From SDR Grind to Messy Growth – Ep. 22

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John sits down with Josh Roth who talks us through his early experience in inside sales with the New York Mets where he was grinding out 120 manual dials a day and learning to love the reps. He shares how aiming 20 extra calls daily sped up his learning and why he targeted businesses early. After two early-stage startups folded, he helped Mnet Health scale from roughly 5 to 12 million and then found his break as a top BDR manager at WalkMe before leading sales at Lob and Pipefy. Josh values learning over titles and surrounding himself with smarter people. For SDR teams today, he stresses real unit economics, the right tech stack, and measuring conversion rates over vanity activity. When hiring, he looks for hustle, determination, creativity, and coachability. He also shares his thoughts on AI SDR tools and where they stand today.

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John and Chris sit down with Mike Simmons, founder of Catalyst. Mike never planned on a career in sales, but his journey through operations and customer success eventually gave him the stability and drive to launch his own business. Mike talks about how Catalyst helps family-run manufacturing companies that have stalled in growth by stripping things back to basics. His approach relies on asking the right questions, focusing on what’s working, and testing new ideas in small groups before scaling. He also opens up about working with his son, who recently joined as an SDR, and how they use testing and curiosity to build outbound strategies. The conversation touches on the power of keeping messaging simple, the value of community groups like Pavilion, and how leaders can create space for learning and growth.

On this episode of Prospecting Pros, John and Chris are joined by Wesley Balmer, Director of Sales at Intake Breathing. Intake is the company behind the viral magnetic nasal strip that is helping over a million people breathe better, sleep deeper, and perform at higher levels. Wesley explains how one in three people experience nasal valve collapse, which impacts sleep, focus, and energy, and why the product has resonated so strongly online with more than 700 million views last year. Wesley talks about the life-changing impact for users, from athletes and resort guests to children who experience clear breathing for the first time. He also shares how Intake is moving into medical, dental, and fitness markets while fighting off knockoffs with a full suite of patents. The conversation highlights how small, nimble teams can validate markets quickly, and why partnerships and education will be key to Intake’s continued growth.

On this episode of Prospecting Pros, John and Chris talk with Eddie Cortez, a veteran SDR leader who has coached and managed hundreds of reps. Eddie shares his unusual path into sales, bouncing from real estate and contracting to car sales before finally breaking into tech. Since then, he has made it his mission to give back by helping the next generation of SDRs succeed. He explains why resilience, soft skills, and coachability are more important than a degree or polished resume. Eddie breaks down what separates top performers from the rest and how he trains reps using frameworks instead of rigid scripts, and the role effort and curiosity play in long-term success. The group also digs into how the SDR role is evolving, why AI enhances but does not replace salespeople, and some mistakes companies make when hiring their first SDR.

On this episode of Prospecting Pros, hosts John and Chris sit down with Justin Michael, author of Cold Call ALGO and longtime sales innovator. Justin shares his wild journey from boiler room telemarketing to consulting for hundreds of startups and writing eight books on sales. He explains why cold calling still dominates as the number one channel, backed by training data from over 200 sales teams, and how neuroscience proves most reps use broken openers that trigger fight-or-flight instead of real conversations. Justin talks about the limitations of email and LinkedIn automation, recent FCC regulations that have killed off AI voice cloning, and why clean phone data combined with smart dialing is the last big advantage left in outbound. He also introduces his ALGO method, a new framework for high-status openers and tough but respectful conversations that lead prospects to change.

On this episode of Prospecting Pros, host John Karsant sits down with Corey Bray, author, consultant, and sales enablement leader. Corey takes us through his journey from running prospecting experiments in 2008 to advising hundreds of companies and publishing multiple sales books. He breaks down why many sales teams make things harder than they need to be and how the best reps keep it simple by focusing on clear messaging, a well-defined ICP, and repeatable systems. Corey talks about some mistakes companies make when hiring SDRs without a playbook, the debates that often happen at the leadership level, and the lack of clarity that slows growth. He also shares his view on the rise of AI SDRs, the importance of cutting through today’s noisy market, and why sales enablement should be about building consistency across the team.