The Exceptional Business Podcast

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen Dowling shares a simple but powerful strategy: turn the questions your prospects ask into content that builds trust and helps close deals. The idea comes from Marcus Sheridan’s book They Ask, You Answer . When he ran a spa pool company, he noticed potential customers kept asking the same questions. So instead of answering them one-by-one,...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen explores whether a slide deck actually improves sales meetings — or whether a clear conversational process is enough. Traditionally, Helen has relied on Exceptional Thinking’s structured five-step process , delivered without formal presentations: 1️⃣ Kickoff meeting 2️⃣ LinkedIn account takeover 3️⃣ Connecting and qualifying leads 4️⃣ Tel...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen Dowling breaks down the five key metrics every business should track in their lead generation efforts — and why without a scorecard, you’re flying blind. Too many companies focus on “more leads” instead of measuring what truly drives results. 💡 The metrics Helen focuses on: 🔗 LinkedIn connections – Are you consistently building the righ...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen Dowling , Managing Director at Exceptional Thinking , explains how to qualify leads properly without turning conversations into a scripted interrogation . She shares why the best sales conversations don’t rely on rigid scripts — they rely on guides, listening, and understanding how businesses actually work . 💡 Key insights from Helen: 🗂️...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen tackles a question many business owners ask far too late: “Why aren’t prospects buying?” Rather than blaming the market or the leads, Helen breaks the problem down into the sales cycle itself — and shows where deals most often stall. 💡 Key insights from Helen: 🎯 Target the right people first – If prospects don’t have the Budget, Authori...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen explores a major shift happening in business communication — the move away from email and towards text messaging and WhatsApp . With AI-driven spam filters becoming more aggressive, even well-written emails are increasingly landing in junk folders or being ignored altogether. The result? Lower open rates, slower responses, and missed oppo...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen shares the top 10 books and podcasts that have had the biggest impact on how she’s built and scaled Exceptional Thinking. Rather than theory for theory’s sake, each of these resources influenced real decisions — from pricing and positioning to systems, follow-up, leadership, and money mindset. 💡 Standout influences include: 🎯 Russ Ruffi...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen shares an honest take on content creation — and why posting for the sake of it isn’t the same as posting with intent. She explains that content works best when it has a job to do : gauging interest, starting conversations, and enabling meaningful follow-up — not just boosting visibility. 💡 Key insights from Helen: 🎯 Content needs a purp...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen shares a new approach she’s testing — charging for strategy instead of giving it away for free. Inspired by Richard Woods and Sean Mitchell , Helen explains why traditional free sales calls often lead to low engagement, poor preparation, and no-shows — and how a paid “Game Plan” session could change that. The idea is simple: after a maste...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen tackles one of the most common frustrations she hears from new clients: bad experiences with lead generation companies that overpromise and underdeliver. She shares real “horror stories” — including her own experience of paying a lead gen company that failed to deliver results, offered poor communication, and provided little to no onboard...

In this session, Helen Dowling from Exceptional Thinking breaks down how to use LinkedIn properly to generate qualified sales appointments — not just connections. She walks through how Sales Navigator should be used strategically, demonstrating how to target the right people (such as C-suite directors in large organisations) by refining search criteria like company size, job titles, and geography...

In this episode, Helen Dowling breaks down the four critical stages of the sales funnel — and why your results will only improve when you fix the weakest part, not just pour in more leads. The funnel has four pressure points: 1️⃣ Prospecting 2️⃣ Follow-up 3️⃣ Sales process 4️⃣ Closing Helen recommends CJ Hayden’s classic “Get Clients Now” for anyone looking to master the fundamentals. But she also...

In this episode, Helen Dowling from Exceptional Thinking breaks down the real signs that it’s time to outsource your lead generation — and why doing it too late, or with the wrong expectations, can stall your growth even further. She highlights five key reasons businesses reach the tipping point: 1️⃣ Referrals have slowed down — and can’t be relied on for steady growth. 2️⃣ Sales teams hate prospe...

