Episode 124

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Published on:

2nd Aug 2025

Driving Sales Excellence: John Golden on CRM Intelligence and Customer Engagement

Episode 124 Driving Sales Excellence: John Golden on CRM Intelligence and Customer Engagement Frederick Dudek (Freddy D) Copyright 2025 Prosperous Ventures, LLC

Freddie D here, and today we're diving deep into the world of sales with John Golden, a heavyweight in the game. One of the key points we hit on is how Pipeliner CRM flips the traditional sales script by empowering salespeople instead of burdening them with data entry. John's got an impressive track record, having led companies like Huthwaite and even penned bestsellers on sales strategy. During our chat, we explored how the right CRM can transform not just sales processes but also foster long-term relationships with customers, turning them into superfans. So, if you're looking to elevate your sales game and understand the human side of business, this conversation is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

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In our conversation, John Golden emphasizes the evolution of sales processes and how technology can significantly improve efficiency. He shares his experience with Pipeliner CRM, which was designed with a sales-first mindset. Unlike traditional CRMs that often serve management’s needs at the expense of sales reps, Pipeliner focuses on empowering salespeople by providing them with the tools they need to succeed.

John discusses how CRMs should not only collect data but also enhance the sales process by integrating AI and automation to reduce the mundane workload of reps. We also explore the art of relationship-building in sales, highlighting that successful selling is about engaging customers and understanding their needs. John’s insights on turning customers into raving fans through genuine connections and support are invaluable for any sales professional looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

Takeaways:

  • John Golden emphasizes the importance of empowering salespeople by providing them with the same tools as management, which can significantly enhance their performance and productivity.
  • In the podcast, John shares how Pipeliner CRM was designed with a salesperson-first perspective, aiming to reduce the burden of data entry and instead provide valuable insights.
  • The episode discusses the crucial role of a well-defined sales process in achieving predictable revenue, highlighting that flexibility and adaptation are key in a dynamic market.
  • John explains how integrating AI and automation into CRM solutions can help salespeople focus on building relationships rather than getting bogged down by repetitive tasks and data management.
  • The conversation highlights the value of listening to customers and adapting products based on their feedback, which is essential for creating customer loyalty and turning them into superfans.
  • Freddie and John discuss how understanding the business context of prospective customers can lead to more meaningful conversations and ultimately drive sales success effectively.

Links referenced in this episode:

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Hootwaite
  • Omega Performance
  • pipeliner CRM
  • SalesPop

Mentioned in this episode:

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Transcript
Freddy D:

Hey, Superfans superstar Freddie D. Here in this episode 124, we're joined by John Golden, a globally recognized sales and marketing thought leader, strategist and speaker.

With over:

He brings a wealth of experience as the former CEO of Hootwaite and Omega Performance and now serves as chief strategy and Marketing officer at pipeliner CRM. He's also the best selling author of Winning the Battle for Sales and Social Upheaval.

And when he's not transforming sales strategies, he's honing his skills as a dedicated martial artist and a seeker of wisdom. Get ready for a conversation packed with insight, energy and actionable takeaways.

Freddy D:

Welcome, John, to the Business Superfans podcast. We're super excited to have you here.

John Golden:

Yeah, I'm super, super excited to be here.

Freddy D:

So let's go backwards in time and what's your background? Give us the scoop.

John Golden:

Yeah. So. Well, it's a long and winding road as most of these things are.

I'm originally Irish, as you can maybe tell, and I came to the US during the dot com era. I came with a small IR company that set up in Silicon Valley.

I moved over here and then over time progressed through my career, but I ended up running a couple of businesses. One was Huthwaite Spin Selling, which was Neil Rackham's bestselling sales book based on the only scientific research ever done on sales.

It was owned by a. There was a parent company. It owned like 40, 50 businesses in Forma, and I was CEO of two of the businesses.

They gave you businesses and said, here's what we expect from this business in terms of profit margin and you go and run it like it's your own. So you basically got handed a business to run, which was fantastic. I did that for five or six years.

And Hathaway was sale, obviously Spin Selling, sales. So we did, we did sales consulting with organizations large and small across the globe. Performance improvement.

