Surf and Sales Podcast – The Honest Approach to Cold Calling Success

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John sits down with Saeed, a longtime sales leader whose career started in Poland with a terrible CV, a bombed interview, and a founder who took a chance on him anyway. Saeed walks through his path from scrappy SDR and AE to head of sales and VP roles, including helping grow Hubstaff from around $4M to $31M in ARR by pairing strong inbound with smart sales process. He talks honestly about why management is way less glamorous than LinkedIn makes it look, why SDR work is brutally hard and badly underappreciated, and how brand and SEO can make “average” sales teams look elite. Saeed also shares why he walked away to spend more time with his kids, build his new product Zarta, and launch his podcast Messy Growth, focused on the real, not so pretty side of scaling companies.

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John sits down with Aaron Norris, former AWS enterprise AE turned coach and advisor. Aaron shares how becoming a dad during lockdown reshaped his career, pushing him to design success that never costs family time. He unpacks the core idea behind his book: build a career that creates value for you, your customers, and your company at the same time. Aaron takes us inside Amazon’s culture, where the talent bar is sky high and learning never stops. He credits team wins over hero selling, and explains why leaving a marquee brand to go solo was both freeing and scary. The conversation touches on how AWS changed what sellers could impact, the self-serve approach to training, and why focus beats trying to master everything. If you want enterprise-level results without sacrificing what matters most, this episode gives a real playbook.

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John and Chris chat with Jason Bay, founder of Outbound Squad. Jason breaks down how he helps sales teams turn everyday call data into insights that actually drive revenue. He explains how the best messaging doesn’t come from guesswork, but from real customer conversations, and why teams should treat call recordings like a goldmine for training and enablement. Jason also talks about the growing role of AI in sales and where it can genuinely make an impact. He shares how tools that enrich data, summarize calls, and make coaching easier are game changers, while full “AI SDR” replacements still have a long way to go. The group also digs into what’s working in outbound today, from tighter ICPs and stronger offers to smaller, more personal in-person events that drive trust and connection.

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John and Chris talk with Scott Lease, a sales leader, consultant, and founder of the Surf and Sales Summit. Scott has spent more than two decades building sales teams and helping create multiple unicorns and successful exits. He’s known for stepping into the toughest stage of a company’s journey, taking startups from zero to one hundred, and thriving under the pressure that comes with it. Scott shares why he’s drawn to early-stage work, what he looks for in hiring, and how grit and life experience matter more than polished resumes. He explains why the best sellers combine strategy with hard work and why they never stop looking for the next challenge. The conversation also covers pipeline strategies for 2025, including referral networks, content that builds trust, and small in-person events, along with why saying no is sometimes the smartest move.

In this episode of Prospecting Pros, John sits down with Mark Osborne, founder of Modern Revenue Strategies and a veteran marketer who’s worked with everyone from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 brands. Mark shares how his early experiments in the 90s with band promotion and email lists led to a career at record labels, radio, and eventually running major marketing programs for companies like Nike and Hulu. Named a “marketing technology trailblazer” by Ad Age, Mark explains why chasing growth hacks and shiny tools rarely works. Instead, he shows why strategy and process must come first, with tools serving to accelerate what’s already working. He discusses why many companies stall without a clear ICP, how to avoid wasted spend, and why systems actually give leaders more freedom. Mark also talks about his work as a fractional CRO and why B2B systems “set you free.”