Sales and Cigars copertina

Sales and Cigars

Sales and Cigars

Di: Walter Crosby
Ascolta gratuitamente

Offerte di stagione | 0,99 €/mese per i primi 3 mesi

A seguire 9,99 €/mese – si applicano condizioni. Puoi disdire mensilmente.
How do you increase sales in your organization? Host Walter Crosby sits down with cigar in hand and has growth minded conversations proven to boost sales. Crosby sets the table by identifying areas where you can excel by first acknowledging the misunderstandings. Like every great sales person he takes time to reflect, strategize and execute. Sit back, listen in, and puff that cigar because Walter Crosby will light you up!2021 Walter Crosby Economia Gestione e leadership Leadership Management
Episodi
  • "You're Not for Everybody" with Steve Van Diest

    "You're Not for Everybody" with Steve Van Diest
    Oct 6 2026
    Steve Van Diest joins Walter Crosby to talk about cigars, community, executive coaching, authentic leadership, and why business owners need people who are willing to challenge them. Episode Overview What makes a cigar such a powerful catalyst for conversation? Walter sits down with Steve Van Diest, entrepreneur, executive coach, and Growth Catalyst with Acumen, inside Steve's home cigar lounge—a space intentionally designed for community, connection, and honest conversations. Steve shares how cigars became part of his life during some of his most difficult seasons and eventually became a way to bring people together. His "Shalom Lounge" now serves as a gathering place for clients, business owners, friends, and family. The conversation moves from cigars into the realities of entrepreneurship and leadership. Steve explains why business owners need more than systems and strategies—they need trusted people willing to challenge them, ask difficult questions, and help uncover what's really happening beneath the surface. Walter and Steve also dig into sales, authenticity, mentorship, and why the best salespeople approach their work with a desire to help people rather than simply close transactions. Episode Highlights Why cigars create space for deeper conversationsThe story behind Steve's home cigar loungeHow Steve went from ministry to entrepreneurship and executive coachingWhy business owners need a trusted peer groupThe difference between advice and experience-based coachingWhy company values need to influence actual decisionsThe importance of vulnerability and accountability in leadershipWhy entrepreneurs can't hide behind bravadoHow authenticity changed Steve's approach to prospectingWhy great salespeople need skillful hands, a tender heart, and thick skinWalter's philosophy that sales is ultimately about helping peopleWhy the next generation needs experienced mentors willing to share their mistakes Key Takeaways Cigars create commitment to conversation. When two people light a cigar, they're committing time to each other. That creates room for conversations that often don't happen over a quick coffee or drink. Business owners need people who will challenge them. A trusted peer group can expose blind spots, challenge assumptions, and provide perspectives that even a great one-on-one advisor may not see. Values have to be lived. Core values shouldn't simply appear on a wall or website. They should serve as a filter for hiring, leadership, and business decisions. Authenticity matters in sales. Prospects can recognize when someone is performing. Steve learned that becoming more comfortable with who he was made him more effective at building relationships. Sales is about helping people. Walter argues that the foundation of great selling isn't manipulation or transactions—it's genuinely wanting to help someone solve a problem. Who Should Listen This episode is for business owners, CEOs, sales leaders, entrepreneurs, executive coaches, and anyone interested in building stronger relationships while becoming a more authentic leader. Links & Resources Acumen — Peer advisory communities for business owners and leadersHoly Smokes — Community connecting faith and cigarsHow to Build a Non-Anxious Life — John DelonyThe Shack — William P. YoungEOS / Entrepreneurial Operating SystemCamino de Santiago Continue the Conversation Want to continue talking about sales, leadership, and building stronger sales organizations? Join the Sales Integrator Community, a free community for salespeople and sales managers featuring coaching insights, practical sales tools, resources, and conversations with Walter. Join the Sales Integrator Community Subscribe to Sales & Cigars Sales & Cigars is hosted by Walter Crosby, the Sales Integrator with Helix Sales Development. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Listen to the full episode and more Sales & Cigars conversations The only smoke we blow is from cigars.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 21 min
  • Sales, Cigars, and the Relationships That Build a Business with Jim Zazenski

    Sales, Cigars, and the Relationships That Build a Business with Jim Zazenski
    Sep 8 2026

    Walter Crosby sits down with entrepreneur Jim Zazenski to talk cigars, relationship-driven sales, building a high-end sign business, hiring salespeople, accountability, mentorship, and the lessons learned from decades in business.

    What can a cigar shop teach you about sales, relationships, leadership, and building a business?

    Quite a bit.

    In this episode of Sales & Cigars, Walter Crosby sits down with Jim Zazenski at Edward's Pipe & Tobacco in Englewood, Colorado—a shop Jim has been frequenting for more than 20 years.

    The conversation begins with cigars and the unique relationships that form around them. For Jim, cigar shops have become much more than places to smoke. They are places where friendships are built, business gets discussed, perspectives are challenged, and even an informal "board of directors" can emerge over a few good sticks.

    From there, Walter and Jim dig into Jim's career and the growth of his custom manufacturing sign company, including its work on high-end properties throughout Las Vegas. Jim explains why his company refuses to compete simply on price, how value engineering helps protect both quality and margin, and why doing the right thing for a customer can be far more valuable than maximizing a single transaction.