Eventually I helped the parent company sell some of those businesses to a private equity group, you know, including Huthwaite and Omega before Performance. And then I, I decided I want.

My wife wanted to move back to the west coast, so we moved back to San Diego and I started my own management consultancy. So I went out on my own and started gathering clients. And clients came across Nicholas Kimler, the founder of pipeliner CRM.

It's an interesting story. He had read the book that I wrote, Winning the Battle for Sales. And he contacted me because I had written in it about CRM.

I had said, you know, the worst words a salesperson can hear is, we're getting a new CRM. Because you just think, oh, no, this is going to be disaster data entry. You're going to have to learn all this system.

I basically said, the good times are over when the CRM comes in. Winning the Battle for Sales was about analogies of battles.

It was David and Goliath, actually, the analogy, because David was offered all the latest, greatest armor and everything, and he put it all on. They couldn't leave me Slingshot. And away went and won.

So cut a long story short, Nicholas said, I'm going to show you a CRM system and I'll prove you wrong, right? And I said, knock yourself out. So he showed me Pipeliner.

And one of the things that we had struggled with was embedding sales methodology into a CRM platform. You couldn't do it with Salesforce, you couldn't do with any of them a lot of work, customers, programming, all this nonsense.

Pipeliner was easily able to do that right out of the gate. So I said, okay, okay, now I'm interested. And it was visual and it was easy to understand how to use.

And so I did some consulting work with Nicholas, did a number of projects, and then eventually he came and said, do you want to just come on board, be my partner and bring this to market and give up building your management consultancy? So I said, okay.

He was very persuasive, and I thought this was an interesting opportunity to get back into kind of technology, but also combined with my experiences with sales and marketing, etc. So that's kind of the story of how I arrived here.

Freddy D:

mentioned to you that back in:

And it was just very rudimentary, basic. I could just track who I talked to and everything else. I had a Mac and I had a, you know, kind of like the backpack thing.

And I would walk into manufacturing companies and they'd be like, what? And I'd whip out my Mac and I had an Excel and I had an roi. And we would sit down and put together all the information.

And that was one of my sales tactics, was that I didn't have all the AI tools and all the automation, but I would emotionally connect you to doing it because we would be sitting together and putting your ROI and you would be providing all the numbers. So it was really Your roi, you owned it.

And then you could go to executive management and says, hey, if we invest in this CAD system, here's what it's going to do. And I didn't have to be there because I created you as my internal salesperson because I emotionally connected you to it. So.

And yeah, I've been using CRMs since then. So I'm very interested in learning more about cross. What differentiates Pipeliner, CRM?

John Golden:

Yeah, well, one of the fundamental things, this is what attracted me to it in the first place, Freddie, was that all of the CRM systems were testing and you know, especially the big ones, they originally had been built from a command and control perspective. They'd been built for how do sales leaders and executives get all the data they need?

And the burden then had been placed on the salespeople to that data and the sale. And the salespeople were not seeing any value in the CRM system. They were seeing it more as a burden.

And you know, back in the day, when we're using other CRM systems, if I had a dollar for every time a salesperson said to me, well, do you want me to fill in the data on the CRM or do you want me to sell? Ideally, I'd like you to do both.

Freddy D:

I remember those conversations.

John Golden:

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So what attracted me to Pipeliner was Nicholas.

We had built it and the concept was from the salesperson first perspective, as basically our philosophy is if the salesperson is getting value out of it, they're the main getting the value out of it.

It's helping them, is giving them insights, then they're working in the system, then the data is in the system and then management are getting exactly what they need. And the other thing too is we also look at salespeople as entrepreneurs in an organization.

They're pretty much the only in a company that has variable income that's not guaranteed because let's face it, most bonus plans other people have are pretty much guaranteed. But variable income, they may even be full commission. So they have to be creative. They live in a world of uncertainty.

Nothing is predictable for them. So we wanted to give them all the tools to manage their own business. So we actually give them all the same tools as the management would have.

Obviously different view of access to data, but very much all built around empowering the salesperson and bringing value to the salesperson and as a result delivering on the promise of CRM for management. And the other part that has been really. You talked about AI and automation as well.

