What's Working with Cam Marston

Cam Marston Podcasts
  • 4.7 (37)
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Interviewing guests to better understand the trends shaping their workplace, workforce, and marketplace with the hopes that something they say will make each of us a little bit better at whatever it is we do.

  1. 6D AGO

    The Better Way to Sell — with Arthur Gonzales

    If you've ever chased a prospect for months only to get ghosted, delivered a perfect proposal and heard nothing back, or found yourself unable to walk away from a deal that was going nowhere — this episode is for you. Arthur Gonzales, Managing Director of Cypress Consulting Group and area franchisee for Sandler Training, joins Cam to talk about why most salespeople struggle and what to do about it. Arthur's journey from near-broke billboard salesman working bar doors at night to sales leader and trainer is both entertaining and instructive — and the lessons he learned along the way apply to anyone who has to persuade someone to say yes. Three things Arthur says that will stick with you: "You're not struggling with your close rate. You're qualifying poorly." Most salespeople skip the hard diagnostic work and rush to the proposal — then wonder why nothing closes. "Without pain, there is no sale." If your prospect doesn't have a problem they're emotionally compelled to fix, no amount of charm or information will move them. "Before every appointment, I remind myself I'm independently wealthy and don't need the business." That mindset shift changes your body language, your tone, and your entire approach. Connect with Arthur Gonzales: 📧 arthur.gonzales@sandler.com 📱 803-509-3873 💼 LinkedIn: Search Arthur Gonzales

    1h 25m

  2. APR 22

    Kyle Sweetser Returns: Running as a Democrat in Deep Red Alabama

    Kyle Sweetser is back on What's Working for a second conversation with Cam Marston. A former lifelong Republican who described himself as betrayed by a party that abandoned its own values, Kyle is now running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tommy Tuberville. In this wide-ranging conversation, Kyle and Cam dig into healthcare, energy policy, executive overreach, the challenge of winning crossover voters, and what it actually takes to run a statewide campaign in Alabama on a shoestring budget. Kyle is candid about where he breaks with his own party, what keeps him grounded, and why he believes 2026 could be a turning point — even in one of the reddest states in the country. The Crossover Voter Strategy — Kyle lays out a frank electoral math: he needs a motivated Democratic base, disengaged Republicans who simply stay home, and a few hundred thousand crossover voters. His pitch to lifelong Republicans isn't ideology — it's issues, and he believes more common ground exists between moderate Democrats and disenchanted Republicans than most people realize. Standing His Ground on Party Pressure — Kyle reveals he pushed back when Democratic insiders pressured him to take more progressive positions on certain social issues. He held firm, saying his job is to represent Alabama — not a national platform — and that credibility with crossover voters depends on that honesty. The Woman in Blount County — Kyle's most powerful story: a now-naturalized U.S. citizen who saw his Facebook post, showed up to a speaking event with her family, and delivered an emotional impromptu speech about her community's fear under current immigration enforcement. She left determined to register every eligible voter she could find. Kyle called it the moment that reminded him exactly why he's doing this.

    1h 3m

  3. APR 6

    Building a Brand, Not Just a Bar: The Story Behind Mobile's Most Enduring Hospitality Group

    Matt LeMond and Luke Peavy have done something most restaurateurs only dream about — they've built six thriving concepts in Mobile, Alabama, and kept them running. From the original O'Daly's to Post Downtown, Post on the Hill, Stamped Sandwich Company, Cedar Street Social, and the Insider/Outsider complex, Matt and Luke (along with partner and former MLB pitcher Jake Peavy) have quietly assembled one of the city's most recognized hospitality brands. In this episode, they pull back the curtain on how the partnership formed, how they divide responsibilities, and why their biggest coaching challenge with young managers has nothing to do with P&Ls — it's empathy. They also share what Mobile is missing, why they almost said no to Post on the Hill, and what a trip to Scottsdale taught them about the value of being in the same room. THREE TAKEAWAYS Culture starts with being a good human. Long-tenured staff in a high-turnover industry isn't an accident. Matt and Luke credit treating employees as teammates — being available when a car breaks down, giving them a voice, and coaching empathy over task completion — as the foundation of their retention. Know your role in the partnership. Their three-way partnership works because responsibilities are genuinely divided: Matt runs day-to-day operations, Luke bridges the kitchen and future planning, and Jake provides big-picture vision. They communicate daily and overlap when needed — without stepping on each other. The right deal has to pencil out. Passion for a concept isn't enough. Matt resisted Post on the Hill hard before the numbers made sense. Their discipline around when to say yes — and when to walk — is a big reason they're still standing when so many others aren't.

