Power to Sell

Eric Gjerdevig

5.0 (15)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Power to Sell is a student-led podcast focusing on mastering the underlying skills of persuasion, leadership, and sales. It's focused on how we transform these 'ordinary' human skills into the extraordinary and how we can differentiate ourselves based on how we sell versus the characteristics of what we sell.

6D AGO

Ryan Watkins - Power of Reliability

In this episode of Power to Sell, NDSU students interview Ryan Watkins, the CEO of the upper Midwest region for Marsh McLennan Agency. Watkins shares his professional journey, which began with high-volume cold calling and transitioned into a successful career in the insurance industry. He reflects on his rise through various leadership roles, eventually overseeing a half-billion-dollar business with 1,600 colleagues. The conversation delves into Watkins' core philosophies, highlighting the importance of intellectual curiosity, reliability, and a servant leadership mindset, where he views his primary role as serving his team rather than being served by them. Watkins emphasizes that work ethic and grit are the primary differentiators of top-performing advisors, famously citing his father’s advice that "indecisive squirrels get smooshed" to encourage decisive action. Beyond leadership, Watkins addresses modern industry shifts, including the growing role of AI in automating data-heavy tasks like contract review. He also offers practical sales advice, focusing on maintaining a "high say-to-do ratio" to establish trust and moving from a vendor status to a true business partner. Finally, Watkins provides a personal glimpse into his life as an avid bow hunter and offers final encouragement to college seniors to "go all in" as they enter the workforce.

54 min
FEB 11

KJ Blattenbauer - Power of Brevity

In this episode of Power to Sell, NDSU students sit down with publicist and author KJ Blattenbauer. KJ discusses her career journey and the core principles of her new book, Pitchworthy. She shares practical advice for small business owners and students on how to persuade audiences and build credibility without a large budget. Blattenbauer emphasizes that successful pitching requires brevity, clarity, and a focus on the recipient’s needs rather than the sender’s accolades. She also cautions against the “beige” quality of AI-generated messaging, advocating instead for human elements like context, storytelling, and active listening. The conversation highlights the importance of professionalism and follow-through, illustrating how simple acts of gratitude can help launch a successful career. Throughout the interview, Blattenbauer encourages listeners to proactively network and maintain a consistent personal brand in order to stand out in a competitive market.

32 min
11/20/2025

Sandi Piatz - Power of Questions

In this episode of Power to Sell, NDSU students sit down with Sandi Piatz, President and CEO of the United Way of Cass-Clay. Sandi walks through her impressive career path—from a startup software company, to sales and technology consulting, to serving as Microsoft’s site leader—before making the leap into the nonprofit sector. She shares how her long-standing commitment to community involvement consistently aligned with the values of the organizations she joined. That alignment ultimately led her to a role where she can combine her passion for service with her business expertise. Sandi also breaks down the United Way’s mission to inspire and mobilize the community to change lives by focusing on hunger, homelessness, and school readiness—all through a data-driven lens. Throughout the conversation, she highlights the powerful overlap between business and nonprofit work, noting that both depend deeply on relationships, data, and innovation. Sandi emphasizes that her most important sales skill is the ability to ask great questions and truly listen—skills that allow her to understand needs, build trust, and help others achieve their goals. For students hoping to stand out, her advice is simple and impactful: be curious, be humble, be hungry, and “be okay to start something before you’re ready.”

32 min
10/30/2025

Lanelle Vasichek - Power of Brand

In this episode of Power to Sell, NDSU students sit down with Lanelle Vasichek, Senior Director of Global Brand for Bobcat Company. Lanelle shares her career journey and the path that led her to her current leadership role at Bobcat. She reflects on the monumental challenge of building a global brand function in a company that had traditionally focused on “selling excavators and selling loaders” as independent products. One of her biggest hurdles, she explains, was influencing the internal team—“almost my hardest audience.” To overcome that, she embarked on a collaborative “road show” to inspire colleagues with a vision “bigger than what we were today” and to earn their buy-in. Lanelle discusses the creation of a Global Brand Council and the ongoing balance between maintaining strong brand governance and staying “loose to market” to respect cultural differences. At the heart of her strategy is the power of authentic storytelling—highlighting real customers as the true “heroes” of Bobcat’s campaigns. She closes with advice for students: be authentic, trust your instincts, and embrace opportunities that push you beyond your comfort zone.

