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On this week’s episode, Scott and Mike are joined by one of their "four actual listeners," Jeffrey Padilla, Director of Sales at Rainier Surgical. Jeff shares his journey from a desk-bound bracing coordinator to running the sales department, proving that hate for paperwork can be a powerful motivator.

The trio dives deep into the philosophy of sales leadership. Jeff explains why he stopped giving his reps the answers and started asking "Why?" to build critical thinking. They discuss the concept of "Platinum Hours" —the preparation time outside of 8-5 that separates top performers from the rest—and why willingness to do the work in the dark is the #1 trait he looks for in new hires.

Finally, the group debates whether Cold Calling is truly dead (spoiler: it’s not, but walking in blind is) and Jeff breaks down his "Raccoon" sales style: digging deep to solve problems and being relentlessly reliable. He caps off the episode with a masterclass on Gap Selling, explaining how to move customers from their painful Current State to their desired Future State.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Why" Management Style: Don’t just give reps the answers. Force them to walk through their logic. It creates autonomy and confidence.
• Platinum Hours: Success isn't just about what you do when the customer answers the phone (Golden Hours); it's about the prep work you do when they don't (Platinum Hours).
• Cold Calling 2.0: Walking in blind is dead. Walking in with research, understanding the business problems, and having a hypothesis is very much alive.
• Gap Selling: You aren't selling a product; you are bridging the gap between where the customer hurts now and where they want to be.
• The Raccoon Analogy: Be a problem solver. Sometimes you have to dig through the mess to find the solution.

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Scott Schlofman
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