The Bird's Nest: Recent Episodes
Dave Lehmkuhl
In life and business, we all try to find that missing something that will make our lives or careers better. In this podcast, I talk to guests on what they have found in their journey - the good and the bad, ups and the downs - and what that has meant for them along the way. Come join me for a sit down with some amazing people!
Chris Cicconi, the Head of Business Development for Unicrn and a season sales professional, comes strong with his views on how the buyer's journey has changed. He discusses how certain companies have adapted to this and how some are still selling in a way that buyers do not want. He discusses personal branding, the role of the SDR in this new age, and how leadership in companies have responsibility to evolve. It is an episode where we hit on so many cool topics that you will not want to miss this time hearing Chris tell it like it is. Enjoy!!
Chris Cicconi comes strong in this podcast with his views on how the buyer's journey has changed. He discusses how certain companies have adapted to this and how some are still selling in a way that buyers do not want. He discusses personal branding, the role of the SDR in this new age, and how leadership in companies have responsibility to evolve. It is an episode where we hit on so many cool topics that you will not want to miss this time hearing Chris tell it like it is. Enjoy!!
Troy Barter joins the show to discuss the future of the SDR role in sales and how the modern day seller can truly control their own fate no matter the circumstances presented. Troy is a proven sales leader having trained teams at some of the most well known brands out there. He explains why he decided to build a six hour plus video course that takes his vast knowledge of sales at every level and turns it into actionable items for any person in sales to up their game. This episode is longer than usual, but only because Troy had so much valuable information to provide. Enjoy!!
Go To Market is being researched across the globe more than ever. Loren Shumate joins the show to discuss why that is, how the Marketing Qualified Lead of the past is now being replaced with Account Based Marketing and what companies can do to drive growth using this method. Her wealth of experience in both sales and marketing senior roles allowed Loren to share such great insights into the communcation, teamwork and trust this method has and what it can mean to a company's future. Get your pen out as Loren provides a wealth of useful information!
Leslie Venetz tells the story of starting her own company, the mindset shift that she had to go through, the lessons she learned in Year 1 and how she has built her sales consulting business to thrive in under 2 years. Leslie was so open and honest during this episode on the guilt she faced in taking PTO the first year to how she redefined her client focus. Leslie's insight is super valuable for anyone looking to grow in their professional career. Enjoy!!
Eric Iannello, known for his funny videos on LinkedIn around the sales community, provides a very thought provoking perspective of defining who we are as a sales professional. I came into the episode thinking we were going to talk on his amazing journey from fitness into a tremendous sales career, his views on the current state of LinkedIn and what I found was a conversation on his definition of selling and trust between an employee and employer. His perspective is unique, it's his own and I know you will enjoy it!
Amelia Taylor is one of the most well known LinkeIn Influencers around. She has gone against the grain her entire career and it has allowed her to build a following due to it. She is so open and honest on where she wants to go in her next role, examples of speaking her mind to her leadership team and if she ever thought of slowing down to take it easy given the rise of the past four years. Amelia does not hold back in the episode. Hope you enjoy it as much as Kris and I did.
Amanda Bagley was employee number fourteen at Chili Piper. She has made her career in tech start-ups that has included the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. She goes into both of those areas with me during this tremendous episode of The Bird's Nest. She details the first days of Chili Piper as their first SDR, to Sales Management, to a lay-off and now to a fantastic team at her next start-up at AudiencePlus. Amanda showed such transparency and her real self talking about this, but also on why she has been successful in her career, how Tottenham became her favorite team and how she danced to Mandy Moore as a kid. Hit the play button and enjoy this epic conversation with one of the great guests I have had the pleasure of talking to.
Cold calls or cold emails are his thing. Clint Steveson just waves to people, has a great conversation, offers to help them with whatever they need and has a built a new business off of this mindset. He is breaking every mold of how to build his health insurance business. Through just waving to folks everyday during his walks he is now known for his kindness and that is who people want to work with. Kristine and I have already talked about how to have Clint back on as his story is one that everyone should hear no matter what industry, profession or career you have. Enjoy!!!
Emily Mireault faced burnout twice, an unexpected layoff and has turned that experience into becoming a published children's book author, a valuable member of a team she loves with a product she truly believes in and finding her joy in life. She discusses how she had the idea of documenting her pregnancy on LinkedIn, how the idea of a the children's book came to her and her husband and what is on her plate for 2024. Kristine and I had so much fun talking to Emily that we literally forgot about the time! Enjoy the episode!!!
Every team, company and department is looking at their goals for this year and will need top talent to hit the mark. I spent over a decade at a recruiting agency working with Fortune 50 companies to family owned businesses. I have seen best in class hiring practices and I have seen some of the all time failures along the way. In this episode, I provide the outline of how to win the hiring process and give you the best chance at securing the top talent on the market. No item requires new software or is a ground breaking idea, but rather this is a list of items that if you follow will allow you to greatly increase you ability to hire the right people and hit those yearly goals. Enjoy!!
