Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Sales as Service
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retention Over Replacement: Keeping Clients Instead of Constantly Replacing Them with Erica Wood | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:33:02 | |
What if one of the biggest growth opportunities in your business isn’t finding the next client, but keeping the ones you already worked so hard to win? This conversation is a reminder that sales is not just about getting the yes. It’s about what happens next. Erica shares practical insight on where trust tends to slip, why the first 30 days matter so much, and how a few intentional touchpoints can make a real difference in retention, referrals, and client growth.
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Take 20 minutes this week and map out your current client journey from the moment someone says yes to the moment the project or engagement ends. Look at each step and ask yourself: Where might a client be confused, disconnected, or unsure of what happens next? Then choose one place in that journey where you can add more clarity or more care this week. That might look like:
Do not try to rebuild everything at once. Just find one place where trust may be leaking and fix that first. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Minisode: Your Problem Isn’t the Algorithm | 18 Mar 2026 | 00:10:44 | |
We've all been there — refreshing our analytics, watching a post disappear into the void, and wondering why the clients aren't coming. But what if the algorithm isn't actually the problem? In this solo minisode of Sales as Service, I'm breaking down why content alone was never meant to carry the full weight of your business development — and what to do instead. We explore:
Got a question about sales, warm outreach, or leading your own sales process? This show is shaped by real questions from agency owners and service-based founders. Send yours via LinkedIn or email Tam directly at heytam@studiothree49.com — if you're dealing with it, chances are you're not the only one. Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, set aside 20 minutes a day for initiation only. Reach out to three people:
Start with something real — a thoughtful question, a relevant observation, a resource, or a referral. Do that for a month, then tell me the algorithm is your biggest problem. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your Content Is Your First Sales Call: Personal Branding That Sells with Darren Mass | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:41:46 | |
Your next client has already Googled you. That’s the core message personal brand strategist Darren Mass drives home in this high-impact episode. We explore how your digital footprint shapes perception long before discovery calls, and why personal brand is the invisible hand that accelerates (or derails) sales. If you’ve ever hesitated to post or wondered if your brand voice really matters—this is your episode. Darren and I dive into:
Darren shares battle-tested insights from two decades in entrepreneurship and exits, plus practical tools you can start using today. You’ll walk away seeing content not as a chore—but as a conversation starter with your next best client.
Review your own digital presence. Google yourself. Look at your LinkedIn profile and read your last three posts. Ask yourself:
If the answer isn’t a strong yes, pick one small action: Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Marketing vs. Sales: What You’re Missing That’s Costing You Clients (From Powerful Women Rising with Melissa Snow) | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:33:56 | |
Welcome back to Sales as Service—and happy new year. To kick off Season 2, I’m sharing a special episode: my guest appearance on Melissa Snow’s Powerful Women Rising podcast. In this conversation, we unpack the relationship between marketing and sales—why they’re not the same thing, why marketing alone can leave you waiting, and what it looks like to create opportunity proactively without falling into pushy, transactional tactics. If you’ve been showing up consistently but still wondering why it’s not translating into revenue, this episode offers a grounded path forward. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! The 3–2–2 Method (30-Day Outreach Practice) For the next 30 days, build proactive outreach into your day using this simple rhythm:
Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Season 1 Recap: The 6 Sales Truths I’m Taking Into 2026 | 24 Dec 2025 | 00:07:20 | |
We’re closing out Season 1 with a minisode that’s part reflection, part field notes. When I launched this show, I didn’t realize how much it would shape my own consistency and confidence—especially after seeing how hard sales gets when you don’t have an online footprint you can lean on. For this wrap-up, I pulled one question I asked every guest: “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about sales and business development?” Their answers were surprisingly aligned—six themes came up again and again, no matter their niche or business model. If you’re heading into a new year thinking you need a brand-new strategy, start here instead. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Confident by Design: How Brand Clarity Helps You Show Up and Sell with Tricia Lanette | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:44:01 | |