    They also get deep into the realities of managing salespeople: hiring mistakes, compensation plans, account concentration, prospecting, autonomy, accountability, and the danger of letting a successful salesperson become too comfortable.

    It is a conversation about cigars, certainly—but underneath it is a discussion about relationships, standards, hard work, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.

    About Jim Zazenski

    Jim Zazenski is an entrepreneur with a background spanning engineering, operations, sales, marketing, and custom manufacturing. His company specializes in high-end interior signage and wayfinding solutions for complex properties, including extensive work throughout Las Vegas.

    He is also a longtime cigar enthusiast who has spent more than two decades frequenting Edward's Pipe & Tobacco in Englewood, Colorado.

    His daily cigar of choice?

    A Padrón 5000.

    And his philosophy is equally straightforward:

    Life is too short to smoke a bad cigar.

    Continue the Conversation

    Want more conversations about sales, entrepreneurship, leadership, and, of course, cigars?

    Listen to the full episode of Sales & Cigars here:
    https://helixsalesdevelopment.com/podcast/

    The only smoke we blow is from cigars.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 29 min
  • A New Chapter for Sales & Cigars

    A New Chapter for Sales & Cigars
    Aug 25 2026
    A New Chapter for Sales & Cigars Sales & Cigars is changing. In this behind-the-scenes episode, Walter Crosby sits down with producer Mark Labriola II to talk about the next chapter of the podcast—and why it was time to make a shift. After years of remote conversations, the show is moving toward a more immersive, in-person format with stronger production, longer conversations, and a much bigger emphasis on cigars. But the core of the show isn't changing. Sales, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the real experiences behind building a business will still drive the conversation. The difference is that those topics will now come through more naturally—over cigars, face-to-face, in environments designed for deeper and more interesting conversations. Walter and Mark talk candidly about Zoom fatigue, storytelling, production value, building authority through podcasting, and why the best conversations often happen when you stop trying to force the "perfect" interview. Consider this your preview of what's coming next. Episode Highlights Why Sales & Cigars is changing its formatMoving away from primarily remote interviews toward in-person conversationsWhy listeners are experiencing Zoom and remote-video fatigueBringing cigars further to the forefront of the showCreating more natural conversations around sales and entrepreneurshipWhy face-to-face conversations create different energyIncreasing the production quality of the podcastMoving toward longer-form conversations driven by chemistry rather than a rigid clockThe role podcasting can play in building authority and thought leadershipCreating more short-form content between full episodesTaking Sales & Cigars into cigar lounges and potentially other citiesWhat listeners can expect from the upcoming season What's Changing More cigars. Cigars will become a bigger part of the conversation—not simply as branding, but as a way to learn about guests, their stories, and the experiences that connect people around them. More in-person conversations. Instead of another remote video call, Walter will increasingly sit across from guests and let conversations unfold naturally. Better production. The new episodes will feature stronger visuals, better sound, and environments that better reflect the personality of Sales & Cigars. Longer conversations. Rather than forcing every episode into the same structure, conversations will go as long as the chemistry and subject matter warrant. The same business value. Sales, leadership, entrepreneurship, and growth remain at the heart of the show. The goal is simply to uncover those lessons through more organic conversations. Why the Change? Remote podcasting made conversations possible during a period when nearly everything moved online. But today, many people spend their entire workday moving from one virtual meeting to another. Another split-screen interview can easily become something to scroll past. The new Sales & Cigars aims to create something different: the feeling that you're sitting in the room while two people have a conversation you actually want to hear. The objective is still to educate—but also to entertain, tell better stories, and create the kinds of conversations that lead to unexpected ideas. Who Should Listen This episode is especially valuable for: Longtime Sales & Cigars listeners wondering what's nextEntrepreneurs who enjoy candid conversations about businessSales professionals looking for practical ideas without another scripted interviewCigar enthusiasts interested in the stories behind what people smoke and whyBusiness owners using content to build authority and grow their brandAnyone interested in the behind-the-scenes evolution of a podcast Want to Be Part of the New Format? Have a great cigar story? An entrepreneurial journey worth talking about? A sales lesson learned the hard way? As Sales & Cigars expands its in-person format, Walter and the team are looking for interesting people and conversations—potentially from cigar lounges and cities around the country. Reach out to the Sales & Cigars team if you think there's a conversation worth having. Continue the Conversation The same philosophy behind the new Sales & Cigars format also drives the Sales Integrator Community: better conversations, practical learning, and access to ideas that help sales professionals improve. The community is built specifically for salespeople and sales managers who want an edge and want support from someone who has spent more than 40 years learning the profession the hard way. Inside, members can access coaching insights, practical sales tools, resources, and ongoing conversations designed to help them get better at the craft. Free forever. Special founding member badges are available for the first 250 members. Join the Sales Integrator Community here: https://helix-community.circle.so/join?invitation_token=8b6622d942c852339d856b2af3504123cf9476e2-8b78b151-d94f-46df-a26b-ec4a6df24460 Subscribe to ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    12 min
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
Ancora nessuna recensione