Kim Bohr is CEO at SparkEffect, where she helps executive teams navigate disruption, organizational change, and emerging technology without sacrificing trust.

With more than 25 years of cross-functional leadership experience, Kim advises leaders on aligning business strategy with human-centered practices that strengthen performance and relationships. Her work includes the SparkEffect Trust Elasticity™ framework, designed to help organizations evaluate and strengthen trust during periods of change.

Kim is also a board advisor, adjunct lecturer, speaker, host of the Courage to Advance podcast, and author of Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned.

SHOW SUMMARY

What if every interaction with a buyer is either building trust or quietly eroding it?

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Kim Bohr to explore what it takes to build and protect trust in a world shaped by AI, disruption, informed buyers, and constant change.

Kim explains why authentic selling begins with genuinely believing that what you offer will improve the customer's work or life. She shares how trust is created through consistent patterns, honest communication, and actions that demonstrate you truly have the customer's best interests at heart.

The conversation also explores the changing role of sales professionals. Buyers may have more information than ever, but they still need someone who can provide context, ask thoughtful questions, connect the dots, and understand the realities behind their decisions. Kim challenges sellers to use AI to eliminate repetitive work—not replace critical thinking, curiosity, vulnerability, or human connection.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Serve before you sell. Believe in the value you bring before asking someone to buy.
• Trust is built through consistent patterns between what you say and what customers experience.
• Admitting when you don't know something can build more trust than pretending you do.
• Buyers may have information, but they still need sales professionals who can provide context and connect the dots.
• AI should support critical thinking and human connection—not replace them.
• Reinvest time saved through automation into research, better conversations, and stronger relationships.
• Understand the entire buying team, not just the person signing the agreement.
• Trust can be measured and should be treated as a meaningful business KPI.

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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Jason Kramer is the Founder and CEO of Cultivize, where he helps businesses transform their CRM systems into engines for sales growth. Working with organizations across multiple countries, Jason specializes in implementing structured, repeatable sales processes that improve lead conversion, strengthen customer relationships, and maximize revenue.

A trusted CRM strategist, speaker, and podcast guest, Jason is passionate about helping sales and marketing teams align around smarter systems, better data, and consistent execution that drives measurable results.

SHOW SUMMARY

What if your CRM became one of your greatest sales assets instead of another administrative task?

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Jason Kramer to discuss why CRM success has very little to do with software—and everything to do with mindset, process, accountability, and consistency.

Jason explains that many salespeople view CRM as a reporting tool for management when it should be a performance tool that helps them prioritize opportunities, remember important customer details, and consistently follow through on commitments. He shares why even the most advanced technology cannot compensate for an undefined sales process or inconsistent leadership.

The conversation also explores the growing role of AI, automation, lead scoring, buying signals, and meeting transcripts. Jason offers practical strategies for reducing administrative work, improving follow-up, and helping sales professionals spend more time doing what matters most—building authentic relationships with their customers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Shift your CRM mindset from reporting to revenue generation.
• Technology cannot fix a broken or undefined sales process.
• Consistent follow-up builds trust and protects customer relationships.
• Leaders must model CRM adoption and create accountability across the team.
• Lead scoring and customer insights help prioritize the right opportunities.
• AI and automation should reduce administrative work—not replace relationships.
• Ongoing coaching and reinforcement are essential for long-term CRM success.
• Strong CRM habits improve consistency, productivity, and sales performance.
• The best CRM is the one your team actually uses every day.

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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Jim Effner is a master sales trainer, author, and founder of P2P Group, where he helps financial advisors and agency leaders achieve stronger results through mindset mastery, proven sales systems, and intentional communication.

A former top producer at Northwestern Mutual, Jim now trains financial professionals across the country to develop greater consistency, confidence, and mastery in their sales careers. He is also the author of Bridge Your Gap: Sales Strategies and Systems for Becoming a Top Financial Advisor.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome Jim Effner to explore why sustainable sales success requires more than motivation, natural ability, or increased activity. It requires a proven system, disciplined habits, and a commitment to continually practice your craft.

Jim explains how a reliable process helps salespeople stop operating according to their mood, energy, or confidence level. He also introduces the idea of becoming “professionally perturbed”—reaching the point where inconsistent performance is no longer acceptable and meaningful change becomes necessary.