So many business owners chase the perfect pitch or sales strategy—while quietly avoiding the deeper question: Why don’t I feel ready to be seen? In this episode, I’m joined by Tricia Lanette, founder of Electric Paradise Creative and the “Fairy Godmother of Personal Branding.” But this conversation goes beyond visuals. We explore how confidence, clarity, and mindset impact your visibility, your sales, and your ability to truly take up space in your business. Because when your brand doesn’t feel aligned, you hesitate. You overthink. You hold back. But when it does? You lead with clarity. You move with ease. You sell from a place of self-trust. We cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pick one client-facing touchpoint—your LinkedIn bio, website homepage, or email signature—and give it a gut check. Ask yourself: If the answer is no—or even a hesitant “kind of”—choose one small update to bring it into better alignment. No full rebrand required. Just one small move that feels more like you. If that stirs up resistance or perfectionism? That’s part of the work. Start anyway. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| AI Without the Hype: Practical Wins for Sales, Ops, and Marketing with Ed Weeks Jr | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:35:15 | |
If you’ve been curious about AI but hesitant to dive in, this conversation is designed for you. In this episode of Sales as Service, I sit down with AI strategist and GenX advocate Ed Weeks Jr. to strip away the hype and focus on what actually matters—practical, real-world applications that help agencies and service pros work smarter and sell more effectively. Ed shares how he rebuilt his business after a major setback by embracing simple AI tools that made his sales, operations, and content workflows faster and easier. We explore the fear many founders feel when they hear the word “AI,” why that hesitation makes sense, and how to start experimenting in ways that feel supportive—not overwhelming. In this grounded, tactical conversation, you’ll hear how AI can become a thought partner, a time-saver, and a powerful ally for small teams who need efficiency without losing the human touch. Inside the episode, we get into:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Before your next sales conversation, open the voice memo app on your phone. Record a 60–90 second debrief immediately after the call and answer:
Upload that transcript into your AI tool of choice and ask: One small reflection—amplified by AI—can meaningfully improve the way you sell. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Soft Skills Sell: The Overlooked Advantage in Business Growth with Ryan O’Keeffe | 03 Dec 2025 | 00:40:53 | |
As the year winds down, it’s easy to hit pause on your business development efforts. But what you do now will shape your Q1. This episode is your invitation to take inventory, revisit how you're showing up, and bring more intention into the way you lead and sell. Ryan O’Keeffe is a founder, father, and people promoter. He leads Jago, the first and only BCorp-certified personal brand consultancy helping purpose-led leaders gain clarity on who they are and the value they bring to the world—so they can lead with more presence and impact. We explore how emotional intelligence shows up in the sales process, and why soft skills are your most underrated business advantage. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week’s challenge is simple but powerful: Take 10 minutes to complete Jago’s free Personal Brand Health Check. Whether you’re running solo or leading a full team, your personal brand shapes how people connect with you, refer you, and remember you. This tool helps you reflect on where you're aligned—and where your visibility might need a reset. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Productize It: How Clear Offers Create Demand, Conversations, and Consistent Revenue with Rhiannon Franz | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:32:12 | |
If your services feel hard to explain—or even harder to sell—this episode is for you. Tam Smith is joined by Rhiannon Franz, Founder and CEO of RhiVive Marketing, to unpack what really changes when you stop customizing everything and start productizing your expertise. Rhiannon helps ex-corporate pros simplify their messaging, position their value clearly, and create offers people actually understand and want to buy. Whether you're stuck in the custom-to-order cycle or unsure how to turn your process into a sellable package, this episode offers the mindset shifts and practical steps you need to create offers that spark demand and make selling feel easier. In this episode, we cover:
If not, pick one service to start simplifying and packaging. Give it a name. Define the scope. Put it in writing. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Minisode: End the Pitch Slap (And What to Say Instead) | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:09:13 | |
Tired of cold pitches that miss the mark? In this Sales as Service mini episode, Tam breaks down what makes a “pitch slap,” how to fix it, and how to turn cold outreach into real conversations. Learn a four-step framework for writing messages that build trust, create dialogue, and convert with integrity. Help turn bad outreach into better sales - Submit a Pitch Slap Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Selling Starts at First Sight: The Brand Psychology Behind Buy-Ready Clients with Emily Paulsen | 12 Nov 2025 | 00:33:51 | |
If your brand is getting attention but not turning into action, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. This week, I’m joined by Emily Paulsen, founder of Electric Collab, a psychology-based brand studio that helps founders go from "getting seen" to getting chosen. With a background that spans global brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and The Wendy’s Company, Emily brings a grounded, emotionally intelligent approach to branding—one that helps small teams show up with more clarity, connection, and conversion across the entire buyer journey. We dig into the real reasons your brand might be attracting the wrong clients (or none at all), and what it actually takes to build a brand that supports—not sabotages—your sales process. Inside this episode, we talk about:
Block 15 minutes for a brand audit.