LinkedIn used to be where you posted a resume. It is now the world's premier professional networking platform and Danny DelVecchio discusses how video is the future on the platform. He has created a hugely successful business helping people create videos on LinkedIn that engage their audience in a way that written content cannot. He discusses his journey in starting his business, tips and ideas on how to best use the platform and what he has planned for 2024. I personally took a page of notes on best practices from this interview. Enjoy the discussion with Danny!
LinkedIn Influencer Marketing is only going to increase and at a very rapid pace as brands recognize the power of the platform and the reach to various audiences. Alexis Rivera Scott discusses this growing trend and how she has positioned her company to be part of that movement. Her very candid insights into the current and future state of this movement along with telling her journey into entrepreneurship make this a cannot miss interview to listen to. Enjoy!
Maddie Bell and her husband left church on a Sunday. By the time they got home they had an idea for an AI tool that would change the way businesses scheduled meetings forever. Fast forward through an accerlerator program, a U.S. patent and now serving sales and revenue teams drive better experiences with their customers, Maddie Bell and her husband Mike have launched the next great AI tool. Maddie shares the journey of their company, but also her own transformation of becoming a Mom with a growing professional career. A truly compeling interview that I know you will enjoy from start to finish!
Laid off after being a top sales person, Kristine Kapatos turned to her faith and began her journey into what is now a thriving business. Kristine opens up about how she beat her self-doubt and limiting beliefs, formed a deeper connection with God and turned what was a negative event into what is now a her passion of helping businesses and people achieve their goals. I was captivated by Kristine's honesty and story. I hope you get as much out of this as I did with her.
Aaron Wallace was a 6th Grade Math Teacher and is now a thriving Account Executive in one of the most respected companies in the SaaS industry. He tells his story of breaking into tech sales but also how one sentence of encouragement empowered him to reach his potential. Aaron is open, honest and very revealing in the road that he took from educator through SDR and now into an Account Executive role. I hope you listen to his story closely as it is one of determination and just true grit. Enjoy!
Stephanie Whalen, President of Ullico, provides how she raised her hand over the past 25 years to take on the tough assignments or in her words "figure it out". She came into the organization with a goal of staying 18 months to 3 years, but through hard work, dedication and mentorship she is now an industry leading executive. Stephanie goes deep to discuss her challenges out of college, how she has built a strong team built around culture and what is next in her journey. One of the most enjoyable conversations to date on the podcast and a must listen for those looking to build their career or leading teams. Enjoy!!
My wife of almost 23 years uttered those words as I was "quietly fired" from my last company. She looked me dead in the eye and said in a way only she could, "They Don't Know You!" It set me on a journey to find a find a new career, a new part of myself who is not scared to dive into something new, a version of myself who now is not scared to fail. This short 12-min episode is for anyone looking for that push to do get what you deserve in life. Enjoy!!
Julie Raeder is a story in understanding that winning in whatever you do is not an isolated incident but a continous journey. Julie takes us through her progression as a D1 athlete to her career change into the tech industry and then to how she is applying this to her entire life. I personally was challenged on this episode to understand how I can do better in my journey and I think you will take the same thing away from it. Sit back and enjoy!
What started as Grayson Hogard and his wife started baking cookies out of their townhome for friends has now turned into a wildly successful business. The Groove Cookie Company is a simple story of a great product, crazy hard work and some ingenious marketing. Grayson shares his story, what he has learned as a new business owner and what is next for the company as they continue to grow.
JR Butler, the CEO of Shift Group, is a former athlete who after a successful career in sales started his company focused on helping former athletes like himself as well as veterans find their identity and a place in the corporate world. He discusses his own trials with this during his transition as well as how the the mindset of a professional no matter your industry. JR provides a true glimpse into what makes him so successful. It is an episode that I hope you enjoy as much as I did given the real talk JR gives.
Brian LaManna from Gong joins the program to speak about his incredible journey in sales. He speaks on his rise from SDR to one of the top producers in his company and how he became a leading voice on LinkedIn with a tremendously popular weekly sales newsletter all within five years of starting his sales career. Brian provides a very transparent view on how people have viewed him due to his age, his failures along the way and what has made him ultra successful in his career. It is an episode you will not want to miss!
James provides his vision on where the AE and SDR roles will eventually evolve to given the state of sales, AI, and how people buy. He also discusses his journey of finding a new role after going through a reorganization recently. Super transparent and useful for anyone in that situation. He also describes his views on training, hiring and how companies can improve in both of those areas. A truly honest and open conversation that you will not want to miss.
