Podcast
Purpose Under Pressure
Hosted by Bryan Lefelhoc · EN
Purpose Under Pressure is a podcast about developing Sales and Leadership Success…on Purpose and under Pressure. Each week we'll air short monologue's with strategies, analogies and stories meant to inspire sales, marketing and business professionals. We'll also feature weekly high-impact interviews with Sandler sales trainers, and long form interviews with business leaders who have been there and done that, under pressure.
Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you by The Ruby Group/Sandler Training in Akron and in Columbus, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida and Capital Region, NY. Visit https://www.therubygroup.sandler.com/ for more information.
47episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Maintain Control by Mapping the Decision Process, On Purpose with Tom Thon
Jul 1600:13:27Tap to summarizeThe buying process is complex. If you think it is finished once they've answered the questions and delivered their proposal. In reality, that's when the prospect's internal selling process begins. Your contact now has to explain, defend, and justify your solution to people you've never met. If you don't understand how those decisions get made, you're leaving the outcome to chance.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Tom Thon, Partner and Trainer at Sandler by the Ruby Group to talk about understanding and mapping out the buying process and the key players involved with making the decisions.Tom shares practical strategies for identifying decision-makers without offending your contact, explains the difference between demand creation and demand fulfillment sales, and offers simple but powerful questions that reveal who influences a purchasePurpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Your presentation is usually the beginning of your prospect's internal selling process.— The person you're meeting with is frequently gathering information for someone else, making it essential to understand who really makes the final decision.— Asking, "How does your company go about making these types of decisions?" opens the door to valuable insights without creating pressure.— Great salespeople protect the prospect's "okayness" by respecting their role while still uncovering who else is involved.— Understanding whether you're in a demand creation or demand fulfillment sale changes the questions you should ask.— Moving from vendor to trusted advisor requires patience, curiosity, and a genuine desire to understand how your customer buys.— A great question to ask your contact if not the decision maker: "Other than yourself, who will be involved in making this decision?"——————-Helpful Links:Tom Thon, Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Why Salespeople Need to Understand the 7 Stages of Making a Decision
Jul 1300:09:14Tap to summarizeWaiting for the decision to be made? Keep checking your email, because while you wait for an answer, an entire decision-making process is unfolding behind the scenes. The salespeople who understand what's really happening and have a plan to remain a part of that process are the ones who consistently win more business.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, walks through the seven stages of the buyer's decision-making process. Rather than viewing buying as a straight line from need to purchase, Bryan explains why every buying decision is actually a cycle that moves through Trigger, Desire, Back Burner, Renewal, Reality, Decision, and Cold Feet.The sellers who continue to provide value, remain visible, and reconnect at the right moments are the ones most likely to win the business, whether it's the first opportunity or the next time the buying cycle begins.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Buying decisions happen in never ending circles. They aren’t linear, with a beginning and an end.— While you’re waiting on a decision, life is happening to your buyer.— Silence rarely means the buyer has stopped deciding. — The Back Burner is where many sales opportunities are won or lost.— Your job is to stay present through every stage of the buyer's journey.— A "no" today doesn't mean the desire has disappeared.— Great salespeople create opportunities AND they remain part of the decision-making process.——————-Helpful Links:Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Why Top Performers Debrief Every Sales Call, On Purpose with Lauren Valentine
Jul 900:15:57Tap to summarizeOne sales call won't make or break your career. But what you learn from every sales call just might. The most successful salespeople, and the sales managers/leaders who make a difference, take the time to to uncover what worked, what didn't, and how to improve before the next opportunity arrives.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, talks with Lauren Valentine, Partner and Trainer at Sandler by the Ruby Group, to discuss a simple but often overlooked habit that can dramatically improve sales performance: debriefing every sales call.Lauren shares the questions every salesperson should ask after a meeting. A consistent debriefing process shortens sales cycles, creates better habits in salespeople, and gives sales leaders a framework for developing stronger, more intentional teams.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Every sales call is an opportunity to improve, if you take the time to learn from it.— A structured debrief creates consistency, helping salespeople replace guesswork with a repeatable process.— The KARE account model helps determine not only who you're selling to, but how you should move the relationship forward.— A sales call isn't complete until both you and the prospect have committed to a clear next step on the calendar.— The best coaching happens after the meeting, when sales leaders ask questions that build habits instead of simply reviewing activity.— Red flags uncovered during a debrief can save months of wasted effort by exposing stalled or unqualified opportunities early.— Every sales conversation should accomplish one of two things: advance the opportunity or reveal that it's time to move on.——————-Helpful Links:Lauren Valentine, Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Growing Through Hard Seasons, On Purpose, with Leighton Hackert