If the answer is “sort of” or “not really”—choose one small update you can make this week to better align your brand with your buyer’s journey. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your True Self Sells: How Brand Alignment Builds Trust Before the First Call with Hersh Rephun | 05 Nov 2025 | 00:38:35 | |
In a successful sales process, you actually spend the least amount of time selling. The real work happens long before the discovery call—when you’re shaping the story that speaks for you. In this episode, I sit down with Hersh Rephun, brand strategist, storyteller, and host of the Yes Brand podcast, to talk about how brand clarity and authentic messaging drive trust, connection, and conversion. Hersh’s “Holistic Brand Therapy” framework helps founders and creative agencies align who they are with how they show up—so their message connects as naturally as conversation. Together, we explore how humor, self-awareness, and consistency can help brands sound like humans again—and why authenticity isn’t just a value, it’s a strategy. In this episode, you’ll learn:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Create your Signature Sales Statement: Block off 25 focused minutes this week and run through these three steps with your team—or on your own if you’re solo:
When your brand voice and values align, selling stops feeling like chasing—and starts feeling like connection. Links & Resources:
Grab your free 5-Minute Sales Audit for a quick scan to show what’s working, what’s not—and one thing you can improve right away. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Initiate, Don’t Wait: The Mindset Behind Sustainable Growth with Kirstin Brenders | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:33:47 | |
For so many women — especially those of us who built our careers inside structured environments — waiting to be chosen becomes second nature. We wait for the promotion, the opportunity, the client, the seat at the table. But at some point, the waiting stops working. In this episode of Sales as Service, I sit down with Kirstin Brenders, Online Business Mentor and Founder of Kirstin Brenders & Company, to talk about what shifts when you stop waiting for permission and start initiating your own growth. Kirstin shares her transition from corporate manager to entrepreneur and how she now mentors women who want to pivot into online business — without building an empire, burning out, or abandoning their values. We explore:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Instead of waiting for clarity or confidence, take one small visible step:
Not the five-year plan. Just the next right move. Sales growth doesn’t come from being chosen. It comes from choosing yourself. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Nobody’s Born a Closer: Why Sales Is a Skill and Not a Superpower with Joshua Schulman | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:43:18 | |
Too many founders hold back from selling because they think they’re just not cut out for it. But today’s guest, Joshua Schulman, is here to challenge that belief. As a communication coach with a background in public speaking, acting, and even poker, Joshua helps entrepreneurs ditch the “natural salesperson” myth and replace it with real, repeatable skill. In this episode, we dig into why performance, not personality, drives sales confidence. Whether you're leading discovery calls, pitching investors, or just trying to get through outreach without freezing, Joshua shares practical ways to rehearse your way to clarity—and even enjoy the process. Here’s what we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pick one moment in your sales process—and rehearse it. That’s it. Just one. It could be: Write it down. Say it out loud. Try it a few different ways. Play with tone, pacing, and delivery. The goal isn’t to memorize—it’s to practice being present, so you feel more confident and less reactive in the moment. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Content That Converts: Why One Platform Is All You Need with Tajma VanBuren | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:33:14 | |
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the things—posting here, showing up there, and still wondering why it’s not translating into sales—this episode is for you. I’m joined by podcast strategist and founder of iMoves Management, Tahjma VanBuren, for a conversation about what happens when you stop chasing every channel and start showing up with intention. We talk about how to shift from content overwhelm to focused creation, and why building consistency on one platform—like podcasting—can unlock real traction in your business. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! This week, your challenge is to simplify and focus:
Because clarity comes from action—and consistency is what builds trust before the sale ever starts. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your Website Should Be Closing for You: Messaging Tips with Krista Walsh | 15 Oct 2025 | 00:32:36 | |
Revenue isn’t just about reach—it’s about clarity. In this episode, I’m joined by website messaging expert Krista Walsh to talk about how your website can actually support your sales process. We explore the shift from “here’s who I am” copy to content that meets your clients where they are—specifically in the moment they’re ready to hire. Whether you’re running a creative agency, coaching business, or service-based consultancy, this is your reminder that a beautiful website isn’t enough. You need words that work. Key Takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pull up one piece of content—your homepage, your services page, or even a recent email or LinkedIn post—and ask: — Is this speaking directly to someone ready to take action? Revise one piece of copy with your ready-to-buy client in mind. Small shift. Big impact. Learn more about Krista: Links & Resources:
Grab your 5-Minute Sales Audit for a quick scan to show what’s working, what’s not—and one thing you can improve right away. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Profitability 101: Turning Sales Wins into Sustainable Growth with Chris Ortega | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:42:20 | |
Revenue looks great on paper—but is it turning into profit you can actually use? Key Takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!
Pro tip: Audit your tech stack. Keep what you use, cancel the rest. Optional: mirror your accounting tool in a quick Google Sheet for a better at-a-glance view. Learn more about Chris: Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| You Deserve to Get Paid: Building a Sales Funnel that Honors Your Value with Réland Logan | 01 Oct 2025 | 00:31:19 | |
So many of us start our businesses with big hearts and a drive to serve—only to find ourselves uncomfortable (even apologetic) when it comes time to charge for our work. If you’ve been stuck in the free consult > custom proposal > fingers crossed loop, this one’s for you. Key Takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!
