Ryan Brancheau, author of Memoirs of a Mediocre Salesman, joins The Authentic Sales Manager in this episode : Memoirs of a Mediocre Salesman: Why Sales Leadership Is Supposed to Be Hard

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, host Harry Spaight sits down with Ryan Brancheau, author of Memoirs of a Mediocre Salesman. Ryan brings 30 years of experience in the finished lubricants industry, 10 years as a high-performing individual contributor followed by two decades leading sales teams, to share a raw, honest look at the realities of sales leadership.

Ryan and Harry dive into the difficult jump from top producer to manager, explaining why the "scoreboard" is no longer yours and why the job is never supposed to get easy. Ryan shares why authentic leadership requires owning the team's losses, why "you failed" should never be spoken to a rep, and how embracing friction and discomfort is the only true way to grow. From getting on the field with your team to turning around so-called "low performers," this conversation is a masterclass in servant leadership, humility, and accountability.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Core of Authenticity: An authentic sales manager sets the standard, owns the outcome, and does the work alongside the team to achieve things greater than they thought possible.
• Owning the Losses, Sharing the Wins: When the team wins, the spotlight stays on the reps. When the number misses, the loss belongs to the leader. The phrase "you failed" should never come out of a manager's mouth.
• Get on the Field: Nothing meaningful happens in an ivory tower. Unlike football coaches who must stay on the sidelines, sales leaders have the privilege of getting on the field and playing the game with their team.
• The "Natural Salesman" Myth: Great salespeople and leaders aren't just born with charisma; they are built through relentless work ethic, friction, and firsthand experience.
• Peeing on the Electric Fence: Living by Will Rogers’ famous quote, Ryan emphasizes that most people don't learn from reading or observation—they learn by "peeing on the electric fence". The goal isn't avoiding pain, but ensuring you don't pee on the same fence twice.
• Embrace the Hard Days (Masochism Matters): Sales leadership isn't supposed to get easy. Real growth comes from the friction and resistance of hard days, not from smooth sailing.
• Conflict Delayed is Conflict Multiplied: Avoiding difficult conversations only makes them worse. Coddling reps or delaying feedback hurts their careers and home lives long-term.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

To me, being an authentic sales manager really is just having that genuine care to set the standard, own the outcome, and do the work alongside others.

When the outcome's a positive one, the spotlight should always be on the team... when things are going bad, it's my responsibility.

There are three kinds of men: Ones that learn by reading, a few that learn from observation, and the rest of us have to pee on an electric fence.

Conflict delayed is just conflict multiplied

It's supposed to be hard, but the key is not to repeat... Just don't pee on the same fence twice.

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Ryan Brancheau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebrancheau/
Ryan Brancheau's Book: https://a.co/d/0d9A0y3T

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

Rene Zamora is the founder of Sales Manager Now and author of Part-Time Sales Management. With over 20 years of experience as a fractional sales leader, Rene helps small and mid-sized business owners build, lead, and retain high-performing sales teams. He specializes in helping "player-coaches" and newly promoted leaders navigate the transition from individual contributor to impact-driven manager.

SHOW SUMMARY

You were crushing your quota, hitting every target, and winning awards. Then leadership handed you a promotion and asked you to "create more people just like you."

Here is the problem: That is not the job.

In this episode of The Authentic Sales Manager, host Harry Spaight sits down with Rene Zamora (Founder of Sales Manager Now) to unpack the transition that trips up so many top sellers. Rene gets candid about his very first management opportunity—where he admits he wanted the commission override without the actual responsibility, and how he handed the rep back after just one month!

Rene breaks down the "player-coach" model, explaining why it requires wearing two distinct hats rather than running one blended role. They discuss the necessity of strict time-blocking, why taking an "important" client call in front of a rep destroys their development, and how a 5:30 AM check-in call from an old manager taught him more about leadership than any formal training program. Whether you just got promoted, still carry a personal quota, or own a company and want to stop relying on cloned top performers, this conversation will save you immense pain.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Cloning Myth: Managing a sales team isn't about duplicating your personal selling style; it's about empowering different personalities to execute a structured process effectively.
• Overrides vs. Responsibility: Taking on a management title for the financial override without committing to developing people leads to fast failure. True leadership requires accepting the responsibility first.
• Two Hats, Not One Blended Role: The player-coach role requires strict boundaries. When you are selling, wear your sales hat and block dedicated time. When you are coaching a rep, be 100% present—never take an "important" call while developing a team member.
• The Power of Consistency (The 5:30 AM Call): True accountability isn't about micromanagement; it's about reliable, consistent leadership check-ins that show you genuinely care.
• Elevating Top Producers: You don't always have to force a veteran top producer to change. When you build a structure where newer reps start winning bigger accounts, top producers naturally step up out of healthy competitiveness.
• Earning Authority: Leadership isn't granted by an organizational chart. It requires calling out bad team habits (like constant complaining) and asking: "Do you want me to be your leader?"

