[00:00:24] – Sarah Thomas’ role at Verkada and brief introduction
[00:00:47] – Sarah’s top 3 contributors to sales success: faith, belief in the product, growth mindset
[00:01:50] – Career journey: admissions, fundraising, SaaS, embracing “drinking the Kool Aid”
[00:03:19] – Growth mindset and learning from/supporting others
[00:05:30] – Discussion on imposter syndrome and how Sarah overcame it
[00:10:09] – Overview of Verkada’s sales structure and Sarah’s territory
[00:11:54] – Closing the largest deal in company history, details on channel partner involvement
[00:14:36] – Balancing time between partner, client, and internal teams on big enterprise deals
[00:16:44] – Results: 2709% attainment in QTR, 789% for year, plus new logos
[00:32:07] – Favorite early sales story: winning over a tough auto dealership client
[00:35:43] – Power/impact of in-person client meetings, post-pandemic reflections
[00:41:15] – Key struggles: organization, distraction, deep work
[00:46:05] – Tools: notebook (Remarkable), Slack, preference for simple/old-school tools
[00:52:21] – Routines and habits: “gamification”, travel, health, and fitness
[00:56:13] – Health routines: running, triathlons, group workouts, and how extraversion plays in
[01:01:02] – Self-discovery through personality tests: StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, DiSC
[01:06:00] – “Lean into your strengths” and how to find what works for you
[01:07:07] – Sales philosophy: curiosity, customer-centricity, being genuinely interested in people
[01:18:07] – What motivates Sarah: fun, joy, freedom, taking care of family and future goals
[01:34:49] – Advice for new and tenured sales professionals: fail fast, find your people, think bigger

“I think having a belief in what I sell is really important to me and I’ve been able to have that at all three places.” (00:03:10)

“It’s a lot easier if you’re just you all the time.” (00:08:31)

“Being in-person I think is crucial. It’s something that at Verkada, we hit the road a lot… I personally would rather be in-person as much as I can.” (00:35:45)

“If you feel stuck, I think you should go do something crazy. If there’s that thing that you’re like, wouldn’t it be crazy if I just showed up and shadowed this and asked this prospect if I could… do something that you’ve never done before.” (01:36:00)

“It’s life: there’s going to be that mountain and that valley, and sometimes even at the same time.” (01:40:36)

[00:00:35] Top Three Contributors to Success: Faith, underdog mentality, curiosity/adaptability
[00:02:09] Brief background at HubSpot and career journey
[00:07:32] The importance of “figuring it out” through action and reframing simplicity
[00:14:01] Favorite sales success story: Hitting HubSpot’s Founders Club
[00:16:44] When things “clicked”—authenticity, letting go of imposter syndrome
[00:22:52] Counterintuitive sales tactics: “Burn and churn,” no upfront contracts, video-off meetings
[00:25:31] New challenges in a new AE role and embracing process uncertainty
[00:28:02] Time management, daily routines, and why Camden is motivated
[00:36:39] Unique habits—thinking and strategizing during aimless drives
[00:40:11] Information diet: Fanatical Prospecting, leveraging AI, and why traditional sales advice isn’t enough
[00:45:02] Navigating freedom and pushback on creative approaches at work
[00:54:06] Camden’s sales philosophy: Frame, authenticity, therapy over methodology
[00:59:38] Challenging sales dogma: No upfront contracts, skepticism of traditional pain discovery
[01:02:31] Key decisions and lessons that changed the game
[01:04:47] Advice to new and struggling reps: Failure, perseverance, belief
[01:11:05] Thriving in an AI-driven, disruptive sales landscape
[01:16:06] Scaling authenticity and finding your way in sales
[01:22:29] Journey vs. results—finding fulfillment in growth
[01:24:00] Action item: Deep dive into self-awareness and authenticity

“There is no magic bullet. It’s really that simple. It all comes down to if you actually believe that you can achieve something, then like, you will do that.” (00:09:00)

“The people who have the answers are the ones in the arena.” (00:21:30)

“The best way to deliver a piece of feedback is, ‘Hey, this is your idea, here are my concerns, do it, and let’s talk about it next week.’ All we’re trying to do is find the answer.” (00:49:37)

“The answer is you. You gotta be who you are… I’m just trying to be myself and be authentic.” (00:54:34)

“Every situation is different — you can’t just try to put a process on everything. It’s not going to work.” (00:57:42)

“Be really curious, be creative, and just do — you’ve got to be willing to fail, and build the process by failing.” (01:03:09)

“You’re no different than those people. You can do that too.” (01:04:33)

“The journey is often where you have the most fun… the result is almost not where you find the most fulfillment.” (01:22:21)

[00:01:35] Rich’s top 3 sales success factors: tactical empathy, mindset, and relationships.

