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PODCAST

Closing Conversations

Closing Conversations is a podcast for founders, leaders, and sellers who win together - featuring insightful discussions on leadership, team building, and strategies for driving success in sales and business.

business careers

All Episodes

36:09

Episode 25: Why Great Founders Never Really Retire...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/04/07

Dan Bauer has done a little bit of everything — founder, operator, marketer, mentor, advisor — and somehow makes it all sound simple. In this episode, we talk about: Why cold outreach keeps getting harder The difference between real connection and fake familiarityWhy founders need other founders in their cornerHow to sell to pain instead of pitching featuresWhy retirement is the wrong goal for entrepreneurial people Dan brings decades of experience across startups, consulting, brand str...

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39:37

Episode 24: Enterprise Sales Isn’t a Volume Game...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/03/24

Itai Karelic has built revenue in some of the toughest environments there are: deep tech, long sales cycles, tiny buyer universes, and deals where every conversation matters. In this episode, we talk about: • Why enterprise sales in telecom and energy is nothing like high-volume SaaS • The difference between hunters, farmers, and technical sales in complex deals • Why experienced sellers still need leadership, structure, and honest forecasting • How discipline, rejection tolerance, and patte...

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35:25

Episode 23: The CRM That Calls You to Practice And...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/03/10

Elias Moosman is the founder of ThetaDriven, and he’s building something that feels inevitable in hindsight: a sales “CRM” that’s less about data entry—and more like a flight simulator + checklist that coaches you through real conversations. But the bigger story is the tech underneath it: a framework designed to fight drift—the way meaning, context, and outputs warp over time inside complex systems (and especially inside AI-powered workflows). In this episode, we talk about: * Why AI drift i...

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29:21

Episode 22: AI Anxiety, Tool Fatigue, and the New...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/02/25

David Foos is the CEO and President of Massive Dynamics, a global management consulting firm built by entrepreneurs—and run like it. In this episode, we talk about: * Why “time and capital” are the only two resources that matter (and neither is renewable) * The anti-consulting model: 30-day contracts, zero ego, and clients who stay for years * The “dirty half dozen” problems most leadership teams keep repeating * Why most modern sales scripts are painful—and how to sell by actually helping *...

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45:27

Episode 21: The Handoff Is the Whole Game: Sales, CS,...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/02/03

Lincoln Murphy has been in the CS world since before most people knew what “customer success” even meant—and he’s blunt about what actually makes companies grow. In this episode, we get into: * Why sales overstuff deals (and what it signals about your post-sale motion) * How to build trust between Sales and CS so customers don’t feel the seams * The handoff play that prevents “surprises, unknowns, and repeating yourself” * Strategic unbundling: holding back the right features so expansion be...

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51:31

Episode 20: The Real Flex is Integrity (with Brian...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/01/20

Brian J. Esposito doesn’t do small talk—and neither do I. We sat down, poured a bourbon, and went straight into the stuff most founders and leaders avoid saying out loud. In this episode, we talk about: * Why “taking the L” is sometimes protection, not failure * How work becomes a socially acceptable addiction * The difference between wanting more and needing more * Integrity when you’re broke, winning, or rebuilding from zero * Why the wrong people can’t look you in the eye—and what to do w...

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42:43

Episode 19: Sell Like a Human: Boundaries,...

Closing Conversations ·

2026/01/07

Sarah Hardwick has raised $140M+ and helped spark one of the most passionate communities in crowdfunding. In this episode, we get real about: * Why vulnerability and values beat “slick” every time * Cadence over quota—building routines that keep you sane and productive * Saying the unpopular thing (and why “no” is a power move) * Genius zones, Kairos vs. Chronos, and designing your week to win * How to build a movement that funds itself—without faking it Whether you’re coaching a team, ...

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9:22

Episode 18: 2025 Wrapped: Closing Conversations

Closing Conversations ·

2025/12/17

This is a solo, year-in-review episode of Closing Conversations. After a year of conversations with founders, operators, consultants, and sales leaders, certain themes became impossible to ignore. Rather than recap individual guests or moments, this episode pulls together the patterns that showed up again and again—regardless of industry, title, or experience level. In this reflection, Max shares what hosting Closing Conversations clarified about sales, leadership, and building teams that act...

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31:36

Episode 17: Play to Learn, Build to Last (with John...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/12/03

John Salzinger builds products that matter and the markets around them. As the founder behind MPOWERD’s category-creating solar lights (5M lives impacted, B Corp score 140) and now Haven Lantern, John blends purpose with ruthless practicality. In this episode, we get into: * Why “play to learn” beats “play to win” for founders and sellers * Lean, founder-controlled go-to-market (and when capital quietly becomes a boss) * Culture you don’t manufacture—people you actually want to work wit...

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38:26

Episode 16: Work Ethic Isn’t a Perk: Hiring Hunger,...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/11/12

Hope Brick has sat on every side of the table—fashion operator, VP, and now Founder of BRICK Executive Search placing leaders across luxury, fashion, and beauty. In this episode, we talk about: * The 3 hiring signals that never go out of style: hungry, coachable, personable * Why “work–life balance” as a #1 priority can be a tell—and how to probe it without being a jerk * Boundaries vs. burnout: on-days, off-days, and protecting your battery so you can win the week * Remote vs. in-perso...