We have really focused on Bringing automation and AI into the system so that we can take the burden off of the salesperson, not replace them.

Automate routine, repetitive tasks, get data automatically into the system, use AI to help prepare, whether it's analyzing email, but allowing the salesperson to be the most prepared they can be.

And then focus on what salespeople really want to do, as you know, Fred, is they want to be creative, they want to build relationships, they want to use their human skills to the max. And so now we're at a point, I believe, where a system like ours with the AI built in with the automation is.

Now you're starting to really get to that point where the CRM system is setting you up for success as a salesperson and allowing, rather than being a burden, it's now being a benefit to you.

Freddy D:

No, I can completely relate. In the late 80s and early 90s, I was using a CRM, another CRM that I had bought off the shelf. And I used it in conjunction with the daytimer.

And so I would print out all the stuff into the daytimer that I had put into the CRM. Because when I'd be at a prospective customer or an existing customers, I wasn't there sitting there typing into the Mac.

I was basically writing it into my daytimer. But that came into play because then I could basically show all the prospective customers, this is a list of my customers right off the datetimer.

But then I would leverage. I was ahead of my game because the company wasn't even using a CRM. I was using it by myself. I created template letter within a CRM.

And so when we would do a whole presentation, the way I would blow away the competition was I would send out a thank you letter to everybody that participated in the presentation. And so you were in a shop floor running the milling machine or the lathe or the wider EDM in the manufacturing space. Nobody ever recognizes you.

I did. It was a boilerplate letter, but you still got it in the old school mail because there was no email back then.

But that won me more sales because of the fact that everybody felt that after the sale we would provide the best follow up support.

So I want to really emphasize that because the CRM is a tool, but you've got to still, as you mentioned, from the people perspective, you got to still engage with people and you got to build those relationship and you got to turn those relationships into super fans.

John Golden:

Yeah, no, a hundred percent. And that's why one of the deliberate decisions that we made was that while we're a technology company, we still want to have a human first.

If you have support issue or anything like that, you engage with the human. And we don't look at support tickets as tickets, right?

Like, because most people say, oh, the support ticket, close that as fast as possible, sort that out and close it. Right.

We look at when somebody interacts with us from a support perspective, we look at that as an opportunity not just to solve the issue at hand, but also to educate, to understand, to engage in deep conversations.

Use that opportunity to have a conversation with the customer and see if not only do you can you fix the problem, but you can maybe advise on other ways of doing things, maybe talk to them about maybe here's a feature you're not using at the moment, here's what it could do for you. So we have our concept, we call it the wingman. That support is here as your wingman. It's there to help you.

We're not interested in just closing a ticket and moving on. We actually like it when people reach out to us. We're like, cool, now we've got somebody to talk to.

Our system is great, but consistently we get rave reviews for the customer service, for the help when setting up, for the onboarding, all of that. So at the end of the day, I totally agree with you, Freddie.

You're not going to create super fans unless you focus on connecting humanly, on understanding them, on them, feeling like you really want to help them and want to understand what they're trying to achieve. That's how you turn people into profound superfans. And it has to be intentional, right? It has to be a deliberate decision that you're making.

And so like we did as a technology company, we said, no, we want to be product and people. That's how we want to be known. We want people to say, fantastic product, fantastic people working symbiotically together.

Freddy D:

Well, I'm glad you brought that up, John, because the reality is us being in sales for Gates, the signing of the deal isn't the sale, that's just the paperwork. The sale is everything that happens after the transaction.

The onboarding, like you said, the way you work with the customers, that's how you create those superfans.

And more importantly, if you look at how you can assist them to reach their business goals now, you become an asset to them because it's not just about technology, just like you just mentioned. Hey, did you know this new feature, this functionality, this could save you X amount of time and help you be more productive, et cetera.

They don't know.

So the fact that you guys got that, that's a differentiator, and that's how you guys are creating super fans of your customers and you're scaling as quickly as you guys are.

John Golden:

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think you have to have that collaborative mindset.

Some of our larger customers, they'll come to us and they'll say, here's something that we need to do. One of our big customers wanted forms that they could use online forms in the system. At the time, we didn't have online forms.