59 min
10/23/2025

Thom Coats - Power of Mindset

This episode of The Power to Sell Podcast, features Thom Coats, Professor and Director of the sales program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Coats details his career shift from over 25 years in sales and a six-year stint in law enforcement to academia. A central theme is the transformative power of sales education, which he argues can "change family trees" by helping students earn double or triple the income of a normal degree. Coats stresses that "everybody sells"—whether externally or by promoting ideals within a company. He draws on his background to emphasize core principles: the necessity of listening and always asking for the deal. He teaches first-generation students to adopt a "CEO of their Family Inc." mindset to combat "impostor syndrome". While acknowledging that technology has evolved (like shoe boxes being an early CRM) and AI is now a necessary tool, Coats insists that the principles of selling remain unchanged. Sales are fundamentally "human to human" (H2H); AI cannot "read a room" or handle high-dollar relationship sales. He concludes with key advice for student success: smile, and consistently show up on time, follow up, and follow through.

50 min
10/16/2025

Gary Halvorson - Power of Trust

In this episode of Power to Sell, NDSU students sat down with Gary Halvorson, Executive Vice President at CHS. Recorded at CHS headquarters in Minneapolis, the conversation explores the foundation of trust in both sales and leadership. Halvorson shares his journey from growing up on a small North Dakota farm to leading a global Fortune 100 cooperative serving farmers and consumers around the world. He reflects on lessons from his 26-year career at CHS—how mentorship, consistency, and moral integrity shape success in business and in life. Listeners will hear Halvorson’s insights on what separates good salespeople from great ones, why trust must be earned through consistent action, and how every customer relationship begins with understanding individual needs. From navigating global markets and government policy to balancing tradition with innovation in renewable fuels, this episode captures the human side of agriculture, sales, and leadership. The Power of Trust reminds us that in any industry—whether in the field or the boardroom—authentic relationships remain the ultimate competitive advantage.

30 min
10/03/2025

Angelia Vang - Power of Curiosity

In our second episode of Fall 2025, NDSU students sat down with Angelia Vang, Digital Marketing Strategist with DSG Supply, to discuss how genuine curiosity is the ultimate catalyst for career growth and organizational impact. Angelia, who started her career in merchandising before shifting into marketing, shares how her "curiosity really pulled me toward marketing". Angelia reveals that her most valuable professional skill—learning to anticipate needs before they even surface—is built by "really staying curious," dedicating time daily to tune into emails and webinars to gain insights and "connect the dots faster". This proactive approach allows her to transform marketing into a real growth driver, such as when she led the strategic transformation of DSG’s email program, resulting in exciting results and "revenue tied directly back to email, which we've never saw before". Angelia discusses how digital marketing constantly requires "selling ideas, credibility, and trust" through content. She also explains that the biggest opportunity for marketers is balancing digital innovation (like AI adoption) with the authentic connection needed to build trust. Angelia emphasizes that curiosity is foundational to leadership, advising listeners to always "ask questions" because it is critical to standing out and growing in your career.

27 min
09/23/2025

John Roberts - Power of Influence

Students kick off season seven of the Power to Sell podcast from Northwestern Mutual’s corporate headquarters in Milwaukee, sitting down with Chief Field Officer, John Roberts. Roberts, who is responsible for supporting the company’s 22,000 independent financial advisors and team members, explains why mastery of human influence is crucial for his leadership role. Dive into a dynamic conversation covering the essential traits needed to thrive in modern business. Roberts reveals the key to earning trust is focusing on being "interested" in others, understanding what they need, rather than trying to be interesting yourself. As he must influence independent business owners rather than commanding employees, Roberts leans heavily on "tools of influence" and change management, recommending foundational texts like Robert Cialdini's Influence. Roberts also offers frank advice for students: don't be afraid of making a mistake, looking silly, or asking the wrong question. He shares a lesson from his CEO: if you didn't fall while skiing, "you didn't learn".

37 min

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15 Ratings

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11/17/2022

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Power to Sell is a student-led podcast focusing on mastering the underlying skills of persuasion, leadership, and sales. It's focused on how we transform these 'ordinary' human skills into the extraordinary and how we can differentiate ourselves based on how we sell versus the characteristics of what we sell.

Creator

Eric Gjerdevig
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

49
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Power to Sell
Show Website

Power to Sell