15. How Faith Fuels Revenue: Brent Long's Playbook

Brent Long's story reads like a movie: farm-kid grit, two back surgeries, getting hit by a car during recovery, and a zig-zag through college that included funding tuition in an…unusual way—before God reoriented his identity and calling. Today, Brent coaches leaders and sales teams to grow principled revenue without the "slimy" stuff—anchored in Scripture and heart-level behavior change.

We unpack how John 5 reframed his work: Jesus asks, "Do you want to be made well?" Brent translates that into sales as service—questions that cut through noise, clarify commitment, and lead to real solutions. He breaks down his S.A.L.E.S. framework—Seek, Ask, Listen, Excel, Solidify—and his S.A.L.T.Y. questioning—Straightforward, Aimed at the heart, Leading to a solution, Timely, Yielding a result—so teams stop clogging their pipelines and start creating outcomes.

Brent also talks ideal clients (yes, many aren't people of faith), why assessment and coaching beat tips & tricks, and how leaders can simplify metrics, coach the few behaviors that matter, and start stacking wins. We close with the book that almost didn't get finished—and why his weekly class and periodic intensives keep teams practicing, not just reading.

Highlights

• From injury, setback, and identity crisis to calling and clarity
• Why "faith-based" selling ≠ pressure; it's service + commitment
• S.A.L.E.S.: Seek → Ask → Listen → Excel → Solidify
• S.A.L.T.Y. questions that unstick pipelines and surface real commitment
• Case studies: doubling output in 10 months; $3.5M → $20M in ~5 years
• Assessments that say who shouldn't be on the team (and why that's loving)
• Weekly sales class (3-month minimum) + bootcamps/intensives

New here? Subscribe for more leadership, EQ, and faith-in-work conversations.

Links:

• FREE GIFTS FOR LEADERS: https://leadwithstan.com
• MORE INFO: https://www.stangibsonspeaks.com

Guest Links:

• Book Signing Event Recap.mp4
• [e-mail]
• www.longonlife.com

 

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 00:00 Intro & show setup
• 03:15 Meet Brent: family of 14 (!), grandkids
• 05:30 Farm roots → work ethic
• 07:40 Ohio State, injuries & surgery #1
• 11:40 "I got hit by a car" → surgery #2
• 14:30 Extreme accountability & heart change
• 17:15 Funding college, the unexpected way
• 19:30 Integrity in unlikely places
• 21:00 From sports agency to revenue coaching
• 24:10 Why 90s sales training felt "slimy"
• 27:00 Turning to Scripture for a better way
• 29:20 John 5: "Do you want to be made well?"
• 32:00 Ideal clients (many not faith-based)
• 35:10 S.A.L.E.S.: Seek, Ask, Listen, Excel, Solidify
• 37:30 S.A.L.T.Y. questions & unclogging pipelines
• 41:00 Who should call Brent (and why)
• 42:45 Case studies: doubling output; $3.5M → $20M
• 44:50 Assessments & saying "no" to bad fits
• 47:00 Accountability, humility, growth mindset
• 49:10 Finishing the book (thanks to his wife!)
• 51:10 Where to get the book
• 52:00 Weekly class, intensives, bootcamps