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

You were crushing it. Then someone asked you to create more people like you. That is not the job.

When it's time for you to sell, just sell and don't worry about the others... And when you're in front of your team, don't be answering sales calls.

Do you want me to be your leader?"

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Rene Zamora: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renez/

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

Most Monday morning sales meetings are a drain on energy, they drag, wander, and devolve into passive status reports that leave everyone wondering what was actually accomplished. In this episode of The Authentic Sales Manager, host Harry Spaight sits down with Daryn Lawson to break down how implementing EOS-style L10 meetings can revolutionize a sales organization.

Daryn shares a proven framework for running tight, highly efficient sales meetings that start on time, end on time, and drive real operational momentum. They cover why starting with positive wins and shout-outs builds team culture, how tracking leading indicators on a simple scorecard beats the classic "what did you write last week" interrogation, and how to maintain public accountability without resorting to public shaming. Finally, Daryn reveals the single question that strips away pipeline fluff and turns vague forecasts into firm commitments: "When will they sign?"

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The EOS L10 Meeting Structure: An "L10" (Leadership 10) meeting is designed so that participants rate it a 10/10 at the end. It relies on a predictable agenda: start on time, celebrate positive wins, review core values, check scorecards, share headlines/shout-outs, solve issues, and end on time.

• Start With Something Good: Opening every meeting with a positive personal or business win sets a constructive tone and builds energy before diving into metrics.

• Leading Indicators vs. Lagging Revenue: A scorecard shouldn't just ask "what did you close?" Tracking leading indicators (first-time meetings, discovery calls, qualified funnel additions) allows leaders to spot pipeline issues weeks before they hit the revenue line.

• Public Accountability, Private Support: Seeing a blank scorecard in front of peers creates natural public accountability and healthy peer pressure. However, berating reps publicly destroys trust. A blank scorecard should trigger a private, supportive 1-on-1 coaching conversation.

• The "When Will They Sign?" Rule: Fuzzy forecasts like "closing this month" are not real dates. Accurate forecasting requires asking the prospect for a specific day and commitment, bridging the gap between sales promises and operational inventory planning.

• Bridging Sales and Operations: Accurate sales forecasting isn't just about sales quotas; operational teams, inventory managers, and service departments depend on sales timelines to deliver a great customer experience.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Being an authentic sales manager means always being there for our people... when everything's congruent and gelling, then good things will happen.

A lot of times that stuff goes unseen. These meetings are designed to pump up the people a little bit, but really recognize them as people doing good work.

If you can get your salespeople to put dates on everything, your conversations are gonna be better, your pipeline's gonna be better, and your meetings are gonna be better.

Accountability is saying: 'This is what I'm gonna do to get to my goal, and I'm gonna report on my activity to get there in front of everybody.

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Daryn Lawson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynlawson/

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, Harry Spaight takes the mic for a solo conversation about one of the most common traps sales leaders fall into: giving their people answers instead of developing their ability to think. Drawing from his own experience transitioning from successful salesperson to sales leader, Harry shares why being the team’s constant “answer person” may solve today’s problem while creating dependency tomorrow.

Harry explores how managers can shift from telling to coaching by turning answers into questions, helping salespeople evaluate their own options, and connecting everyday activities to the personal income goals they want to achieve. He also shares a simplified coaching approach inspired by the GROW methodology, explains how to create accountability without micromanagement, and shows why asking permission to coach can create greater ownership and stronger performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Stop Being the Answer Person: Constantly solving problems for your team may feel helpful, but it prevents salespeople from developing their own judgment and confidence.

• Turn Answers Into Questions: Just as strong salespeople ask rather than tell, effective sales managers use questions to encourage their people to think through challenges.

• Ask, “What Are Our Options?”: Harry simplifies the coaching process with one practical question that gets salespeople thinking instead of immediately looking to their manager for the solution.

• Let Them Own the Decision: When reps evaluate their options and choose a path themselves, they are more likely to remember the lesson and handle similar situations independently in the future.

• Accept That Your Answer May Not Be the Only Answer: Sometimes there are multiple reasonable solutions. Giving people room to make decisions helps develop confidence and ownership.

