50. Find Your Why, Then Go the Distance - with Troy Meadows

Welcome back to Thoughts on Selling. This one’s a little different — and a little deeper. I had the chance to sit down with fellow ultrarunner, entrepreneur, and coach Troy Meadows to talk about something foundational: your why — personally, professionally, and organizationally.

Just like an ultramarathon, building something meaningful in sales (or life) demands more than tactics. You need a reason to keep going when it gets hard. And believe me, it will get hard.

🏃‍♂️ Key Takeaways

• Your “why” is your North Star: Whether you're selling software or running 100 miles, the why behind your effort determines how you show up when it gets tough.

• Good sales isn’t about features — it’s about values: If your customer’s why and your company’s values align, magic happens. Think 20-year partnerships, not transactional closes.

• Hire for values, not just skills: High performers who aren’t aligned to the mission will quietly (or loudly) tank your culture and your customer experience.

• Sales enablement starts with clarity: A solid mission, vision, and values set the foundation for every positioning doc, every sales pitch, and every customer interaction.

• Add value like it’s a practice: Whether you’re coaching athletes or consulting startups, assume others don’t know what you know — and serve from that place.

🥾 Favorite Moments

• The "family provider" and "community role model" stories that show how powerful a personal why can be.

• Troy’s perspective on vesting sales commissions over time to drive customer-centric behavior.

• A classic Merck example that shows what institutional alignment really looks like — and how sales reps need to meet their customer’s mission head-on.

• Why hiring “no jerks” should be a non-negotiable core value.

🧭 Recommendations

• Leaders: Post your values where your team and your customers can see them — literally. Make them part of the conversation.

• Sellers: Stop pitching and start listening for your customer’s why. Align there, and the deal follows.

• Marketers: Build messaging from the inside out — starting with mission, vision, and values, not product specs.

• Everyone: Revisit your personal why often. It evolves. Make sure your work still serves it.

🏔️ Big thanks to Troy for helping me stretch this episode beyond the usual sales playbook. If you're into running, business building, or just figuring out what makes you tick, check out the Mid Packer Pod and connect with him on LinkedIn.

As always, I’d love to hear what resonated for you — and what action you’re taking next.