
Sales Game Changers | Tips from Successful Sales Leaders
Institute for Effective Professional Selling founder Fred Diamond interviews top business-to-business sales leaders from companies such as AWS, AT&T, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, Hilton and others about their sales journey, career highlights, mentors, and lessons learned while asking them to offer tips to help emerging sales professionals and leaders to grow their careers. It's an interview-style podcast that has become even more popular as sales professionals look for solutions in the new world of selling.
Latest episodes

Aug 11, 2024 • 40min
Crossing the Zone of Fear, Episode 0ne
This is episode one of a 7-part special Sales Game Changers series for sales professionals on addressing the fears that are stopping you from achieving unparalled sales success. Institute for Excellence in Sales Cofounder Fred Diamond and "Crossing the Zone of Fear" author John Knotts address how fear stops sales professionals from achieving the success they want to achieve. John takes Fred through book as Fred personally answers the questions john poses through the book. In episode one, they address what fear is and how is stops sales professionals from achieving greater success. Diamond identifies some of the fears that he faces and Knotts guides him through answers. It's a fascinating process that will help you achieve more your life and sales career!

Aug 8, 2024 • 36min
Using LinkedIn to Show Your Sales Leadership Prowess with Jessica Samuels
This is episode 689. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Register for the September 13 Women in Sales Leadership Elevation Conference here. Today’s show featured an interview with Jessica Samuels. She will be a keynote speaker at the Conference. IES Women in Sales Program Director Gina Stracuzzi conducted the interview. JESSICA’S ADVICE: “Define what you want your LinkedIn to do for you. Because that’s going to tailor it based on, do you want to just be seen as a more respectable, authentic and leader that’s also a thought leader? Then you’re going to shift your LinkedIn a bit differently than if you want to launch a part-time business and attract clients. Define your goal as to what you want LinkedIn to do for you.”

Aug 7, 2024 • 15min
Watching the Top AI Vendors Emerge with Oracle Cloud Sales Leader Sara Chen
This is episode 688. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. This is a Sales Story and a Tip episode! Watch the video of the interview here. Read more about the Institute for Excellence in Sales Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) designation and program here. Purchase Fred Diamond's best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Today's show featured an interview with Oracle Cloud Regional Sales Leader Sara Chen. SARA'S TIP: "The main takeaway from this experience is that even at a large enterprise such as Oracle, that the Oracle type of company will pivot and point resources and strategic alignment to initiatives that is ultimately valuable, even if it’s not an existing focus for the company. If you work for a company that values that innovation, the nature of emerging technology, it should be feasible to shift and take advantage of the brand, network and resources that a large enterprise such as Oracle could provide, but ultimately mobilize quickly in a specific field or area, whether that’s AI or not that the market is trending towards."

Aug 6, 2024 • 15min
Build the Sales Relationships Way Before You Need Them Says Splunk's Bill Rowan
This is episode 687. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. This is a Sales Story and a Tip episode! Watch the video of the interview here. Read more about the Institute for Excellence in Sales Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) designation and program here. Purchase Fred Diamond’s best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Today’s show featured an interview with Splunk VP for Public Sector Bill Rowan. BILL’S TIP: “A good account plan will have a combination of things that you understand, directions, strategies the account is following, but also let’s understand the gaps we might have in the account. What do we need to be working on today, next week, next quarter to continue to build relationships? That’s the portion I always want the team to come back with when they’ve done their account planning, is what have we discovered that we don’t really understand well enough about the account, whether it may be a new initiative, a new program coming under way, maybe a challenge with a competitor in a particular area that we can exploit. Understanding those pieces that we don’t understand, to me, is just as critical as the components that we do.”

Aug 1, 2024 • 30min
Sales Success Through Passionate Leadership with Carahsoft’s Cortney Steiner
This is episode 686. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Attend the August 15 IES Big Stage event here. Register for the September 13 Women in Sales Leadership Elevation Conference here. Register for the IES Women in Sales Leadership Development programs here. Today's show featured an interview with Cortney Steiner, a sales leader at IES Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) Carahsoft IES Women in Sales Program Director Gina Stracuzzi conducted the interview. CORTNEY'S ADVICE: "Make sure that you have something for you, that you have time for yourself. What works for me is I love exercise. I love running, I love swimming and biking. Ensuring that I have at least a 30-minute window during the day, sometimes that’s at 4:00 in the morning, or 8:00 at night, but making sure that I carve time out for myself so that I can have a recharge moment and be the best that I can be for my customers and for my teammates."

