Selling From the Heart Podcast

Craig Klein is the Founder and CEO of SalesNexus, a CRM and sales automation platform built to help small and mid‑sized businesses grow more revenue through better follow‑up, stronger relationships, and smarter sales processes. With deep experience in sales, marketing, and technology, Craig has spent his career helping organizations streamline their sales functions while keeping the human connection at the core of every customer interaction.
He is known for his practical approach to relationship‑based selling and his ability to translate complex systems into tools that empower teams to close more deals, nurture customers long‑term, and scale with intention. Craig regularly shares insights on sales strategy, CRM best practices, and creating cultures that support consistent performance and meaningful client engagement.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy sit down with Craig Klein to explore how AI and sales technology can strengthen authentic, relationship-driven selling rather than replace it.
Craig shares how his perspective on sales evolved from chasing transactions to focusing on service, trust, and long-term relationships. Together, they unpack the rapid evolution of CRM and AI tools, discussing why human connection still matters most—especially in high-value, complex sales environments where trust and credibility drive decisions.
The conversation dives into practical ways AI can support sales teams through smarter follow-up, onboarding, coaching, meeting preparation, and workflow automation. Craig also explains how organizations can use AI to eliminate “forgotten deals,” improve consistency, and free sales professionals from administrative tasks so they can spend more time building meaningful customer relationships.
If you’ve wondered how to embrace AI without losing the heart of selling, this episode offers a grounded and practical roadmap for using technology to become more human—not less.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
AI and CRM tools should support authentic relationship-building, not replace human connection
High-trust, high-value sales still depend on real conversations and credibility
One of AI’s biggest opportunities is recovering missed follow-ups and forgotten deals
The best sales technology removes busywork so salespeople can spend more time with customers
Incremental daily improvements create stronger long-term sales performance than occasional major overhauls
AI-powered systems can streamline proposals, scheduling, onboarding, and customer communication
The future of sales technology is “agentic AI,” where systems proactively assist salespeople behind the scenes
Context-driven AI becomes significantly more powerful when connected to CRMs, contracts, proposals, and operational systems

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Technology should help you connect and have better conversations—not get in the way of them.

The best salespeople understand that relationships still win. Great technology simply helps you focus more on people.

Give before you ask. That mindset opens doors that go far beyond money.

Nobody spends half a million dollars on a major purchase without building trust with someone first.

AI should enhance the relational strength we already have with our customers—not replace authenticity.
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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Jennifer Langton is an expert in transformational leadership who bridges bold innovation with human impact. As the former Senior Vice President of Player Health and Innovation at the NFL, Jennifer pioneered the league’s first injury reduction strategy, achieving a groundbreaking 25% concussion reduction through initiatives like the Digital Athlete, developed in partnership with AWS.
Her business acumen is just as impressive: she restored profitability as North America CFO for Atari, and led a revenue-boosting RFP at the NFL that delivered a 220% increase in the league’s apparel portfolio.
Jennifer’s leadership is defined by her CTG Methodology, Connect, Trust, Grow, a framework for navigating high-stakes environments with clarity and heart. An NYU Stern MBA and AWS Women of the Cloud honoree, Jennifer embodies results-driven leadership powered by purpose, people, and progress.

SHOW SUMMARY
In this episode of Selling from the Heart Podcast. Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Jennifer Langton, former SVP of Player Health and Innovation at the NFL, who led the league’s first injury-reduction strategy and helped drive a 25% reduction in concussions, including work on the AWS-partnered Digital Athlete.
Langton explains her CTG methodology, connect, trust, grow, emphasizing authentic connection to overcome resistance to change, trust built through leadership and data to scale beyond pilots, and growth through iterative wins.
She shares how purpose rooted in personal adversity fueled her leadership, how aligning personal mission with organizational priorities creates transformation, and why technology and AI require a “human path” for adoption by building with, not for, stakeholders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Authentic connection must come before trust , and trust must come before growth. Skip one, and the whole framework breaks.
Your personal "why" is your most powerful sales asset. Aligning your purpose to your client's or organization's greatest need creates unstoppable momentum.
You don't need to be the expert , you need to connect the experts. Leadership and sales are about asking the right questions and keeping everyone aligned to one mission.
Build with people, not for them. Co-creation drives adoption; top-down mandates don't.
Data empowers people, it doesn't replace them. The human path to adoption is just as critical as the technical solution.
Adversity can become your superpower. Lived experience creates authentic credibility that no credential can replicate.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
If you don't connect, your stakeholders will resist. If you skip trust, what you're building will never scale beyond a pilot.

Technical playbooks don't create change, people do.

People follow the version of you that's true.

We built with, and not for, them. That's how we empowered them.

Every time an injury was predicted or prevented, it was me winning back a piece of myself.
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

Joel Zeff is a dynamic keynote speaker, work culture expert, improvisational humorist, and author who brings energy, humor, and practical insight to every stage. For more than 25 years, Joel has delivered over 2,500 presentations that blend improvisation with actionable business lessons around teamwork, leadership, collaboration, and change.
Known for his highly interactive keynotes, Joel engages audiences through playful improv exercises that reinforce a powerful message: organizations thrive when people feel supported, appreciated, and connected. From Wells Fargo and Samsung to KPMG and even the IRS, Joel has helped companies across industries build more joyful, resilient, and high-performing cultures.

