Smart Business Growth with Nicky Miklós

Big ideas. Small time investment. Welcome the latest "Quick Wins" episode! Bite-sized cuts from the Smart Business Growth Podcast — built for business owners and sales leaders who need insights fast.  Networking isn't a numbers game — and if it feels icky, you've been taught it wrong. In this Quick Win, Janine Garner - international speaker and best-selling author of It's...

Most sales don't fall over because of price — they fall over because one emotional state never got activated. In this solo episode, Nicky breaks down the Six Emotional States of a Sale: a framework she's been using and teaching for over 10 years, drawn from real client conversations and sales coaching sessions. Whether you're in a direct sales conversation, trying to close a deal, o...

Why Your Sales Training Isn't Working (And How Coaching Fixes It) Here's a confronting truth — most sales training doesn't stick. Not because the training is bad, but because of what happens (or doesn't happen) after it. In this episode, Nicky unpacks the forgetting curve and why up to 70% of what your team learns can disappear within 24 hours. The fix isn't more training...

What does it actually take to build a sales team that doesn't need you? Nick and Jeni Clift spent over 20 years building DWM Solutions — a managed IT services business they successfully exited in 2022. For the better part of those years, Nick was the business's entire sales engine. Sound familiar? In this episode, Nick and Jeni join Nicky to share the real story behind their transformati...

Is your business growing — or just reacting? There's a big difference, and in this episode, Nicky Miklós breaks down exactly what smart, sustainable business growth looks like under the hood. If you're relying on a handful of high performers to carry your results, running on scattered processes, or leading a team that's constantly in reactive mode — this one is for you. Nicky unpack...

What if the secret to sustained high performance had nothing to do with grinding harder? In this episode, Nicky is coming to you live from Melbourne — and what started as watching hot air balloons drift across the city skyline turned into a powerful mindset shift that every business owner and sales leader needs to hear. Inspired by a live event with Mel Robbins and grounded in the framework from N...

What if the conversation you (or your leaders) have been dreading is actually the one your team member needs most? Tough conversations don't have to be confrontational, damaging, or something you lie awake thinking about the night before. But left unaddressed, they carry a real cost — for the individual, for the team, and for you as a leader. In this episode, Nicky unpacks the real reasons we...

Are your team members crystal clear on what success looks like in their role or are they just showing up and hoping for the best? In this episode, Nicky Miklós cuts through the fear and confusion around KPIs and Benchmarks of Success, and makes the case for why transparent, measurable performance standards are the backbone of every high-performing team. Whether you've been avoiding the KPI co...

What’s the real backbone of an effective sales conversation? It’s not the pitch, not the presentation and it’s definitely not dropping the price early. In this episode, Nicky breaks down the one skill that can potentially increase your conversions by up to 23 percent. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” in sales but still not converting at the rate you want, this conversat...

In this episode, Nicky Miklós and Leah Mether explore the evolving landscape of leadership, particularly in the context of rapid change and uncertainty. They discuss the importance of human skills, emotional intelligence, and effective communication in navigating challenges, especially with the rise of AI. Leah emphasizes the need for leaders to model desired behaviours, create a speak-up culture,...

Sales has changed, and if your conversations still focus on features, pricing, and pressure tactics, you may already be falling behind. Today’s buyers are more informed, more cautious, and more overwhelmed with choice than ever before. Winning deals now is less about pushing harder and more about building trust, reducing friction, and helping buyers feel confident in their decisions. In this episo...

Great leadership is not about making every decision. It is also about teaching others how to make good ones. In this episode, Nicky Miklós breaks down why decision-making sits at the heart of effective leadership and business growth. She shares a simple but powerful decision-making triage that helps leaders cut through noise, prioritise what actually matters, and build teams that think for themsel...

In this episode of Smart Business Growth , we explore why managing your energy is far more powerful than obsessing over time management. Despite billions of time management tools, apps and hacks available, most people still feel overwhelmed, busy and out of control. Procrastination is high, focus is low, and many of us spend our days reacting rather than working on what truly matters. So why isn’t...