• Connect Income Goals to Daily Activity: If a salesperson wants to earn $100,000, help them understand what that means hourly, daily, and weekly—and what behaviors justify that level of income.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

How do we turn our answers into questions to get the person to actually think?

When people think on their own…it’s a lot easier to own that and to recall that in the future.

When someone came to me with a challenge or a question or problem, I simply threw it back and said, ‘What are our options?

As a coach, you’re making yourself available for them to talk through what they already know in their heart what the answer is

Giving them the freedom to make the choice and then sticking with it…is way better for the growth and development of that individual.

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, host Harry Spaight sits down with longtime sales leader James Ghormley
to explore what genuine empowerment looks like in sales management. Jim brings decades of experience, beginning his career at IBM before serving as a sales leader and vice president across multiple technology companies. Today, he works as a fractional sales leader with SalesQB.

James explains why the best sales managers stop babysitting their people and start helping them take real ownership of their territories. The conversation explores how to create accountability without micromanaging, hire salespeople who want to run their territory like a business, support employees’ career goals without invading their privacy, and maintain the professional boundaries required to lead effectively.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Empowerment Creates Ownership: Empowered salespeople take responsibility for their progress, performance, territory, and results instead of waiting for constant direction.

• Treat the Territory Like a Business: Sales reps should view their accounts, products, time, and opportunities as their own business—and make strategic decisions accordingly.

• Stop Babysitting Your Team: Excessive monitoring can cause salespeople to become guarded and hide information. Leaders should create open conversations rather than interrogations.

• Use a Simple Weekly Cadence: Ask what the rep accomplished last week, what they plan to achieve this week, and what support they need from their leader.

• Let the Rep Lead the Conversation: Strong coaching relies on thoughtful questions that allow salespeople to explain their plans, challenges, and progress in their own words.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Empowerment is where you get them to take ownership of that progress and those metrics, and then you support them and help them achieve it.

The babysitting mentality tends to make the reps pull within themselves and try to hide the details.

One thing you have ultimate control over is your time and your attitude.

Murphy’s Law is alive and well in sales.

They need to go run that business and generate the profits and the income that they desire.

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with James Ghormley
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ghormley-1766121/
Connect with James Ghormley at SalesQB: jimgormley@salesqb.com

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, host Harry Spaight sits down with Armen Avanessian, an award-winning fintech and payments sales leader and the author of Selling Senses. With more than 20 years of frontline experience, Armen introduces a fresh approach to leadership that combines sensory influence, emotional intelligence, and spiritual intelligence to create stronger connections and better team performance.

The conversation explores Armen’s concept of Sensory Leadership and the six senses that shape how employees experience their leaders. Armen explains how great leaders help people see the vision, hear more than words, create lasting memories, feel safe and valued, experience a positive culture, and connect with a deeper sense of purpose and inner wisdom. He also introduces the Leadership Experience Loop, six questions employees are silently asking after every interaction with their leader.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Leadership Creates an Experience: Authentic leadership is not only about strategies, processes, and KPIs. It is about creating experiences that shape how people think, feel, trust, and perform.

• Help People See the Vision: Great leaders connect daily responsibilities to a bigger purpose, helping employees see the possibilities, opportunities, and future their work can create.

• Build the Vision Together: Mission statements, team themes, colors, and even music become more meaningful when employees help create them instead of receiving them from a “soapbox leader.”

• Hear More Than Words: Active listening requires leaders to notice emotion, hesitation, fear, confidence, tone, and body language—not simply the information being communicated.

• Create Positive Memories: Meaningful conversations, shared meals, personal connections, and memorable moments help build trust that lasts beyond a single meeting.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

“An authentic sales leader is one that is creating experiences for their direct reports that shapes how they think, how they feel, how they trust, and how they perform.” — Armen Avanessian

“People will follow you based on how you make them feel.” — Armen Avanessian

“Can your team see tomorrow because of your leadership?” — Armen Avanessian

“Don’t be a soapbox leader.” — Armen Avanessian

“When your team leaves a conversation with you, do they actually feel heard or just managed?” — Armen Avanessian

“Eyes forward, ears open, heart open.” — Armen Avanessian

“Every workplace has emotional memories, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.” — Armen Avanessian

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Armen Avanessian
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armen-avanessian/
Armen's Book: Selling Senses:Unlocking the Power of Sensory Sales and Inner Wisdom

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, host Harry Spaight sits down with longtime friend and sales leader Kevin Hoverman, Vice President of Sales at Kelly Office Solutions. Drawing from decades of experience as both an individual contributor and a sales leader, Kevin shares how the most effective managers show up authentically, work alongside their teams, and genuinely care about helping people achieve their personal and professional goals.

