement for Human Connection

• AI and automation can streamline processes, but they should not replace critical thinking or real conversations.
• Over-reliance on AI makes salespeople "conversationally incompetent," leading to generic, robotic interactions with prospects.
• The key is to use AI strategically—to enhance outreach and efficiency while keeping human engagement at the core.

Trust and Credibility are at All-Time Lows

• Buyers are more skeptical than ever, doing extensive research before engaging with salespeople.
• Sales reps must work to earn trust by listening, being knowledgeable, and showing they genuinely care about their clients’ needs.

The Power of Confidence and Self-Worth in Sales

• Salespeople struggle when they lack confidence, believability, and self-worth.
• Companies need to invest in coaching and training that helps sales teams improve these soft skills, rather than just focusing on product knowledge.

The First 60 Seconds of a Sales Call Set the Tone

• Within moments of meeting a salesperson, prospects are mentally checking off questions like:
  • Is this person going to listen to me?
  • Is this just another sales pitch?
  • Can I trust them?
• If salespeople fail to engage authentically and build credibility quickly, they lose the prospect’s attention.
• Creating a safe, open conversation allows buyers to share their real business concerns, leading to deeper, more meaningful discussions.

Larry’s message is clear: Sales is a people business, not just a transaction business. With today’s buyers having more control and access to information, sales professionals need to step up and prove their value beyond just the products they sell.

As Larry puts it, selling is about inspiring trust and breathing life into your prospects' business challenges. When done right, it leads to increased revenue, deeper

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, Andrea Waltz, co-author of Go for No: Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There, joins the conversation to explore the psychology of rejection in sales.

With over 25 years of experience, Andrea shares why sellers fear rejection, how to shift their mindset, and why embracing failure can lead to greater success.

If you’ve ever hesitated before reaching out to a prospect or felt discouraged after a lost deal, this episode will help you reframe rejection as a valuable tool for growth.

Why We Fear Rejection (And How to Overcome It)

• Human nature wires us to avoid rejection, as it triggers fears of exclusion.
• The more exposure you have to rejection, the less it impacts you—building resilience over time.
• Experienced sellers don’t avoid rejection; they learn to navigate it strategically.

No is Not Personal—It’s Data

• Rejection is often about timing, priorities, or misalignment—not a personal failure.
• Sellers should analyze patterns of rejection to improve messaging and sales strategies.
• Viewing rejection as feedback rather than defeat creates a mindset shift that fosters long-term success.

The Disappearing Training Ground for New Sellers

• With automation taking over early sales activities, new sellers miss out on learning how to handle rejection.
• Fewer cold calls and outreach attempts mean less opportunity to build resilience.
• Sales leaders should create structured opportunities for new reps to experience rejection in a safe, constructive way.

The No-to-Yes Ratio: Tracking Your Rejection Rate

• Every salesperson has a success ratio—knowing how many "no’s" lead to a "yes" removes fear from the equation.
• Instead of dreading rejection, sellers should actively seek it out as part of their process.
• Andrea’s Go for No challenge encourages salespeople to aim for a set number of rejections, reframing them as progress rather than obstacles.

Why a Fast No is Better Than a Slow Maybe

• Many salespeople fear hearing "no" and waste time on deals that won’t close.
• A clear, early rejection is beneficial—it saves time, allows sellers to move on, and refines the pipeline.
• Some of the most effective sales strategies involve leading with what your product doesn’t offer, helping unqualified buyers opt out early.

Andrea Waltz challenges the traditional fear of rejection by redefining it as a necessary step toward success. By tracking "no’s," embracing failure, and learning from rejection, sales professionals can develop resilience and improve their effectiveness.

Instead of avoiding rejection, what if you welcomed it? What if every "no" brought you closer to a "yes"? That’s the essence of Go for No—and it’s a game-changing mindset shift for modern sellers.

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, Lee Salz, sales strategist and author, joins Tom Burton and Brandon Lee to discuss the importance of a structured sales playbook.

He challenges the belief that hiring "great salespeople" is enough, emphasizing that success depends on having the right system, not just talent. Without a structured playbook, even top performers can struggle.

Lee shares a framework for building a custom sales playbook, helping organizations reduce chaos, improve consistency, and drive scalable sales success.

1. The Myth of "Great Salespeople"

• Talent alone isn’t enough—sales success requires structure.
• Companies often lose sales due to inconsistency, not lack of skill.

2. The Four Foundational Elements of a Custom Sales Playbook

a. Decision Influencer Analysis

• Sales teams must understand who their buyers are and what keeps them up at night.
• Using tools like AI, reps can research their prospect’s goals, challenges, and priorities to create more relevant outreach.

b. Competitor Analysis

• A simple “why we win” vs. “why they win” analysis helps sales teams prepare for competitive deals.
• Price should not be the main differentiator—companies win when they clearly articulate unique value.

c. Differentiators Framework

• Sales teams should define clear, compelling differentiators and align them with customer pain points.
• The playbook must include how to position these differentiators in conversations to make them meaningful.

d. Target Client Profile

• Instead of an ideal client profile (which is often unrealistic), focus on who will perceive meaningful value in what you sell.
• Sales reps should spend their time targeting the right buyers, not just any prospect.

