In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with Listy Limon, Chief Revenue Officer at GFS Home Loans, to discuss leadership, mortgage sales, AI, CRM adoption, customer trust, and building high-performing sales teams in a challenging market. With more than 20 years of experience across the mortgage industry, Listy shares practical lessons on leadership, structure, accountability, and why service continues to separate top producers from everyone else. She also explains how AI, digital branding, and changing customer expectations are reshaping the mortgage industry faster than many professionals realize. Listy is known for combining strategic leadership with hands-on execution, helping teams grow while staying deeply connected to customers and day-to-day operations. The conversation also explores sales culture, coaching, CRM discipline, and what it takes to stay relevant in an increasingly digital sales environment. What You’ll Learn • Why trust and service matter more than rates alone • How AI is changing customer behavior in mortgage sales • The importance of structure and consistency in leadership • Why personal branding now impacts referrals and revenue • How CRM discipline improves sales performance • What separates top-performing loan officers from the rest • Lessons from leading through a difficult mortgage market • Why transparency and communication build stronger teams • How to create accountability without fear-based leadership Guest Information Listy Limon Chief Revenue Officer, GFS Home Loans LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/listylimon/ Listy Limon is a passionate, people-first mortgage executive with over 20 years of hands-on experience across all areas of the industry. As Chief Revenue Officer at GFS Home Loans, she leads national growth initiatives, develops high-performing teams, and drives revenue growth through a strong focus on people, process, and purpose. Recognized as a NEXT Powerhouse Leader and one of NMP Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Mortgage Professionals, Listy combines strategic vision with hands-on leadership. She is passionate about empowering teams, improving customer experience, and helping shape the next generation of leaders. Based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, Listy is also a proud mother of three boys and enjoys spending time outdoors fishing and attending live music events with her husband Frankie. About Sales Lead Dog Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy. Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Connect and Learn More All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ If this episode brought you value: 👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What leadership lesson stood out most to you?

Why do so many salespeople lose deals even when they think meetings went well?

In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with James White, Founder of James White Sales, to discuss emotional intelligence in sales, buyer psychology, CRM adoption, prospecting persistence, and the habits that separate top sales performers from everyone else.

With more than 30 years of experience in sales leadership, training, and business growth, James shares practical insights on how sales professionals can improve conversations, build trust, follow up effectively, and create consistent long-term revenue growth.

This conversation covers modern selling, coaching sales teams, handling rejection, improving sales processes, and why emotional intelligence matters more than scripts and generic sales tactics.

What You'll Learn

• Why most sales calls fail • The importance of emotional intelligence in sales • How buyer psychology impacts decision making • Why salespeople give up too early • The real reason CRM adoption fails • How to follow up without sounding pushy • Why persistence creates more opportunities • The role of empathy in closing deals • Building long-term sales habits that actually work • Why great salespeople never stop learning

Guest Details

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswhitesales/

Website: www.jameswhite.business

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesWhiteSales/videos

Growth Resourcing: https://growthresourcing.co.uk/

About Sales Lead Dog

Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy.

Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

Connect and Learn More

All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog

If this episode brought you value:

👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What sales habit has helped you improve the most?

Why do so many sales conversations fail before they even begin? In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with Darren Haygood, Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Partner at Streamline Auto Solutions, to talk about the real skills behind successful sales leadership, customer relationships, and long-term business growth. With more than 25 years of experience across OEM, dealership, and automotive SaaS organizations, Darren shares practical lessons on leadership, active listening, CRM adoption, customer experience, and building authentic client relationships that last. From launching innovative automotive technology solutions to leading high-performing sales organizations, Darren explains why the best salespeople focus less on pitching products and more on understanding problems. The conversation also explores mentorship, leadership development, CRM implementation challenges, and why trust still matters more than technology in modern sales. If you work in sales, automotive, leadership, CRM, SaaS, or customer experience, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately. What You’ll Learn • Why active listening is the most important skill in sales • How top salespeople build trust and credibility faster • Why product demos fail when done too early • How to identify the real customer problem before selling • The role mentorship plays in leadership development • Why most companies fail to fully utilize their CRM systems • How authenticity improves long-term client relationships • Why education works better than hard selling • Leadership lessons from automotive SaaS and dealership operations • How process and technology should improve customer experience Guest Information Darren Haygood Chief Revenue Officer and Managing Partner, Streamline Auto Solutions Proud father of four, adventure enthusiast, triathlete, and automotive SaaS sales executive with 25+ years of experience across OEM, dealer, and digital marketing organizations. Darren focuses on driving meaningful change for dealers through technology solutions, data insights, and scalable processes that improve the customer experience. Connect with Darren Haygood: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenhaygood/ Learn more about Streamline Auto Solutions: https://streamlineautosolutions.com/ About Sales Lead Dog Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy. Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Connect and Learn More All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ If this episode brought you value: 👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What sales lesson stood out most to you from Darren’s approach?