This small shift can protect your time, reinforce your value, and build trust before the sale even closes. Learn more about Réland:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your List Is Your Leverage: Simple, Organic Ways to Grow Your Email List with Tracy Beavers | 24 Sep 2025 | 00:33:16 | |
If you've been telling yourself you'll "get serious about email marketing" someday—this is the episode to make that day today. In this conversation, I’m joined by Tracy Beavers, Visibility & List Growth Strategist and host of the Create Online Business Success podcast. Tracy helps business owners build simple, organic systems that grow their email list and generate leads every day—without relying on paid ads or complicated funnels. We dig into the why behind list building, what’s actually working right now, and how to take the overwhelm out of email marketing with systems that run in the background of your business. Key Takeaways:
Find the complete show notes here → https://studiothree49.com/podcast/simple-organic-ways-to-grow-your-email-list-with-tracy-beavers Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now!
Learn more about Tracy:
Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Sales vs Marketing: Why You Need Both for Growth with Shannon Kinney | 10 Sep 2025 | 00:34:05 | |
Most small business owners wrestle with the same question: is it a sales problem or a marketing problem? I recently recorded our very first Sales as Service LIVE office hours - and Shannon Kinney, Founder & CEO of Dream Local Digital, joined me to dig into exactly that. Shannon brings more than 30 years of leadership experience building scalable digital strategies for brands like LinkedIn, Google, eBay, and Microsoft. Since founding Dream Local Digital in 2009, she’s helped thousands of small businesses and media companies develop marketing strategies designed to grow and scale. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Do I need more leads, or do I just need to get better at closing the ones I have?” - this conversation will give you a clear way to answer that. Key Takeaways
Learn more about Shannon: Sales as Service Challenge — Join Now! This week, run a quick 30-day audit to find out if you’re facing a marketing gap or a sales gap: Look back at the past 30 days:
Diagnose the gap:
Run this audit monthly and use what you find to focus your efforts where it matters most. ✨ Share your audit results or next step with the hashtag #SalesAsService so I can cheer you on. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Stop Selling to Everyone: Build a Brand that Filters for Fit with Jamie Cox | 27 Aug 2025 | 00:40:39 | |
You don’t need more leads - you need the right ones. In this episode, I sat down with Jamie Cox, a Nashville-based brand and marketing strategist who helps B2B service providers get off the content hamster wheel by getting crystal clear on who they serve - and just as importantly, who they don’t. Jamie’s approach to brand strategy isn’t about logos or color palettes. It’s about making your brand a filter. One that calls in the work you actually want to do and creates enough of a point of view to repel the rest. Because when your brand is built to be felt - not just seen - it naturally supports your sales process. If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling over your messaging or stuck trying to “do it all” on social, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. Key Takeaways
SaS Challenge — Join Now! This week, let’s focus on filtering for fit - so your brand can do more of the heavy lifting in your sales process.
✨ Share with the hashtag #SalesAsService, so I can cheer you on. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Turning One Conversation Into a Content Engine with Jess Milanes | 13 Aug 2025 | 00:37:59 | |
When Studio Three 49 shifted from all-things digital to a focus on sales systems, I ran right into the same inconsistency many of my clients face - a thin digital footprint. Blogging felt like a slog. Video was a hard no. But talking? That I could do. In this episode, I’m joined by Jess Milanes, founder of KNWN, a boutique agency that helps founders turn one recorded conversation into a full content ecosystem. She’s also our podcast producer - and the person who helped me shift my mindset from “podcasting is a heavy lift” to “podcasting is my content engine.” Eleven episodes later, this show anchors every piece of marketing I create. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain so you can see how a lean, doable launch puts your voice in your buyers’ earbuds - long before the discovery call. Key Takeaways
Sales as Service Challenge — Join Now!