SHOW SUMMARY
In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by keynote speaker and work culture expert Joel Zeff to discuss how joy, presence, and positive support create stronger sales cultures and better performance.
Joel explains that “selling from the heart” means genuinely helping others succeed and bringing passion into every interaction. Drawing from his background in improvisation, he shares why embracing change, staying flexible, and choosing how we respond to challenges are essential skills for sales professionals and leaders alike.
The conversation highlights how leaders cultivate passion—not by demanding it, but by creating environments built on ownership, appreciation, celebration, and support. Joel also emphasizes the importance of being fully present in conversations, especially in a distracted world where attention is rare and deeply valuable. Packed with practical wisdom and humor, this episode is a powerful reminder that positivity, persistence, and connection fuel lasting success.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Selling from the heart means helping others succeed, not simply closing deals.
Passion grows in environments built on ownership, appreciation, and positive support.
Change is constant—success depends on how you choose to respond to it.
Improv teaches two powerful sales lessons: stay present and never quit.
Positive support and recognition directly improve culture and performance.
Presence and listening strengthen trust and connection in every interaction.
Persistence and adaptability are critical to long-term sales success.
Joyful cultures create more engaged, committed, and resilient teams.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Selling from the heart is answering the question: How do I help the people around me be successful?

I only control how I react to what happens.

You can make mistakes. You just can’t give up.

It’s my job as a sales leader to create the foundation for passion.

The best present you can give somebody is your presence.
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

Joe Roberts, known as the “Skid Row CEO”, transformed his life from homelessness and addiction on the streets of Vancouver into becoming a successful business executive, author, and internationally recognized speaker.
His journey has been featured in Forbes, CBC, and numerous global platforms. Joe is the author of four books and the founder of The Push for Change, a 17-month walk across North America (averaging 35,000 steps per day) to raise awareness and funds for youth homelessness—helping drive meaningful change in federal support programs.
Through powerful storytelling and lived experience, Joe inspires individuals and organizations to reframe adversity, unlock potential, and lead with empathy. His keynotes are consistently described as life-changing, leaving audiences with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

SHOW SUMMARY
In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Joe Roberts to explore the transformative power of empathy, resilience, and human connection. Joe shares how a simple conversation on a park bench changed the trajectory of his life, sparking a journey from addiction and homelessness to leadership and impact.
He defines selling from the heart as seeing potential in others before they can see it in themselves. Joe introduces his AIR model (Action, Inspiration, Roadblocks), explaining that resilience is not about feeling strong, but about taking action despite negative emotions.
The conversation highlights how internal barriers like self-doubt and perfectionism often limit growth, while consistent action and belief unlock potential. This episode is a powerful reminder that sales and leadership are ultimately about helping others and that even small moments of connection can change lives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Purpose makes authentic selling natural, when your work aligns with meaning, trust follows.
Qualification is a time management strategy, not just a sales process.
Sales optimism can become a liability when it blinds you to disqualifying signals.
The Three Whys—Why buy? Why now? Why us?—help determine if a deal is real.
Your champion must be able to sell internally on your behalf.
No decision is often your biggest competitor.
Great salespeople qualify early to avoid wasting time on false opportunities.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
“Find your purpose, match it with your job, and then you’ll be selling from the heart.”  

“Our time is limited and is the most precious asset we have as salespeople.”  

“We can deceive ourselves by not responding truthfully—the best way is to ask the customer.”  

“If the economic buyer asks why they should buy from you—how solid is your answer?”  

“What is the cost of doing nothing? If the answer is nothing, then the deal is not qualified.” 

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

Darius Lahoutifard is a visionary sales leader, serial entrepreneur, and founder of MEDDIC Academy, the premier global MEDDPICC® certification platform. A former executive at PTC and Oracle, Darius is best known for scaling PTC France’s revenue from $4M to $27M in just three years—outperforming major industry competitors.
Originally trained as a robotics engineer, Darius combined technical expertise with sales excellence, becoming CEO of a Schlumberger subsidiary at just 28 years old. He has since launched four successful tech startups, raised over $20 million in funding, and authored Always Be Qualifying. Today, through MEDDIC Academy, he equips sales professionals worldwide with the discipline, clarity, and strategy needed to improve qualification, forecasting, and win rates.

SHOW SUMMARY
In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Darius Lahoutifard to discuss how authentic selling starts with purpose—and how strong qualification creates better sales outcomes. Darius shares that when purpose aligns with your work, selling from the heart becomes natural rather than forced.
The conversation focuses on one of the biggest weaknesses in sales: poor qualification. Darius explains how optimism, urgency to close, and self-deception often cause sales professionals to hold onto deals that were never real. He introduces the Three Whys—Why buy anything? Why buy now? Why buy from us?—as a simple but powerful filter for qualification.
He also breaks down the MEDDIC/MEDDPICC framework—Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Process, Decision Criteria, Paper Process, Pain, Champion, and Competition—showing how disciplined qualification protects time, improves forecasting, and increases trust. This episode is a masterclass in selling smarter, not just harder.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Purpose makes authentic selling natural—when your work aligns with meaning, trust follows.
Qualification is a time management strategy, not just a sales process.
Sales optimism can become a liability when it blinds you to disqualifying signals.
The Three Whys—Why buy? Why now? Why us?—help determine if a deal is real.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES
Find your purpose, match it with your job, and then you’ll be selling from the heart.

Our time is limited and is the most precious asset we have as salespeople.

We can deceive ourselves by not responding truthfully—the best way is to ask the customer.

If the economic buyer asks why they should buy from you—how solid is your answer?
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