Sales as Service

Tamara Smith
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Marketing

Sales as Service is the podcast for consultants, agency owners, and service-based founders who want to grow their businesses without feeling awkward about sales. If you've ever thought, "I hate selling," or wondered how to get more clients, this show is for you. We make sales simple and approachable with practical advice on topics like: Creating opportunities instead of waiting for referralsBuilding relationships through outreach that doesn't feel pushyDeveloping the habits and systems that create a steady pipelineGrowing your business with confidence, consistency, and integrityThis isn't about pressure tactics, bro marketing, or convincing people to buy. It's about serving, solving problems, and building genuine relationships that lead to sustainable business growth. Listen in to discover how a simple shift in perspective can create a lasting change in your business.

  1. 23h ago

    When Ambition Becomes Exhaustion: Rethinking Success with Sophia Mikelionis

    As business owners, we're constantly encouraged to do more. More networking, more outreach, more content, more follow-up. And when business isn't growing the way we'd like, our first instinct is often to work harder. But what happens when the ambition that helped us build our careers becomes the very thing that's exhausting us? In this episode of Sales as Service, I'm joined by Sophia Mikelionis, founder of Gearing Together and a leadership coach who spent more than 15 years working in corporate finance. Sophia helps high-achieving women and leaders rethink their relationship with success, establish healthier boundaries, and manage their energy without giving up the goals that matter to them. We explore how the pressure to perform influences the decisions we make, the commitments we take on, and the way we approach sales and business development. Because building a successful business isn't just about how much we're willing to do. It's also about recognizing what's worth our time and energy. In this episode, we explore: Why high achievers often struggle to recognize when ambition has turned into overextension.How our professional identity and sense of self-worth influence the way we define success.Why boundaries aren't a lack of commitment, but a necessary part of sustainable growth.How small changes in our daily decisions can help us manage energy and avoid burnout.What it looks like to build a sales and business development practice that supports our goals without consuming our lives. Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, look at your calendar and identify one sales or business development activity that's taking more energy than the value it's creating. Maybe it's a networking event you attend out of obligation, time spent creating content instead of connecting with prospects, or meetings that aren't leading to meaningful opportunities. Ask yourself: Is this the best use of my time and energy? If not, make one adjustment. Then redirect that time toward something more intentional, like reconnecting with a prospect, following up on an opportunity, or strengthening an existing relationship. The goal isn't simply to do less. It's to make sure your efforts are moving you toward the kind of success you actually want. Links & Resources: Learn more about Sophia and Gearing Together.Follow Sophia on YouTube.Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn.Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    When Ambition Becomes Exhaustion: Rethinking Success with Sophia Mikelionis

  2. Oct 28

    You've Got Their Email. Now What? A Simpler Approach to Email Marketing with Kieryn Wang

    If your email list has been sitting there quietly while you tell yourself you’ll “get serious about email marketing” eventually, this episode is for you. I’m talking with email marketing strategist Kieryn Wang about how to stop making email bigger than it needs to be. Kieryn sees email as relationship-building: people have already raised their hands and asked to hear from you. Our job is to stay in the conversation. And if an elaborate funnel or beautifully designed newsletter is keeping you from doing that, start smaller. As Kieryn says, “Nobody ever unsubscribed for a short email.” We get practical about what that looks like, from the first email someone receives to re-engaging a list you may have ghosted for a while. In this episode, we talk about: The simplest welcome email you can create when you’re starting from zeroKieryn’s three-email welcome sequence and why she recommends sending those emails closer togetherWhat makes a useful lead magnet—and why it doesn’t need to be a 75-page ebookHow to re-engage a neglected list and when it’s time to let inactive subscribers goSimple ways to start segmenting your audience without creating an overly complicated email strategy Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! If your email list has been sitting untouched, your challenge this week is simple: write one welcome email and get it live. Introduce yourself, name the problem your customer is trying to solve, and show them how your product or service can help. Keep the focus on them, keep it short, and don’t wait until you have the perfect three-email sequence, lead magnet, design, or automation. Then make sure people can actually find your list. Add a signup to your website, share it on social, and tell people what they’ll get by joining. You can build from there. This week, just get the first email out of your head and into their inbox. Links & Resources: Learn more about ALLMOST. Find Kieryn on Instagram. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    You've Got Their Email. Now What? A Simpler Approach to Email Marketing with Kieryn Wang

  3. Oct 21

    The Cost of Being Busy: What Founders Get Wrong About Business Growth with Nicole Meloni

    You can spend an entire day working on your business and still avoid the activities that actually help it grow. Updating systems, revising your website, managing clients, and putting out fires can all feel productive. But are they moving your business forward? In this episode of Sales as Service, I sit down with Nicole Meloni, a fractional COO who helps service-based founders move beyond the operational challenges that come with growth. We talk about what happens when business owners become the bottleneck in their own companies, why delegating can be so difficult, and how the gap between what founders think is happening and what's actually happening can create confusion for their teams. We also get into the relationship between being busy and generating revenue, including the uncomfortable sales activities we sometimes avoid. And Nicole shares an unexpected turning point in her career: training lions on a wildlife reserve. That experience changed how she thought about hustle culture, leadership, and building a business that supports her life instead of consuming it. In this episode, we explore: Why founder overwhelm is often a natural growing pain, not a sign that something is wrong with your business.How unclear expectations, inconsistent leadership, and disconnected systems create unnecessary work.Why delegation requires trust, clear expectations, and a willingness to let people make mistakes.How busywork can become a way to avoid revenue-generating conversations and the discomfort that comes with selling.What training lions taught Nicole about trust, boundaries, leadership, and finding fulfillment outside work.Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, take a look at how you're spending your business development time. Review your last five working days and ask yourself: Which activities actually moved a relationship or sales opportunity forward, and which ones just kept me busy? Now pick one activity that's taking up time without producing much progress. Replace 30 minutes of it this week with something that directly supports your pipeline. Reach out to a prospective client, follow up on a conversation that's gone quiet, or ask someone in your network for an introduction. The goal isn't to do more. It's to spend more time on the activities that actually create opportunities for your business. Links & Resources: Learn more about Azzurro Advisory.Find Nicole on Instagram.Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn.Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    The Cost of Being Busy: What Founders Get Wrong About Business Growth with Nicole Meloni

  4. Oct 14

    Ask for the Introduction: Turning Relationships Into Opportunities

    Links for Show Notes - Phil "The Connector" Herrington Phil “The Connector” Herrington spent more than three decades in sales, including years of cold calling and door-to-door prospecting. When he discovered business networking, he brought that same sales mindset with him—and admits he initially got it completely wrong. He treated every one-to-one like a lead instead of a relationship. Today, Phil helps B2B business owners build strategic relationships through The Connector Community. In this episode, we talk about what changed when he stopped trying to close every conversation and started focusing on giving first. We also get practical about the other side of relationship-first sales: eventually, you still have to ask. Phil shares how to make that ask easier, why he prefers introductions over referrals, and how consistency and enough conversations keep a pipeline moving without turning people into numbers. In this episode, we talk about: Why your first networking conversation doesn’t need to become a sales callThe simple shift from asking for “referrals” to asking for specific introductionsHow to create value before asking someone to buyWhy relationship-first sellers still need to get comfortable making the askHow consistent prospecting keeps you out of the feast-or-famine cycle Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, pick one person already in your network—a client, former client, partner, colleague, or someone you’ve built a genuine relationship with. Instead of asking, “Do you know anyone who needs what I do?” make the ask specific. Think about the kind of person or business you want to meet, then ask: “Who comes to mind when you think of [specific role, industry, or type of business]?” If someone comes to mind, ask whether they’d be comfortable making an introduction. Then return the favor. Ask who they would like to meet and look for one connection, resource, or opportunity you can share. Relationship-first selling doesn’t mean never asking. It means earning the right to ask—and making it easy for someone to help. Links & Resources: Learn more The Connector CommunityConnect with Phil on LinkedInFind Phil on Instagram and Facebook – Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    Ask for the Introduction: Turning Relationships Into Opportunities

  5. Oct 7

    Where Good Leads Get Stuck: Why They Aren’t Becoming Clients with Brian Ondrako

    Talking to someone outside your network can feel like a very different kind of sales conversation. Brian Ondrako helps founders make that shift. After 15 years in software sales, he now works with early stage businesses that need to move beyond their first warm introductions and build a more consistent sales process. In this conversation, Brian and I talk about what changes when you stop trying to sell and start helping someone buy. We get into the questions that uncover the real problem, the habits that keep a pipeline moving, and why a message with someone’s name in it still might not feel personal. Brian also walks through the numbers founders need to know so “I need more business” can become a plan. In this episode, we cover: Why sales is a skill you can practice, even if talking to strangers feels uncomfortableHow deeper discovery can reveal a different problem than the one a prospect first describesThe difference between personalized outreach and a message that shows you understand the personA simple way to start prospecting with a focused list of 25 to 50 peopleHow deal size, close rate, and pipeline coverage help you plan for a revenue goal Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Talk to someone new this week. Choose one type of client you can help and make a list of five people or businesses outside your immediate network. Spend a few minutes learning about each one. Then reach out to at least one with a short message that reflects something specific you noticed and opens a conversation. Put another block on your calendar to keep going. The goal is to start a habit you can repeat and learn from. Links & Resources: Learn more about Brian OndrakoConnect with Brian on LinkedIn and YouTubeLet Brian roast your sales call!Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    Where Good Leads Get Stuck: Why They Aren’t Becoming Clients with Brian Ondrako

  6. Sep 30

    Just Show Up: Rethinking Sales, Networking, and Personal Branding with Wendy Barr

    A lot of women tell me they’re not good at sales or networking. But sometimes the problem isn’t that we’re bad at either one. We’ve just been trying to do them in a way that doesn’t feel like us. My guest, Wendy Barr, has spent more than two decades creating a different kind of space for women in business. What began as a happy hour with five women in Denver grew into Women’s Business Link, a community that reached more than 5,000 members and eventually evolved into the virtual community Wendy leads today. In this conversation, Wendy and I talk about what changes when we stop trying to fit ourselves into someone else’s version of sales, networking, or even personal branding. We also get into the importance of staying consistent long enough for something to work, finding the communities where you can build genuine relationships, and letting people see more than just your expertise. In this episode, we talk about: Why relationship-building can be one of our greatest strengths in salesWhat Wendy learned from growing a five-person happy hour into a community of thousandsWhy showing up matters even when networking or selling feels uncomfortableHow personal stories help people understand who you are beyond your expertiseWhy consistency and knowing when to make a small adjustment can be more useful than constantly changing your strategy Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, put yourself in one room where a new relationship can happen. That can be an in-person networking event, a virtual community, an industry group, or even a conversation you’ve been meaning to start with someone already in your network. Your job isn’t to pitch yourself or walk away with a lead. Just show up as yourself and talk to someone you don’t already know. Ask a question. Get curious. Find out something about the person on the other side of the conversation. As Wendy said, there are people out there looking for someone like you. But they can’t find you if you don’t show up. Links & Resources: Find Wendy on Instagram and FacebookConnect with Wendy on LinkedInDrop Wendy a note at wendy@womensbusinesslink.com or schedule a callTam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    Just Show Up: Rethinking Sales, Networking, and Personal Branding with Wendy Barr

  7. Sep 23

    Small, Imperfect Action: How to Stop Procrastinating on Sales with Robin Emdon

    When it comes to sales and business development, most of us know what we should be doing. Reach out. Follow up. Ask for the referral. Start the conversation. But knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. In this episode, I'm talking with Robin J. Emdon, creator of GetResultsology, about why capable, motivated business owners still procrastinate on the work that matters. We look at procrastination through the lens of sales, including why we'll suddenly decide the website needs our immediate attention when there are outreach calls to make. Robin shares how accountability can help close the gap between knowing and doing, why big goals can sometimes create more resistance, and how taking small, imperfect action can help us build momentum instead. In this episode, we get into: Why procrastination isn't always a discipline or motivation problemWhat makes sales outreach particularly easy to avoidWhy accountability works differently than simply knowing what you should doHow Robin's "island hopping" approach makes big projects easier to startWhy small, imperfect action can be more effective than waiting until you have the whole plan figured outFind the complete show notes here: https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pick one sales or business development task you've been avoiding — the follow-up, the outreach, the referral ask, whatever keeps getting pushed to next week. Then make the next step almost ridiculously small. Not "do my outreach." Send one message. Not "follow up with my pipeline." Follow up with one person. Not "build a referral strategy." Ask one happy client if someone comes to mind who could use your help. Then add Robin's accountability piece. Tell one person exactly what you're going to do and when you're going to do it. And do it before you have time to make it bigger. You don't need the perfect system before you start. You need one small, imperfect action that creates enough momentum for the next one. Links & Resources: Learn more about Get Resultsology: https://getresultsology.com/Connect with Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinjemdon/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinjemdon/Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    Small, Imperfect Action: How to Stop Procrastinating on Sales with Robin Emdon

  8. Sep 16

    Progress Over Perfection: Building the Skills to Sell with Chaz Horn

    What if being good at sales has less to do with personality and more to do with practice? Chaz Horn didn't start his career as a natural salesperson. In his first commission-only sales job, he went months without making a sale. Then a mentor helped him change what he believed was possible, gave him a process to follow, and challenged him to practice it. Within 45 days, Chaz had become the number-three salesperson out of a team of 119. That experience eventually shaped the way he now teaches sales to B2B founders and teams. In this episode, Chaz and I talk about what actually makes someone better at sales. We get into his TTABS framework—tactic, technique, attitude, behavior, and strategy—but we also spend a lot of time on something even more fundamental: taking action before you feel completely ready, learning from what happens, and treating sales as a way to help someone move toward a goal rather than convincing them to buy something. In this episode, we talk about: Why salespeople are developed, not bornHow belief in yourself and what you sell affects the entire sales conversationChaz's TTABS framework for diagnosing where a sales process is breaking downWhy execution—not access to more information—is often the real challengeHow to use LinkedIn conversations, content, and your existing network without jumping straight into a pitchWhy rejected prospects can become one of your best sources of sales feedbackHow founders can turn what works for them into a repeatable process a sales team can actually followFind the complete show notes here: https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Before your next sales or prospecting conversation, take a minute to notice the thought you're bringing into it. Are you worried about sounding salesy? Feeling like you need to prove your value? Already thinking about whether they'll say yes? I do this exercise myself because when I get too focused on serving, solving, or proving I can help, I can end up talking too much and oversharing—the exact behavior I'm trying to avoid. Write down that thought, then ask yourself: If I believe this, how am I likely to show up? Replace it with a simpler reminder: My job is to show up, ask good questions, listen, and help this person make the best decision for themselves and their business—whether that's me, someone else, or something else entirely. Take that mindset into the conversation and notice what changes. Links & Resources: Learn more about Chaz Horn: https://chazhorn.comConnect with Chaz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaz-horn and YouTube: https://youtube.com/@chazhorn547Download the B2B Blueprint to Predictable Sales: https://chazhorn.com/the-b2b-blueprint-to-predictable-sales Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Learn how to consistently book 3–5 sales-qualified meetings each week - book an Alignment Call.  Connect with Tam on LinkedIn.  Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes.

    Progress Over Perfection: Building the Skills to Sell with Chaz Horn
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About

Sales as Service is the podcast for consultants, agency owners, and service-based founders who want to grow their businesses without feeling awkward about sales. If you've ever thought, "I hate selling," or wondered how to get more clients, this show is for you. We make sales simple and approachable with practical advice on topics like: Creating opportunities instead of waiting for referralsBuilding relationships through outreach that doesn't feel pushyDeveloping the habits and systems that create a steady pipelineGrowing your business with confidence, consistency, and integrityThis isn't about pressure tactics, bro marketing, or convincing people to buy. It's about serving, solving problems, and building genuine relationships that lead to sustainable business growth. Listen in to discover how a simple shift in perspective can create a lasting change in your business.

Information

  • Creator
    Tamara Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sales as Service
  • Show Website
    Sales as Service