The Principal Podcast

GHA Marketing

The Principal Podcast is where founders, Managing Partners, and CEOs of professional services firms share how they build, grow, and lead businesses that last. Each episode goes deep on the real strategies behind firm growth, from winning clients and building trust, to scaling teams and staying ahead in a competitive market. Hosted by a team of seasoned professionals with backgrounds across consulting, marketing, and business growth, The Principal Podcast brings diverse perspectives to every conversation. Guests come from across the professional services world: management consulting, financial services, investment banking, IT services, marketing, PR, staffing, and accounting. If you run or lead a professional services firm and you're serious about growth, this is your show.

  1. How to Transform Government Services Through Customer Experience Leadership With Martha Dorris

    3d ago

    How to Transform Government Services Through Customer Experience Leadership With Martha Dorris

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Martha Dorris has spent her career helping government organizations modernize the way they serve people. During her leadership tenure at GSA, she helped pioneer some of the federal government’s earliest digital service and customer experience initiatives, laying the groundwork for many of today’s citizen-focused government programs. After leaving government, she founded Dorris Consulting International to help agencies and private-sector firms navigate customer experience, digital transformation, and service delivery modernization. Alongside her consulting work, she created the Service to the Citizen Awards, recognizing hundreds of public and private-sector leaders improving government services across the country. This conversation goes beyond government transformation. Martha shares what it takes to build a trusted advisory business in a relationship-driven industry: how credibility compounds over time, why community-building matters, and how long-term partnerships become the foundation of sustainable firm growth. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What originally drew you into government transformation and customer experience work? 2. What specific problems are you helping agencies and industry partners solve today, and why does solving those problems matter so personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who typically makes the decision to bring you in or engage Dorris Consulting International? 4. You’ve built visibility through awards programs, newsletters, events, and podcasting. What has worked best for growing your consulting business and building credibility in the government space? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: You also host the CX Tipping Point Podcast. What do you think consultants and advisors can learn from podcasting as a long-term relationship and trust-building tool? 5. Government and enterprise consulting often involve long trust-building cycles. How do you personally move relationships from early conversations to long-term consulting engagements? 6. You’ve maintained relationships across government and industry for years. What’s your approach to retaining clients, staying relevant over time, and creating partnerships where clients continue coming back? 7. Given how much the government CX and digital transformation space is evolving, where do you find yourself most challenged or stuck right now as a consultant (if at all)? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for customer experience and digital government consulting over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Martha Dorris Website Link: https://www.dorrisconsulting.com/ Connect with Martha Dorris on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-dorris-798b3b7/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    27 min
  2. How to Build a High-Trust Professional Services Firm Through Generative Leadership With Janet Harvey

    4d ago

    How to Build a High-Trust Professional Services Firm Through Generative Leadership With Janet Harvey

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Janet Harvey has spent nearly 30 years helping leaders and organizations transform workplace culture through coaching, leadership development, and organizational consulting. As CEO of inviteCHANGE, she leads a global coaching and consulting firm focused on helping organizations create high-performance cultures rooted in trust, accountability, and what she calls Generative Wholeness™. Her experience spans executive leadership, organizational development, and coaching at the highest level. Beyond building inviteCHANGE, Janet played a major role in shaping the global coaching profession through the International Coaching Federation, where she served as Global President and later contributed to the ICF Thought Leadership Institute. In this conversation, Janet explains why leadership firms and professional services businesses can no longer rely purely on expertise or process. She breaks down the growing importance of perception, trust, and human connection in consulting relationships, and why the firms that understand this will have a major advantage over the next decade. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What originally got you into coaching and leadership development, and what made you stay committed to this work for nearly three decades? 2. What specific problem are you helping leaders and organizations solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually holds the decision to bring inviteCHANGE into an organization? 4. You’ve built a strong reputation in the coaching and leadership space over many years. What has worked best for you when it comes to attracting the right clients consistently? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts and long-form conversations as a marketing tool for coaches, consultants, and leadership firms? 5. Professional services often involve long trust-building sales cycles before a client says yes. How do you personally approach the sales process, and what do you think you do differently that helps win clients? 6. Once a client starts working with inviteCHANGE, how do you build relationships that keep clients coming back over the long term? 7. Where do you personally find yourself most challenged or stuck right now as a consultant and CEO, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for leadership coaching and organizational consulting over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Janet Harvey Website Link: https://www.invitechange.com/ Connect with Janet Harvey on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetharvey/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    28 min
  3. How to Build a Coaching Culture Through Leadership Conversations With Tim Hagen