The conversation explores mastery, accountability, intentional questioning, and authentic relationship-building. Jim shares that prospects need to feel three things: that they can trust you, that you genuinely care, and that you have the knowledge to help them. When those qualities are combined with a proven system and consistent practice, sales professionals can close the gap between their current results and their true potential.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Stop winging it. Sales results become unpredictable when your actions depend on how you feel that day.
• Commit to a proven system that creates consistency, sustainability, and a clear path forward.
• Become “professionally perturbed” enough to stop accepting inconsistent performance.
• Remember that simple does not mean easy. Mastery still requires discipline, repetition, and effort.
• Schedule time to practice your sales skills instead of relying only on experience.
• Create accountability that measures your ability to apply what you have learned.
• Help prospects feel that they can trust you, that you care, and that you are knowledgeable.
• Avoid chasing every new sales trend. Choose a proven system, commit to it, and refine it over time.
• Bring intentionality to every conversation instead of relying on improvisation.

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:
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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

Get Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:
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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:
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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

Mary Jane Copps helps sales professionals win more business by rediscovering the power of real-time conversations. For more than 20 years, she has coached sales teams, entrepreneurs, startups and customer service professionals how to build trust, open doors and strengthen relationships through effective phone, video and in-person communication. Her practical approach helps people turn everyday conversations into meaningful connections, leading to stronger client relationships and more business.

Mary Jane has worked with more than 800 organizations and trained over 30,000 professionals across North America and internationally in France, Britain and Australia. Her expertise has been featured by a wide range of media including Fox News, the BBC, CBC, and in The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

She publishes a blog each week that explores one valuable skill people can use immediately to strengthen their conversations with clients and prospects. This aligns with her mission to help companies increase their real-time conversations instead of losing opportunities by avoiding them.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome communication expert Mary Jane Copps—known as "The Phone Lady"—for a timely conversation about one of the most overlooked skills in modern sales: having meaningful real-time conversations.

As automation, AI, email, and texting continue to dominate business communication, Mary Jane explains why authentic voice-to-voice conversations remain one of the greatest competitive advantages a sales professional can have. She shares how curiosity, empathy, preparation, and genuine interest in others transform ordinary sales calls into lasting business relationships.

Together, they explore why conversational skills are declining, how sales professionals can intentionally rebuild them, and practical techniques for creating stronger customer connections—from asking better open-ended questions to leaving compelling voicemails and following up with empathy instead of pressure.

If you've ever wondered whether phone calls still matter in today's digital world, this episode delivers a compelling reminder that trust is built one conversation at a time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Great sales conversations begin by focusing on the customer, not yourself.
• Curiosity and empathy create stronger relationships than scripted pitches.
• Real-time conversations remain one of the most valuable—and underdeveloped—sales skills.
• Technology should support communication, not replace human connection.
• Open-ended questions encourage meaningful dialogue and uncover deeper customer needs.
• Your voice communicates conviction, authenticity, and enthusiasm in ways email never can.

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:
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Mark Hunter, CSP, known globally as “The Sales Hunter,” is a renowned sales expert, keynote speaker, consultant, and best-selling author who helps organizations transform how they approach sales. With more than 30 years of experience in sales leadership, he has worked with companies around the world to help sales teams identify better prospects, build stronger relationships, and close deals with confidence and integrity.

Before launching his company, The Sales Hunter, Mark spent nearly two decades in the sales and marketing divisions of Fortune 200 companies, leading large sales teams and developing high-performing sales strategies. He is the author of several influential books, including High-Profit Prospecting, High-Profit Selling, and A Mind for Sales, and is widely recognized for his practical insights on prospecting, mindset, and building trust-based sales relationships that drive long-term business success.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of Selling from the Heart, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy welcome renowned sales expert, author, and keynote speaker Mark Hunter, known around the world as "The Sales Hunter," to discuss his latest book, Integrity First Selling: How to Create Better Sales with Better Customers.

Mark challenges conventional sales thinking by reminding listeners that sales is not about moving products—it's about serving people. He explains why the most successful sales professionals focus on helping buyers achieve outcomes they never thought possible rather than simply chasing quotas, commissions, or quarter-end numbers.

The conversation explores what it truly means to put integrity first in sales, including aligning with the buyer's journey, building trust through transparency, and playing the long game even when short-term pressure tempts salespeople to do otherwise. Mark also shares practical insights on prospecting, pipeline development, leadership, accountability, and why many organizations mistakenly create the very buying behaviors they complain about.

In a marketplace increasingly crowded by AI-generated noise and transactional selling, Mark makes the case that trust, authenticity, and consistency remain the most valuable competitive advantages a salesperson can possess.

This episode is a powerful reminder that sales done with integrity doesn't just create better customers—it creates better careers, stronger relationships, and lasting success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sales is fundamentally about serving people, not selling products.
• Integrity-first selling requires joining the buyer's journey rather than forcing your own agenda.
• Long-term trust always outperforms short-term sales tactics.
• End-of-quarter discounting often trains customers to delay purchasing decisions.
• Healthy pipelines eliminate desperation and create better customer experiences.
• Sales leaders should focus on creating opportunities, not simply closing deals.

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