Selling Isn't Everything

Brent Adamson & Shari Levitin
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The show where legendary minds reveal the human truths behind real influence, connection, and performance. Hosted by Brent Adamson, co-creator of both The Challenger Sale and the newly released The Framemaking Sale, and Shari Levitin, author of Heart and Sell, featured in Harvard’s sales curriculum. If you think sales is all about pressure, product, or polish… think again. Because the shortest path to better numbers? Is making a human connection.

Episodes

  1. Navigating Conflict and Conversation - J'Lein Liese’s Tools for Real Human Connection: EP 006

    5 DAYS AGO

    Navigating Conflict and Conversation - J'Lein Liese’s Tools for Real Human Connection: EP 006

    We sit down with the remarkable J'Lein Liese, a PhD in psychology whose life journey bridges everything from training police in South Africa and advising on post-crisis conflict at Sandy Hook, to her early days as a 13-year-old horse trainer searching for belonging on the Mexican border. This conversation is a masterclass in the art of genuine human connection. J'Lein Liese shares deeply personal stories and lessons from her work in some of the world’s most intense conflict zones, revealing practical frameworks for dissolving division and leading with empathy - whether you’re in a boardroom, a crisis, or just trying to get through a tough family dinner. You’ll hear about her four-step “FEED” process for navigating difficult conversations, the neuroscience of why we disconnect, and real-life examples - from negotiating in the Middle East to addressing the polarization that’s gripping families and organizations today. If you’ve ever wondered how to keep a relationship intact when values collide, or why “tell me more” is the most powerful phrase you can use, this episode is for you. Get ready to laugh, reflect, and maybe do a little soul-searching as we dig into what it means to play nicely in the sandbox - no matter how high the stakes. Enjoy the conversation. 👤 Connect with J’Lein Liese:  ✅ “Lead With Conversations” Book: https://geni.us/LeadWithConversations  ✅ Website: http://leadwithconversations.com/  ✅ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-lein-liese-ph-d-13308a4/  ✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithconversationsofficial/  👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    1h 10m
  2. Jaimie Buss on Fear, Grit & What Really Motivates People: EP 005

    16/12/2025

    Jaimie Buss on Fear, Grit & What Really Motivates People: EP 005

    If you're building a business or leading a team and still think vulnerability is a weakness, this conversation with Deputy CRO Jaimie Buss will change everything. Jaimie isn't your typical sales leader. Yes, she runs global teams and closes massive deals - but what makes her extraordinary is how she sees people. From a pivotal bathtub moment with her son to navigating partnership negotiations worth millions, Jamie reveals the why behind motivation, the power of controlling what you can, and how to distinguish fear from intuition (hint: you feel it in your body). This episode is for sales leaders, enablement pros, and growth-minded humans who want to lead with grit, presence, and emotional intelligence. Whether you're managing a team of 200 or raising kids who question your every move, Jaimie's frameworks for connection, intention, and showing up fully will hit home. Because the best leaders don't just drive revenue - they build trust, one honest conversation at a time. 👤 Connect with Jaimie Buss:  ✅ Website: https://www.deputy.com/lpg/deputy-demo  ✅ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimiebuss/  ✅ Email: jbuss@deputy.com 👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    57 min
  3. From Toilets to Tech: April Dunford Stopped Marketing and Had Her Best Year Ever: EP 004

    02/12/2025

    From Toilets to Tech: April Dunford Stopped Marketing and Had Her Best Year Ever: EP 004

    If you're drowning in sameness - where every competitor sounds identical, every pitch blurs together, and you're not sure why customers actually pick you - this conversation will snap everything into focus. April Dunford is the world's leading positioning expert, and she's spent her career helping B2B companies figure out what makes them different when they swear nothing does. In this episode, she unpacks her famous toilet story (trust us, it's brilliant), reveals why most companies have no clue what their real competitive advantage is, and shares the startling truth about what happened when she stopped marketing her business entirely. But here's where it gets real: Shari and Brent push April beyond frameworks and into life. What does positioning teach us about dating? About knowing our own value as humans? About when to stop hustling and start living? April opens up about losing her sister at 59, questioning her own pace, and the experiment that changed everything. This isn't just about selling software. It's about clarity, empathy, and showing up as someone worth choosing—in business and in life. Perfect for sales leaders wrestling with differentiation, enablement pros tired of generic messaging, and anyone wondering if maybe, just maybe, they've been working too hard for too long. 👤 Connect with April Dunford:  ✅ Website: https://www.aprildunford.com/  ✅ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/  ✅ YouTube/Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@positioningshow  ✅ Email: april@aprildunford.com  👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    1h 3m
  4. Think in Spreadsheets, Lead with Humanity: Maria Boulden on 40 Years of Sales Leadership: EP 003