    58 min

  4. MAR 30

    Fraud Leaves Fingerprints - Retired FBI Agent Dan Sigmond on Financial Crime, the Cases That Stick, and Why Your Business Probably Has a Problem You Don't Know About

    Retired FBI Special Agent Dan Sigmond returns to What's Working to discuss his 21 years investigating financial crimes, a remarkable story of how a previous episode of this very podcast helped crack a case, and his new private-sector firm, Special Agent Advisory Group. Dan shares how fraud always comes down to the manipulation of trust, offers vivid case stories ranging from a Jamaican lottery scheme to the "Pepper Spray Bandit" bank robber, and closes with a preview of his next topic: cybercrime as financial crime in a hoodie. Fraud is relational, not transactional. Today's scammers build long-term trust with victims — often elderly — before extracting money. The shift from one-time hits to slow, sustained manipulation makes detection far harder and the psychological damage far deeper. Most financial crime goes unreported. When Dan left the Bureau, only 40–50% of crimes were being reported, meaning billions in losses — particularly in business email compromise and cryptocurrency fraud — never make it into official tracking systems like the FBI's IC3. Internal fraud bleeds slowly. The most significant embezzlement cases Dan worked unfolded over years, exploiting trusted employees with access to financial systems or merchandise. Most companies, focused on revenue and optics, don't know what signals to look for until significant damage is done. Criminals aren't masterminds — they're persistent. The biggest misconception people carry is that scams are too sophisticated to fall for. In reality, the tactics are often simple. What's changed is the access to personal data and the ability to personalize attacks at scale.

    1h 6m

  5. MAR 23

    Catalytic Projects: How Porchlight Communities is Transforming Mobile One Investment at a Time

    Mobile, Alabama's development scene is quietly building something significant — and it's being done one catalytic project at a time. Cam sits down with John Ruzic, who helps run day-to-day operations at Porchlight Communities, a small and nimble real estate development firm focused on long-term impact over short-term gains. From affordable housing in Oakdale to the historic Ace Theater on MLK Avenue, John walks through the projects Porchlight is shepherding — and the creative financing, unexpected partnerships, and patient vision required to make them work. The conversation also ventures into Mobile's larger housing challenge: not just a shortage of roofs, but a shortage of the quality and volume needed to compete for the companies and workers the city is trying to attract. Key Takeaways: Housing as an economic tool, not just shelter. Porchlight's philosophy treats new and restored housing as a catalyst for neighborhood vitality — driving school quality, retail, tax base, and the city's ability to recruit businesses and workforce talent to Mobile. The Ace Theater redevelopment is a public-private partnership between Porchlight and the Mobile County Commission, using historic rehabilitation tax credits to create a permanent home for the historic Excelsior Band on MLK Avenue. The Hoffman Furniture Building on Dauphin Street is Porchlight's most ambitious puzzle in progress — possibilities include a hotel, ground-floor retail, and residential units, all anchored by a deep commitment to honoring the building's nearly century-long history with the Hoffman family. Title issues are the hidden obstacle in community revitalization. Clearing title on vacant and tax-delinquent properties — through processes like "quiet title action" — is often more expensive than the properties are worth, and John argues a public-side land bank or redevelopment authority is the missing piece Mobile needs to do this at scale. Porchlight is open for partnerships. If you have a property or project idea and don't know how to move it forward, John is willing to have the conversation. Find them at porchlightcommunities.com — a development partner focused on creative financing, civic relationships, and long-term community impact.