Share your chosen platform with the hashtag #SalesAsService, so I can cheer you on. Links & Resources:
Gear Recommendation: Audio-Technica ATR2100x Mic Have an episode idea? DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram and let me know. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Gratitude Is a Growth Strategy: Building Stronger Customer Journeys with Sloane Scott | 23 Jul 2025 | 00:31:49 | |
When we talk about scaling a service business, we often focus on tactics, funnels, and conversion rates. But what if the real lever for growth was… gratitude? In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m joined by Sloane Scott—Chaos Pilot and strategic advisor to 80+ founder-led businesses, including more than 30 that scaled to exit. We talk about what it actually looks like to weave gratitude into your customer journey from first touch to long-term retention. This is more than saying “thank you.” It’s about building a business where appreciation, generosity, and intention are part of the system—not just the sentiment. Whether you’re crafting a go-to-market strategy, revisiting your onboarding process, or trying to deepen client loyalty, this episode will help you rethink the way you show up in every step of your sales and delivery experience. Key Takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge - Join Now! Choose one moment in your sales or client experience where you can intentionally express gratitude. Whether it's a handwritten note, a simple thank-you voice memo, or a check-in that doesn’t try to sell - let it be genuine. Then notice how it changes the relationship. Links & Resources:
Have an episode idea? DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram and let me know. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Eliminate Random Acts: The Discipline Behind Sustainable Growth with Laura Patterson | 04 Mar 2026 | 00:48:22 | |
Longevity in business isn’t built on intensity. It’s built on discipline and consistency. In this episode, I sit down with Laura Patterson, Founder and President of VisionEdge Marketing, a strategic growth consulting firm she launched in 1999. With more than 25 years of experience helping companies drive measurable growth, Laura shares what it really takes to build a business that endures. We unpack customer-centric growth, the danger of “random acts,” and how to align sales and marketing around outcomes that actually matter. If you’ve ever felt busy but unsure whether your activity is translating into traction, this conversation will sharpen your thinking. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Maybe it’s acquiring X new clients. Then ask yourself: What am I currently doing that directly supports that outcome? If it doesn’t clearly connect, it might be a random act. And random acts may feel productive… but they dilute profitable growth. This week, eliminate one random act. Then reallocate that time toward something that directly supports your defined customer outcome — whether that’s initiating five intentional conversations, deepening relationships with existing clients, or tightening your positioning around a specific niche. Clarity creates focus. Focus creates traction. And traction creates the foundation for sustainable growth. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Networking With Intention in the Age of Automation with Andrew Brummer | 09 Jul 2025 | 00:26:51 | |
In this week's episode of Sales as Service, I'm joined by Andrew Brummer, CEO of The Ardunan Village and author of the insightful book, You Decide. Andrew brings a refreshing perspective to networking and relationship-building, emphasizing authenticity, intentionality, and genuine human connection—particularly on LinkedIn. Andrew shares his personal journey, from navigating career uncertainties to discovering his true strengths in relationship-building and mentorship. He reveals how embracing vulnerability, curiosity, and genuine interactions transformed his professional life and continues to deliver meaningful results. Key Takeaways:
Sales as a Service Challenge!:
If you enjoyed this episode or have specific topics or challenges you'd like me to cover, reach out on LinkedIn or Instagram. I'd love your input to keep making Sales as Service even more valuable! Want to connect with Andrew? Follow him on LinkedIn and visit the The Ardunan Village website to learn more about his executive and one-on-one coaching. Resources mentioned in the episode: You Decide: Supercharge Your Networking – Starting with LinkedIn Read more or request a copy: ardunan.com/village/books/you-decide Interested in generating more high-quality leads? Check out my LinkedIn Lead Generation program, designed specifically to help you attract and engage ideal clients through proven strategies. https://www.studio349.com/linkedin-leads Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| How to Find Clients Who Just Get It - Sales Lessons from Carl Cleanthes from Epic Made | 18 Jun 2025 | 00:42:25 | |
Carl Cleanthes, founder of Epic Made, joins me to talk about how he built a thriving creative studio by staying rooted in purpose, clarity, and aligned clients. With nearly two decades in business, Carl shares what helped Epic Made outlast trends and grow without compromising its creative core. We dive into his niche-focused approach, the intentional way he filters for clients, and how AI has found a place in his creative workflow without diluting the work. Key Takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge - Join In!
Links & Resources:
Have an episode idea? DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram and let me know. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| From Profile to Profit: Personal Branding on LinkedIn That Converts with Natasha Walstra | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:27:04 | |
In this episode, I talk with Natasha Walstra, founder of NearPoint Strategies, about how business owners, especially introverts, can leverage LinkedIn to build genuine relationships and grow their business without feeling salesy. Natasha shares her journey from struggling with cold calling as a sales development rep to discovering how authentic engagement and strategic personal branding on LinkedIn can turn the platform into a revenue engine. She emphasizes the importance of optimizing your profile’s headline and banner, engaging thoughtfully in comments, and rethinking LinkedIn as a virtual networking event. Natasha also provides practical tips for overcoming the fear of putting yourself out there, and how consistency in authentic activity can lead to new clients, referrals, and opportunities. Key takeaways:
Sales as a Service Challenge!
