Close The Deal Podcast

In this episode of Close The Deal, Sam Caruso, Vistage Chair,  shares why working on the business instead of in it leads to clearer thinking, better leadership decisions, and stronger long term growth. 

You will learn

• How working in the business keeps leaders stuck
• Why better questions lead to better decisions
• How to spot when you are doing the wrong work
• How strong mindset improves sales and leadership clarity
• How to step back and l...

Ari reveals the system behind trust based selling and why the old way of selling no longer works. He shares the moment that changed everything, the process that stops ghosting, and how to use the One Call Trust Method to build trust fast. This episode will help you shift from chasing prospects to building clarity and confidence in every call.

Key points
• Why trust collapses faster than ever
• The call that changed Ari’s ent...

Logic does not close deals. Emotion does.
In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, Corey Cousins breaks down the biggest mistake salespeople make and why relying on logic, features, and data often causes prospects to hesitate, stall, or disappear.

Corey is the Vice President of Sales at Destination Motivation, the number one sales and lead conversion incentive company in the nation. He has trained thousands of sales profes...

Standing out has never mattered more. With AI Search rewriting the rules, the voices that rise to the top are the ones backed by real authority and real conversations. That is why podcasting has become such an essential tool for entrepreneurs and creators.

In this episode, Ewell Smith sits down with Parker Olson, founder of PodPitch.com, whose wild journey from living in a tent to running product giveaways on airplanes has turned hi...

Want to raise your in-home close rate without high-pressure tactics? Dominic Caminata from Grosso University breaks down five proven steps that turn more kitchen-table conversations into confident yes decisions. Learn how to slow down to speed up, build trust fast, present with clarity, and use the Grosso method to win more jobs at higher margins.

This episode gives you simple, repeatable tools to improve your close rate this week.

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Are your billboard ads doing more harm than good? In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, veteran marketer and outdoor advertising expert Eric Murr breaks down the 11 most common billboard ad mistakes that drain budgets, confuse audiences, and sabotage sales.

From bloated designs and misleading calls to action — to ignoring your digital reality — Eric shares real-world insights that could save you thousands and radically impr...

Why do so many founders hit a wall at one, three, or ten million in revenue? Sales strategist Nicole Vorkapic reveals the three hidden gaps that keep businesses from scaling—and how to fix them fast.

In this episode, Close The Deal Podcast host Ewell Smith sits down with Nicole to unpack the patterns that cause sales to plateau and what it takes to create systems that scale. Drawing from her experience leading national sales teams m...

Ever leave a networking event and realize no one remembers you? Ewell Smith shares a simple, low-cost trick that guarantees you’ll stand out and stay remembered - long after the meeting ends.

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Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by...

Fear stops more deals than rejection ever will. In this episode of The Close The Deal Podcast, host Ewell Smith sits down with Angie Wedell, founder of Blended Strategies, to talk about courage, confidence, and the mindset that helps salespeople close with authenticity.

Angie shares her “Five Minutes of Guts” philosophy — a practical way to overcome fear one moment at a time — and explains how understanding the DISC profile can impr...

Most business owners and sales professionals make the same mistake when giving their 1-minute pitch at a networking meeting — they try to promote more than one thing.

In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, Ewell Smith explains why a clear, single-message pitch is far more powerful. You’ll learn how to grab attention, connect emotionally, and be remembered long after the meeting ends.

Perfect for BNI, Chamber of Commerce, and ...

Learn how top sales and marketing trainer Russell Richardson turned social media into a dealership goldmine - and why consistency closes more deals.

What if you could stop chasing leads — and make customers come looking for you? In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, Ewell Smith sits down with automotive sales trainer Russell Richardson, known online as @RussFlipsWhips, who built a dealership empire by turning social media i...

SEO isn’t what it used to be—and AI is changing the rules faster than anyone expected. In this Close The Deal Podcastepisode, host Ewell Smith talks with Lonnie, founder of Local SEO Help, about how AI, Google updates, and voice search are transforming visibility for every business online.

From website redesign mistakes that destroy rankings to why Google now rewards human expertise over algorithms, this conversation reveals what’s ...

Sales is changing faster than most people realize, and artificial intelligence is leading the charge. In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, I sit down with Henry Hayes, founder of Disrupt Ready and adjunct professor at LSU, to unpack what AI really means for sales pros today.

We dig into why buyers instantly spot self-serving sales tactics, how mentorship pulls your career forward, and why ignoring AI is like ignoring the i...

Knowing how to overcome objections is one thing - but hearing it in action is where the real learning happens. In Part 2 of this Close The Deal conversation, sales trainer Lisa Laird role-plays the most common objections salespeople face from owners and demonstrates exactly how to respond with confidence.

You’ll hear Lisa walk through:

 > The perfect response when prospects ask you to “Send an email with prices”
 >...

Every salesperson has heard it before: “Leave your card.” “Just email me.” “I’m not interested.”

In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, sales trainer and 20-year insurance veteran Lisa Laird reveals how to flip the top 5 most common objections into opportunities that close.

Lisa shares:

• Why confidence (not aggressiveness) is the key to sales
• Her GET Method for securing appointments fast
• How to respond when a prospect wants y...

At 79 years old, Harlon Pierce is still leading, innovating, and creating opportunities in the seafood industry. From Katrina to catfish, hear how he embraced change, built new markets, and mentored a generation of leaders.

This milestone episode dives deep into crisis management, pricing strategies, and the power of mentorship.

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Ewell Smith is talking with sales and...

Hurricane season isn’t just about weathering the storm - it’s about surviving the insurance battle afterward. In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Frazier of Forefront 360 to reveal how preparation, documentation, and technology can save homeowners and businesses millions.

Takeaways:

• Why most policyholders fail to prepare for claims
• The five most common insurance mistakes
• How property data transforms the claims process
• Real-wor...

What if you could fast-track your franchise success by learning directly from someone already doing it? That’s exactly what Painter1’s mentorship program delivers.

In this episode of the Close the Deal Podcast, host Ewell Smith talks with mentor Keith and two new franchisees, Mikeand Dallas, about their experience going from training to revenue in record time.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• Why Painter1’s mentor-led onboard...

What if you could overhaul your life—and your business—in 30 days? At 61, Mike Pedersen did just that. On this episode of Close The Deal, he reveals how he left a comfortable life in Arizona to travel the world, and in the process, built a powerhouse B2B consulting practice. We talk sales systems, CEO blind spots, the 21-Day Revenue Sprint, and his viral “Decide Fast” app.

🔥 Key Topics:

• Rewiring sales teams for results
• Overcoming...