We went, okay, this is not just something for them. This is something that all our customers could use.

So we went out and we basically created embedded into the system an online form functionality, which is actually as good as SurveyMonkey, things that you could use. But again, that was collaborating with the customer, saying, okay, and then going, wow, this is something that other customers could benefit from.

So not only have you developed something for that customer and that obviously you become a partner with them because you're helping them solve their problems even with something that you didn't have in the first place, but you were prepared to actually create for them. And then they are actually becoming your evangelist to your other customer base. And look at how we use this.

They use online forms or other features to do various tasks within their business, and then that helps other customers go, oh, I could do that too.

Freddy D:

Well, it goes beyond that, because at the same time, what you're showing your customer base is you actually listen to them.

Because there's so many technology companies that invent stuff and create stuff in a vacuum of what they think people want versus what people really want. And there's a big difference. And there's successful software companies that really scale are in partnership with their customers.

They're getting the feedback when the companies have where customers vote on feedback, features and functionality, and then they actually deliver the stuff that the people want. And that's how you create momentum and that's how you hang on to that customer base, because they're going, wow, my vendor listens to me.

John Golden:

I mean, I think that's an extremely important point there, because there was a time when a lot of companies were starting to use technology to keep customers at an arm's length and trying to leverage technology to make technology work for you as opposed to work for your customers. And often, making life easy for yourself internally often translates into making life not very easy for pure customers and. And prospects.

So I think you always have to keep that peace in mind, and you always have to look at what is the true impact and the other thing too. Cause as you said, sometimes unfortunately, developers live in their own world and they don't always understand the end user.

Freddy D:

Oh yeah, I remember in a software company, we were creating construction management software and I was a GM there and we asked some functionality and the programmers came back and I'm going like, I gotta go through 10 clicks to go and get this thing done. He goes, yeah, but it works. I says, yeah, but I don't have time to remember.

I gotta go this, this, this, this, that, that says, you know, you gotta streamline that up. And they were like a look on their faces, like, you know, it was funny. So you're absolutely correct. That's why I just wanted to interject that point.

John Golden:

And it makes complete sense.

One of the things that I learned early on about bringing products to market, Freddie, is that the customers are going to use the product in ways that you never thought they would. They're going to have issues that you could never anticipate. And so a lot of it has to do with then how agile you are after the fact.

Freddy D:

Yeah.

So John, can you share a story of how you guys replaced the platform that they're utilizing and put in sales pipeline and how did that transform that business to where now they're one of your biggest advocates?

John Golden:

Yeah, there's one. We work with one of the top cruise lines in the world, a very regal royal one that does a lot of work around the Caribbean.

So there you can figure that one out. We actually help them with. This is funny, we were saying about applications that you don't think of with their wedding planning business.

And Pipeliner CRM now uses their wedding planning business. Apparently it's a whole growth industry getting married on cruise lines, but just not getting married.

Then you have anniversaries coming up, you have all of that. So we've helped them build this whole system where they run all of that. They can remind people anniversaries later.

Sure, you could probably even have a divorce party some stage. But all of that and they're amazed.

Now they're raving fans because they're amazed about how this has made this area of their and how it's helped them to be able to start to really scale that business and to really focus even more on a growth area like that. And like I said, it turned into raving fans because you wouldn't have said that there was a natural fit. Right.

You would have said, well this is a slightly different type of sale. It could come from a number of different channels. It's a Very relational type thing. And then you think, yeah, you can do all of those things.

If you think about it, process and systematize it, you can take into account all of those elements at the end of the day. Let's face it Freddie, everything in life is a process, isn't it?

And I think that's the essence of pipeline or CRM is that it forces you into process thinking and into defining and laying out your process.

And you can end up in a situation like this cruise company has where now they have their whole weddings segment running really, really smoothly and growing.

Freddy D:

Yeah. So you've helped them create a whole new revenue stream at the end of the day.

John Golden:

Yeah, absolutely. Maximize it.

Freddy D:

Yeah. So you create a whole new revenue stream for them in a business that they can basically keep really engaged with their customers.