Tag me and Natasha when you share your progress. I’d love to see you put this into action! Want to connect with Natasha? Visit her website at NearPoint Strategies, her Instagram, or find her on LinkedIn. Resources mentioned in this week’s episode: LinkedIn Platform: https://www.linkedin.com Sales Navigator: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/sales-navigator Calendly: https://calendly.com Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your Process Problem Is a Sales Problem - Here’s How to Fix It with Devin Lee | 21 May 2025 | 00:28:05 | |
In this episode, I talk with Devin Lee, systems strategist and the Founder behind helping overwhelmed business owners create custom processes that simplify operations. Devin specializes in transforming chaos into clarity, enabling businesses to scale efficiently without hitting plateaus. She shares her expertise in streamlining workflows, automating tasks, and implementing effective delegation strategies to enhance client experience and boost revenue. Devin dives into her journey from professional organizing and virtual assisting to becoming a sought-after business management expert, explaining why efficient systems are essential for growth. She also highlights common inefficiencies in service-based businesses, the critical role of first impressions in sales, and the importance of automating client onboarding to create lasting positive experiences. Key takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge - Join In! This week’s Sales as Service Challenge is to do a 15-minute Process Audit in your business. Here’s how to do it: Choose one core process - this could be client onboarding, scheduling sales calls, or delivering your service. Write down every single step in that process. (You’re likely doing more than you realize!) Identify: - What can be automated? - What can be delegated? - What do you actually need to own? Streamlining even one process can save you time, create a better client experience, and remove unnecessary friction from your sales cycle. Take the challenge and let me know how it goes - DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram! #SASChallenge Want to connect with Devin? Visit her website at DevinLee.com, where you can subscribe to her highly recommended newsletter, or find her on LinkedIn to explore more insights into systematizing your business for sustainable growth. Resources Mentioned in this week’s episode: Airtable Relationship Management Template: https://devinlee6.gumroad.com/l/relationship-database-auto Airtable (Recommended Tool): https://www.airtable.com Zapier (Automation Tool): https://zapier.com Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Beyond the Like: Using Social Media to Attract, Engage and Convert with Amber Irwin | 07 May 2025 | 00:32:23 | |
In this episode, I chat with Amber Irwin from Social Speak Network about transforming your social media presence into a powerful, strategic tool for business growth. Amber shares her effective method for maximizing productivity: dedicating just one hour per day to create impactful short-form videos that fuel your content strategy across multiple platforms. Amber emphasizes the importance of treating yourself as a client, scheduling time specifically to work "on" your business, and staying committed to these time blocks. She discusses the positive impact consistent video creation can have on client engagement, brand visibility, and overall business momentum. Amber also offers practical advice for overcoming common obstacles like procrastination and perfectionism, underscoring the importance of progress over perfection. Key takeaways:
This week's challenge: Record one short video (30-60 seconds) sharing a quick tip, answering a common client question, or giving a behind-the-scenes look at your work. Post this video to your preferred social media platform. Remember, progress matters more than perfection—just hit record and start building those connections! Want to connect with Amber? Visit any of her links listed below and book a consultation to supercharge your content strategy. Guest Links: Social Speak Website: https://socialspeaknetwork.com Social Speak Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialspeaknetwork Amber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberirwin/ Book a Consultation with Amber: https://socialspeaknetwork.com/contact-us/ Resources Mentioned: Canva (Recommended Content Creation Tool): https://www.canva.com ChatGPT for Content Ideas: https://openai.com/chatgpt Mel Robbins Podcast (Amber’s go-to for motivation): https://www.melrobbins.com/podcast Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Sharpening Your Sales Process: Lessons from Brandon Rush with Small Axe Sales | 23 Apr 2025 | 00:29:19 | |
In this episode, I sit down with Brandon Rush, founder and CEO of Small Axe Sales, to talk about transforming traditional sales into authentic service-driven relationships. Brandon shares how Small Axe Sales helps businesses shift from transactional selling to building meaningful connections, enhancing long-term customer loyalty and sustainable growth. We get into Brandon’s journey from high-pressure corporate sales environments to creating his own methodology that emphasizes empathy, active listening, and genuine problem-solving. He explains why sales should be seen as an act of service, and how adopting this mindset can significantly boost both employee satisfaction and bottom-line results. Key takeaways:
Brandon also provides practical insights into training sales teams to become consultative partners rather than just revenue-generating machines, highlighting real-world examples from businesses he's transformed. This week's challenge: Reflect on your current sales interactions and identify one area where you can shift your approach from transactional to service-oriented. Commit to actively listening to understand your client's deeper needs in your next sales conversation, rather than focusing solely on closing the deal. Want to connect with Brandon and Small Axe Sales? Find him on LinkedIn and visit Small Axe Sales' website to explore how his approach can help revolutionize your sales strategy. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| The Founder’s Guide to Doing Less & Growing More with Emily Dean | 09 Apr 2025 | 00:27:30 | |