[00:05:29] How Rich became #1 at Smart Data Solutions.

[00:08:09] Recent sales numbers: $5.3M vs $4M quota.

[00:10:22] Early sales jobs—from Best Buy to selling books door-to-door.

[00:14:29] If he could do things over, what would he change?

[00:17:40] Favorite and most painful sales stories—including losing a huge RFP and closing a transformational $2.1M deal.

[00:26:21] The split between internal vs. external work in enterprise sales (60/40 or more internal).

[00:36:04] Strategic selling: aligning company initiatives with customer needs.

[00:46:52] What Rich struggles with: feeling overwhelmed and prioritization.

[00:49:23] A detailed day-in-the-life and productivity routines.

[00:54:36] Books and resources that have impacted Rich.

[00:59:08] The difference between loving the work and liking it every day.

[01:09:13] Foundational habits, mindset, and career intentionality.

[01:20:52] What Rich believes others might not—Why non-work life is business-critical too.

[01:26:35] Advice to new and mid-career sellers: investing in self and building your support structure.

[01:31:11] Rich’s actionable challenge for listeners.

“Action creates results, and it’s actually those results that create the inspiration and motivation to go deeper and longer.” [00:01:52]

“The support structure that you build around yourself is so very important… building out that team is a really critical part of it.” [00:02:32]

“If it was easy, it wouldn’t pay well. So let’s just figure it out.” [00:17:17]

“The relationships that you build inside your four walls of the organization… are critical.” [00:26:51]

“Trust but verify is one of the most critical guidelines that I can think of.” [00:19:54]

“I love it. That doesn’t mean I like it every day.” [01:00:58]

“Whatever makes things easier for one team almost always makes it harder for another team.” [00:28:29]

“If you’re good at what you do, you’re going to have recruiters reach out to you… every business has serious challenges once you get under the hood.” [01:09:55]

“Self care is not self-ish. You’ve got to protect the asset, and in this role, you are the asset.” [00:41:20]

“Know where you want to go, and then start putting the pieces in place to position yourself well for that.” [01:32:12]

[00:00:35] Mike’s introduction & three pillars of his success: mental & physical health, environment, and his “why.”

[00:03:52] How physical discipline translates to sales success and life transformation.

[00:12:35] Mike’s role at TriNetX, breaking through with big deals, and his commission breakthrough.

[00:17:31] Early sales experiences: used cars, shoes, recruiting, and their impact on Mike’s approach.

[00:29:36] The “castle” metaphor: building long-term protection for his daughter with special needs.

[00:44:26] The internal sale: why aligning your own company matters as much as selling the client.

[00:55:20] Mike’s daily routines: why non-negotiable habits and structure underpin high performance.

[01:07:48] Mike’s sales philosophy: be human-first, not commission-first; legacy over quota.

[01:24:59] Career advice for new sellers: choose your environment, seek coaching, and ride out the rollercoaster.

“Greatness is a choice. It’s a mindset.”
— [00:02:15]

“Every deal is different. Of course there’s best practices, but each opportunity is unique in and of itself.”
— [00:43:21]

“Just be transparent. Not holding anything close to the vest…just being a little vulnerable.”
— [00:47:02]

“Sales is not rocket science. It’s helping people solve problems and just being authentic.”
— [01:09:11]

“Being number one on the leaderboard…for me, it’s not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than I was yesterday. It’s always me against me.”
— [01:13:16]

“You just have to take ownership of your life. Take responsibility, get ruthlessly disciplined about your mindset and your habits. Brick by brick, you can build what you want; you can build a new life.”
— [01:36:51]

