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Noob School

Noob School

Written by: John Sterling
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Welcome to Noob School where expert sales trainer John Sterling is ready to teach sales noobs how to launch their careers like a rocketship. Through conversations with business leaders in every industry, you'll learn how to navigate the sales industry and apply their experiences to amplify your success.2021 Noob School and Pronk Studios Careers Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Personal Success
Episodes
  • The Freedom to Be Yourself: My Conversation with Amy Bruske of Kolbe Corp
    Apr 17 2026

    Welcome back to Noob School! Today, I’m joined by a very special guest and a longtime friend of the show, Amy Brusky. Amy is the President of Kolbe Corp, and the work her company does is a huge reason reason I was able to grow a tiny company into a massive success.

    Years ago, I was a young sales manager struggling to get my team to make cold calls. A consultant named Bill Lee introduced me to the Kolbe Index, and it completely changed my life. It taught me how to stop whining about my team’s performance and start hiring the right kind of people for the job.

    In this episode, Amy and I dive deep into why understanding your "doing" mind—your instinctive strengths—is the secret to finding what her stepmother and Kolbe founder Kathy Kolbe called "the freedom to be yourself".

    What we’re talking about in this episode:

    The Three Parts of the Mind: Why your personality and intelligence only tell half the story, and why your instinctive way of taking action is the missing piece to your success.

    Building Your Hiring Avatar: I share my personal "recipe" for hiring, from the local "beer test" to making sure their Kolbe numbers match the role before I even meet them.

    Sales Strengths vs. Role Requirements: We discuss why some people are built for high-pressure cold calling while others, like a guy I once hired with high Factfinder numbers, are the only ones who can close a $25 million government deal that takes two years to finish.

    Permission to "Procrastinate": If you’re like me and do your best work at the eleventh hour, Amy explains why that’s actually "active procrastination" and how to work with that energy instead of feeling guilty.

    Career Wisdom for Your 20s: My advice to young professionals: stop trying to just "get a job" and start figuring out where you add the most value with the least amount of friction.

    If you’re a leader trying to get your team right, or if you’re just starting out and want to find a career where the day "flies by," you don't want to miss this conversation.

    Take the Kolbe A Index: kolbe.com

    Connect with Noob School: Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe so we can keep bringing you these insights to help you reach your full potential!

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    59 mins
  • AI won’t replace great leaders. But great leaders will know how to use it.
    Apr 14 2026
    In this conversation with Dan Rundle, we talk about what human-centered AI actually looks like inside a business. Dan shares his journey from early employee to CEO, why technology should strengthen people instead of sidelining them, and what separates leaders people want to follow from those they quietly leave. This episode isn’t about chasing tools. It’s about clarity, consistency, and using technology to improve the human experience — for employees and customers alike. If you believe AI should make teams better (not smaller), this one’s worth your time.In this conversation with Dan Rundle, we talk about what human-centered AI actually looks like inside a business. Dan shares his journey from early employee to CEO, why technology should strengthen people instead of sidelining them, and what separates leaders people want to follow from those they quietly leave. This episode isn’t about chasing tools. It’s about clarity, consistency, and using technology to improve the human experience — for employees and customers alike. If you believe AI should make teams better (not smaller), this one’s worth your time.
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    48 mins
  • Experience Speaks: Lessons from Capers Easterby
    Nov 7 2025

    Capers Easterby has spent his career building teams, businesses, and relationships that actually last — the kind that aren’t driven by hype, but by doing the right things the right way, over time. He’s one of those people who naturally blends sales sense with leadership instincts, and that combination has made him successful across every chapter of his career. More than that, he’s a longtime friend who understands what Noob School is all about — learning the business of sales from people who’ve lived it. This episode is packed with perspective from someone who’s seen both sides of growth: winning new business and leading it once it scales. If you’re serious about building a career or company that lasts, you’ll want to hear this one. Get your sales in rhythm with The Sterling Method: https://SterlingSales.co I'm going to be sharing my secrets on all my social channels, but if you want them all at your fingertips, start with my book, Sales for Noobs: https://amzn.to/3tiaxsL Subscribe to our newsletter today: https://bit.ly/3Ned5kL #SalesTraining #B2BSales #SalesExcellence #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesLeadership #SalesSuccess #SalesCoaching #SalesSkills #SalesInnovation #SalesTips #SalesPerformance #SalesTransformation #SalesTeamDevelopment #SalesMotivation #SalesEnablement #SalesGoals #SalesExpertise #SalesInsights #SalesTrends#salestrends

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    46 mins
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