John Ray is a business consultant, executive coach, author, speaker, and podcast host who helps professional service providers grow through stronger client relationships, clear value positioning, and confident pricing.

Working with attorneys, accountants, coaches, consultants, and other trusted advisors, John teaches professionals how to communicate their expertise more effectively, build lasting trust, and create businesses rooted in service rather than transactions. He is also the host of The Price and Value Journey podcast, where he shares practical insights on leadership, value creation, and sustainable business growth.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome John Ray to explore how a generosity mindset transforms relationships, pricing, and long-term business success. John explains that generosity isn't about giving everything away. It's about giving your attention, your expertise, your curiosity, and your willingness to truly understand the people you serve.

The conversation explores why clients often recognize value in us before we recognize it in ourselves, how testimonials can become powerful confidence-builders, and why asking better questions leads to deeper relationships. John also challenges sales professionals to stop relying on assumptions and instead approach every client with fresh curiosity, reminding us that "people are deep mysteries."

Whether you're navigating a difficult sales day or looking to create more meaningful customer relationships, this episode offers a refreshing reminder that generosity isn't a weakness—it's one of the strongest drivers of trust, referrals, and sustainable growth.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Generosity means creating more value than you take—not giving everything away.
• Clients often see strengths and value in you that you fail to recognize yourself.
• Testimonials and client feedback can become powerful reminders of your impact.
• The best professionals lead with attention, curiosity, and genuine service.
• Never assume every client values the same things—keep asking thoughtful questions.
• Relationships deepen when you treat every customer as a unique individual.
• Giving value consistently creates trust, referrals, and long-term business growth.
• A generosity mindset helps sales professionals move beyond comparison, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

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Ian Selbie is a globally recognized sales expert, author, speaker, and podcast host with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations improve sales performance and sustainable growth.

He has trained and coached more than 17,000 sales professionals worldwide and previously worked at Apple, where he was named the company’s Top Salesperson in the World in 1990.

Ian is the author of If You Were Arrested for Selling, Would There Be Enough Evidence to Convict You? and the host of Confessions of a Sales Pro.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Ian Selbie to discuss selling with curiosity, compassion, and strong fundamentals.

Ian shares his framework: “Call high, find the pain, bring the gain, and do it again and again.” He explains why salespeople should begin with decision-makers, uncover real business challenges before presenting solutions, and avoid sending proposals to unqualified opportunities.

The conversation also explores several of Ian’s “Seven Deadly Sins in Selling,” including calling too low, proposing too early, and expecting CRM technology to fix a broken sales process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Selling from the heart begins with genuine curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to helping customers succeed.
• Start every opportunity at the highest level possible—decision-makers can say yes, while influencers often cannot.
• "Call high, find the pain, bring the gain" provides a simple framework for creating meaningful customer conversations.
• Never present a proposal before you've fully qualified the opportunity and uncovered the customer's true business challenges.
• Technology doesn't fix poor sales fundamentals—a CRM only amplifies the quality of your existing sales process.
• The strongest path into executive leadership is through earned referrals built on trust and consistent value.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose

Karl Schmidt is the Co-Founder of A to B Insight, where he helps organizations transform their sales approach by aligning with how customers actually make decisions. Drawing on years of experience at leading firms including Boston Consulting Group and Gartner, Karl has conducted award-winning research into buyer behavior, commercial strategy, and complex B2B decision-making—including work that contributed to the groundbreaking insights behind The Challenger Sale.

As the co-author of The Framemaking Sale, Karl equips sales leaders and organizations with practical frameworks for increasing buyer confidence, simplifying complex decisions, and creating customer experiences built on trust rather than pressure. His research and thought leadership have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and other leading business publications, making him one of today's foremost voices on decision science in modern sales.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Karl Schmidt, Co-Founder of A to B Insight and co-author of The Framemaking Sale, for a fascinating conversation about how customers truly make decisions—and why helping buyers gain confidence is more valuable than simply persuading them.

Karl introduces the concept of "framemaking," explaining that exceptional sales professionals don't just provide information or recommend solutions—they help buyers navigate complexity, clarify priorities, and build confidence in their own decision-making process.

The conversation explores groundbreaking research showing that buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, high-quality purchases. Rather than focusing solely on convincing prospects that your solution is the best, Karl explains why helping buyers feel confident in themselves creates better outcomes, stronger trust, and longer-lasting customer relationships.

Listeners will also discover why emotions play a critical role in decision-making, how trust is built through shared experiences, and practical ways to simplify buying decisions while preserving customer autonomy.

If you want to become the trusted guide your customers need—not just another salesperson competing for attention—this episode offers a refreshing, research-backed perspective on modern selling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Buyer decision confidence is one of the strongest predictors of successful, low-regret purchasing decisions.
• Great sales professionals help buyers gain confidence in themselves—not just confidence in the product.
• The best sales conversations move customers through know → feel → do, not simply know → do.
• Framemaking helps customers organize complexity instead of overwhelming them with information.
• Customers value guidance that preserves their autonomy rather than pressure that limits it.
• Helping buyers make the best decision—even if it's not your solution—builds long-term trust

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book: Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.

Subscribe to The Selling from the Heart Podcast Youtube Channel! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTube

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
Click Here for Your Daily Dose