In this episode, I talk with Emily Dean, founder and lead strategist at Bolt & Bloom, about how female founders can scale their businesses past $1 million without burning out. Emily shares how she helps women entrepreneurs who've hit a growth wall create sustainable systems that support both profit and wellbeing. After 15 years in corporate marketing with brands like MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Global, she saw firsthand how hustle culture was taking a toll, and now helps founders rebuild their businesses from the inside out. Key takeaways:
Emily also shares insights from her yoga teacher training in Thailand and how that experience completely reframed her definition of success - focusing on creating a calm nervous system rather than constant hustle. This week's challenge: Take 15 minutes to do an energy audit of your work. Categorize tasks as: "Do" (your zone of genius), "Delegate" (necessary but not for you), or "Delete" (tasks draining you without adding value). Then make one immediate shift based on your findings. Want to connect with Emily? Find her on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, or reach out about her Brand Reset Lab designed to help founders realign their businesses with their true vision and values. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Selling Without Selling: Leveraging Podcast Guesting & LinkedIn Engagement for Business Growth with Elizabeth Howell | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:24:45 | |
In this episode, I talk with Elizabeth Howell, owner of Howell Media, about the power of organic marketing for small business owners and solopreneurs. Elizabeth shares how she helps entrepreneurs fight marketing indecision by focusing on just two powerful strategies: LinkedIn and podcast guesting. As someone with extensive media experience, she discovered this combination gives the biggest return on time investment without requiring a massive budget. Key takeaways:
Elizabeth also shares her "Goals + Actions" exercise for creating LinkedIn content, where you map client goals against what they need to know, giving you endless content ideas. This week's challenge: Create five LinkedIn post ideas using Elizabeth's goals + actions exercise. Want to connect with Elizabeth? Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/euh24/ Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Turning Conversations into Clients with Nelson Dickson | 12 Mar 2025 | 00:19:50 | |
In this episode, I talk with Nelson Dickson, founder of C3 Creations, about the power of relationships in sales. Nelson shares how he built his marketing brokerage by focusing on genuine connections rather than transactions. As a self-described introvert, he changed his approach to networking by asking "How can I help?" instead of "What can I get?" Key takeaways:
Nelson also recommends consistent content posting and doing a yearly "relationship audit" to strengthen connections that matter. This week's challenge: Take 15 minutes to reconnect with one contact - no pitch, no agenda, just genuine connection. Want to connect with Nelson? Find him on LinkedIn or visit c3creations.com. Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Trailer: Sales as Service with Tam Smith | 12 Mar 2025 | 00:05:14 | |
From corporate dropout to sales marketing entrepreneur, Tam Smith is on a mission to transform how you view sales. Forget pressure-filled transactions—Tam's approach focuses on building relationships that create genuine value. After weathering layoffs, family crises, and a pandemic pivot, she's discovered her true calling: helping brilliant ideas find their perfect audience. In this podcast you'll get a peek behind the scenes with sales and brand-building experts who are in the trenches to find out what actually works. Each episode will end with a practical "sales as service challenge" for you to implement immediately. Subscribe now to stop spinning your wheels and start making meaningful connections that drive real growth! Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Stop Waiting. Start Initiating: Building Predictable Pipeline Through Relationships with Bryan Coble | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:42:39 | |
Sales has never been more automated. AI can write your emails, personalize outreach, and schedule follow-ups. But as tools multiply, something important is getting lost: the discipline of direct, human connection. In this episode of Sales as Service, I sit down with Bryan Coble, President of ACC Go to Market Consulting, to unpack why relationship-based business development is not passive — it’s an intentional, structured practice. We talk about the difference between marketing visibility and real pipeline creation, how AI should enhance (not replace) relationships, and why predictable revenue is built over years, not weeks. If you’ve been waiting for pipeline to “kick in,” this conversation is your reminder: stop waiting. Start initiating. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Initiate five intentional conversations in the next 7 days. Reach out to:
Your goal is simple: Reconnect. That’s it. Build the habit of initiating consistently, and revenue will start to feel more predictable — because you’re no longer waiting for opportunities to appear. You’re creating them. Resources & Links
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Facts Tell. Stories Sell: How Founders Attract Aligned, Ready-to-Buy Clients with Kendall Cherry | 18 Feb 2026 | 00:50:04 | |
Facts tell—but stories sell. In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m joined by Kendall Cherry, founder and executive ghostwriter at The Candid Collective, for a conversation about what story-driven sales actually looks like in practice. We explore why so many founders are creating content that resonates emotionally but fails to convert—and what’s usually missing when that happens. Kendall breaks down how stories build trust faster than facts alone, why testimonials are one of the most underutilized sales assets in most businesses, and how founders can use story to initiate conversations without forcing a pitch. We also dig into the deeper resistance many founders feel around selling—and why that resistance has less to do with tactics and more to do with self-belief. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Turn one client experience into a sales story. Set aside 30 minutes and pull one testimonial, email, or message from a client where they describe what changed after working with you. Don’t focus on praise or outcomes alone. Look for:
