Selling From the Heart Podcast

Jim Effner is a master sales trainer, author, and founder of P2P Group, where he helps financial advisors and agency leaders achieve stronger results through mindset mastery, proven sales systems, and intentional communication.
A former top producer at Northwestern Mutual, Jim now trains financial professionals across the country to develop greater consistency, confidence, and mastery in their sales careers. He is also the author of Bridge Your Gap: Sales Strategies and Systems for Becoming a Top Financial Advisor.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Jim Effner to explore why sustainable sales success requires more than motivation, natural ability, or increased activity. It requires a proven system, disciplined habits, and a commitment to continually practice your craft.
Jim explains how a reliable process helps salespeople stop operating according to their mood, energy, or confidence level. He also introduces the idea of becoming “professionally perturbed”—reaching the point where inconsistent performance is no longer acceptable and meaningful change becomes necessary.
The conversation explores mastery, accountability, intentional questioning, and authentic relationship-building. Jim shares that prospects need to feel three things: that they can trust you, that you genuinely care, and that you have the knowledge to help them. When those qualities are combined with a proven system and consistent practice, sales professionals can close the gap between their current results and their true potential.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Stop winging it. Sales results become unpredictable when your actions depend on how you feel that day.
Commit to a proven system that creates consistency, sustainability, and a clear path forward.
Become “professionally perturbed” enough to stop accepting inconsistent performance.
Remember that simple does not mean easy. Mastery still requires discipline, repetition, and effort.
Schedule time to practice your sales skills instead of relying only on experience.
Create accountability that measures your ability to apply what you have learned.
Help prospects feel that they can trust you, that you care, and that you are knowledgeable.
Avoid chasing every new sales trend. Choose a proven system, commit to it, and refine it over time.
Bring intentionality to every conversation instead of relying on improvisation.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Systems allow a sales professional to get out of their own way.

If you’re going to be great in sales, you’ve got to spend some time working on your art.

The moment you find yourself wanting something more for them than they want for themselves, you’re dead.

Intentionality means the opposite, or the antithesis, of winging it.

There’s a big difference between easy and simple.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!
Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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John Ray is a business consultant, executive coach, author, speaker, and podcast host who helps professional service providers grow through stronger client relationships, clear value positioning, and confident pricing.
Working with attorneys, accountants, coaches, consultants, and other trusted advisors, John teaches professionals how to communicate their expertise more effectively, build lasting trust, and create businesses rooted in service rather than transactions. He is also the host of The Price and Value Journey podcast, where he shares practical insights on leadership, value creation, and sustainable business growth.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome John Ray to explore how a generosity mindset transforms relationships, pricing, and long-term business success. John explains that generosity isn't about giving everything away. It's about giving your attention, your expertise, your curiosity, and your willingness to truly understand the people you serve.
The conversation explores why clients often recognize value in us before we recognize it in ourselves, how testimonials can become powerful confidence-builders, and why asking better questions leads to deeper relationships. John also challenges sales professionals to stop relying on assumptions and instead approach every client with fresh curiosity, reminding us that "people are deep mysteries."
Whether you're navigating a difficult sales day or looking to create more meaningful customer relationships, this episode offers a refreshing reminder that generosity isn't a weakness—it's one of the strongest drivers of trust, referrals, and sustainable growth.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Generosity means creating more value than you take—not giving everything away.
Clients often see strengths and value in you that you fail to recognize yourself.
Testimonials and client feedback can become powerful reminders of your impact.
The best professionals lead with attention, curiosity, and genuine service.
Never assume every client values the same things—keep asking thoughtful questions.
Relationships deepen when you treat every customer as a unique individual.
Giving value consistently creates trust, referrals, and long-term business growth.
A generosity mindset helps sales professionals move beyond comparison, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Clients see more value in you than you see in yourself.

We've got to give more value first than we get back.

It's not giving until you're dry. It's giving value knowing that value comes back over time.

It's a generosity of spirit, attention, and giving a listening ear to those around us.

The more you understand people, the more value you can create.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!
Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Ian Selbie is a globally recognized sales expert, author, speaker, and podcast host with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations improve sales performance and sustainable growth.
He has trained and coached more than 17,000 sales professionals worldwide and previously worked at Apple, where he was named the company’s Top Salesperson in the World in 1990.
Ian is the author of If You Were Arrested for Selling, Would There Be Enough Evidence to Convict You? and the host of Confessions of a Sales Pro.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Ian Selbie to discuss selling with curiosity, compassion, and strong fundamentals.
Ian shares his framework: “Call high, find the pain, bring the gain, and do it again and again.” He explains why salespeople should begin with decision-makers, uncover real business challenges before presenting solutions, and avoid sending proposals to unqualified opportunities.
The conversation also explores several of Ian’s “Seven Deadly Sins in Selling,” including calling too low, proposing too early, and expecting CRM technology to fix a broken sales process.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Selling from the heart begins with genuine curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to helping customers succeed.
Start every opportunity at the highest level possible—decision-makers can say yes, while influencers often cannot.
"Call high, find the pain, bring the gain" provides a simple framework for creating meaningful customer conversations.
Never present a proposal before you've fully qualified the opportunity and uncovered the customer's true business challenges.
Technology doesn't fix poor sales fundamentals—a CRM only amplifies the quality of your existing sales process.
The strongest path into executive leadership is through earned referrals built on trust and consistent value.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Call high, find the pain, bring the gain, then do it again and again.

