Manage Smarter, podcast, sales management, sales managers, executive leadership, leadership, company culture, mindset, psychology, C. Lee Smith, Audrey Strong, SalesFuel
Manage Smarter is the bi-​weekly podcast
for sales managers, entrepreneurs and emerging leaders.

Each episode is a frank, fast-​paced and sometimes humorous discussion of the challenges facing managers from the front lines to the C‑Suite. We address the  strategic and psychological aspects of improving team performance, sales, marketing, customer experience, company culture and overall productivity. And we do it through entertaining interviews with innovative managers, startup leaders and executive coaches to help you become a better boss.

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SHOW NOTES

Luis Scott, 8 Figure Firm, attorney, legal services, mediation, soft skills, management, leadership, Manage Smarter, podcast, SalesFuel, SalesCred
Manage Smarter 244 — Luis Scott: Using Mediation Skills to Manage Your Team

Luis Scott is an attorney and consultant and owner of 8 Figure Firm Consulting and Bader Scott Injury Lawyers. In this episode, we discuss: how to manage and mediate diametrically opposed employees; Luis' three different categorizations of employees in large firms; managing employees with large egos; and Luis’ advice on how to grow your business and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Justin Nelson, Sphere Rocket, virtual assistants, real estate, social media, Manage Smarter, podcast, SalesFuel, SalesCred
Manage Smarter 243 — Justin Nelson: How Virtual Assistants Can Fill Out Your Team

Justin Nelson is the Founder and CEO of Sphere Rocket VA, an industry leading virtual workforce company. Since 2020 Sphere Rocket has placed more than 5,000 virtual assistants, serving 1500+ growing small businesses. Justin began in real estate at age 17, running marketing, lead generation, and inside sales campaigns. In this episode, we discuss: how he overcame addiction, depression and anxiety to find entrepreneurship; and how to create leverage through social media, hyper growth strategies and virtual assistants; time spent managing a virtual assistant to get  the most ROI out of having one; how to use virtual assistants to push your social media posts out and look for warm leads for prospecting and referrals, and set up systems where they work for you full-​time online, no matter where they are located.

Perfomance Science, Manage Smarter, Carla Fowler, SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 242 — Dr. Carla Fowler: How to Use Performance Science to Level Up Leaders

Dr. Carla Fowler is an MD PhD and elite executive coach. For the last decade, she has been a secret weapon for scores of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other senior leaders. Carla’s unique approach combines the latest research from performance science with timeless best practices to help top performers level up and achieve their goals. In this episode, we discuss: Performance Science—how is it defined and measured?; Mental Clarity—Why do leaders need it and how does a person get it?; Dr. Fowler’s 3 elements of performance science; and why embracing uncertainty will push your leadership performance to higher levels.

Steve Shenbaum, Game On, gamification, employee engagement, sales management, leadership, communication, teamwork, Manage Smarter, SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 241 — Steve Shenbaum: Gamification for Better Managing

Steve Shenbaum is the founder of Game On Nation, a nationally recognized communication firm that employs game dynamics and improvisation to teach high-​performance teamwork as well as communication, story-​telling, public-​speaking and presentation skills. In this episode, we discuss: what superconsumers are and how How gamification can help you become a better manager and leader; why younger workforce members respond more to games within the workplace; tangible exercises for you to use to bring out your team members’ authentic selves and to learn more about what they REALLY want to succeed; and specific ways to run your staff meetings to create a higher level of engagement and enthusiasm.

category design, superconsumers; business category, go to market strategy, go to market, product launch, sales, Eddie Yoon, Category Pirates, Manage Smarter, SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 240 — Eddie Yoon: Manage Weirder! Category Design and Superconsumers=Unique Insight

Eddie Yoon is the Co-​Founder of Category PIrates, LLC…a business writing band and top 10 business Substack. In this episode, we discuss: what superconsumers are and how they affect your business; what is category design and how can you fine tune it for greater sales; why categories matter MORE than your brand; and how to identify new sales channels by finding the superconsumers who are at the fringes of your business category.

Go for No, Andrea Waltz, When They Say No, rejection, sales, leadership, Manage Smarter, SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 239 — Andrea Waltz: NO Can Be the Way to Get to a YES!

Andrea Waltz is the co-​founder of Courage Crafters, Inc. and co-​author of the best-​selling book, Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There. In this episode, we discuss: The radically different ways hearing “NO” affects people; tangible ways you can change how you react to hearing “NO”; how leaders and managers can change the way their teams think about "no" creating a mindset that encourages persistence and tenacity; and how sales pros should view “NO” as a problem with opening, not closing.

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MUST HEAR EPISODES

Manage Smarter 05 — Brian Tracy: The Most Important Qualities Managers Must Have for Success

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and is the top selling author of more than 80 books on business and personal success. As a popular keynote speaker and seminar leader, he has addressed more than five million people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and 82 other countries worldwide. In episode 05, we discuss: the most important quality that a manager should have, the three most common mistakes leaders make, how to set better goals and the importance of the work culture.

