If you communicate clearly, you win.

In this episode, Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and bestselling author of Building a StoryBrand, to break down why clear messaging is the ultimate competitive advantage in sales and marketing.

Donald explains why customers tune out most marketing, how the human brain is wired for survival, and why short, repeatable, zero cognitive load messages outperform clever or complex language every time.

Together, Lee and Donald connect the dots between marketing clarity and sales execution, from subject lines and calls to action to sales enablement, AI, and owning a single problem in the marketplace.

Key takeaways:

• Why customers only pay attention to messages tied to their survival
• How to create zero cognitive load messaging that sales teams can actually use
• How marketing should warm leads before sales ever gets involved

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:11) Why buyers tune out most marketing messages

(02:05) How survival language cuts through noise

(04:14) Writing emails buyers actually open and read

(07:30) Why clarity wins attention in any market

(11:53) Turning marketing clarity into sales momentum

(17:47) Where AI helps and where it hurts sales and marketing

(20:43) What StoryBrand is focused on next

(26:33) Using clear language at work and at home

(29:35) One focus every SMB needs to grow

(32:47) Owning one problem to drive scalable sales

Connect with the team:

Donald Miller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-miller-storybrand/
Explore StoryBrand: https://storybrand.com/

Explore Building A StoryBrand 2.0: https://storybrand.com/building-a-storybrand-book-new/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

The most successful businesses know how to extract hidden value from operations.

In this episode, Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Tim Van Mieghem, founder of The ProAction Group, to discuss how uncovering overlooked opportunities can transform a company’s future. Tim explains the importance of replacing judgment with curiosity and shares his unique approach to operational efficiency. He reveals how business owners can uncover significant profit in areas they may not even know exist and why developing a team to sustain that growth is just as crucial as achieving it.

Tim dives into the challenges of shifting mindsets within a company, how small operational changes can lead to big wins, and why sales and operations alignment is essential for sustainable growth. He also shares how embracing curiosity over inertia can lead to discovering breakthroughs that would otherwise remain hidden.

Key takeaways:

• How curiosity over judgment drives business transformation and operational success
• Why uncovering hidden value in your company’s operations can unlock significant profit
• The importance of aligning sales and operations to create a unified, high-performing company

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:29) How hidden value in operations can unlock untapped profit

(03:44) The real power of curiosity over judgment in leadership

(06:00) A real-world example of transforming operations in a seafood processing plant

(07:46) The key to creating lasting change: ROI and acceptance

(10:31) How aligning sales and operations leads to better performance

(12:25) The importance of understanding demand patterns to optimize scheduling

(15:30) Why the 80/20 rule doesn’t always apply and how segmentation drives profitability

(19:29) Rethinking how to manage high-volume, low-mix versus low-volume, high-mix products

(26:56) How curiosity and mindset shifts can transform a company

Connect with the team:

Tim Van Miegham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-van-mieghem-5ba91b/
Explore The ProAction Group: https://www.proactiongroup.com/

Explore Shocking Profit: https://shockingprofit.com/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Explore EOS Worldwide: https://www.eosworldwide.com/

The fastest-growing companies all share one trait: a CEO who never stops learning from customers.

In this conversation, Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Bryan Cressey, Co-Founder and Partner at Cressey & Company, to reveal the traits that set great CEOs and founders apart. Bryan shares why creativity, genuine customer engagement, and the humility to hire exceptional people consistently predict stronger companies. He explains how leaders can evaluate whether a business truly has the potential to scale, starting with new ideas, bold aspirations, and healthy margins.

Bryan explains why founders must be their company’s first seller, and how real customer conversations uncover insight no metric can. He breaks down the leadership red flags to watch for, the moments when change becomes the only path forward, and why pairing new technology with real customer needs creates advantage.

Key takeaways:

• What traits distinguish founders and CEOs who can truly scale a company
• Why founders must be the first to sell and validate real market differentiation
• The leadership red flags that signal a company may struggle to grow

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:09) The mindset and traits shared by exceptional founders and CEOs

(04:18) Why founders must sell first and test real market differentiation

(06:00) Leadership red flags seen in CEOs who struggle

(10:06) How great hiring and team-building fuel long-term growth

(13:31) Three indicators to evaluate scalable companies

(17:02) Why customer conversations are the key to innovation and clarity

(21:24) Tech only wins when it solves real customer problems

(25:50) The future of CEO leadership and casting a long-term vision

(28:23) Questions to ask before starting a business

Connect with the team:

Bryan Cressey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-cressey/
Explore Cressy & Company: https://www.cresseyco.com/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Explore EOS Worldwide: https://www.eosworldwide.com/