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39:03

Episode 15: Comp Plans That Actually Drive Behavior...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/10/28

Sales compensation should be simple, fast, and trusted—but too often it’s the opposite. Antoine Fort (Cofounder & CEO, Qobra) joins me to break down what really works in 2025 and what to ditch for good. We talk about: * Why spreadsheets and clever-but-confusing plans destroy trust * The “two KPI” rule for clarity and motivation * Paying monthly on quarterly/yearly targets (and how pacing actually works) * Accelerators vs. decelerators—and when they help or harm * Setting achievable ...

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41:11

Episode 14: Why Alignment Beats Attribution and...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/10/14

Casie Gillette has spent nearly two decades turning demand gen into pipeline—from agency days and SEO’s rise to leading member & sponsor marketing at The Suite. In this episode, we get into: * Why the last 5 years changed marketing more than the previous 15 * Getting beyond generic content: publish the specifics buyers can’t Google * True ABM (really contact-based): precision ICPs, lists that actually qualify, and where Clay fits * Email is saturated—what still works (and where hu...

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37:27

Episode 13: The Sales Secret Behind a No-Outreach...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/09/30

Adam Brown doesn’t run ads. He doesn’t cold call. He doesn’t outsource sales. And yet, his social agency, Sircle Media, has been growing strong for 13+ years—powered entirely by trust, content, and a daily presence on LinkedIn. In this episode, we dig into: * How Adam built a no-outreach business through consistency and transparency * Why lazy AI posts actually repel good leads * The difference between posting for clicks vs. posting for clients * Tactical tips to make content a real s...

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47:52

Episode 12: Why Employer Branding is Broken and How...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/09/16

Brano Vargic has seen every side of HR—from CHRO at major banks to founder of a fast-scaling HR tech platform. In this episode, we talk about: * Why employer branding starts with the business—not HR * The danger of building a company people “like” (instead of one people want to work for) * How to reverse-engineer job ads that actually attract the right candidates * What e-commerce can teach us about recruiting top talent * How to convert passive candidates—without wasting a single lea...

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40:50

Episode 11: Warm Outreach, Real Relationships, and...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/09/08

Dave Sifry is the definition of a serial entrepreneur—founder of nine tech companies, from Technorati to Warm Start, and a former exec at Lyft and Reddit. Dave’s built category-defining companies, worked inside some of tech’s biggest names, and now he’s helping others rediscover the power of their own networks—with the help of AI. Whether you’re a founder looking for your first 10 customers or a seller trying to hit quota without burning out, this one hits home. In this episode, we talk...

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33:26

Episode 10: Stop Carrying Extra Weight (with Amos...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/08/19

What happens when you let go of pressure, stop chasing the next thing, and start really living the work you’re doing? Amos Schwartzfarb has led six companies, authored two books, advised hundreds of founders—and somehow still found the time to release a new indie rock single. He’s someone who’s learned (and earned) perspective, and in this episode, we get deep into it. We talk about: * Letting go of outcome obsession * Why “being in sales” doesn’t mean selling * The self-imposed pressure that...

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37:10

Episode 9: 140,000 Cold Calls Later: How to Lead and...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/08/06

In this episode of Closing Conversations, Max sits down with Yusuf Ongel, founder of XDRhub and self-proclaimed cold calling beast. With over 140,000 dials under his belt, Yusuf shares what most teams get wrong about sales development—and how to fix it. They dig into: * Why most SDRs fail (and what real enablement looks like) * What’s changed in outbound over the past 5 years * Why coaching is the job of sales leadership * How cold calling is still the #1 channel—if you know how to use it I...

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33:31

Episode 8: Why Product-Led Growth Wins (When the...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/07/23

Kristen Habacht has done it all—CSM, CRO, COO, and now CEO of Elly.ai. In this episode, we talk about: How product-led growth really worksWhy most hiring processes are totally brokenThe art of simple, honest marketingHow great sellers don’t all come from SalesforceWhat it takes to scale a product that actually sells itself Whether you’re a founder trying to build GTM from scratch or a seller figuring out where the industry’s headed, Kristen brings clarity, humor, and no-BS insight to all of...

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39:40

Episode 7: Why Most Sales Teams Plateau—And How to...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/07/08

Ken Pouliot has led enterprise sales teams at Box, Gigya, Percolate, and SheerID—scaling revenue from $10M to $75M. In this episode, he joins Max to break down why most teams stall, what real enablement looks like, and how the best sellers stay relevant while the rest rely on shortcuts. No fluff. Just what it takes to win. In this episode, we cover: – How AI is changing sales roles and startup strategy – Why real enablement (not onboarding theater) drives performance – The...

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31:14

Episode 6: Social Proof, Smart Sales, and the Tech...

Closing Conversations ·

2025/06/18

Bryan Lemster has advised hundreds of startups across AI, blockchain, wearable tech, and beyond. But he’s not interested in buzzwords—he backs companies solving real problems for real people. In this episode, we cover: How to succeed in founder-led salesWhy social proof should be your GTM backboneWhat happens when startups chase the wrong ICPWhen to flex your roadmap for big-name clients—and when to walkHow macro-economic conditions shape product successAnd Bryan’s wild (but deeply prac...

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25 results

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