Manage Smarter 13 — Jeffrey Gitomer: Attitude is Everything!

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best seller The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude — which has just been published a new edition with many new tips to help you find, build and keep a winning attitude. In episode 13, we discuss: why attitude is critical to management and leadership; countering negative attitudes and how to change your attitude by changing what you think about.

Manage Smarter 15 — Jeffrey Hayzlett: Secrets of the C‑Suite

Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime television host of C‑Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives on C‑Suite TV, and business podcast host of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett on C‑Suite Radio. Hayzlett is the author of three best-​selling business books: Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless, Running the Gauntlet and The Mirror Test. In episode 15, we discuss how the C‑Suite thinks, how to talk to them and how to become one of them.

Manage Smarter 16 — Jennifer Gluckow: Tips for Young and First-​​time Managers

Jennifer Gluckow is an author and founder of Sales in a New York Minute as well as host of a YouTube Channel of the same name. In episode 16, Jennifer discusses how age plays a role in the workplace and uses her professional experience to share her advice for young managers and first-​time managers.

Manage Smarter 19 — Tom Peters: The Excellence Dividend

Tom Peters is a best-​selling author and world renowned expert on business management practices. Peters is co-​author of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business, and often tagged as the best business book ever. In episode 19, we discuss: Tom's new book — The Excellence Dividend, how to avoid being replaced by technology, the characteristics of a successful team and the critical need for soft skills mastery by managers at all levels.

Manage Smarter 28 — Christine Porath: Mastering Civility in Your Workplace

Dr. Christine Porath is an Associate Professor and Researcher at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and an expert in workplace incivility, its costs and remedies. She is author of Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace and co-​author of The Cost of Bad Behavior. In episode 28, we discuss her research on the decline of civility, how it affects productivity and what managers can do about it.

Manage Smarter 32 — Cy Wakeman- Ditching Office Drama and Entitlement
Manage Smarter 32 — Cy Wakeman: Ditching Drama and Entitlement

Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, global thought-​leader, and New York Times best-​selling author who is recognized for cultivating a counter-​intuitive, reality-​based approach to leadership. In episode 32, we discuss: Cy's definition of drama, and the effects on the workplace, acceptable ways to react to drama that has been created and how to hire low drama employees.

Manage Smarter 50 — Michael Houlihan: The Money Map Every Manager Should Show Employees

Michael Houlihan is the co-​founder of Barefoot Wine, now, the world’s largest wine brand. He, along with Bonnie Harvey, are consultants, international keynote speakers and New York Times Bestselling authors. In episode 50, we discuss: the definition of The Money Map and why every manager should show this to their employees; how to get employees to understand where their salaries come from; how to identify and hire a “hustle” mentality; and the unique concept of a Two-​Division Company (Sales and Sales Support).

Kevin F. Davis on the Manage Smarter podcast from SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 160 — Kevin F. Davis: How and Why Sales Managers Fail

Kevin F. Davis is the founder and president of TopLine Leadership. Over the past 25 years, more than 20,000 sales managers from many of the world’s most successful companies have attended his 2‑day workshop on sales management leadership. Kevin is the author of The Sales Manager’s Guide to Greatness: 10 essential strategies for leading your team to the top. He is also the architect of SalesFuel's Sales Manager Training program and a facilitator as well. In this episode, we discuss: the #1 reason sales managers fail; the simple, common mistake sales managers make when working with AEs that blocks productivity; how to have difficult conversations with your team; and sales and marketing alignment strategies.

Dr. Jean Latting on the Manage Smarter show from SalesFuel
Manage Smarter 170 — Dr. Jean Latting: Bridging The Race in the Workplace Divide

ean Kantambu Latting, DrPH, LMSW-​IPR is President of Leading Consciously, LLC, and Professor Emerita at the Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), University of Houston. In this episode, we discuss: the definition of the racial divide at work; how to open difficult conversations in the workplace; and best practices for initiating a diversity, equity and inclusion program in the workplace.

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ABOUT THE HOSTS

Audrey Strong is a veteran public relations and communications expert. She is currently Director of Communications for SalesFuel. She previously ran her own PR firm for 10 years and was PR Director for The Ritz-​Carlton in Denver. Prior to that, Audrey had a successful career as an award-​winning anchor/​reporter/​producer in TV news, including Chicago and Denver.

C. Lee Smith has been leading and developing people for most of his adult life in sales departments, nonprofits and as CEO of SalesFuel. Lee is a nationally recognized consultant and speaker. He is also the international bestselling author of two books: SalesCred and Hire Smarter, Sell More!

WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW?

We're always looking for experienced managers, startup leaders, book authors, consultants and executive coaches who are fun to talk to and have important insights to share. Use this short form to get the process started!