In this episode of The Emblazers: B2B Leaders Igniting Revenue, host Tim Riesterer talks with Dr. Leff Bonney, behavioral scientist, researcher, and Founder and Research Director at the Florida State University Sales Institute, one of Emblaze’s primary research partners.

Leff brings a rare mix of academic and real-world sales experience, with a decade in frontline sales leadership before earning his Ph.D. and becoming one of today’s most influential sales researchers.

In this fast-moving and thought-provoking conversation, Tim and Leff unpack two major studies:

Differentiation in the Age of AI — and how sellers can “sell past the stalemate” by breaking patterns and creating truly distinct buying experiences.

Levers of Leadership — a data-backed, counterintuitive approach to aligning sales managers with rep types for higher team performance.

Tune in to learn:

Why AI is training sellers to sound the same—and how to stand out

Two sales behaviors that create real differentiation: seeding and surprising

How creative sales approaches create a halo effect on your product

Why great managers shouldn’t manage all rep types, and what to do instead

How one company tripled its growth by assigning managers based on rep profiles

Links and Resources:

Connect with Dr. Leff Bonney

Subscribe to The Emblazers for more episodes with top thought leaders
Explore the Emblaze revenue community and start a membership

Learn about Dr. Leff Bonney

Dr. Leff Bonney is a behavioral scientist and Founder and Research Director at the Florida State University Sales Institute, a leading research partner to Emblaze. He’s also Associate Professor of Sales and Marketing at FSU, specializing in customer selection, adaptive sales strategies, and behavioral decision-making. Leff spent a decade in sales and management before becoming one of the most cited researchers in sales performance today. His work has influenced top sales organizations and redefined how sellers think about differentiation and leadership.

Learn about Tim Riesterer

As Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions and Chief Research Officer at Emblaze revenue leaders’ community, Tim Riesterer is a pioneering force in developing customer conversations that break through the status quo and drive measurable business results. His innovative approach helps companies craft differentiated messages and deploy them through powerful self-service and sales-directed tools that consistently outperform traditional content strategies. A recognized expert in value creation and capture, Tim enables organizations to transform their customer conversations through proven methodologies that elevate their market position and drive sustainable growth.

Learn about Abby Kerr

As Director of Content & Community at Emblaze, Abby Kerr designs content experiences that spark conversations and strengthen the connective tissue between B2B revenue leaders. With a background spanning brand voice strategy, enterprise B2B content, and education, she brings a sharp eye for nuance and a deep understanding of how people learn and grow. A champion of insight-driven storytelling and peer-to-peer learning, Abby helps make Emblaze a place where leaders don’t just consume content—they contribute to it. She’s also a warm, un-shy introvert who reads fiction, asks big questions, and drinks her coffee black.