What does it take to lead a global sales team selling drone navigation technology to the Department of Defense, in environments where GPS cannot be trusted?

Kara Kramer, Vice President of Raptor Sales at Vantor, joins Sales Lead Dog to break down her journey from the intelligence community to the front lines of defense technology sales, and the leadership philosophy she built around one core principle: being the shield for her team.

This episode covers mission-driven sales, building diverse global teams, why women are underrepresented in sales leadership, and a CRM take that will change how you think about your pipeline tool.

What You'll Learn:

• How 9/11 redirected Kara from vet school to a career built around national security mission
• What GPS-denied environments mean and why Raptor exists to solve it for military drone operations
• The shield leadership model: absorb the pressure so your team can close
• Why she hated CRM as a seller and now calls it the tool that protects her entire team
• What she actually looks for when building a globally diverse sales team
• The real reason there are not enough women in sales leadership and what the data says
• How to run demos that move defense tech deals forward when no PowerPoint will do it
• How to build a team career path without assuming everyone wants what you wanted

About Kara Kramer:

Kara Kramer is the Vice President of Raptor Sales at Vantor. She leads the global go-to-market team for Raptor, the company's vision-based software suite enabling precise drone navigation and target coordinate extraction in GPS-denied environments. Vantor is a spatial intelligence company that fuses data from satellites, drones, and ground sensors to create a real-time digital representation of Earth, delivering mission-critical insights for defense, intelligence, and commercial operations.

She previously held leadership roles at AeroVironment, Shift5, and Istari, and earlier in her career served in the intelligence community and worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and Thomson Reuters.

Connect with Kara

Learn more about Vantor

Vantor on LinkedIn

Drone autonomy without GPS

About Sales Lead Dog:

Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy.

Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/

If this episode brought you value:

👊 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode.

💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What principle is most relevant to where you are in your career right now?

What actually holds businesses back from scaling?

In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with Wayne Hunter, President & CEO of AvTek Solutions, to break down the real challenges behind growth, leadership, and operational success. Wayne brings over 30 years of experience in IT, cybersecurity, and compliance. He shares practical insights on why most businesses struggle not because of tools, but because of missing process, poor data governance, and weak execution. If your business feels stuck, inconsistent, or harder to scale than it should be, this conversation will help you rethink how you operate. What You’ll Learn • Why process and procedures are critical for business growth • How poor data governance creates serious risks • Why most CRM failures are actually process failures • The role of leadership in building accountable teams • How to scale without breaking your operations • Why listening is one of the most important leadership skills • How mentorship and peer groups accelerate growth About the Guest Wayne Hunter President & CEO, AvTek Solutions Wayne Hunter is a seasoned IT leader with over 30 years of experience in storage systems, systems integration, and IT management. As President & CEO of AvTek Solutions, he helps organizations simplify complex technology, strengthen cybersecurity, and maintain compliance in regulated industries. A two-time Amazon Best-Selling Author, Wayne is known for turning technical uncertainty into clear, actionable strategies grounded in integrity and long-term client success. Connect with Wayne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynehunteravtek/ About AvTek Solutions Website: https://www.avteksolutions.com/company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avtek-solutions/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avteksolutions9241

About Sales Lead Dog Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy. Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Connect and Learn More All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ If this episode brought you value 👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What principle is most relevant to where you are in your career right now?

Why do some salespeople consistently win while others struggle to close deals? In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with Michael Ritsema, Principal and President of I3 Business Solutions, to discuss persistence, sales discipline, and why consistent outreach still drives results in modern selling. Michael began his career in sales in the early days of technology distribution and went on to build I3 Business Solutions into a managed services company supporting more than 150 clients with cybersecurity, productivity, and IT reliability. His journey includes navigating economic downturns, pivoting business models, and building a recurring revenue technology services company. In this conversation, Michael shares practical lessons from decades in sales leadership. He explains why persistence still separates successful salespeople from the rest, why CRM systems are essential for tracking long term opportunities, and why many modern sales teams give up far too early in the engagement process. Michael also talks about leadership, accountability, and the importance of soft skills in building strong teams and lasting client relationships. This episode is a practical look at the fundamentals of selling that still matter today. What You’ll Learn • Why persistence is still one of the most important traits in sales • How consistent outreach creates opportunities over time • Why many sales teams quit too early in the process • How CRM systems help track long term sales opportunities • The difference between sales activity and real engagement • Why leadership requires clarity and accountability • How strong culture supports sales performance Guest Michael Ritsema Principal and President, I3 Business Solutions Website https://i3bus.com

linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljritsema/

Guest Bio Michael Ritsema is the Principal and President of I3 Business Solutions, a technology services company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After starting his career in technology sales in the 1990s working with IBM systems, Michael built and led a successful business focused on managed services, cybersecurity, and technology productivity solutions. Over the years he has guided the company through major economic shifts including the 2001 technology recession and the 2007 financial crisis. Today I3 Business Solutions supports more than 150 clients by helping organizations improve reliability, security, and productivity through technology. Michael is known for his focus on persistence in sales, strong leadership culture, and disciplined use of CRM systems to manage long term relationships and opportunities. About Sales Lead Dog Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy. Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Connect and Learn More All episodes and show notes https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ If this episode brought you value 👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What principle is most relevant to where you are in your career right now?

