CEO Sales Strategies

Doug C. Brown
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Feb 3, 2026 • 41min

The $400K Leak: Is your revenue rotting?

Revenue can be growing while the company is quietly losing value. Margins thin. Cash tightens. And the math behind your valuation shifts — without triggering alarms. This is what happens when sales, operations, and finance aren’t economically aligned. Deals close, work gets done, and revenue posts — but EBITDA erodes in small, compounding ways that don’t show up until optionality disappears. This conversation exposes where value actually leaks inside growing companies, why “healthy” revenue often hides financial risk, and how CEOs end up scaling complexity instead of enterprise value — right up until the cost becomes unavoidable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 28, 2026 • 44min

The Million-Dollar Mistake After You Close

Closing the deal doesn’t create real growth — what happens after does. Most founders make a million-dollar mistake after they close, and they don’t see it until growth gets harder and more expensive. The biggest risk isn’t losing deals — it’s what happens after you win them. When the post-sale phase resets instead of compounds, growth slows, costs rise, and momentum disappears. This conversation exposes why many businesses get harder to grow after they scale — and what changes when leaders stop treating the close as the finish line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 21, 2026 • 48min

From Corporate Burnout to a $21M "Dirty Business" Exit [Episode 221]

Most founders wait too long to sell. Learn why timing, systems, and self-awareness are the real drivers of a high-value exit. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown sits down with Marvin Karlow—former corporate exec turned M&A advisor—who scaled a “dirty business” into a $21M exit. They dive into why most deals fall apart during due diligence, how burnout silently reduces enterprise value, and what it really takes to pass the "Two-Week Vacation Test." What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why most deals die after the Letter of Intent ✅ The "Death Zone" that sabotages 8-figure exits ✅ How to use systems to de-risk your valuation ✅ The #1 question every buyer is silently asking ✅ Why burnout is one of the most expensive mistakes founders make 🎧 Full audio + show notes: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/ebitda-multiple-expansion-strategy 📈 More tools for high-performance leaders: https://ceosalesstrategies.com 📩 Reach us: youmatter@ceosalesstrategies.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 13, 2026 • 39min

How Direct Mail Marketing Improves B2B Sales Prospecting and Follow-Up [Episode 220]

Is your outreach being ignored? Try the one channel your competitors have forgotten. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown sits down with Wilson Zehr, CEO of Zairmail, to break down how direct mail is making a powerful comeback in high-ticket B2B sales. They explore how physical mail can outperform digital in both prospecting and follow-up—and how to do it in a way that’s scalable, personal, and profitable. You’ll discover: – Why direct mail builds trust and gets opened – The 70/20/10 formula behind winning campaigns – How to blend automation with personalization – When to use mail for cold vs. warm outreach – How direct mail fits into a modern outbound sales strategy If you're relying on 1:1 sales, long-cycle deals, or high-margin offers—this episode is your new playbook. 🎧 Full episode + show notes → https://ceosalesstrategies.com/direct-mail-b2b-sales-prospecting 🎙 Hosted by Doug C. Brown 🌐 Learn more at: https://ceosalesstrategies.com #B2BSales #DirectMailMarketing #SalesProspecting #EnterpriseSales #CEOPodcast #SalesFollowUp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 6, 2026 • 32min

How Score-Based Diagnostics Transform Enterprise Sales Prospecting [Episode 219]

Most sales teams don’t struggle from lack of leads. They struggle from a lack of qualified leads. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown speaks with Maeve Ferguson—founder of The Client Engine™—about how score-based diagnostics and AI segmentation are revolutionizing the way we qualify B2B buyers. Whether you're leading an enterprise sales team or scaling a high-ticket consulting offer, this episode will help you: ✅ Understand why forms and funnels fail to qualify ✅ Use diagnostics to separate low vs. high-intent buyers ✅ Align sales and marketing on what a real lead looks like ✅ Increase revenue per rep by improving qualification 🔗 Listen to the full episode + show notes: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/score-based-enterprise-sales-prospecting About Our Guest: Maeve Ferguson helps 7- and 8-figure entrepreneurs eliminate wasted time and scale their revenue by building personalized, score-based buyer systems that convert. 🔔 Subscribe for more B2B sales strategies every week: https://www.youtube.com/@ceosalesstrategies #b2bsales #EnterpriseSales #SalesLeadership #LeadQualification #MaeveFerguson #CEO #HighIntentLeads #ScoreBasedSelling #DougCBrown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 30, 2025 • 36min

Why Revenue Growth Without Profit Margins Is Killing Business Valuation [Episode 218]

