In this episode of Built to Sell, Built to Buy, host Sam Penny sits down with Glenn Poulos, a sales powerhouse with nearly 40 years of experience. Glenn shares his journey from being a "failed civil servant" to building and selling two successful companies: MMWave Technologies and Gap Wireless

He is the author of Never Sit in the Lobby, a practical field manual containing 57 hard-earned lessons on how to build deeper customer relationships and close bigger deals.

Key Takeaways: Sales Lessons from the Field

Glenn’s philosophy revolves around being a "pleasure to do business with" while maintaining the resilience to lead the sale.

• Never Sit in the Lobby: Avoid sitting down while waiting for a client. Standing ensures you are not distracted by your phone and are "at attention" when the client arrives.
• Something in Your Hand, Something in Your Mind: Never show up empty-handed. Always have a physical item (like a quote or literature) and a specific, valuable insight or topic to discuss.
• The "Mini Tour" Strategy: Always ask for a quick look around the customer's facility. This allows you to see how your product will be used and identify what competitors are already in play "behind the veil".
• Freedom Begins with "No": A "No" is a full sentence. Being willing to say "no" to unreasonable discounts or demands keeps the stress on the negotiation rather than on your own workload.
• Thank God It’s Broken: When a product fails, it is the best opportunity to build a lifelong relationship. Providing over-the-top support during a crisis proves you care more than a salesperson who just disappears after the check clears.

Building for the Exit

Glenn discusses the transition from a commission-based sales rep to a business owner, emphasizing the "cheat code" of leveraging a team.

• The "Swiss Watch" Business: For his 2022 exit, Glenn built Gap Wireless to run like a precision instrument with clearly defined systems and processes.
• The Multiplier Paradox: While a perfectly run business is attractive, Glenn notes that private equity buyers sometimes pay higher multiples for businesses with "rough edges" that they can easily polish for a quick increase in value.
• Structure First, People Second: Following the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), Glenn advocates for building the necessary business structure first and then finding the right person for each specific "seat".

The "Master" Golden Rule

Glenn challenges the old saying about "first impressions". In business, every single interaction - at a trade show, in the office, or with the boss - is a deliberate chance to curate your career like a museum.

• Trade Show Excellence: Don't sit down or hide on your phone; pull customers into the booth and seek out product managers for career "cheat codes".
• The Warehouse to CEO Path: You can rise through any organization by outperforming and out-impressing those around you at every turn.

Links & Resources

• Glenn’s Website: glennpoulos.com
• Connect on LinkedIn: Glenn Poulos
• Book: Never Sit in the Lobby

If your marketing feels like guesswork — some months booming, others bone-dry — today’s episode will show you exactly what’s missing.

Sam sits down with Jeff Wenberg, founder of Offer Evolution and former early-stage team member at Leadpages and Zipify Apps, where he helped scale tech companies by focusing on one core principle:
➡️ Marketing works when your machine works

Jeff went from broke musician to building and selling his own SaaS and helping thousands of entrepreneurs create simple, scalable marketing systems that generate predictable revenue. In this actionable and energising conversation, Jeff shares:

What You’ll Learn

✔ Why most founders struggle with inconsistent lead flow
✔ The #1 difference between companies that scale vs those stuck spinning their wheels
✔ The exact foundational components of a Marketing Machine (Audience → Message → Rhythm → Process)
✔ The 80/20 work every entrepreneur skips — and pays the price for later
✔ How to interview customers the right way to unlock language that converts
✔ The simple tweak that added $20K MRR in 3 months for one client
✔ How to avoid the shiny-object trap (especially with AI)
✔ Why true marketing is more human — and more simple — than ever

Key Quotes

“If you want to build something repeatable and scalable, you need a system — or you’ll be tied to your desk forever.”

Jeff’s Top Takeaways

1️⃣ Talk to your customers — deeply and often
2️⃣ Sell the transformation, not the features
3️⃣ Consistency beats cleverness, every time

About Jeff Wenberg

Jeff is the creator of Offer Evolution, where he helps coaches, course creators, and info-businesses position and pitch their offers so customers say “I need that” before they even hear the price. Previously, he helped scale Leadpages from 11 staff to over 170 and tens of thousands of users worldwide.

👉 Website: JeffWenberg.com
👉 Instagram: @IamJeffWenberg

👉 Connect with Sam: sampenny.com

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – From musician to marketer
03:20 – Early lessons at Leadpages
06:10 – When marketing becomes a machine
10:00 – Tactic chasing vs. system building
14:30 – What successful businesses always have in common
20:00 – Consistency vs clarity
23:30 – The customer that went from $0 to $20K MRR
26:00 – Why AI will never replace connection
32:00 – Storytelling as a trust accelerator
36:00 – Jeff’s 3 steps to build your machine today
37:30 – Where to find Jeff

If You Found This Valuable

Share it with a founder still searching for that elusive “consistent sales” feeling.
You might just save them years of struggle.

In this episode, Sam dives deep into the power of communication as a growth driver — not a buzzword. Joshua Altman, former Capitol Hill journalist and now pioneer of the Fractional Chief Communications Officer (CCO) model, explains how smart communication shapes perception, accelerates decisions, builds trust, and connects every part of a business to its strategy.

From small-to-mid-size companies to government agencies, Joshua has helped leaders transform messaging from reactive output into an operating system for better decisions. He breaks down:

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Communications is strategy
  Your newsletter, website, and pitch deck aren’t the end goal — they’re conversation starters that shape how customers and stakeholders think.
• Better messaging = Faster decisions
  When teams and customers are aligned, they move confidently without hesitation.
• Small businesses need an integrated approach
  Not siloed social posts — a narrative that supports product, sales, and culture.
• Be the signal, not the noise
  Strategic silence can be powerful — but ignoring customers when it counts can destroy trust.
• AI is a tool — not the storyteller
  Technology can speed execution, but humans are still the edge.

🧩 What We Cover

✔️ What a Chief Communications Officer actually does
✔️ Why the fractional model is booming
✔️ How to prevent communications chaos during growth
✔️ The Cracker Barrel brand meltdown example — and what leaders should learn from it
✔️ The habits of leaders who communicate well
✔️ Practical steps any business can take this week to improve clarity

🧠 Who This Episode Is For

This one’s essential listening if you are:

• A founder juggling marketing and messaging yourself
• A CEO scaling into new markets or raising capital
• A leader dealing with communication bottlenecks
• Anyone wanting to build a brand that customers trust

🔗 Connect with Joshua Altman

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/JoshuaiAltman
• Website & Free Tools: beltway.media (check out the Quick Guides!)
• Email: jaltman@beltway.media

❤️ Enjoying the Show?

If this conversation helped you rethink communication as a growth engine, please:

✔️ Share this episode with your team
✔️ Leave a 5-star rating and review
✔️ Subscribe so you never miss an episode

For the complete Blog Article, head to sampenny.com