Why do so many sales conversations fail before they even begin?

In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Christopher Smith sits down with Ian Spandow, Sales & Dog Whisperer, Author, and Sales Enablement Consultant, to explore one of the most common mistakes in modern selling: pitching before understanding the buyer.

Ian has worked with sales teams across the world and previously led the sales coaching team for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Oracle. Over his career he has coached thousands of sales professionals and helped organizations rethink how they approach discovery, qualification, and customer conversations.

Today’s buyers are more informed and more cautious than ever. When salespeople rush into presenting solutions before fully understanding the customer’s situation, they often lose credibility and miss the opportunity to guide the conversation.

Ian shares lessons from decades of experience in sales leadership and coaching. The discussion covers how discovery should work today, how AI is influencing sales training and enablement, and why personality and curiosity matter more than ever when building high performing sales teams.

Ian’s personal journey is also remarkable. After a major turning point in his career, he founded a nonprofit dog rescue and sanctuary. Today he balances helping animals with coaching sales professionals, proving that leadership and empathy matter in every field.

This episode offers practical insights for sales leaders, founders, and professionals looking to improve their sales conversations and build stronger relationships with buyers.

What You’ll Learn

• Why pitching too early damages sales conversations • How better qualification leads to stronger sales outcomes • The biggest discovery mistakes sales teams make • How modern buyers are changing the sales process • Why personality and curiosity matter when hiring sales talent • How AI is influencing modern sales training and enablement • What sales leaders should focus on when coaching their teams

Guest

Ian Spandow, Sales & Dog Whisperer, Author, and Sales Enablement Consultant

LinkedIn

Guest Bio

A web search for the phrase “Plucky Irishman” will return Ian Spandow’s name as the top result.

His audacity led to him being fired from a senior role at a global technology firm for defending an H-1B recruit from India. As an immigrant worker living in the United States, Ian worked with several Silicon Valley start ups after first finding and later losing a fortune during Ireland’s Celtic Tiger years.

Once slated for the cover of Newsweek, Ian suddenly faced deportation and a mid life restructuring that led to marriage and the rekindling of his passion for dogs.

Today Ian runs a nonprofit dog rescue and sanctuary, helping animals while also coaching sales professionals and organizations. His work connects two worlds that share a common theme: helping others find a better path forward.

About Sales Lead Dog

Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy.

Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

Connect and Learn More

All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/

If this episode brought you value

👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What principle is most relevant to where you are in your career right now?

What if AI is not the solution to your sales problems?

In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, we sit down with Jim Iyoob, President of ETS Labs, to break down what actually drives performance in sales and contact centers.

Jim shares his journey from call center agent to building a global organization, along with practical insights on leadership, accountability, and why most companies struggle with CRM and AI adoption.

This conversation cuts through the noise around AI and focuses on what truly matters: process, people, and leadership.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why AI cannot fix broken sales processes • The biggest mistake companies make with CRM • How mentorship shapes long-term success • The role of accountability in high-performing teams • What servant leadership looks like in real organizations • Why involving your team is critical when implementing new tools • Lessons from scaling a company from 400 to 4000 employees

About the Guest: Jim Iyoob serves as President of ETSLabs and Chief Revenue Officer at Etech Global Services, leading AI innovation and customer experience strategy across both organizations.

With over 35 years in contact centers, Jim focuses on practical AI implementation that works in real operations. At ETSLabs, he helped develop QEval, an AI quality management platform designed for real time coaching and full interaction coverage.

At Etech, he leads global sales and quality operations while helping transform the business using insights from large scale customer interaction data.

Connect with Jim Iyoob: LinkedIn LinkedIn Newsletter Podcast Etech Insights Newsletter

About Sales Lead Dog

Sales Lead Dog is hosted by Christopher Smith, CRM technology and sales process expert, and founder of Empellor CRM. Each episode features sales leaders who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, sharing how they achieve success with their teams and their CRM strategy.

Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

Connect and Learn More

All episodes and show notes: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/

If this episode brought you value:

👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode. 💬 Drop your biggest takeaway in the comments. What principle is most relevant to where you are in your career right now?