So it's not a one time visit. They're maintaining a long term relationship and pulling those people back in for other adventures on the seas.

John Golden:

And the other people who attend the weddings, there's an old Irish saying that is going to a wedding is the making of another.

Freddy D:

So yeah, those guys are definitely super fans of what you guys have done because you've completely expanded your business model.

John Golden:

I think that's the key. No, I was just going to say I think that's the key at the end of the day, Freddie, is to be open minded and agile.

But it comes from really trying to understand the business in their business.

And I think that's a key part is if you're going to be successful in selling any SaaS product or any technology product is you have to be curious about the business of your prospect or customer. You have to be curious about the business of business in general.

I think there, there once was a time, let's be honest Freddie, when there were salespeople who really didn't understand how business worked. They were just all about like the top line sale selling. Right.

And, and I even worked with one salesperson used to say to me, John, I sell the sizzle, not the steak. So he had interesting the details of what he said. He just wanted to sell the hype.

I think those days are largely behind us now and I think you have to be able to connect on a business level. It has to be a conversation between peers. Right.

Freddy D:

That's one of the things that I used to do. That was one of my techniques that I created and I really killed the competition. That's why I got to the point of being in charge of global sales.

I would go in there and say, okay, John, our product does this, the guys down the street does this, the other guy's product does this. So let's get that out of the way. There's three or four of us in this space. We all can do the job. So John, what's your real business objectives?

What are your challenges in your business? Let's talk about that. And how can I help you get those goals? And that would be the conversation.

So I got out of the widget conversation and I got into the business strategy conversation. What's costing you money? Were you losing productivity? What if you had a magic wand?

All these conversations with the owners of the shops and the tech guys would look at the tech stuff, but we were talking business strategy. So I was at a whole nother level in the conversation.

And usually those sales were short sales cycles because I talked about impacting their business outcome versus look how cool this widget is that you know, does this and does that.

John Golden:

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think that's the key.

So my advice to salespeople today is to be insatiably curious about business and the business of your, your prospects and educate yourself. It's so easy now. I mean, imagine once a lot harder to do the research now. Ever since the Internet, you've had the research.

Now with AI, you can actually synthesize all of that research and really start to dig in and understand what's going on in an industry and all of that. So there's no excuse really not to be having business level conversations because back.

Freddy D:

ory tool and die sic code was:

That's the president, that's the vice president of engineering, that's vice president of manufacturing. That's my target market. I got 300 companies in this area, got to go to work and that was it.

And that was my research because there was no Internet back then. So yeah, there's no excuse really if you don't take the time to really leverage a technology that's available.

Like you just mentioned, you can really get a good synopsis of what's going on with that company, who the customers are, what are their challenges. And you can come in there, who educated and having an educated conversation with that business.

John Golden:

Yeah, and one of the other, one of the other issues that we've solving for salespeople is just the one that we're referring to now. Like the World has changed so much.

And if you think about it, when you are communicating now with a prospect, it could be phone, email, text, WhatsApp, it could be a bunch.

When you're involved in a sales cycle with so much communication across so many different platforms that it's really hard for you to remember and understand and like, try and sort through all of that. So we have used AI to help you.

We have your feeds where you can click on and off which platforms you want to see, but then you can use AI to summarize, to gauge the sentiment. Look at all of this correspondence and say, okay, this is turning not so good right now, so you might want to pay attention.

So again, what we're trying to do is understand the reality of salespeople in the world that they live in and make it as easy as possible for them to have the intelligent and informed conversations.

And let's face it, just going back through all of your emails and your messages and trying to remember which is this and the thread on that and whatever, being able to have right there in front of you is a huge, huge benefit.

Freddy D:

Oh, absolutely. It's everything, really, because now you can understand where everything is at and what's your next play, how you should handle it.

One things I've coached people on in sales is it's like the dating situation.

Sometimes you go out on a date and then it all went well and you reach out to them and you don't hear from them two, three days, our mind goes into the gutter and into negative thinking. The reality is they have a life, they're busy doing something else, they've got a job or business to run and you need to sometimes just be patient.