Jul 700:22:01Tap to summarizeEven amidst uncertainty, companies that continue to grow are the ones that stay disciplined, keep prospecting, protect their customer relationships, and refuse to let outside pressures dictate their daily behaviors. When the market gets unpredictable, purpose becomes a competitive advantage.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Leighton Hackert, Vice President of Sales at Vector Companies, to explore what it's like leading sales in today's manufacturing environment. From tariffs and forecasting challenges to supply chain disruptions and automation investments, Leighton shares how his organization has continued to grow while many others in the industry have struggled.Leighton explains why consistent behaviors matter more than product knowledge, why a healthy sales pipeline is every leader's best insurance policy, and why saying "no" to the wrong opportunity can sometimes be the smartest sales decision you'll ever make.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Great sales organizations grow because of disciplined behaviors, often regardless of favorable market conditions.— Strong customer relationships are built like successful marriages—with trust, communication, and resilience through challenges.— Manufacturing leaders must balance uncertainty while continuing to invest in long-term growth.— A consistently full sales pipeline protects companies from becoming dependent on any single customer.— Product knowledge can be learned, but sales behaviors and habits create lasting success.— Sometimes the most profitable sale is the one you have the discipline to decline.— Staying focused on your core strengths allows companies to grow without losing their competitive advantage.——————-Helpful Links:Leighton Hackert, VP of Sales with Vector Companies: https://www.vectorcompanies.com/Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Why Salespeople are Forced to Learn While They Earn
Jul 600:07:27Tap to summarizeThe path to becoming a professional salesperson doesn't come with a practice field. There are no preseason games, no rehearsals, and no easy way to sharpen your skills before the pressure is on. Every sales conversation matters, and every call becomes part of your education. Are you earning from the practice?In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, talks about how salespeople learn, or in many cases do not learn, from their experiences. Since we’re practicing in front of our clients and prospects, we need to take the time to review what happened, identify what we learned, and intentionally improve before the next conversation.Sales professionals need to stop confusing activity with growth. Running from meeting to meeting may feel productive, but improvement only happens when you honestly evaluate your performance. Learn while you earn, and you'll steadily build the habits that separate professionals from everyone else.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Sales is one of the few professions where your practice happens in front of the customer.— Every sales call deserves a debrief before you move on to the next opportunity.— Improvement comes from evaluating your process, not simply celebrating or mourning the outcome.— Professionals in every field "watch the tape"—salespeople should too.— Create clear objectives before every meeting, then honestly measure whether you achieved them.— Missing an opportunity isn't failure if you learn from it and apply the lesson next time.— The fastest way to grow in sales is to intentionally learn while you earn.——————-Helpful Links:Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Experience Exponential Growth When You Scale Your Business On Purpose, with Sandler's Ken Guest
Jul 200:22:45Tap to summarizeMany businesses spend their early years chasing every opportunity they can find, saying yes to every customer, every lead, and every chance to bring in revenue. But how can you grow effectively, to your purpose and in pursuit of excellence, when you’re growing toward what everyone else wants you to do?In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, welcomes Ken Guest, partner and trainer at Sandler by the Ruby Group, to discuss implementation,of a five year growth strategy for the Ruby Group, and what you can learn from that. We explore the concept of the Ideal Client Profile, the hidden costs of serving the wrong customers, and why exponential growth can come by finding the right customers, serving them exceptionally well, and building relationships that last.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Growth without a clear strategy often happens by accident; sustainable growth happens by design.— Every business has an Ideal Client Profile, whether it's defined or not. The most successful companies know exactly who it is.— Revenue from the wrong customers can create short-term relief while undermining long-term growth.— Opportunity cost includes the time and energy spent serving customers who were never the right fit.— Defining a "floor" helps leaders make difficult decisions about which opportunities deserve attention and which do not.— Retention data often reveals whether a company is attracting the right customers more accurately than sales numbers alone.— Scaling faster sometimes means saying no more often and concentrating resources where they create the greatest impact.——————-Helpful Links:Ken Guest, Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/The Science of Scaling: Grow Your Business Bigger and Faster Than You Think Possible, by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Blake Erickson : https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Transformation-Science-Achieving-Impossible/dp/1401967639Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Are You Running or Growing a Business?