Dan Goodman, Founder and CEO of TruCommish, discusses how sales professionals are losing millions of dollars each year in commissions that are rightfully owed to them in their compensation plans. Dan provides extremely valuable tips on how to look at your compensation plan as an employee and how to negotiate the plan before you start your new role. This episode is a must listen in educating yourself in all things related to your compensation.
Both ultra successful, John Lane and Will Barfield were forced to pivot their businesses due to the pandemic. They came together to form a partnership and a new business venture that will fuel them for years to come. John and Will share the details of the journey, what they have learned in the process and where they intend to take it in the years to come. I learned a ton listening to their story and I am sure you will as well.
Mando Sallavanti III goes into the law of attraction that allowed him to go from making nothing in his first three months in sales to over $50k by month five. Mando is super bright, articulate and brings energy in this episode as he discusses his passion, the pillars in his life and how he took his career and life to a new level. I was captivated by his story and the lessons he shares and I am sure you will be as well.
Most of us think that to be truly successful you can never be content. Jacob Karp proves this wrong to discuss his journey through sales, but also his mindset of being content. He is a super successful Enterprise Account Executive in Software Sales that provides a wealth of knowledge on how he has changed his life with this thinking. Sit back and enjoy as Jacob did not disappoint.
Brandon Barend describes his sales career that involves being himself and not changing no matter the client, the account or what is situation. He has succeeded by allowing people to get to know the real person and nothing else. This mentality is appreciated by anyone who comes into contact with him. His ideas on how to lead a sales team in this new environment is also riveting. You will enjoy hearing just a real voice and honest take in this conversation.
Cynthia Handal was unemployed at the start of the pandemic, had never held a SDR position and transformed herself into a sales leader, content creator and teacher to everyone around her. Her story of working hard as an SDR to make her numbers, coaching successful teams to now building a sales team that helps talent in her home country succeed in sales. An amazing journey that you will want to hear.
Jen Allen-Knuth from Lavender brings passion, energy and a her own true thoughts on a number of topics. Jen speaks from the heart on women in sales, how she bet on herself and her career, how to be authentic and building communities for your product and company. I personally learned so much during this short time with Jen. I know you will enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Mikey Henninger joins the show and tells all on his story of Sales Professional to Fantasy Football Entrepreneur. It is a detailed and riveting story of a hobby turned successful business. Mikey is honest and candid on why he took the leap away from Corporate America and how his family played a large part in that decision and the success of the business today. A must listen for anyone pursuing a dream.
Gunner Miller's story of grit, determination and discipline allowed him to succeed as a D1 football player, a pro wrestler and now a VP of Logistics. His story is fascinating and provides a true example of how hard work and the right mindset will overcome any odds. I left this episode speechless and took away so many lessons for my own life. I know you will feel the same after listening to this.
Dane's story is an incredible one that takes him from failing out of his first year of college to now CEO and Founding Partner of HUDDL3 group. He goes into detail on his journey to becoming a CEO, his views on leadership in today's climate and how he manages to keep balance in his life with his family. An incredible story of work ethic, perseverance and a vision of what is possible.
Kyle Adam is a top Account Executive whose sales journey is filled with rejection, but also instances where he overcomes the odds to succeed. He is now a strong voice on LinkedIn and a top producer at his current company, Vanta. Kyle also shares his mental health journey and how this has played a factor in his success as well. UGA football, The Bachelor and Twitter also find their way into our conversation as well. Enjoy!
Rashawn takes us on a journey of his battle with depression and moments away from ending his life to now an author, podcast host, entrepreneur, social media expert and true believer in his faith. You do not want to miss this tale of how anything is possible and how he overcame his demons to achieve success in business and in life.
Dave describes his battle with anxiety over the years, how he thought he beat it and how he realized he was wrong. A short down to earth talk on how doing something 3 times a day changed his outlook and perspective in a matter of minutes.
Understand what you are getting into as I describe "The Bird's Nest"
1. I will be myself. I will not pretend to be someone I am not along the way.
2. You will hear from all sorts of Sales and Marketing Leaders. Heck, I may just decide I want to share something and talk for an episode.
3. I will ask the tough questions. No one likes a discussion that is boring. That is how we learn is by understanding the real details behind the story.
4. I will have fun and learn something on every episode. My goal is that you do as well.
Erica Rankin, Founder and CEO at Bro Dough, discusses the early journey from her job out of college to finding her passion in creating a food brand that is now national throughout Canada and soon to be the US. Erica is very open and honest on her struggles with self-doubt, her mental health and how all of this has impacted her journey to date. An incredible listen for anyone looking to overcome the odds in their personal journey.
Tim Davidson is well known on LinkedIn for his funny videos looking at Business to Business events through satire. Tim opens up about his own self-doubt when he first started using LinkedIn for his videos and how we overcame those limiting thoughts. Tim provides a very down to earth way to conquer those fears and succeed on social media or whatever you are exploring in life. Sit back and enjoy!