Jul 31, 2024 • 31min
685: Lessons for Living Your Soul Purpose with Women in Sales Elevation Conference Keynote Speaker Jessica Joines
This is episode 685. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast here. Register for the September 13 Women in Sales Leadership Elevation Conference here. Register for the IES Women in Sales Leadership Development programs here. Today’s show featured an interview with Jessica Joines. She will be the keynote speaker at the Conference. IES Women in Sales Program Director Gina Stracuzzi conducted the interview. JESSICA’S ADVICE: “It’s an evening practice that I have. I review my day and I go in a chronological fashion. All the things that I feel really good about, I did, I acknowledge them. Like a virtual pat on my back. “That was great,” I celebrate myself. I acknowledge the good. Then the things where I’m like, “Oh my God.” We all have them, those things that are whatever, I say, “I forgive you, Jessica.” I do a self-forgiveness and letting it go. Because what happens is, and neuroscience is actually showing a lot of this interesting enough, you don’t let those things go. It’s a living pathway and it stews and then they just keep compounding all that negative self-talk. Making it a daily practice to celebrate the self.”

Jul 30, 2024 • 19min
These are Today's 8 Necessary Selling Skills Says Brian Shea
This is episode 684. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Register for the Hybrid IES Big Stage Program in-person at the Carahsoft Conference Center or virtual here. Purchase Fred Diamond’s best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Today’s show featured an interview with Brian Shea, the headliner at the August 15 Big Stage program. BRIAN’S TIP: “If your call plan and your engagement strategy is not built outside-in, meaning what’s important to the buyer and how am I going to show up different tomorrow with that buyer to show that I understand them, I understand their business, I understand their industry, I understand their headwinds. If I don’t know all the answers, I have highly curious questions to ask them about the challenges that they have in achieving their corporate objectives. In other words, I can probably execute that meeting without any slideware.”

Jul 25, 2024 • 30min
How Getting Past Childhood Abuse Led Jeff Giagnocavo to Sales and Business Success
This is episode 683. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. The Sales Game Changers Podcast was recognized by YesWare as the top sales podcast. Read the announcement here. Read more about the Institute for Excellence in Sales Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) designation and program here. Purchase Fred Diamond’s best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Today’s show featured an interview with Jeff Giagnocavo, founder of The Big Ticket Life. JEFF’S TIP: “If I want to get myself amped up, I put myself back in time, and I keep this picture fishing with my grandfather as a little boy, right before the abuse started. Move yourself into that place. Get that mind in that good spot, that positive spot where you were that best person where everything was ahead of you. Then go make that call and I bet you you’ll get the deal and you’ll feel a lot better about getting it.”

Jul 24, 2024 • 32min
Getting the Sales Fire Back with Stephanie Rowzie and Donald Kelly
This is episode 682. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. The Sales Game Changers Podcast was recognized by YesWare as the top sales podcast. Read the announcement here. Subscribe to the Podcast now on Apple Podcasts! Read more about the Institute for Excellence in Sales Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) designation and program here. Purchase Fred Diamond’s best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Register for the IES Women in Sales Leadership Development programs here. Today’s show featured an interview with TalentRemedy Managing Director Stephanie Rowzie and Donald “The Sales Evangelist” Kelly. STEPHANIE’S ADVICE: “Put yourself back out there. I was recently at the IES awards ceremony with 200 plus people, dynamic salespeople and sales leaders. I walked out of there feeling like I was on fire. I was like, “I want to be one of these people. I want to be one of these people who get up and show up and have the energy and make conversations and represent my company well.” DONALD’S ADVICE: “The biggest thing that I go back on whenever I see my motivation wane, is I look back at why am I doing what I’m doing? This couldn’t come at a better time because of stuff that we’re doing within our organization, and also things that I’ve done in my personal life. I feel that for me though, I go back and evaluate the why. Why am I selling this? Who am I selling to? Do I enjoy this?”

Jul 23, 2024 • 27min
Building Winning Culture in Appian's Public Sector Sales Org with Sales Leader Dave Dantus
This is episode 681. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. The Sales Game Changers Podcast was recognized by YesWare as the top sales podcast. Read the announcement here. Read more about the Institute for Excellence in Sales Premier Women in Sales Employer (PWISE) designation and program here. Purchase Fred Diamond’s best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! Today’s show featured an interview with Dave Dantus, Vice President Sales– US Public Sector for Appian Corporation. DAVE’S TIP: “You just need to allocate time on developing strategy and culture. If you’re micromanaging account executives and you overfocus on dashboards, you won’t have the time to focus on it.”