    4d ago

    How to Build a Coaching Culture Through Leadership Conversations With Tim Hagen

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Tim Hagen has spent the last 28 years helping organizations build coaching cultures that improve employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, and long-term performance. Through Progress Coaching, he works with companies across industries, from financial institutions and manufacturers to professional sports organizations, helping leaders become stronger coaches through practical systems that drive measurable behavioral change. In this conversation, Tim breaks down why most leadership development initiatives fail after the workshop ends, and how professional services firms can differentiate themselves by focusing on reinforcement, implementation, and long-term transformation. He explains how consistent coaching conversations create stronger client relationships, better retention, and healthier workplace cultures. The episode also explores how AI is reshaping leadership development, why coaching systems are becoming more scalable, and what professional services leaders need to understand about building firms that clients continue to trust year after year. ********************************************************** Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You’ve been building Progress Coaching for nearly three decades now, what originally pulled you into leadership coaching and consulting? 2. What specific problem are you helping organizations solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually holds the decision to bring you in, HR leaders, executives, L&D teams, or someone else? 4. You’ve built a strong presence around workplace coaching and leadership development. What has worked best for attracting new clients and building authority in your space? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Podcast (hosting) Sub Question: You also host the Coaching Conversations Podcast. What role do you think podcasting plays for professional services firms trying to build trust and credibility today? 5. You sell leadership development, coaching systems, and long-term behavioral change, which can sometimes feel intangible to buyers. How do you typically build trust during the sales process and help organizations commit to working with you long term? 6. You’ve worked with organizations for years at a time. How do you approach client retention, and what do you do to make clients continue coming back long term? 7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now as a coach and business owner, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for workplace coaching and leadership development over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Tim Hagen Website Link: https://progresscoachingleader.com/ Connect with Tim Hagen on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhagen/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    32 min
  4. How to Win Bigger Clients Through ProActive Selling™ With Christine Rogers

    5d ago

    How to Win Bigger Clients Through ProActive Selling™ With Christine Rogers

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Christine Rogers has spent her career helping organizations build stronger sales and leadership systems, first as a sales leader inside high-growth companies, and now as CEO of M3 Learning. Today, she works with firms across technology, AI, legal, manufacturing, energy, logistics, and professional services to help teams become more strategic, proactive, and trusted in the way they sell. What makes Christine’s perspective especially relevant for professional services leaders is her focus on practical execution. Her work goes beyond theory and motivation. She helps firms create repeatable processes for building trust, managing complex buying decisions, improving client conversations, and developing teams that can consistently win and retain business. In this conversation, Christine shares what separates firms that scale sustainably from those that rely too heavily on individual personalities and relationships. The discussion covers client acquisition, trust-building, long-term retention, leadership, training adoption, and how advisory firms can stay competitive as AI and automation reshape the market. Proposed Interview structure: 1. What originally pulled you into sales leadership and advisory work, and what made you stay committed to it over the years? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually makes the decision to bring M3 Learning in? 4. You’ve built a reputation-driven business across multiple industries. How do clients typically find you, and what has worked best when it comes to building trust and attracting new business? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Speaking engagements Sub Question: What do you think about podcasting as a marketing tool for professional services firms and advisory businesses? 5. You work with organizations that often deal with long and complex buying cycles. What do the best professional services firms do differently to maintain momentum and close high-value engagements? 6. Once you begin working with a client, how do you build relationships that last and create clients that continue coming back over time? 7. As you continue growing M3 Learning and evolving the business, where do you find yourself most stuck right now, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for sales training and strategic advisory work over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Christine Rogers Website Link: https://www.m3learning.com/ Connect with Christine Rogers on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinerogers2/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    22 min
  5. How to Solve the Skilled Trades Labor Crisis Through Better Recruiting Systems With Julian Scadden

    5d ago

    How to Solve the Skilled Trades Labor Crisis Through Better Recruiting Systems With Julian Scadden