And that's bug them. Because like the dating, you start chasing, they start running.

So what you're doing is you're giving them the data to say, okay, I need to sit back and let this run its route. Based upon the information, I should check in two weeks instead of three days from now.

And so now I've making a much more intelligent decision and I'm not chasing that prospect. So, yeah, what you guys are doing is really simplifying and giving the sales individual the knowledge of how to play the game.

John Golden:

Yeah, no, no, absolutely.

And the other part too is, as you know, Freddie's sales process is so important, but there's a lot of companies today who either don't have a properly defined sales process, or maybe they have a roughly designed one here. They big initiative, designed their sales process, rolled it out, and then thought, thank goodness We've done that, now we can move on.

And you go, well okay, that'd be great if, if customers never change and they never change their buying behavior, the world doesn't change, you know, your products don't change, that'd be great. But unfortunately we live in a.

Freddy D:

It's dynamic.

John Golden:

Dynamic, yeah, it's crazy dynamic now with what's happening with AI, etc. So you have to be always on top of things and moving forward and, and that's why with sales process is so key and it really is.

The best performing sales organizations in the world have well defined sales processes. This is this research from ZS Associates in McKinsey and stuff.

Not just a well defined process but one that is adhered to rigorously and enforced and is also very defined at a granular level. So what I mean by that is you can lay out your sales process and pipeline.

Let's say you have five stages, six stages, whatever it is for your particular industry. But within each of those stages you can then define actions that the seller has to take, actions that the buyer has to take.

And you can even mandate that to the point where you can't actually move from one stage to another unless you fulfill these requirements. But the key and what that does is that takes out a lot of the subjectivity because how often have you seen this, Freddie? I'm sure you have.

I have an opportunity, you have an opportunity. They're almost identical. I have it in stage two, you have it in stage three. Because my gut is it's a stage two. Your gut is your one is a stage three.

And what does that do?

It knocks the forecast off because maybe you're overly optimistic or maybe I'm a sandbagger, but either way the forecast is skewed because there's no consistency.

So having that consistency, having everything in the right place in your sales process is so important to predictable revenue, to forecasting, to pipeline management in general pipeline growth. So that's another thing that we're very big on.

We're in many ways a process engine, but having well defined and on a granular level and then looking at it as it's a living breathing thing after that. It's something that you need to analyze, you need to look at and see how is it working, Are things changing?

Are customers the way customers react, are bio changing? So I need to make some adjustments in it. But I think that's one of the things that often is overlooked in sales is process really is your friend.

Freddy D:

Oh absolutely correct. Because that keeps you in check. That makes sure that it's moving in an organized fashion. You're not winging it.

Yeah, because the days of winging it are long gone, especially with all the technology that's out there today.

It's also good feedback because if the customer is not providing the stuff on their end, that gives you a gauge that maybe they're not so interested in this thing.

And I need to maybe go circle back and find out are they really looking to move forward or is this just an exercise that someone is curious to learn about the technology, AKA wasting your time and so you can find out because of those particular steps?

John Golden:

Yeah.

One of my favorite lessons that we used to teach a lot when we're healthway to teach sales organizations is the concept of something actually moving, like an opportunity moving forward and it stalled or no movement. Right. And you would say, okay, well that should be easy to identify, but it's not. Here's great examples, right?

Somebody, somebody comes back from a sales call and you say, how did the call go? Fantastic. You go, okay, tell me about it.

And they say, yeah, well I presented this, we had this conversation and you go, okay, well what are the next steps? Or is agreed to have lunch next week. You go, great, what's he doing between now and next week?

And he said, well, I don't know, go well, what tasks have you set them? How can you gauge, how is this opportunity moving forward between now and next week?

Because that's just a continuation and that may be just a free lunch for that person or a virtual one if you're selling virtually these days. But if you can't point to anything that they're doing, who else is involved in the buying decision? And they say blah, blah, this person.

Okay, could you have them come to the call next week? Right now, something to do. So I can now start to gauge really your level of commitment or interest in this.

So I think that's one of the ones that I still love. Is it really moving forward or is this just a continuation? Because a continuation is not really forward momentum.

