Call The Damn Leads

In Episode 159, Drewbie sits down with Darren Padgett for a masterclass in old-school sales fundamentals — listening, reading body language, and genuinely caring about people. From breaking into sales at 18… to closing a monster car deal by grocery shopping with a prospect… to building and scaling a six-figure plumbing company in a town of 10,000 people — Darren shares the raw lessons that shaped...

In Episode 158, Drewbie sits down with Michael Straza to unpack one of the boldest sales decisions you'll ever hear: Turning down a $2 million contract. Why? Because bad cash flow terms can destroy a profitable company faster than a slow sales month ever will. Michael shares hard-earned lessons from 20+ years of owning, operating, scaling, and acquiring businesses. From navigating seven-figure con...

In Episode 157, Drewbie sits down with Kelly Lorenzen to break down one of the biggest bottlenecks in entrepreneurship and sales: trying to do everything yourself. Kelly has spent over 20 years building, scaling, and exiting multiple businesses — from real estate to medical practices to product-based companies — and she shares the hard-earned lessons that came from burnout, misalignment, and ultim...

In Episode 156, Drewbie welcomes back longtime friend and returning guest Kevin Oneil for a raw, hilarious, and deeply insightful conversation about what actually closes deals—and why discovery will always beat pressure selling. Kevin shares wild, unfiltered sales stories from the trenches of building Take My Boat Test, a niche compliance-driven business inside the watersports industry. From ego-d...

In Episode 155, Drewbie sits down with James Hilovsky to pull back the curtain on the realities of franchise sales , lead quality , and what "passive income" actually looks like in practice. James brings a rare insider's perspective from years inside the franchise world—working with restaurant brands, NFL-backed ownership groups, and now as a franchise broker helping people avoid costly, life-alte...

In Episode 154, Drewbie sits down with Joel Keith , co-founder of ASP Branding , to unpack one of the most dangerous growth traps businesses fall into: relying on a single sales channel. Joel shares a raw behind-the-scenes story from his agency's journey—how rapid growth, strong referrals, and a solid network masked deep vulnerabilities in their sales process. When deals suddenly stalled and reven...

In Episode 153, Drewbie sits down with Michael Podolny to explore one of the most counterintuitive—but powerful—principles in sales and business: give to get. With over two decades of experience in mergers & acquisitions, advisory work, and professional services, Michael shares how his biggest sales wins came not from pitching harder—but from building genuine relationships, serving first, and trus...

In Episode 152, Drewbie sits down with Dusty Holcomb for a deep, thoughtful conversation that reframes how sales professionals think about value, leadership, discipline, and long-term success. Dusty shares how his first real exposure to sales started at just 16 years old in a high-end men's clothing store—and how those early lessons shaped every leadership role he's held since, including serving a...

In Episode 151, Drewbie sits down with Ryan Clark , a marketer and sales strategist who shares the raw, behind-the-scenes story of how he went from a struggling entrepreneur working grocery store shifts to building a thriving business that allowed him to move to Rio de Janeiro. Ryan breaks down the pivotal moments that forced him to rethink sales, pricing, and messaging—especially after losing his...

In Episode 150, Drewbie sits down with Rachel Allen , an experienced copywriter who's worked across industries—from astrologers to accountants—to unpack what's actually happening in marketing, sales cycles, and buyer trust right now. Rachel shares her unconventional entry into copywriting, including landing her very first client—without knowing what a "nurture campaign" was—and closing a five-figu...

In Episode 149, Drewbie welcomes Joanna Zhang for a deeply reflective and practical conversation about sales , energy , delegation , and what it really takes to scale a business without burning yourself out. Joanna shares her personal evolution—from pushing hard in sales with a transaction-first mindset to shifting into a presence-led, value-driven approach that completely transformed her results....

In Episode 148, Drewbie flips the script and brings in someone from the other side of the table—professional buyer and sourcing expert Ted Stephany —to unpack what actually happens inside procurement conversations and why most sales professionals unknowingly sabotage their own deals. Ted shares his journey from being a tech sales rep who was taught to "go around procurement" to becoming a procurem...