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Julian Scadden has spent more than a decade helping trade business owners improve leadership, operations, recruiting, training, and long-term organizational performance through Nexstar Network. His work combines operational discipline with relationship-driven growth, a balance many professional service firms struggle to maintain as they scale. One of the most interesting aspects of Julian’s approach is how intentionally Nexstar builds long-term member relationships. Rather than focusing only on acquisition, the organization invests heavily in implementation, accountability, education, events, and ongoing engagement that keep members deeply connected over time. In this episode, Julian shares lessons on retention, operational leadership, scaling trust, building member communities, and what professional service leaders can learn from industries where execution and workforce performance directly impact business survival. ********************************************************** Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What originally pulled you into the world of coaching, operational leadership, and helping service businesses grow? 2. What specific problem are you helping contractors and trade business owners solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who typically makes the decision to bring Nexstar in or invest in coaching, training, and membership? 4. You’ve built a strong voice through events, newsletters, LinkedIn, and education. What’s worked best for building trust and staying relevant with business owners over the long term? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: What role do you think podcasting can play for professional service firms that want to build authority and deepen relationships within their industry? 5. In professional services, credibility and trust usually matter more than aggressive selling. How do you typically move owners from interest into long-term commitment and implementation? 6. Nexstar has built extremely long-lasting member relationships. How do you think about retention, continued engagement, and creating an experience that keeps members coming back year after year? 7. Where do you personally find yourself most challenged right now as a leader growing and evolving Nexstar (if at all)? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for coaching, leadership development, and operational consulting within the skilled trades over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Julian Scadden Website Link: https://www.nexstarnetwork.com/ Connect with Julian Scadden on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianscadden/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    33 min
  6. How to Build a Scalable Go-To-Market System Through Commercial Alignment With Eric Savant

    5d ago

    How to Build a Scalable Go-To-Market System Through Commercial Alignment With Eric Savant

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Eric Savant has spent more than two decades building and scaling businesses across technology, manufacturing, e-commerce, and B2B services. Before co-founding GTM Savants, he led companies through periods of transformation, including serving as CEO of iMakr and Managing Director of Hobs 3D, where he focused on operational restructuring, market expansion, and digital transformation. Today, through GTM Savants, Eric works with startups, spinouts, and SMEs to help them design go-to-market systems that are commercially aligned and operationally scalable. His work goes beyond sales tactics, focusing instead on positioning, channel strategy, commercial infrastructure, and execution consistency across teams. A central theme in Eric’s work is that growth problems rarely begin where they first appear. Weak pipelines, inconsistent conversion, and stalled growth are often symptoms of deeper operational misalignment. That systems-level thinking makes this conversation especially relevant for founders and leaders of professional services firms looking to scale sustainably. Proposed Interview Structure: 1. What originally pulled you into the world of go-to-market strategy and commercial leadership? 2. What specific problem are you helping clients solve today, and why does solving that problem matter personally to you? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually holds the decision to bring GTM Savants in? 4. How do companies typically discover GTM Savants, and what marketing approaches have worked best for attracting the right clients? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Cold outreach Sub Question: You’ve also started publishing founder and GTM conversations through GTM Savants. What do you think podcasting can become as a marketing tool for professional services firms? 5. In complex B2B environments, especially with technical products and longer buying cycles, how do you usually guide prospects from initial interest to a signed engagement? 6. Once you start working with a client, how do you build long-term relationships and make sure clients continue coming back to work with you? 7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now as a consultant and operator in the go-to-market space, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for go-to-market strategy and commercial consulting over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Eric Savant Website Link: https://gtmsavants.co.uk/ Connect with Eric Savant on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-savant-4a79a81/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    21 min
  7. How to Win More Clients in an AI-Driven Market Through Modern Rainmaking With Matthew Dixon

    6d ago

    How to Win More Clients in an AI-Driven Market Through Modern Rainmaking With Matthew Dixon