Revenue growth can look healthy while quietly destroying business valuation, EBITDA, and cash flow. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown sits down with profitability strategist Ben Hansen, founder of Profit Doctor, to unpack why revenue growth without profit discipline creates risk instead of value. Many growing businesses celebrate top-line success while margins erode, complexity increases, and valuation suffers. This conversation challenges the belief that growth automatically leads to profitability — and explains why profit improvement is a CEO-level responsibility. Ben shares how leaders can identify profit leakage, make focused decisions, and improve margins without relying on aggressive growth. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why revenue growth often hides serious profit problems ✅ How low margins quietly destroy business valuation ✅ Why profit decisions must be led by the CEO ✅ The 50/20 rule for rapid profitability improvement ✅ Why cutting what loses money is faster than finding more growth ✅ How improved focus leads to stronger EBITDA and cash flow 🎧 Prefer audio? Listen here: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/revenue-growth-without-profit-margins-business-valuation 📈 More CEO-level growth insights: https://ceosalesstrategies.com 📩 Questions or feedback: youmatter@ceosalesstrategies.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 23, 2025 • 39min

Revenue Growth Through Strategic Thinking: How Better Planning and Resource Allocation Drive Results [Episode 217]

Most revenue problems don’t come from effort or execution. They come from unclear, outdated strategy. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown sits down with strategic thinking expert Rich Horwath to explore how better planning, clearer priorities, and smarter resource allocation drive predictable revenue growth. Rather than adding more tactics, tools, or pressure, Rich explains how simplifying strategy improves execution, eliminates waste, and aligns teams around how to win. This conversation is essential for leaders who want growth without complexity—and results without burnout. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✔️ Why strategic thinking—not more activity—drives consistent revenue ✔️ How simplifying strategy improves execution and team alignment ✔️ The eliminate–reduce–increase–create trade-off matrix ✔️ Why reallocating resources accelerates growth faster than new initiatives ✔️ How leaders evolve strategy to stay competitive 🎧 Prefer audio? Listen here: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/revenue-growth-through-strategic-thinking-and-resource-allocation 📈 More resources: https://ceosalesstrategies.com 📩 Questions: youmatter@ceosalesstrategies.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 16, 2025 • 52min

Remote Staffing and Outsourcing Strategies That Help Companies Scale Fast [Episode 216]

What if your next 1,000 hires didn’t require chaos? In this episode, Doug C. Brown is joined by Pranav Dalal, founder and Chief Disruption Officer of Office Beacon, to talk about what it really takes to scale global teams—without giving up control. Pranav grew Office Beacon to 5,500+ full-time employees across 4 countries… without outside capital or “unicorn” hires. What made it possible? Systems, not superstars. Inside the episode: ✅ How to structure remote teams for scale ✅ Why bootstrapping forces better decisions ✅ How opposite thinking leads to competitive advantage ✅ The simple habits that keep you from overextending If your business depends on 1:1 sales, offshore teams, or scaling operations—this episode is your blueprint. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/remote-staffing-outsourcing-strategies-scale 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on B2B sales, high-ticket strategies, and CEO-level growth. #RemoteStaffing #ProcessDesign #BootstrappedGrowth #SalesLeadership #CEOPlaybook #ScalingSystems #LeadershipMindset Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 9, 2025 • 40min

The Real Reason You’re Not Scaling — And What to Fix First [Episode 215]

You don’t have a time problem — you have a priority problem.And that’s why your business isn’t scaling. In this episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Doug C. Brown is joined by former $3B CEO-turned-leadership coach John Nieuwenburg to reveal the real reason most businesses stall between $500K and $15M. They break down:✅ Why founder-led growth hits a ceiling✅ How to step out of “doing mode” and into true leadership✅ What systems to build — and what to delegate — to grow with less effort✅ How to stop being the bottleneck in your own business If you're overwhelmed, overcommitted, and under-leveraged… this conversation is the wake-up call you need. Listen now to shift from survival to scale. Full episode + transcript:https://ceosalesstrategies.com/the-real-reason-youre-not-scaling More from CEO Sales Strategies:🌐 Website: https://ceosalesstrategies.com📩 Email updates: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/contact🎙️ More podcast episodes: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/podcast #FounderMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessScaling #Delegation #Entrepreneurship #CEOThinking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 2, 2025 • 1h 8min

Sales Prospecting and Closing Skills for Fast Business Growth [Episode 214]

Many founders chase revenue—but end up with less freedom, lower margins, and no clear exit. In this episode, Doug C. Brown sits down with U.S. Marine veteran, executive coach, and bestselling author Richard Walsh to unpack what it really takes to grow a scalable, sellable, and self-sufficient business. You’ll learn: ✅ The real difference between revenue growth and profit growth✅ How to implement “automate, delegate, eliminate” in a high-performing company✅ Why wrong-fit clients quietly drain your bottom line✅ What it takes to become an exit-ready CEO (even if you’re not selling yet) If your business depends on your presence—you don’t own a business. You own a job.This episode will show you how to fix that. 🎧 Full show notes + resources:https://ceosalesstrategies.com/sales-prospecting-and-closing-skills 📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes on high-profit B2B sales, founder freedom, and growth strategies. #B2BSales #ProfitFirst #Entrepreneurship #ExitStrategy #BusinessSystems #CEOLeadership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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