    13/11/2025

    Think in Spreadsheets, Lead with Humanity: Maria Boulden on 40 Years of Sales Leadership: EP 003

    If you're leading a team, closing deals, or just trying to connect in a world that feels more transactional every day - this one's for you. Maria Boulden spent 40+ years building world-class sales organizations at DuPont and Gartner. But her real superpower? Leading with ruthless clarity *and* deep humanity - at the same time. She's the sales leader who thinks in spreadsheets but leads with her heart. The engineer who became a storyteller. The woman who walked away from a C-suite track to care for her premature son - only to come back stronger, sharper, and more human than ever. In this conversation, Maria unpacks: Why the number is your biggest distraction How to build trust without faking empathy  What it really takes to motivate people to achieve more than they thought possible The pivotal moment that shifted her from corporate climber to human-first leader And yes -  what selling jam taught her about B2C vs. B2B (spoiler: it's all still about people) This isn't a masterclass in tactics. It's a story about choosing joy, leading with consistency, and making people feel seen -  whether you're coaching a CRO or partnering with a pepper farmer. Because behind every sales story is a human story. 👤 Connect with Maria Boulden:  ✅ Website:https://www.jsjrehoboth.com  ✅ Phone: 484-614-5354 ✅ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-boulden-8a778b11  ✅ Email: jammin@jsjrehoboth.com  👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    48 min
  5. Better Humans Make Better Salespeople - Here's How: EP 002

    13/11/2025

    Better Humans Make Better Salespeople - Here's How: EP 002

    If you're tired of chasing tactics and wondering why your deals still fall apart - this conversation will stop you in your tracks. Shari Levitin and Brent Adamson don't do surface-level sales talk. In this raw, unfiltered debut episode, they dig into the life lessons that actually move the needle - both in the boardroom and at home. You'll hear why a decorated soldier found sales rejection *harder than combat*, how changing a single pronoun can shift your entire mindset, and why the best way to close more deals is to stop trying to impress people and start making them believe in *themselves*. This isn't about frameworks or funnels. It's about becoming the kind of person people *want* to buy from - and the kind of leader people actually follow. Whether you're leading a sales org, building a pipeline, or just trying to connect better with humans, Shari and Brent bring decades of hard-won wisdom, zero BS, and plenty of laughs. Expect stories from the frontlines (literally), insights from working with Microsoft and Gartner, and a few uncomfortable truths about what happens when you blame everyone but yourself. Plus: why perfection might be your biggest enemy, what Radiohead can teach you about trust, and how to stop losing lessons when you lose deals. This is Selling Isn't Everything - where sales gets human, and humans get better at sales. 👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    34 min
  6. The Art of the Ask - Don Yaeger on Why Curiosity Beats Tactics: EP 001

    13/11/2025

    The Art of the Ask - Don Yaeger on Why Curiosity Beats Tactics: EP 001

    If you're tired of surface-level connections that lead nowhere - with clients, with leaders, with the people who actually matter - this conversation will change how you show up. Don Yaeger has spent decades extracting stories from icons like Michael Jordan, Condoleezza Rice, and Deion Sanders. But here's what makes him different: he doesn't just tell great stories - he earns the right to hear them. In 30 minutes with Michael Jordan, he asked a question no reporter had ever asked. The answer? A 40-year-old scar that still stung. In this episode, Don walks us through his "concentric circles" framework for building real connection - not through manipulation, but through intentional curiosity. He shares what it took to become John Wooden's mentee (hint: he asked), why vulnerability is a strategic move, and how leveling the playing field with a VP is easier than you think. This isn't about becoming a better "networker." It's about becoming someone worth knowing. Lessons for sales leaders, enablement pros, and anyone who wants to influence without feeling gross doing it. 👤 Connect with Don Yaeger:  ✅ Website: https://donyaeger.com/  ✅ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donyaeger  ✅ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donyaeger  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corporatecompetitorpodcast  ✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donyaeger  👤 Connect with Selling Isn’t Everything: ✅ Official: https://SellingIsntEverything.com  ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SellingIsntEverything  ✅ LinkedIn (Shari): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharilevitin ✅ LinkedIn (Brent): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson  ✅ Brent’s Latest Book, The Framemaking Sale: https://www.theframemakingsale.com/  Selling Isn’t Everything is produced by Chris Stone at Cast Ahead:  https://CastAhead.net

    57 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

The show where legendary minds reveal the human truths behind real influence, connection, and performance. Hosted by Brent Adamson, co-creator of both The Challenger Sale and the newly released The Framemaking Sale, and Shari Levitin, author of Heart and Sell, featured in Harvard’s sales curriculum. If you think sales is all about pressure, product, or polish… think again. Because the shortest path to better numbers? Is making a human connection.

Information

  • Creator
    Brent Adamson & Shari Levitin
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Brent Adamson & Shari Levitin
  • Show Website
    Selling Isn't Everything