In Episode 147, Drewbie sits down with Billy Sammons to break down one of the most overlooked—and most powerful—sales strategies out there: warm marketing through genuine community engagement. Billy shares his unconventional journey from teacher to real estate professional and how standing out in an oversaturated market forced him to rethink traditional selling. Instead of cold calls and pushy tac...

In Episode 146, Drewbie sits down with Jonny Holsten , founder of Bridge Selling , to break down one of the most misunderstood truths in sales: great results don't always come from great conversations—they come from great execution. Jonny shares a wild sales story about a "terrible-on-the-phone" rep who shattered company records by hiring a full-time assistant out of his own pocket to handle follo...

In Episode 145, Drewbie sits down with Alex Gore — architect , entrepreneur , and co-founder of F9 Productions —to explore what sales really looks like in creative, high-stakes industries where trust, timing, and process matter more than pressure. Alex shares one of his craziest sales stories involving a skeptical client who didn't believe his firm could deliver—until Alex flipped the script and p...

In Episode 144, Drewbie sits down with Joel Friedland , a 44-year veteran of industrial real estate who built his career the hard way—door by door, conversation by conversation, rejection after rejection. Joel shares how he got started at just 22 years old during a brutal recession, learned directly from a legendary mentor, and went on to personally knock on thousands of doors across more than 16,...

In Episode 143, Drewbie sits down with Anthony Prichard , a seasoned sales and marketing professional who's been in the game since 2000 and has lived through the evolution of digital marketing firsthand. This conversation dives deep into how modern sales professionals and business owners can stop wasting marketing dollars, generate better leads, and build real trust using video, data, and irresist...

Trevor G. Blake Serial Entrepreneur • Author • Sales & Business Development Strategist ____________________________________________________________________________ Episode Summary In Episode 142, Drewbie sits down with Trevor G. Blake , a serial entrepreneur known for building and selling multiple successful companies, to uncover how sales skills can transform not just your career, but your entire...

Stewart Ervin Founder, Bracket Management • Business Turnaround & Growth Strategist   Episode Summary In Episode 141, Drewbie sits down with Stewart Ervin , founder of Bracket Management , to unpack what really separates struggling businesses from scalable, profitable companies. Stewart specializes in business turnarounds, and this episode pulls back the curtain on how he helps owners diagnose pro...

David Aferiat – Co-Founder (Exited FinTech), Executive Coach, Leadership Strategist, The Avid Group     Episode Summary In Episode 140, Drewbie sits down with David Aferiat , a seasoned entrepreneur who spent 20 years building and scaling a FinTech software company before successfully exiting—and now helps founders and leadership teams navigate growth, culture, and scale without breaking themselve...

In this episode of Call The Damn Leads , I sit down with my guy Ethan Dowie , founder of Indigo and one of the sharpest minds in the branded-merch game. Ethan didn't come into the industry with experience, money, or a fancy network… he came in with a cell phone , a notebook , and the willingness to make 500 cold calls . And on call #496, everything changed. That single outreach — one conversation...

Lidia Axe – Business Coach for Solopreneurs, Sales Mindset Strategist, Author, Host of " Conversations That Convert " In this episode, Drewbie is joined by the fiery, hilarious, and deeply insightful Lidia Axe , a former corporate director turned business coach who helps solopreneurs overcome the mindset blocks stopping them from selling with confidence. Lidia shares her transformational sales sto...

Dr. Chris Gray – Consumer Psychologist, Founder of The Bycologist, Behavioral Marketing Expert In this episode, Drewbie sits down with world-renowned consumer psychologist Dr. Chris Gray , whose three decades of experience in marketing , psychology , and behavioral science have helped brands decode how customers actually think, feel, and buy. Dr. Gray shares an unbelievable story from early in his...

In this episode, Drewbie welcomes the brilliant and authentic Melanie Gorman , a trained mental health therapist turned powerhouse sales strategist and business builder. Melanie shares her unconventional path—from therapist and bartender to selling for John Gray (Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus) and eventually launching her own company, Crownsville Media . She breaks down how relationship...

In this episode, Drewbie sits down with podcast strategist and agency owner Virginia Elder , whose entire career in podcasting started by accident—thanks to debt, diapers, and financial podcasts that gave her hope during tough times. Virginia shares how she paid off $80,000 of debt on a modest household income, started a financial podcast to fill a gap she saw in the market, and unexpectedly built...