In this episode, Joseph interviews Chad Nikhazy, the EVP of Business Development at Provisions Group, about strategies and tactics for building deeper relationships with ideal customers. Chad shares his "secret sauce" for successful sales over his 25-year career, which boils down to focusing on genuine relationships instead of transactions.

Key Discussion Points:

- The importance of relationship-based sales, especially in professional services (00:11:25)

- Practical tips for switching to an authentic, relationship-focused approach (00:19:54)

- Stories of proactively adding value to networking contacts, which sometimes leads to business down the road (00:22:20, 00:23:34)

- Maintaining a "big 100" list of high-value contacts to regularly follow up with (00:23:16)

- How a small gesture years ago - inviting someone new to a Bible study group - built a lasting relationship and eventually a major client (00:24:37)

Guest Bio:

Chad Nikhazy is the EVP of Business Development at Provisions Group, an IT engineering and consulting firm, where he leads the sales team. He has over 25 years of sales experience.

Company Bio:

Provisions Group provides IT engineering, architecture, and staffing services to clients nationwide. Based in Nashville, TN, they take a relationship-based approach to sales.

Key Quotes:

"The secret is be nice and be genuine and...try to solve other people's problems first without, like, pitching them a brochure. Don't pitch a brochure." (00:05:45)

"If they're gonna meet with me again a second time, I've built a level of trust where they're like, okay. Chad's not gonna waste my time." (00:07:49)