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Matthew Dixon has built a career around one central idea: most firms rely too heavily on assumptions and not enough on evidence. Through his work at CEB, Tethr, and now DCM Insights, he has helped reshape how consulting firms think about sales, customer experience, and growth. His research has influenced thousands of organizations globally through books like The Challenger Sale, The Effortless Experience, The JOLT Effect, and most recently The Activator Advantage. Across each project, the theme is consistent, the highest performers don’t win because they are naturally charismatic; they win because they follow behaviors that can be measured, taught, and repeated. Today, Matt focuses heavily on professional services firms, helping partners and associates develop modern business development habits in a market where client loyalty is declining and AI is rapidly reshaping both delivery and buyer expectations. Proposed Interview Questions: 1. What originally pulled you into the world of sales research, consulting, and studying high-performing professional services firms? 2. What specific problem are you helping consulting and professional services firms solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and inside those firms, who usually makes the decision to bring DCM Insights in? 4. You’ve built enormous authority through books, HBR articles, keynote speaking, and research. What has worked best for growing your business and attracting the right clients? Current Acquisition Channels: Podcast (hosting) Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts as a marketing tool for consultants, advisors, and professional services firms today? 5. Professional services sales cycles can be long and political. What do the best rainmakers do differently when it comes to building trust and actually winning high-value engagements? 6. Once a firm becomes a client, how do you make sure the relationship keeps growing over time? What’s your approach to retaining clients and staying valuable long after the initial engagement? 7. Where do you personally find yourself most challenged right now as a leader and consultant at DCM Insights, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for research-backed business development and modern rainmaking over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Matthew Dixon Website Link: https://dcminsights.com Connect with Matthew Dixon on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewxdixon/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    26 min
  8. How to Build a Founder-Led Company Through Leadership Development With Gene Hammett

    6d ago

    How to Build a Founder-Led Company Through Leadership Development With Gene Hammett

    Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com) Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting-secrets-pod ********************************************************************** Gene Hammett has spent the last 15+ years helping founders and CEOs navigate one of the hardest transitions in business growth: moving from being the operator everything depends on to becoming the leader who scales through people. Through Core Elevation, he works primarily with fast-growth companies, helping executive teams develop the systems, communication, and leadership capacity required for sustainable growth. What makes Gene’s perspective especially relevant for professional services firms is his focus on founder dependency. Many consulting, advisory, and service businesses struggle because too much decision-making, client trust, and operational knowledge stay tied to the founder. Gene helps leadership teams break that cycle by creating stronger executives, better alignment, and healthier accountability structures. Gene is also the host of the Growth Think Tank podcast, with more than 1,100 episodes and over 2.2 million downloads. Having interviewed hundreds of CEOs and founders, he brings a practical understanding of what separates firms that scale successfully from those that remain dependent on a single rainmaker or leader. Proposed Interview Question: 1. What originally pulled you into leadership coaching and consulting for fast-growth CEOs? 2. What specific problem are you helping founders and CEOs solve today, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually makes the decision to bring you in as a coach or consultant? 4. You’ve built a strong personal brand around leadership and tough conversations. What has worked best for attracting the right clients consistently? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Meta Ads, Podcast (guesting), Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: You’ve published more than 1,100 podcast episodes. What do you think podcasting can do specifically for consultants, coaches, and leadership experts trying to grow their authority and business? 5. When you’re selling executive coaching and leadership transformation, trust is everything. How do you usually move CEOs from first conversation to becoming a client? 6. You’ve worked with founders and leadership teams for years. How do you retain clients long term and make sure relationships continue evolving beyond the initial engagement? 7. Where do you personally find yourself most challenged right now as a leadership coach and advisor to fast-growth CEOs? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for leadership development and founder-to-CEO transformation over the next few years? ********************************************************************* Know more about Gene Hammett Website Link: https://coreelevation.com/ Connect with Gene Hammett on LinkedIn LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genehammett/ Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

    39 min
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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

The Principal Podcast is where founders, Managing Partners, and CEOs of professional services firms share how they build, grow, and lead businesses that last. Each episode goes deep on the real strategies behind firm growth, from winning clients and building trust, to scaling teams and staying ahead in a competitive market. Hosted by a team of seasoned professionals with backgrounds across consulting, marketing, and business growth, The Principal Podcast brings diverse perspectives to every conversation. Guests come from across the professional services world: management consulting, financial services, investment banking, IT services, marketing, PR, staffing, and accounting. If you run or lead a professional services firm and you're serious about growth, this is your show.

Information

  • Creator
    GHA Marketing
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    423
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 GHA Marketing
  • Show Website
    The Principal Podcast