    30 min

  6. MAR 17

    Mobile's Best-Kept Secret Is 143 Years Old — And It's Just Getting Started

    Something genuinely exciting is happening in Mobile — one of the city's most treasured cultural institutions, the 143-year-old Excelsior Band, is on the verge of a remarkable renaissance. Led by Hosea London, this legendary walking jazz band — founded in 1883 by Creole firemen who played instruments between calls — is preparing to establish a permanent home at the historic Ace Theater on Davis Avenue, a beautifully symbolic resurrection of both a band and a neighborhood. Developer John Ruzic and his firm Porch Light are restoring the 1943 segregation-era theater into a jazz performance venue and education studio that will train the next generation of Mobile musicians, feeding young talent directly into the Excelsior Band's living, unwritten, tradition-to-tradition legacy. The vision is breathtaking: a place where Mobile's extraordinary musical heritage — a city that has quietly produced world-class talent for over a century — is finally given the spotlight it deserves. Top Four Points: 143 years of living tradition — The Excelsior Band has no playlist, no rehearsals, and no written music; everything is passed down person to person, making it one of the most authentic oral jazz traditions in America The Ace Theater revival — The historic Davis Avenue theater, built in 1943 to serve Black audiences during segregation, is being restored by Porch Light Development as a permanent home and performance venue for the band A jazz studio for young Mobilians — A new jazz education studio connected to the Ace Theater will expose local youth to professional music careers — not just performing, but composing, engineering, and producing Mobile's musical legacy is staggering — The city has produced nationally and internationally recognized jazz artists for generations, and this project aims to tell that story proudly to a new audience

    46 min

  7. JAN 16

    SNASY - The Story of Service Born to Aid Handicapped and Their Handlers. It's Coming to Mardi Gras.

    This episode of What's Working introduces SNASY (Special Needs Assistant Station for You), founded by Dale Jackson after years of struggling to take his severely disabled teenage son to public events with no accessible adult changing facilities. Dale connected with Julian and Olivia Stevens — parents of a wheelchair-bound, ventilator-dependent 14-year-old — after spotting them at an Auburn game, and together they've built an organization that provides not just physical facilities but full itinerary coordination and on-site volunteers. A key insight from the families: SNASY reduces stress on the entire family, including siblings, allowing everyone to actually enjoy the outing. The organization is launching in Mobile with a 24-foot accessible trailer ready for Mardi Gras, and Senator Katie Britt's office has awarded a grant to build three more. Highlights: SNASY provides adult changing stations, accessible bathrooms, and coordinated volunteer support at public events Founded after Dale's son Colin — severely brain-damaged from undetected infant seizures — became too large to change in typical public spaces The Stevens family joined after Dale approached them at an Auburn game; their son Preston uses a wheelchair and ventilator following a childhood drowning accident Press conference at Fort Conde in Mobile on February 5th with Senator Katie Britt to announce the grant for three additional trailers SNASY will be live at the Mobile Mardi Gras parade February 6th — not waiting until fully funded Needs: business sponsors, volunteers (fraternities, civic clubs), and outreach partners — snasy.org

    45 min

  8. 12/01/2025

    Former US Congressman Jo Bonner and I Discuss What's Changed in Politics Today

    Jo Bonner is president of the University of South Alabama and in that role is building the school in both students and infrastructure. A couple jobs before that he represented Alabama's Distict 1 in Washington, taking over from Sonny Callahan for whom he was chief of staff beginning in 1989. Joe spent a lot of time in Washignton and has insights on what has changed and what has driven the change in Washington. He, like so many of my recent interviews, is disturbed by what he sees. Joe and I discuss what's changed and what may it may take to return to country to decency to one another and loyalty to the constitution.

    1h 5m
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Interviewing guests to better understand the trends shaping their workplace, workforce, and marketplace with the hopes that something they say will make each of us a little bit better at whatever it is we do.

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