It's just you're in a holding pattern. If the prospect is not doing anything, they're not actively engaged, then it's a continuation and you're not actually moving.

Freddy D:

Oh, absolutely correct. I was selling a company back in my early sales stages, but fortunately, like I mentioned, I got some really high end training.

I was selling engineering software. We also had manufacturing, but I was dealing with the VP of engineering and they were looking to upgrade. They were already existing customer.

And one of the things I learned is you want to sell wide. So I went through the whole different departments.

I got to the CFO guy and talk to him, and he goes, well, really, the VP of engineering doesn't have a budget. The manufacturing people have a budget and are looking to upgrade their manufacturing technology. I never would have thought of that.

And he goes, the VP of manufacturing plays golf with the owner of the company, so they're buddies. So I switched my whole sales tactics, started off and built the relationship with the manufacturing guy.

sale back in:

I went and found out what was going on, who's involved, who are the players, and we called them the sales training as who's the fox in the company? And that manufacturing guy was the fox because of the relationship he had with the owner of the company.

Had I never looked around there, I would have been one of those guys spinning my wheels, trying to sell to the engineering guy. I had no budget, no relationship, no nothing. Just had a. Had a want.

John Golden:

Yeah, yeah, or yeah, I want for maybe a free lunch every month or so.

Freddy D:

So as we kind of get closer to the end here, John, how can people find you?

John Golden:

Yeah, so you can find me on LinkedIn very easily, John Golden. You can find Pipeliner CRM. Pipelinersales.com is the website.

You can find salespop.net on our SalesPop YouTube channel, which is our give back educational platform where we just like you do, we interview people and bring different perspectives on sales, marketing, leadership, motivation, et cetera. So you can find me there. LinkedIn, pipelinersales.com salespop.net and the SalesPop YouTube channel.

Freddy D:

Okay, we'll make sure that that's into the show Notes. And do you have anything that our listeners could, you know, like a trial of the system or a free consult?

John Golden:

Hey, yeah, either one.

If you want to experience pipeliner, go to pipelinersales.com you can take a free trial if you want, or you can just hit demo and fill in the form and we'll arrange a demo for you.

Okay, So I would always recommend the demo because quite frankly, the systems are so broad right now that it's much better to have us do a demo so that we can tailor it to your particular needs. But by all means, take that. We'd love for you to experience the system.

Freddy D:

Okay, we'll make sure. We'll include that in the show. Notes John, it's been a wonderful conversation. Great insights.

You and I could probably talk on this stuff for days, so.

John Golden:

Oh yeah, easily. Easily so.

Freddy D:

Definitely would love to have you on the show down the road again. And thank you so much for your time today.

John Golden:

Yeah, thank you Fred.

Freddy D:

Before we wrap, here's your quick debrief. Each episode in this nine part series zooms in on one powerful pillar of my Superfans framework.

Nine proven steps designed to turn your business from a flicker of potential into unstoppable scalable prosperity.

The pillars are S Strategize U Unite P Propel E Elevate R Rally F Finance A Automate N Nurture S Sustain each week we spotlight one pillar, extract a game changing insight from today's guest and close with your Superfan Success Spark. A bold 24 hour action you can take immediately to move your business forward.

Follow along through all nine episodes, collect each spark and you'll have a step by step playbook to create superfans who who fuel rave reviews, rocking referrals and rising revenue.

Then we reset the cycle with nine brand new sparks, fresh guests and even more strategies to help you scale with clarity, purpose and unstoppable momentum. Ready? Here's this episode Spark.

So here's the Superfan Success spark in this nine part series P propel craft magnetic stories and offers that attract ideal customers and talent. So here's the top insight from this episode.

We actually give salespeople all the same tools as a management would have built around empowering the salesperson and bringing value to them. So here's your 24 hour action step. Audit your sales pitch. Does it focus on how your product makes your customer the hero?

If not, rewrite one sentence today to spotlight their win.

Outtro:

We hope you took away some useful knowledge from today's episode of the Business Super Fans Podcast. The path to success relies on taking action. So go over to businesssuperfans.com and get your hands on the book.