In this episode, Helen shares how Exceptional Thinking put their own appointment-setting system to the test — by having their team book meetings for their own company. Following their proven five-step process , the team applied the same standards they use for clients, including clear qualification criteria: Budget, Authority, Need, and Timescale (BANT). Using a blend of LinkedIn outreach and telem...

In this episode, Helen explores one of the biggest missed opportunities in business growth: the follow-up. Drawing on CJ Hayden’s “Get Clients Now” four-stage client acquisition model, she explains how most businesses are sitting on untapped potential — contacts who would become clients if only someone followed up properly. But fear of “annoying people,” not knowing what to say, and inconsistent h...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen gets candid about one of the hardest parts of being a managing director: asking for help. She shares how her early beliefs — self-sufficiency, wanting to appear indispensable, and the pressure to “do it all” — held her back from delegating. Over time, she realised that leadership isn’t about proving you can handle everything… it’s about k...

In this episode of The Exceptional Thinking Business Podcast , Helen explores a question most leaders have secretly wondered: Is shouting ever acceptable — and what does it actually do to your team? She breaks down the pros and cons with refreshing honesty. Yes, shouting can create urgency and offer a quick emotional release. It can even signal seriousness in rare moments. But the costs? Far highe...

In this episode of The Exceptional Thinking Business Podcast , Helen explores how deeply held beliefs shape sales performance — often more than scripts, systems, or strategy. Using the experience of a new telemarketer, she shares how negative beliefs (“no one answers on Fridays,” “today will be slow”) created a self-fulfilling prophecy — fewer calls, lower confidence, and poor results that reinfor...

In this episode of The Exceptional Thinking Business Podcast , Helen reveals how ChatGPT completely changed the way they recruit account managers, telemarketers, and admin staff — saving hours of manual screening and dramatically improving candidate quality. Previously, applicants were asked to submit videos — a barrier that kept numbers low. After switching to a Google Form with 10 targeted quest...

In this episode of The Exceptional Thinking Business Podcast , Helen Dowling digs into one of the biggest frustrations in sales — why even talented salespeople hate prospecting. Drawing from her own team’s experience — making 100–130 calls a day and speaking to only 10–15% of prospects — Helen explains how structure, clarity, and better qualification can turn prospecting from demoralising to effec...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen shares a real-life story from her experience with Travel Counsellors — and how it revealed the difference between simply taking bookings and truly building relationships . Planning trips for her 25th anniversary cruise, the Inter Milan vs Liverpool match, and even the Winter Olympics, Helen expected a tailored, attentive service. Instead,...

In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Helen discusses why outsourcing lead generation and appointment setting to a reputable, specialist team can transform your sales pipeline. She explains that while many businesses try to handle outreach internally, they often face the same challenges — unqualified leads, poor follow-up, and wasted time. Outsourcing to experts means gaining a ded...

n this episode, Helen Dowling from Exceptional Thinking explores one of the most overlooked marketing tools in business growth — your team’s reviews. She explains how genuine feedback from your employees not only helps attract top talent but also builds credibility with potential clients. Positive reviews show that your business is professional, transparent, and a great place to work with — and fo...

In this episode of The Exceptional Thinking Podcast , Helen shares how her team tackled one of the most frustrating challenges in appointment setting — no-shows and constant rearranges. Using Go High Level , they built an automated system to confirm appointments and categorise bookings by their likelihood to rearrange. Within just two months, they halved their no-show rate and dramatically improve...

In this insightful session, Helen Dowling from Exceptional Thinking unpacked the “sales gap” many mid-size businesses face — that frustrating space between marketing buzz and actual new clients. Her advice was clear: fix the bottom of the funnel before spending more at the top. Helen shared a structured, three-stage process to qualify leads and improve conversion rates: 1️⃣ Stage One – Booking: Us...