Keywords: Networking, business growth, relationship building, sales strategies, transformational leadership, core four, reciprocity, intentional networking, client nurturing, personal branding Summary: In this conversation, Janine Garner explores the transformative power of networking for business growth. She emphasises moving away from transactional networking and instead building genuine, meanin...

It’s 2026, and Nicky is kicking things off with a truth bomb. That whole “best year yet” mantra? It’s tired. In this episode, she calls BS on the hype, the unrealistic expectations, and the pressure that rides in on the New Year’s resolution wave. If you’re craving something deeper than empty motivation and big energy pushes that fizzle out by February, this one’s for you. In this episode, you’ll...

In this final episode of the year, Nicky unpacks the challenge so many high-performing business owners and leaders face – how the heck do we actually switch off for a holiday? Whether you're gearing up for a well-earned break or finding yourself sprinting to the finish line, this episode is a must-listen before you hit "out of office." Nicky offers a real, no-fluff look at why true...

This week Nicky's joined by one of Australia's leading LinkedIn strategists, Karen Tisdell, as they delve into a question every sales leader and business owner feels: can LinkedIn really be a sales engine, not just a networking afterthought? Spoiler: yes. But only if you’re using it with strategy, not just scrolling. In this value-packed episode, we unpack: Common mistakes salespeople ma...

As we prepare to close out 2025, the sales landscape looks and feels different – longer conversion cycles, rising buyer hesitancy, and trust at an all-time low. But that doesn’t mean opportunity is gone – it means we need to sell smarter. In this episode, Nicky unpack the sales trends you can’t afford to ignore and offer five no-fluff strategies to stay visible, valuable and in demand as we enter...

In this episode, Nicky unpacks the how   to keep your hustle healthy ... not just in theory, but in practice. Using a powerful metaphor of the palm tree (strong roots, flexible in the wind), Nicky introduces her Healthy Hustle Framework , a four-part blueprint to help leaders, founders and high-performing humans stay anchored during chaos without losing momentum. Whether you're deep in team l...

As we charge into the final weeks of the year, the pressure mounts – targets, team, client events, and life logistics all collide in the seasonal chaos. In this episode, Nicky shares 7 powerful, practical strategies you can implement right now to create more ease, more space, and more momentum ... not just for this month, but for your December, January, and February self. This isn’t about pushing...

In this high-energy episode Nicky's welcomes productivity powerhouse and best-selling author Donna McGeorge . Get ready to shift how you think about work, life, and results as they unpack the game-changing concept behind Donna's latest book, Red Brick Thinking™ . Donna shows us how removing, rather than adding, can unlock productivity, peace, and progress. From tackling meetings and admi...

If you've ever found yourself skipping lunch breaks, working late into the night, or saying "I'll rest when this project is done" ... this episode is for you. In this thought-provoking episode, Nicky unpacks how our subconscious beliefs silently shape our behaviour, especially when it comes to how we hustle. She takes a deep dive into the difference between healthy hustle and u...

Referrals – they’re often seen as the gold standard for growth, but are you treating them like a real sales strategy… or just leaving it to chance? In this episode, Nicky breaks down exactly why referrals are one of the most under-utilised growth levers in business – not because they don’t work, but because most leaders and sales teams aren’t being intentional. We dive into the three-part formula...

The AI Tipping Point – How to Use AI in Sales Without Losing the Human Touch In this thought-provoking episode of Smart Business Growth , Nicky dives deep into one of the most critical conversations leaders and sales professionals need to have right now — the role of AI in modern sales. After an unexpectedly delightful interaction with an AI receptionist named Sadie, Nicky explores what that exper...

EPISODE 1: What Smart Growth Really Means (and Why Now Is the Time to Course Correct) Welcome back to Season 4 of Smart Business Growth – and this time, Nicky's flying solo. In this personal and powerful episode, Nicky peels back the curtain on what it really means to grow smart – in business, in leadership, and in life. As we approach the end of the year (and if we face the fact that 2030 is...