If you haven't already, join the accelerator community and take that first step in generating a team of passionate supporters for your business. Join us on the next episode as we continue guiding you on your journey to achieve flourishing success in business.

Support the Business Superfans Podcast

Thank you for considering a contribution to the Business Superfans Podcast! Your generosity fuels our mission to inspire and empower entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and business owners like you. Every dollar helps us bring on incredible guests who share not only actionable strategies for creating superfans through Total Experience (TX) but also insights to accelerate business growth and achieve sustainable success.

By supporting our show, you’re not just helping us produce meaningful content—you’re investing in a community-driven to thrive. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering impactful episodes packed with tools and inspiration for building businesses that flourish.

Together, we’re transforming challenges into opportunities, sparking innovation, and creating a network of superfans championing your success. We’re incredibly grateful for your generosity and excited to have you with us on this journey.

Thank you for helping us make a lasting impact. Your support means everything! 💡✨

L. Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
Support our mission to help businesses create superfans that propel their growth.
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About the Podcast

Business Superfans
Actionable growth & success strategies from global experts to turn every stakeholder into a loyal Business Superfan®.
Business Superfans® Podcast—Growth & Success Strategies for SMBs

Hosted by Frederick “Freddy D” Dudek—bestselling author of Creating Business Superfans® and global growth strategist—this show delivers candid conversations with the leaders who’ve cracked the code on profitable, sustainable growth. Each episode hands you step-by-step playbooks and AI-powered tools covering sales, marketing, finance, leadership, culture, customer experience, stakeholder engagement, SaaS, and innovation so you can transform every stakeholder into a passionate brand advocate.

What you’ll learn
• Attract ideal clients with proven sales & marketing frameworks
• Energize teams through culture-first leadership and HR best practices
• Scale profits using data-driven finance tactics and modern SaaS stacks
• Delight customers and spark rave reviews that fuel word-of-mouth growth
• Leverage AI to automate, personalize, and accelerate success

Who you’ll hear from
• Founders & CEOs who built loyalty-first companies
• Sales, finance, and CX leaders driving measurable results
• Culture architects turning teams into high-performing superfans
• SaaS innovators & AI disruptors redefining engagement and automation

Whether you’re running a small business or scaling a rising enterprise, you’ll walk away with actionable insights to boost revenue, deepen loyalty, and create the kind of business people believe in, talk about, and champion as their own.

🗓 New episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday—plus shorts and live Q&As for deeper learning.

👉 Subscribe now and join a global community committed to turning one action, one stakeholder, into one Superfan closer to lasting success. Show notes, free tools, and community access at FrederickDudek.com.
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About your host

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Frederick Dudek

Frederick Dudek, author of the book "Creating Business Superfans," and host of the Business Superfans Podcast. He is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in achieving remarkable sales performance results in global business markets. With a successful track record in the software-as-a-service industry and others. Frederick brings expertise and insight to help businesses thrive., he shares invaluable knowledge and strategies to create brand advocates, which he calls business superfans, who propel organizations toward long-term success.


Born in rural France, Frederick spent summers on his grandfather’s vineyard in France, where he developed a love for French wine. As a youth, he showed a strong aptitude for engineering and competed in drafting and design competitions. After winning numerous engineering awards, he became a draftsman working on numerous automotive projects. He was selected to design the spot weld guns for the 1982 Ford Escort car. That led to Frederick joining the emerging computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) industry, in which he quickly climbed the ranks.

While working for a CAD/CAM company as an application engineer, an opportunity presented itself that enabled Frederick to transition into sales. It was the right decision, and he never looked back. In the thirty-plus years Frederick has been selling, he has earned a reputation as the go-to guy for small companies that want to expand their business domestically or internationally. This role has allowed him to travel to over thirty countries and counting. When abroad, Frederick’s favorite pastime is to go exploring for hours, not to mention enjoying some of the local cuisine and fine wines.

Frederick is a former runner and athlete. Today, you can find him hiking various trails with his significant other, Kiley Kaplan. When not writing, selling, speaking, or exploring, he is cooking or building things. The next thing on Frederick’s bucket list is learning to sail and to continue the exploration of countries and their unique cultures.