The conversation challenges the traditional leadership approach of simply assigning a quota and demanding results. Kevin explains why managers must first understand each salesperson’s personal “why”—the dreams, responsibilities, family goals, and aspirations that motivate them. Harry and Kevin also explore servant leadership, individualized business plans, the transition from salesperson to manager, continuous learning, the importance of self-awareness, and why modern technology should enhance rather than replace genuine human connection.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Lead with Their WHY: Salespeople are more motivated by their personal goals, dreams, and responsibilities than by a company-assigned quota.

• Quota Will Take Care of Itself: When leaders help people achieve what truly matters to them, stronger performance and quota attainment naturally follow.

• Leadership Is Service: Authentic leadership means putting the development and success of others ahead of personal recognition.

• Build Individualized Business Plans: Every salesperson has different motivations, skills, and goals. Effective coaching must be personalized rather than one-size-fits-all.

• Protect the Human Connection: AI can support sales and marketing, but it should never replace the genuine human voice and relationships that make sales effective.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Quota matters because if you don’t achieve quota, you won’t be employed. But quota doesn’t mean anything because if you only hit quota, you won’t achieve any of your goals.” — Kevin Hoverman

“If we just focus on you achieving the things you want to achieve, quota will take care of itself.” — Kevin Hoverman

“It’s hard to be an authentic human if you’re not being a human.” — Kevin Hoverman

“The minute I let AI become me in my messaging, in my calls, we’re really missing what makes sales powerful, and that is the human connection.” — Kevin Hoverman

“You’re the president and CEO of You, Inc., and our job is just to help you succeed.” — Kevin Hoverman

“What fills my bucket is helping other people achieve their goals.” — Kevin Hoverman

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Kevin Hoverman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-hoverman/

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight

In this episode of the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast, host Harry Spaight sits down with Troy Pflugner, Group Vice President, North America Commercial Sales. Troy is a highly accomplished commercial leader renowned for building high-performing teams, scaling leaders, and strengthening strategic corporate partnerships. Troy’s impressive career journey began directly in the field, helping communities build life-saving AED programs, and has grown into leading enterprise commercial teams that seamlessly bridge business growth with meaningful, people-first impact.

The conversation challenges the modern corporate obsession with automated tools, exploring why the sales landscape doesn't need more artificial intelligence—it needs more authentic intelligence. Troy opens up about the raw operational struggles of transitioning from a frontline individual contributor to a strategic sales leader, why managers "bring the weather" into every workspace, and how true leadership maturity requires making yourself intentionally "dispensable" by developing others. He also shares a deeply personal look into balancing executive life with family presence, and dives into the timeless Zig Ziglar philosophy that has anchored his career trajectory.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Core of Authenticity: True authenticity requires absolute consistency. A genuine leader maintains the exact same character and values whether they are interacting with high-value customers, guiding their team, or operating behind closed doors.

• "Bringing the Weather": A leader’s mood, tone, and energy set the baseline for everyone around them. Managers must ground themselves in the reality that the "weather" they bring into a room directly impacts their team's performance and the trajectory of their lives.

• The Goal of Being Dispensable: Great sales leaders do not try to protect their jobs by micromanaging info or hoarding control. Instead, they actively aim to make themselves dispensable by empowering, mentoring, and developing the next generation of leadership beneath them.

• Navigating the Rep-to-Manager Transition: Moving from a top-performing individual contributor to a sales manager is a notoriously difficult shift. Troy breaks down how to stop chasing individual credit and transition into finding fulfillment through the success of others.

• Breaking the "All-Knowing" Habit: To grow a capable team, leaders must stop being the immediate go-to person with all the answers. Shifting toward active listening and asking better, open-ended questions resolves conflict faster and forces reps to develop critical thinking.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"My AI is more authentic intelligence." — Troy Pflugner

"You have to ground yourself in that your decisions, your actions, the weather you bring... affects the trajectory of other people's lives." — Troy Pflugner

"Once you're ripe, you're rotten." — Troy Pflugner

"You gotta let your steeds run."

"Give yourself time to think." — Troy Pflugner

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION
Connect with Troy Pflugner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troypflugner/
Company: Zoll Medical

Connect with the Authentic Sales Manager Podcast
Website: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/
Episodes: https://authenticsalesmanager.com/Episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticsalesmanager
LinkedIn (Show Page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-authentic-sales-manager-podcast
Host: Harry Spaight on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryspaight