Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

What happens to agencies when scarcity disappears and AI can do almost everything? In this episode I sit down with Tom Salmon, Co-Founder of Agency by Agency, to unpack what's really happening inside the UK's 25,000-strong agency market. Tom has mapped the entire sector, and the data reveals some surprising shifts. We examine if the challenges that agencies are facing are a temporary downturn or a...

Could a survey based on original research be your missing piece in winning high-value B2B deals? This week, I sit down with Becky Lawlor, Founder of Redpoint Insights, to unpack the real power behind survey-based thought leadership. We go far beyond "just sending out a survey" and get into what actually makes original research influential in B2B buying decisions. Becky shares compelling data showi...

Are outdated discovery tactics and fear of rejection quietly killing your enterprise deals? Alex Sobol, co-founder of The Millennium Alliance, is here for part 2 to unpack what's really happening in B2B C-suite sales right now. We dig into why so many companies are hiring the wrong types of salespeople (even when their resumes look perfect) and what actually separates average performers from elite...

What if the real secret to sales success is in how you handle difficult people? In this episode, I sit down with Alex Sobol, Co-Founder of The Millennium Alliance, to look closely at the real traits that drive success in sales. Alex shares how he went from selling sponsorships straight out of college to building a global C-suite community that's now on track for $100 million in revenue. He believe...

What happens when clients demand fewer people, lower fees, and measurable growth at the same time? In this episode, we're joined by Micki Meyer (Executive Director, Global Client Engagement - Health with Interpublic Group) to unpack the shifting economics of the agency world, including why traditional models are under serious pressure. We walk through the classic retainer, time-and-materials, and...

As production gets cheaper and faster, where does real agency value survive? In this episode, I sit down with Claire Lambell, Managing Director at Southpaw, to unpack what's really happening inside creative agencies as AI reshapes the industry. We dig into the pressure coming from automation, platform tools, and procurement, and ask the burning question: where does the strategic moat actually live...

What happens when you stop automating tasks and start reimagining the entire workflow? In this episode, we're alongside Rebecca Aliab Deng, Vice President of Business Operations at Cognitiv, to unpack what AI transformation actually looks like inside deep learning advertising platforms. We go beyond the hype and examine the real challenges: overwhelming volumes of AI tools, mismatched expectations...

Are agencies evolving into strategic partners, or becoming commoditized overnight by AI? In this second of two parts, Gareth Turner of Big Black Door joins me again to unpack what AI is really doing to marketing teams, agencies, and the role of the CMO. With his 30 years of brand-side experience, we get straight into the tension between strategy and execution. AI can move fast, but we explore why...

What if the smartest move in marketing is to step back before doing more? We're welcoming Gareth Turner, Founder of Big Black Door, in this episode to check out what's really going on inside the modern CMO's world. We talk about the uncomfortable truth that most marketing leaders don't have enough budget to deliver their plans, and yet a staggering portion of that budget is wasted through poor bri...

How do you win customers when AI becomes the gatekeeper between you and your audience? In this episode, I sit down with John Campbell, Head of Innovation & AI at ROAST, to unpack how AI is fundamentally reshaping search. We explore the shift from traditional search results to AI-generated answers, and why zero-click results are forcing businesses to rethink how they measure success. John explains...

Could a $5 gesture outperform your entire digital ad budget? In this second part of my conversation with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Sendoso, we start off by discussing the myths surrounding gifting in B2B sales and start tearing them apart. We hear how gifting isn't about flashy $500 items or gimmicks; it's about psychology, creativity, and timing. Kris explains why spending $30 on...

What happens when your biggest sales advantage suddenly disappears overnight? In this episode I sit down with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Sendoso. In this first of two parts, we rewind to the scrappy early days of his business when Kris was manually packing boxes at night just to stand out in sales. Kris shares how a personal frustration inside his own sales role sparked the idea for...

In this episode we're welcoming Chris Davis, Managing Director (UK) at Hypetap, to unpack what influencer marketing really means beyond the buzzword. He explains why trust beats follower count, and how the algorithms have quietly rewritten the rules. Chris explains how a creator with a thousand followers can now outperform someone with a million, and why authenticity is the real currency that bran...

