Episodes

  • S6E22 - Cory Terre - The Best Way to Evaluate a Potential Unicorn

    S6E22 - Cory Terre - The Best Way to Evaluate a Potential Unicorn
    Apr 21 2025
    In this episode of the Surf and Sales Podcast, hosts Scott Leese and Richard Harris sit down with Cory Terre, a sales performance coach at Cellfire. Cory breaks down the 3 key factors he looks for when evaluating new job opportunities - people, product, and potential. Cory shares wild stories from his early days working at Main Street Hub alongside Scott, including the time Scott gave him a brutal wake-up call that changed the trajectory of his sales career. Scott and Richard share their thoughts on the latest AI and automation tools impacting the sales world. This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone looking to level up their sales game or make a smart career move. Don't miss it!
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    39 mins
  • S6E21 - Cynthia Barnes - From Breaking Point to Breakthrough

    S6E21 - Cynthia Barnes - From Breaking Point to Breakthrough
    Apr 21 2025
    his powerful episode of the Surf and Sales podcast features Cynthia Barnes in a candid conversation with hosts Richard Harris and Scott Leese. Cynthia shares her journey from a toxic marriage to becoming a successful entrepreneur, executive coach, and founder of the "Thank You It's True" movement. The conversation covers critical topics including AI's impact on critical thinking, the power of small curated communities vs. massive networking events, and the importance of recognizing your self-worth in both personal and professional settings. Cynthia reveals how she built resilience through difficult experiences and turned challenges into purpose. This episode offers genuine inspiration, practical career advice, and powerful insights on developing authentic confidence.
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    43 mins
  • S6E20 - Chris Cicconi - Freelance Hustle: Navigating all the Ups and Downs

    S6E20 - Chris Cicconi - Freelance Hustle: Navigating all the Ups and Downs
    Apr 14 2025
    Chris Cicconi joins the Surf and Sales Podcast to discuss what it was like to officially cut the W2 cord and go out on his own. Topics include... Importance of focusing on revenue-generating activities vs. getting bogged down in branding/marketing tasks when starting a consulting business Strategies for building a sustainable client base through networking, partnerships, and leveraging your personal brand Challenges of scaling a consulting business too quickly and the risks of over-hiring/overhead Benefits of maintaining multiple income streams and not being overly reliant on a single client or project Differences in approaches between "jumping in" full-time vs. building a consulting business gradually alongside a day job
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    40 mins
  • S6E19 - Sean Tepper Navigating Sales and Investing in Turbulent Times

    S6E19 - Sean Tepper Navigating Sales and Investing in Turbulent Times
    Apr 14 2025
    In this episode of the Surface Sales Podcast, we sit down with Sean Tepper, the founder of Tykr, a SaaS platform that helps investors make informed decisions in the stock market. Sean shares his expertise on building a successful SaaS business, as well as his insights on the current state of the market and how investors can navigate the turbulence. Key Takeaways: Sean discusses the importance of focusing on product-market fit and churn rates as key metrics for SaaS growth. He shares his strategies for building partnerships and leveraging channel sales to scale a SaaS business. Sean provides valuable advice for both experienced and novice investors on how to approach the current market conditions, including the importance of compound interest and long-term thinking. The conversation also touches on the psychology of investing and overcoming the fear of the unknown.
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    39 mins
  • S6E18 - Shawn Sease Fixing Cold Calling in the SDR Industrial Complex

    S6E18 - Shawn Sease Fixing Cold Calling in the SDR Industrial Complex
    Apr 14 2025
    The Professor of Prospecting reveals why cold calling isn't dead but your approach might be killing you. The founder of INeverAnswer.com, Sean Sease, shares his deep expertise on effective outbound prospecting and why the traditional cold calling approach fails for most companies. Key topics covered: Why there's no "secret sauce" in prospecting—it's about doing the work properly The surprising data on follow-up calls generating 2-12x more meetings than first-time connects How to rethink your first-call objectives to build a pipeline of follow-ups Sean's innovative "Round Table" approach that transforms cold outreach effectiveness Why making SDR roles a stepping stone to AE positions is "one of the most egregious errors in sales today" The talent challenges in outbound teams and how to address them Whether you're a sales leader struggling with outbound results or an SDR looking to improve your approach, Sean's human-centered philosophy on prospecting will change how you think about cold calling forever.
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    47 mins
  • S6E17 - Eric Iannello - Surf's Up, Prospects Down: Riding the Waves of Relationship-Driven Sales

    S6E17 - Eric Iannello - Surf's Up, Prospects Down: Riding the Waves of Relationship-Driven Sales
    Mar 31 2025
    In this episode of the Surf and Sales podcast, hosts Richard, Scott, and special guest Eric Iannello, Head of Sales at Commsor, dive deep into the evolving landscape of sales outreach. The discussion covers a range of topics, including: Eric's journey from experiencing consecutive layoffs to embracing a network-driven sales approach, and how that shaped his perspective on the value of relationships. The pros and cons of leveraging AI and automation in the sales process, particularly when it comes to managing warm introductions and preserving the human element of prospecting. The panelists' predictions on the future of outbound sales tactics, with insights on the gradual decline of traditional cold calling and emailing, and the rise of more personalized, referral-based strategies. Thought-provoking perspectives on the ethics and challenges of scaling a network-driven sales model, including the potential pitfalls of over-automating relationship-building. Don't forget to join us at the next Surf and Sales event, www.surfandsales.com
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    36 mins
  • S6E16 - Kevin Hopp - How AI Will Destroy Sales Reps (But Make Them Superheroes)

    S6E16 - Kevin Hopp - How AI Will Destroy Sales Reps (But Make Them Superheroes)
    Mar 31 2025
    Richard and Kevin go head-to-head in an epic battle of sales tactics, AI hype, and generational warfare. Discover the secret to booking meetings on Discord and why email will never die (no matter how hard we try). And how the future of the top of funnel will begin in Reddit more than Google This episode has it all - don't miss out!
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    39 mins
  • S6E15 - Anis Bennaceur - Finally, A Founder Who Got it Right

    S6E15 - Anis Bennaceur - Finally, A Founder Who Got it Right
    Mar 24 2025
    In this episode of Surf and Sales, Richard Harris and Scott Leese interview Anis Bennaceur, CEO and co-founder of Attention.com, a platform revolutionizing sales with AI agents that automate sales conversations. Anis shares his journey from hacking web servers as a kid to working at Tinder in its early days, and then founding his own startups. The most fascinating revelation? He joined forces with his biggest competitor to create Attention.com after years of "waging war" against each other. Key highlights: Why Attention.com's AI was able to identify the exact reason a six-figure deal was stalling (and how they fixed it) The surprising use case from dental implant sales teams that pushed their platform beyond what B2B clients typically do Why founders should sell their first $300K in ARR themselves before hiring sales reps The controversial take on equity for founding sales reps (Anis reveals exactly how much they offered) Scott's passionate rant on why LinkedIn desperately needs a competitor Plus: Why hiring two founding AEs creates the perfect competitive environment, and Scott's counterargument for why three is the magic number
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    44 mins
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