[0:40] Customer-Centric Focus

[10:30] Engineer to B2B Innovator Journey

[16:32] Prioritize Relationships and Storytelling

[21:22] Small Businesses’ Digital Impact

[29:19] LinkedIn: Daily Engagement for Growth

[36:16] Modern Communication and Productivity Tools

[38:59] Customer-Centric Sales Process

[47:35] Earning Trust Through Engagement

[56:57] LinkedIn Leads: Humanizing the Sales Process

[01:04:58] Join Sales Success Community

“It’s not about you, it’s about them… keeping the focus at the center of who you’re trying to help: in this case, the customer.” [00:01:03]

“You can’t have the ability to improvise if you haven’t built the foundation.” [00:02:42]

“Practice makes confidence, not perfection.” [00:05:39]

“To me, the sales process is understanding the customer’s process, not making them mold to yours.” [00:39:20]

“If you start taking the humans you talk to and engaging with them as leads, you’ve dehumanized part of selling.” [00:57:00]

[00:00:50] – Kevin’s Top 3 Success Factors: Operate with the end in mind, be your own hero, and delayed gratification.

[00:02:53] – Explaining MOHO (“My Own Hero”): Grit, determination, and being self-driven.

[00:04:56] – Playing the long game and the importance of delayed gratification in sales.

[00:06:21] – Managing quarter-end pressure: controlling the controllables.

[00:09:21] – Kevin’s recent move to leadership at Horizon3.ai and territory overview.

[00:13:46] – Kevin’s origin story: overcoming adversity, climbing in sales through hard work.

[00:25:48] – Unlocking authenticity: Lessons on being yourself in sales.

[00:28:39] – Kevin’s favorite sales story: Patience, controlling outcomes, and earning a career-defining win.

[00:31:02] – What Kevin’s most proud of, and his challenges: caring less about others’ opinions.

[00:38:34] – Kevin’s daily routine: Evening productivity, family focus, top-3 priorities.

[00:41:38] – Travel hacks and deep work strategies.

[00:47:08] – Information diet: Podcasts, core books, and intentional learning.

[00:52:02] – Tools & apps: Private YouTube channels, pen and paper, and keeping it simple.

[00:55:26] – Sales philosophy: Operational excellence, improv after fundamentals.

[01:07:03] – The near-death experience and its impact.

[01:10:39] – Advice for early-career sales professionals.

[01:20:15] – Documenting core values and building a personal manifesto.

[01:28:06] – Action challenge: End every meeting with a clear next step.

“Sometimes you have to be your own hero. Life is hard.” [00:02:53]

“Control the controllables. Focus on inputs, not just outcomes.” [00:06:21]

“There’s no cheat code. The cheat code is hard work, every single day.” [00:34:42]

“The most valuable data in a customer conversation is what you receive, not what you give.” [01:03:43]

“Trust in myself wholeheartedly and feel that sales is indeed my purpose.” [00:01:34]

“This mentality is what allowed me to go and prioritize accounts and grow these deals.” [00:07:38]

“There’s not a challenge I can’t overcome. There’s not an account I can’t sell to.” [00:20:58]

“Just remember today, it’s not a failure, it’s the mark of genius.” [00:23:24]

“Vulnerability is like the API that connects software, making us a single pane of glass.” [00:52:57]

“Don’t forget to remember your greatness; the universe conspired for you to exist.” [01:23:13]

“If your goal doesn’t scare you or your team, it’s not big enough.” [01:25:33]

“So I call them revenue-generating activities and busy work. A lot of time before I started working in this manner was spent on just feeling busy and actually getting things done.” [00:02:01]

“If your head is not right, I don’t care how good your tactics are, because you’re probably not even going to deploy them.” [00:06:31]

“I think the biggest shift is going out of scarcity and out of fear and into this knowing that you’re gonna be okay.” [00:09:23]

“Hiring a coach and getting a download from the best of the best, best idea I ever had.” [00:24:22]

“I think that leading by example, especially for like an IC, any individual contributor that wants to go into management or just wants to have an impact outside of sales or in their corporate life, we can lead by example.” [01:09:04]

“Be open to the idea that life is super fun and not linear and things work out the way they should. But try not to resist it and just kind of have fun along the journey.” [01:16:13]