Are traditional go-to-market models quietly collapsing under the weight of AI? I'm picking up the conversation with Nikki Barua today by looking at what reinvention actually means when agentic AI reshapes sales, marketing, and go-to-market teams in real time. We talk about why old formulas built on volume, velocity, and hustle are breaking down, and why mass personalization is eroding trust instea...

What does it really take to shed an old identity and build an entirely new one from scratch? I sit down with Nikki Barua, Co-Founder of FlipWork, this week for the first of a two-parter. We go straight into the idea of reinvention, not as a buzzword, but as a lived experience shaped by survival, identity shifts, and relentless curiosity. We talk about how Nikki arrived in a new country with no res...

Are you missing out on consistent revenue because you don't truly understand how partnerships actually work? Dave Plunkett, Founder of Collaboration Junkie, joins us today to unpack what partnerships really are and why so many agencies don't utilize them properly. He explains the critical difference between referrals and true commercial partnerships, and why trust-based selling is becoming more po...

Are we hiding behind sales tech instead of actually knowing how to sell? Joe Fontana, Advisor / Founding VP of Sales at Dextego, is a sales leader who's been building teams since the 90s. In this episode, we go straight into the tension that's shaping modern B2B selling. We talk about why sales and marketing still struggle to align, what's broken about incentives and KPIs, and why SDR teams might...

Has modern B2B sales become so automated that going "backwards" is actually the smartest move? Today we've got Stephanie Melodia, keynote speaker and Creator of Hacking Luck, and Tash Rebuck, Founder of TR Sales Consultancy, joining us to unpack what's really happening in B2B sales right now (and some of it is wildly unexpected). Tash shares why traditional outreach methods like cold calling and p...

How do you build real momentum when relationships, timing, and trust refuse to move in straight lines? I'm sitting down with Alice Dawlat, Director of Growth & Partnerships at REF Digital, letting you in on what business development really looks like when you come from a delivery-first background. We talk through her path from project management into leading growth, and why that transition is far...

Can you believe that small moments of trust and safety matter more than any sales technique? In this second of two parts with Mike Mears, we shift the focus directly into sales, leadership, and the psychology behind real influence. We explore what Mike has learned throughout his career, including why one-way communication fails and how dialogue reveals what leaders often miss. The discussion quick...

How do trust, certainty, and human behaviour decide outcomes when the stakes are extreme? In this first part of a two-part conversation, I'm welcoming Mike Mears, a former Chief of Human Capital at the CIA, to explore the hidden mechanics of leadership and human behaviour under immense pressure. We start with his unlikely path from West Point and Harvard Business School into covert intelligence wo...

Why is mass personalization with AI actually making it harder to win deals? I sit down with Freya Ward, Associate Managing Director at Headley Media, for her second appearance on the show to unpack how the B2B buying journey has fundamentally changed...and why so many sales strategies are now misaligned with reality. We dig into the shift toward long, independent research cycles and the rise of "h...

Can a fairly short book really build authority faster than years of content marketing? Julie Trelstad, Head of US Publishing at Amlet.ai, joins me this week to unpack how books quietly remain one of the most powerful tools for building authority and trust. Julie shares insights from her decades of publishing experience to explain why a book doesn't need to be long or traditional to be impactful. W...

What actually cuts through when buyers ignore almost every email and call? I'm welcoming Mike Fantis, VP Managing Partner at DAC Group/London, to unpack what's really happening in modern sales and why so much outreach simply doesn't work anymore. We talk about how digital convenience has created lazy habits, from bulk emails to hollow personalization, and why buyers have learned to tune it all out...

Can saying no to a perfect deal actually unlock a bigger win? I'm joined by Phil Squire, and we explore what really drives success in complex sales when trust, access, and credibility are on the line. We talk through research that shows dramatic shifts in win rates when teams focus on a small set of positive mindsets—and what changes when organizations stop chasing every opportunity. We dig into t...