3. The Execution Plan: Structuring the Sales Process

• A strong sales playbook goes beyond foundational elements and maps out the step-by-step process reps should follow.
• This includes:
  • Prospecting & Outreach: Using a mix of email, phone, and LinkedIn with structured messaging templates.
  • First Meetings: Shifting from a discovery mindset to a consultative approach where reps provide immediate value.

4. Using Emotion and Storytelling in Sales

• Buyers make decisions emotionally first and justify them with logic.
• Salespeople should document success stories and use them in sales conversations to make solutions feel real and relatable.

Lee emphasizes that hiring better salespeople isn’t the answer—building better systems is. A structured playbook provides consistency, improves execution, and increases revenue.

If your s

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, the hosts welcomed Denise Murtha to discuss humanizing sales in an AI-driven world.

Denise, an experienced sales leader and founder of Cellevator, shared insights on how sales teams can shift from transactional approaches to people-first strategies.

1. The Pitfalls of AI in Sales Without Human Touch

• AI is increasingly integrated into sales, but many organizations fail to use it effectively.
• Some companies allow AI to fully automate interactions, leading to negative brand experiences because customers feel ignored.
• Others use AI alongside human reps but simply amplify ineffective strategies rather than making interactions more meaningful​.

2. Reframing the Sales Mindset: From Selling to Problem-Solving

• Instead of focusing on how to get buyers to purchase, sales teams should shift to how to help clients solve problems.
• Asking deep-level discovery questions uncovers the real pain points buyers are experiencing, rather than just addressing surface-level concerns​.
• Many buyers don’t even fully understand the problems they’re facing until a well-structured sales conversation brings clarity.

3. How to Make Sales Outreach More Human

• Cold outreach often fails because it's overly transactional and impersonal.
• Denise recommends the 3-to-1 rule: Give three things of value before asking for something.
• Personalized messages that reference a prospect’s interests, experiences, or company initiatives perform far better than generic sales pitches​.
• Instead of starting with, "Hi, I’m with X company and we do Y," try leading with a shared connection, mutual interest, or a helpful insight.

4. Slow Down to Speed Up: The Case for Better Sales Conversations

• Many sales teams believe they don’t have time to engage in meaningful conversations.
• In reality, rushed processes lead to lower conversion rates.
• Denise emphasizes that slowing down actually increases sales velocity by making buyers feel heard and understood, resulting in stronger relationships and higher close rates​.
• This approach also reduces the high churn rates in sales teams, as reps feel more successful and engaged.

5. AI as an Enabler, Not a Replacement

• AI has its place, but should be used to assist salespeople, not replace them.
• AI can help analyze data, prioritize leads, and personalize outreach, but it cannot replace genuine human connection.
• Companies using AI to replace human interaction are simply scaling bad experiences faster​.

Denise emphasized that humanizing sales is essential as buyers grow weary of automation and cold outreach.

Success lies in building trust, asking deeper questions, and delivering value before making a request. In 2025, the key challenge will be balancing AI-driven efficiency with genuine human engagement.

Sales teams t

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In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, Brandon Lee and Carson Heady host Chris Dunn, VP of Sales and Business Development at Blue Hive Exhibits.

Chris shares his transformation from a passive LinkedIn user to a recognized expert in his field, illustrating the power of authenticity, consistency, and relationship-building in the modern sales landscape.

This journey reveals key strategies for leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, adapting to market shifts, and fostering meaningful connections in a buyer-centric world.

• The Power of LinkedIn as a Relationship-Building Tool

Chris started leveraging LinkedIn during the pandemic when his traditional sales methods were disrupted.

He transitioned from casual posting to sharing industry insights, personal stories, and authentic content.

This approach helped him establish credibility and visibility in his network.

• Dark Social and Trust Building

Chris discussed the concept of “dark social,” referring to how interactions on social platforms often lead to offline conversions.

Prospects often feel like they "know" you through your online presence before initiating conversations, reducing barriers to trust.

• Balancing Authenticity and Professionalism

Chris emphasized the importance of being authentic while maintaining professionalism on platforms like LinkedIn.

Sharing personal stories, such as his morning walks with his dog, Barton, allowed him to humanize his brand and create relatable touchpoints with his audience.

• The Long Game in Modern Selling

Success in modern sales requires a commitment to the long game.

Instead of aggressive cold outreach, Chris focuses on nurturing relationships, offering value, and waiting for organic opportunities to emerge.

• Live Shows as a Trust-Building Tool

Chris emphasized the value of hosting live shows to establish authority and deepen connections.

By sharing expertise in a conversational format and engaging with audiences in real-time, live shows humanize the sales process, build trust, and position sales professionals as approachable thought leaders.

• Results Through Reputation and Consistency

Chris highlighted that 20% of his sales quota has been directly influenced by his LinkedIn activity.

Sharing visually engaging content from the trade show world and consistently engaging with his audience has led to meaningful business opportunities.

Chris Dunn’s story is a testament to the evolving nature of sales. His journey from “lurker” to LinkedIn influencer underscores the importance of authenticity, persistence, and a willingness to adapt.

As Chris pointed out, modern selling is about playing the long game, building relationships, and creating a trusted presence in the digital sphere.

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