Influencers can say no. Decision-makers can say yes.

If your sales team were arrested for selling, would there be enough evidence to convict them?

A CRM doesn't fix broken sales processes—it magnifies them.

Value grows when you increase the benefit, not when you decrease the price.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!
Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Karl Schmidt is the Co-Founder of A to B Insight, where he helps organizations transform their sales approach by aligning with how customers actually make decisions. Drawing on years of experience at leading firms including Boston Consulting Group and Gartner, Karl has conducted award-winning research into buyer behavior, commercial strategy, and complex B2B decision-making—including work that contributed to the groundbreaking insights behind The Challenger Sale.
As the co-author of The Framemaking Sale, Karl equips sales leaders and organizations with practical frameworks for increasing buyer confidence, simplifying complex decisions, and creating customer experiences built on trust rather than pressure. His research and thought leadership have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and other leading business publications, making him one of today's foremost voices on decision science in modern sales.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Karl Schmidt, Co-Founder of A to B Insight and co-author of The Framemaking Sale, for a fascinating conversation about how customers truly make decisions—and why helping buyers gain confidence is more valuable than simply persuading them.
Karl introduces the concept of "framemaking," explaining that exceptional sales professionals don't just provide information or recommend solutions—they help buyers navigate complexity, clarify priorities, and build confidence in their own decision-making process.
The conversation explores groundbreaking research showing that buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, high-quality purchases. Rather than focusing solely on convincing prospects that your solution is the best, Karl explains why helping buyers feel confident in themselves creates better outcomes, stronger trust, and longer-lasting customer relationships.
Listeners will also discover why emotions play a critical role in decision-making, how trust is built through shared experiences, and practical ways to simplify buying decisions while preserving customer autonomy.
If you want to become the trusted guide your customers need—not just another salesperson competing for attention—this episode offers a refreshing, research-backed perspective on modern selling.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, low-regret purchasing decisions.
Great sales professionals help buyers gain confidence in themselves—not just confidence in the product.
The best sales conversations move customers through know → feel → do, not simply know → do.
Framemaking helps customers organize complexity instead of overwhelming them with information.
Customers value guidance that preserves their autonomy rather than pressure that limits it.
Helping buyers make the best decision—even if it's not your solution—builds long-term trust

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Our goal isn't to make customers choose us. It's to help them make the best decision possible.

Decision confidence isn't confidence in the seller—it's confidence in yourself.

People don't just need to know what to do. They need to feel confident enough to do it

The best salespeople don't tell customers what to think. They help them think more clearly.

Frame making creates clarity without taking away the customer's agency.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!
Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Mary Jane Copps helps sales professionals win more business by rediscovering the power of real-time conversations. For more than 20 years, she has coached sales teams, entrepreneurs, startups and customer service professionals how to build trust, open doors and strengthen relationships through effective phone, video and in-person communication. Her practical approach helps people turn everyday conversations into meaningful connections, leading to stronger client relationships and more business. 
Mary Jane has worked with more than 800 organizations and trained over 30,000 professionals across North America and internationally in France, Britain and Australia. Her expertise has been featured by a wide range of media including Fox News, the BBC, CBC, and in The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
She publishes a blog each week that explores one valuable skill people can use immediately to strengthen their conversations with clients and prospects. This aligns with her mission to help companies increase their real-time conversations instead of losing opportunities by avoiding them.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome communication expert Mary Jane Copps—known as "The Phone Lady"—for a timely conversation about one of the most overlooked skills in modern sales: having meaningful real-time conversations.
As automation, AI, email, and texting continue to dominate business communication, Mary Jane explains why authentic voice-to-voice conversations remain one of the greatest competitive advantages a sales professional can have. She shares how curiosity, empathy, preparation, and genuine interest in others transform ordinary sales calls into lasting business relationships.
Together, they explore why conversational skills are declining, how sales professionals can intentionally rebuild them, and practical techniques for creating stronger customer connections—from asking better open-ended questions to leaving compelling voicemails and following up with empathy instead of pressure.
If you've ever wondered whether phone calls still matter in today's digital world, this episode delivers a compelling reminder that trust is built one conversation at a time.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Great sales conversations begin by focusing on the customer, not yourself.
Curiosity and empathy create stronger relationships than scripted pitches.
Real-time conversations remain one of the most valuable—and underdeveloped—sales skills.
Technology should support communication, not replace human connection.
Open-ended questions encourage meaningful dialogue and uncover deeper customer needs.
Your voice communicates conviction, authenticity, and enthusiasm in ways email never can.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Selling isn't about us. It's about the person sitting across from us.

Technology can make communication easier—but it can never replace human connection.

Your voice carries your conviction, your enthusiasm, and your authenticity.

People don't remember perfect sales pitches. They remember how you made them feel.

Persistence isn't pestering. Persistence is showing people they matter.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!
Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  
Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose