Paul Higgins Podcast

Paul Higgins

If you’re a SaaS Consulting Partner earning low to mid six figures—and wearing every hat from sales to delivery—this podcast is your shortcut to scaling smarter. Each week, I talk to successful Partners of Salesforce, Zoho, NetSuite, Monday.com, and HubSpot partners who’ve cracked the code to bigger deals, better systems, and more freedom. No fluff. Just sharp lessons from the field. Subscribe and join 600+ episodes of real, raw, and proven advice for SaaS Consulting Partners ready to scale 7 figures and beyond.

  1. 1天前

    639 - How to Stop ChatGPT from Lying to You (AI PhD Reveals the Fix) with Garima Agrawal

    Why you should listen Garima Agrawal bridges the gap between PhD-level AI research and practical consulting applications—she understands both the Formula One engine and how to help you drive the car better.Learn the layered prompting technique that eliminates most hallucinations and turns ChatGPT into a thinking partner rather than a content generator you can't trust.Discover which LLM to use for specific tasks—ChatGPT for analysis, Claude for coding, Gemini for technical research, and Perplexity for citations—so you stop wasting time with the wrong tool. You're using ChatGPT every day, but deep down you don't fully trust it. You've been burned by hallucinations. You watch it confidently give you wrong information, and you're left wondering which parts are reliable and which parts are fiction. You know AI should be making you more productive, but instead you're second-guessing every output and spending more time fact-checking than creating. Meanwhile, you see other consultants talking about Claude, Gemini, Perplexity—and you're not sure if you should be using those instead or if ChatGPT is fine. You're stuck in this loop of knowing AI is powerful but not knowing how to harness it properly. This week, I sat down with Garima Agrawal, who brings a rare combination: PhD-level AI research expertise and real-world consulting experience running her own firm. She breaks down the exact framework that eliminates most hallucinations, reveals which LLM actually performs best for specific consulting tasks, and shares the prompting mistakes that sabotage your results before you even start. If you're ready to stop fighting with AI and start using it as the leverage tool it should be, this conversation gives you the practical roadmap you need. About Garima Agrawal Garima Agrawal is the founder of HumaConn LLC, a consulting firm focused on empowering businesses and investors with tailored AI solutions. At HumaConn, she specializes in designing strategies for effective AI integration—helping clients enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and identify high-potential AI-driven opportunities that bridge innovation with real-world impact. She also serves as Head of AI Models and Services at Minerva CQ, where she leads the development and deployment of real-time, goal-oriented AI systems that power agentic, human-in-the-loop assistance in customer contact centers—boosting engagement and operational performance. Garima holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Arizona State University, where her research focused on making AI knowledge-aware—enabling large language models to reason reliably in specialized domains. Her core expertise includes reducing hallucinations, optimizing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and building cost-effective, trustworthy AI pipelines. With over a decade of experience spanning software engineering, data science, and AI leadership, Garima bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world application—helping organizations build AI that delivers meaningful, measurable results. Resources and Links Humaconn.comGarima's LinkedIn profileGarima’s Google Scholar profileChatGPTClaudeGeminia href="https://www.perplexity.ai/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    41 分钟
  2. 9月22日

    637 - The Full-Cycle Advantage: Refusing to Be Just Another Zoho Consultant with George Easton

    Why you should listen George Easton shares his journey from executive recruiter to building North America's largest Zoho partner by headcount (60 team members), offering invaluable lessons for scaling service-based businesses.Learn his "full-cycle business management consultancy" model that serves manufacturing, legal, healthcare, and home services - and why being the "chocolate wheel" beats being a specialist.Discover how to transition from subcontractor-heavy operations to employee-focused teams, and why George wishes he'd made this switch earlier for better consistency and work quality. You're trapped between two impossible choices: stay laser-focused on one niche and miss opportunities, or spread yourself thin trying to serve everyone. You watch competitors win deals because they can handle the client's entire tech ecosystem while you're stuck explaining why they need multiple vendors. In this episode, I talk with George Easton from Ion8, who solved this dilemma by creating a "full-cycle business management consultancy" model. We discuss how he built North America's largest Zoho partner team, his middleware-first approach to connecting systems, and why he pivoted from subcontractors to employees for better client outcomes. Join us to learn how to build a scalable consultancy that serves clients across their entire technology ecosystem without becoming a jack-of-all-trades. About George Easton George Easton is the CEO and Founder of ion8.net, North America's largest Zoho partner with nearly 60 staff operating virtually across seven countries. He's transformed what began as a marketing firm into a global "full-cycle business management consultancy" that serves as a comprehensive external operations partner for SMEs with 500 or fewer employees. George identified a critical market gap: businesses prefer one accountable partner over multiple specialized vendors. His entrepreneurial journey spans over two decades, from achieving top performer status at IBM Canada (exceeding quota by 100%+) to pioneering sports analytics at SportRFID with patented technology deployed across North American and European ski resorts. George is the product visionary behind ion8's proprietary middleware portfolio, including AI-powered call management and CRM integration tools. With credentials from Stanford University's Venture Lab, he's built his reputation on a proven methodology: implement scalable systems first, then apply targeted growth strategies to transform vendor relationships into strategic partnerships. Resources and Links ion8.netGeorge’s LinkedIn profileN8nManusPrevious episode: 636 - The Systematic Approach to Building Bigger AI Consulting Deals with Taireez NiswanderCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

    36 分钟
  3. 9月15日

    636 - The Systematic Approach to Building Bigger AI Consulting Deals with Taireez Niswander

    Why you should listen Taireez reveals how AI consultants can identify specific automation opportunities worth significant annual savings for any client role, transforming vague "AI implementation" conversations into concrete ROI discussions.Learn the systematic approach to expand your share of client value beyond single platform implementations, positioning yourself as a strategic advisor rather than a technical order-taker.Discover a practical tool that helps consultants confidently sell AI automation by providing hard evidence of savings and implementation roadmaps for any job description. As a SaaS or AI consultant, I know you've been in client meetings where you see massive automation opportunities but struggle to articulate the specific value and ROI. In this episode, I talk with Taireez Niswander, Chief AI Officer and creator of the Automation Goldmine platform, who has solved this exact problem. We dive into how you can identify automation opportunities worth tens of thousands in annual savings for any role, transform your positioning from technical implementer to strategic advisor, and systematically expand your client relationships beyond one-off platform implementations. Join us to discover the tool that's helping consultants prove AI value before the sale. About Taireez Niswander Taireez Niswander is the creator of Automation Goldmine and PerfectFit apps. She is a Chief AI Officer and one of the first 100 people globally to earn the International Chief AI Officer Certification. With over four years of hands-on AI experience and two decades of operations expertise, she has demonstrated remarkable business impact—including scaling business operations by 233% and serving as Vice Chair of CHIFOO's Board of Directors.After being laid off in February 2024, she became a Chief AI Officer by September—proving the power of practical AI implementation. Her work focuses on helping businesses identify and automate high-impact operational processes. Through her Automation Goldmine framework, she’s developed a systematic approach to spotting automation opportunities that deliver measurable ROI. Her solutions help consultants and business leaders transform manual workflows into automated systems without the typical tech complexity. Resources and Links Automationgoldmine.comTaireez’s LinkedIn profile589 – AI 1st business with John MunsellSonger.co Previous episode: 635 - Why Your Sales Problem Isn't Actually a Sales ProblemCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources BONUS: Walk into any meeting, paste a job description and salary, and immediately demonstrate $50K+ in hidden value per role. Start with low-hanging fruit to build trust, then...

    36 分钟
  4. 9月8日

    634 - Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Leaders Instead with Rachel Plowman

    Why you should listen Rachel Plowman shares her authentic 9-month journey transitioning from project manager to COO at radianHub, offering real-world insights for anyone considering or navigating a leadership promotion in their consulting business.Learn practical strategies for managing P&L responsibility, project profitability analysis, and time tracking systems that actually work without crushing team morale.Discover how to successfully delegate while maintaining quality standards, plus proven approaches for client relationship transitions during organizational changes. You might be wondering how to develop leadership within your team or whether your current team members can handle bigger responsibilities. In this episode, I talk with Rachel Plowman, COO of radianHub, who shares her transition from project manager to COO over 9 months. We dive into the real challenges of taking on P&L responsibility, managing project profitability, and building systems that support growth. Rachel provides concrete examples of how they improved margins, implemented effective time tracking, and navigated client relationship transitions during her promotion. About Rachel Plowman Rachel has been in information technology for much of her career, with 5 SFDC certifications. After beginning her career in financial services, she quickly transitioned into product ownership and project management with an emphasis on business analysis and software consulting. She has been in the Salesforce ecosystem as a consultative project manager and business analyst, while raising her family and enjoying life beyond software development. Resources and Links Radianhub.comRachel's LinkedIn profile531 – Gearing Up for a Sale with Russell BadgettRight Click PromptPrevious episode: 633 - From 10% to 50% LinkedIn Acceptance Rates with Oleg SobolevCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

    29 分钟
  5. 9月1日

    633 - From 10% to 50% LinkedIn Acceptance Rates with Oleg Sobolev

    Why you should listen Oleg Sobolev reveals his proven warmup formula that increased LinkedIn connection acceptance rates from 10% to 50% in a controlled test of 1000 prospects, with 15-20% of warmed prospects reaching out first via DM.Learn how to build a systematic approach to social selling that scales for your team without relying on generic "just be genuine" advice—turning it from art into science.Discover the strategic differences between commenting on mega-influencers versus niche creators and why targeting smaller accounts with 20-50 comments delivers exponentially better pipeline results. Are you tired of sending perfectly crafted LinkedIn messages that get completely ignored? As a consultant, you're likely experiencing the same frustration—low acceptance rates while decision makers are overwhelmed by generic outreach attempts. In this episode, I talk with Oleg Sobolev from Extrovert about a different approach entirely. Instead of working harder on your messaging, we explore how strategic social engagement before any outreach can transform your results. Oleg walks through his systematic method for building genuine visibility and trust, turning social media from a time sink into a predictable revenue engine for consultants who want to stop chasing prospects and start attracting them. About Oleg Sobolev Oleg Sobolev is a former strategy consultant turned SaaS founder, best known for rethinking how B2B sales teams build relationships. After years advising companies on growth, he saw firsthand how traditional outreach—cold emails, mass DMs—was burning trust instead of building it. That insight led him to create Extrovert, a platform that helps reps drive pipeline by showing up consistently and authentically on LinkedIn. Oleg’s mission is simple: make relationship-driven selling easier to do—and harder to ignore. Resources and Links Goextrovert.comOleg's LinkedIn profileGet Extrovert at 50% off the first month!Previous episode: 632 - From Podcast Listener to Client: The Journey That Changed EverythingCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resource

    29 分钟
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关于

If you’re a SaaS Consulting Partner earning low to mid six figures—and wearing every hat from sales to delivery—this podcast is your shortcut to scaling smarter. Each week, I talk to successful Partners of Salesforce, Zoho, NetSuite, Monday.com, and HubSpot partners who’ve cracked the code to bigger deals, better systems, and more freedom. No fluff. Just sharp lessons from the field. Subscribe and join 600+ episodes of real, raw, and proven advice for SaaS Consulting Partners ready to scale 7 figures and beyond.

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