In this episode of the Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Rich Chiarello — sales leadership strategist at Sandler Training and a nearly two-decade veteran of building high-performance sales cultures for some of the world's most competitive technology companies.

Together, they tackle the number one fear of today's CEOs, CROs, and senior revenue leaders: hitting a growth plateau and not knowing how to break out of it.

David draws out Rich's most battle-tested frameworks and hard-won insights, turning a complex problem into a clear, step-by-step roadmap any sales organization can act on immediately.

By watching or listening to this full episode, you'll discover:

How to separate a people problem from a process problem from a market problem — so you stop treating symptoms and start fixing root causes
The 7 core strategies Rich deploys inside real organizations to restart stagnant revenue growth
How to tighten qualification standards so your team stops burning time on deals that will never close — including the three questions every rep must be able to answer before moving a deal forward
The Sandler "upfront contract" technique that virtually eliminates ghosting and gives prospects permission to give you bad news before it's too late
How to coach reps around pain discovery — and how AI coaching tools are changing the feedback loop for sales managers who don't have enough hours in the day
Why shortening your sales cycle starts with one simple homework assignment you give every prospect
How to prune dead pipeline without destroying morale — including the exact breakup email that gets silent prospects to resurface
The prospecting accountability system that keeps pipelines full regardless of what the market is doing
How to hire sales reps who can actually perform in today's environment — including what assessments reveal that role plays never will
What separates great individual contributors from great sales leaders — and why promoting the wrong person can quietly cost you millions in lost revenue
How to create real urgency in deals without manipulation — and when to have the honest conversation that inaction is riskier than taking action

Whether you're a CEO frustrated with a team that keeps forecasting deals that never close, a CRO trying to build consistency and predictability into your pipeline, or a sales manager looking to sharpen your coaching approach — this episode delivers the frameworks, tactics, and mindset shifts you need to get back on the revenue growth curve.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/Rich-Chiarello