Jun 2900:08:49Tap to summarizeGrowth is often celebrated as the ultimate measure of success, but many business owners discover that scaling a company can quietly pull them away from the very reasons they started it in the first place. Growing a business is easy. The challenge is growing without losing sight of the purpose that made the business worth building in the first place..In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, explores the difference between running a business and growing a businessNew customers lead to new hires. New hires lead to new systems. New systems lead to new expectations. Before long, the business may look successful on paper while feeling disconnected from its original purpose. In many ways, pressure is what allows growth to happen. The question is whether that growth remains aligned with the purpose that started it allPurpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Running a business and growing a business are not the same thing.— Growth often begins naturally as a result of doing the right things well.— Success creates pressure that can slowly pull leaders away from their original mission.— Values don't usually disappear during growth; they simply stop guiding decisions.— Purpose should influence hiring, expansion, customer selection, and strategic planning.— Growth without direction can become a burden rather than an advantage.— The most sustainable businesses scale around their purpose rather than away from it.——————-Helpful Links:Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Transactional Analysis: Digging Deeper into the Psychology of Selling, On Purpose with Robert Perry
Jun 2500:15:56Tap to summarizeEvery sales conversation has a surface-level problem and a deeper human dynamic underneath it. Most salespeople focus on what they're going to say next. Few stop to consider the emotional and psychological state their buyer is operating from. That's where deals are often won or lost, and that’s what differentiates a professional salesperson from everyone else.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, sits down with Robert Perry, partner and trainer at Sandler by the Ruby Group, to dig deeper into the psychology of selling. It’s one of Sandler's most powerful concepts: Transactional Analysis: Parent, Adult, and Child ego states that shape every conversation.Robert explains why successful sellers learn to recognize where buyers are coming from emotionally and how to respond in a way that lowers defenses, builds trust, and creates genuine collaboration. From critical parent behaviors to nurturing parent communication, listeners will discover why some conversations move forward effortlessly while others become frustrating stalemates.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Transactional Analysis provides a framework for understanding why people communicate, react, and make decisions differently in similar situations.— The "Critical Parent" is a judgmental, directive communication style that often creates resistance and defensiveness in others.— The most effective salespeople operate primarily from a "Nurturing Parent" mindset, inviting buyers into the problem-solving process rather than telling them what to do.— Buyers frequently begin sales conversations in a defensive Critical Parent state because trust has not yet been established.— The Child ego state represents emotion, desire, and personal motivation. Buyers must emotionally want a solution before they can logically justify it.— Great sales conversations intentionally guide prospects from defensiveness, to curiosity, to emotional engagement, and finally to rational decision-making.— Without preparation and practice, salespeople naturally default to talking about themselves, their company, and their solution rather than understanding the buyer's world first.——————-Helpful Links:Robert Perry, Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Leadership Habits that Keep Food on the Table, Under Pressure with Mike Pucillo
Jun 2300:33:48Tap to summarizeHow does the food get on the table? How is there always food on the shelves, in the restaurants, and in your refrigerator before is spoils? In every town in the USA? Without fail! We just expect it. Everywhere, all the time, without fail. Behind those everyday expectations is a network of people solving problems most of us never see.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, is joined by Mike Pucillo, President of Entourage Freight Solutions, a division of the Hanline Group. Mike pulls back the curtain on the logistics industry, explaining how products move across the country, why timing matters so much, and what happens when weather, equipment failures, labor challenges, or unexpected disruptions threaten to derail the process.It’s not just about logistics though. Mike shares how transparency, communication, and problem-solving create trust with customers, why every customer-facing employee is effectively in sales, and how organizations can build cultures that embrace constant learning.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— The modern supply chain is a remarkable orchestration of timing, coordination, and problem-solving that most consumers never notice until something breaks.— Transparency builds trust. Customers can handle bad news far better than surprises when organizations communicate early and honestly.— Growth requires more than winning new business. Companies must grow fast enough to offset the natural attrition that occurs in every industry.— Great operators expect challenges, not perfection, and develop the mindset and skills needed to solve them quickly.— Every customer-facing employee is in sales because every interaction either strengthens or weakens trust in the organization.— The most valuable sales conversations often uncover problems customers don't yet realize are costing them time, money, or opportunity.— Organizations that remain curious and learn how to leverage AI effectively will be better positioned than those who ignore the changes happening around them.——————-Helpful Links:Mike Pucillo, Entourage Freight Solutions Inc, a Division of the Hanline Group: https://www.entouragefreightsolutions.com/Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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Why Salespeople Need to Master Your Emotions
Jun 2200:07:49Tap to summarizeHave you ever walked out of a sales call wondering what just happened? Maybe they challenged everything you said, acted defensive, demanded control, or simply made the conversation harder than it needed to be. Maybe it’s a sales problem. Sometimes it's a people problem. More accurately, it's an emotions problem.In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, gets down to the raw truth: buyers are human beings before they are buyers. They bring fear, anxiety, distrust, excitement, ego, ambition, and uncertainty into every conversation. And so do we, as sellers.Most people are fundamentally good, even when they aren't behaving at their best. The challenge for sales professionals is learning how to look past the behavior and understand what's driving it.Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, FloridaKey Takeaways:— Difficult buyer behavior is often driven by emotions such as fear, distrust, anxiety, or uncertainty rather than bad intentions.— The buyer's resistance may be a reaction to previous experiences with other salespeople.— Professional salespeople learn to look beyond behavior and seek to understand the motivations behind it.— When emotions rise during a sales conversation, your responsibility is not to react emotionally but to respond professionally.— Sellers must avoid becoming the very thing they dislike in buyers by recognizing when their own emotions are driving the conversation.— Respect is earned through confidence, preparation, and professionalism, rather than through dominance or surrender.— Every sales conversation becomes more productive when both parties are treated as capable adults working toward a shared outcome.——————-Helpful Links:Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/
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