Rewrite that into a short story. Then put it to work:
Finish with a simple invitation: Selling isn’t about convincing. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Permission to Sell: Breaking the Hidden Patterns That Block Women from Consistent Revenue with Dr. Nadia Brown | 11 Feb 2026 | 00:35:47 | |
Selling isn’t just a skill. It’s emotional. And for many women founders and service-based business owners, that emotional weight shows up as guilt, second-guessing, and a constant fear of “doing it wrong.” In this episode of Sales as Service, Tam Smith sits down with Dr. Nadia Brown for a candid conversation about what really holds women back from consistent revenue. Together, they unpack why selling your own work feels so personal, how money stories quietly influence decision-making, and what it looks like to sell with dignity instead of pressure. This isn’t about scripts or hard closes. It’s about courage, leadership, and building a sales practice that actually feels like you. In this episode, we explore:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Practice Courage. Not Perfection Over the next seven days, choose one courageous sales action and take it without trying to make it perfect. That might look like:
Afterward, write down two things:
This isn’t about getting the yes. Selling is a practice. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Prepare, Don’t Repair: The Hidden Work Behind Sustainable Sales with Brooke M. Dukes | 04 Feb 2026 | 00:41:57 | |
As founders, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract clients—offers, messaging, pipelines, and conversion. But what often gets overlooked is the internal foundation that makes sales sustainable in the first place. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Brooke M. Dukes, Founder of BMD Consulting, to explore why culture isn’t a “later” problem and how leadership, communication, and internal alignment directly impact sales performance and growth. Together, we unpack what it looks like to prepare your business to scale successfully instead of working backwards to fix misalignment, burnout, or breakdowns inside your team. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Block 30 uninterrupted minutes on your calendar and take an honest look at your internal culture. Ask yourself:
Write down what you discover, not what you hope is true, but what’s happening right now. If you’re a solopreneur working with contractors, this applies to you, too. Your contractors are your internal clients. How you show up for them directly impacts how they show up for your external clients. Culture isn’t something you earn the right to focus on later. It’s the foundation everything else is built on. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| From Persuasion to Partnership: Winning High-Value Clients Without Pressure with Travis Pomposello | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:48:35 | |
For a long time, sales has been framed as persuasion—pitch harder, prove value, create urgency. But modern buyers don’t want pressure. They want confidence, clarity, and a partner who understands their risk. In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m joined by Travis Pomposello, former media executive turned advisor, to explore the mindset shift creative agency owners must make to move from vendor thinking to trusted strategic partner. Drawing from decades in media, building and selling his own agency, and his work inside the Creative Agency Accelerator, Travis breaks down how agencies can win high-value clients without compromising integrity. This is also a personal conversation. I share how a simple LinkedIn DM led to mentorship, collaboration, and becoming a student inside Travis’s program—proof that when used well, relationship-first outreach can change your business. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pay attention to how you’re showing up in your sales process—not just the outcome you want, but the experience you’re creating. On your next discovery call, networking conversation, or DM exchange:
The best closers don’t rush decisions. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Big Lessons for Small Businesses: How Founders Can Apply Enterprise Discipline with Gary Fredericks | 21 Jan 2026 | 00:43:09 | |
You’ve built the thing. The offer works. Clients are saying yes. But behind the scenes, the business feels heavier than it should. In this episode of Sales as Service, I’m joined by Gary Fredericks, CEO and Co-Founder of OnPoint Partners, to talk about what happens after early traction—when internal structure becomes just as important as external sales and marketing. We explore how founders and service-based business owners can borrow the right lessons from bigger businesses—things like clarity, ownership, and disciplined processes—without adding unnecessary complexity or losing flexibility. Because when roles are blurry and everything still runs through you, your clients feel it. Your team feels it. And growth quietly slows. In this conversation, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Identify one “five-minute task” you keep holding onto. The thing you tell yourself is easier to just do yourself. The thing that interrupts your focus more than you realize. Then:
This isn’t about giving up control. It’s about protecting your time, your energy, and your role as the growth driver in your business. Because just because you can do the thing doesn’t mean you should. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| [RE-RELEASE] Turning Conversations into Clients with Nelson Dickson | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:20:25 | |
In this episode, I talk with Nelson Dickson, founder of C3 Creations, about the power of relationships in sales. Nelson shares how he built his marketing brokerage by focusing on genuine connections rather than transactions. As a self-described introvert, he changed his approach to networking by asking "How can I help?" instead of "What can I get?" Key takeaways:
Nelson also recommends consistent content posting and doing a yearly "relationship audit" to strengthen connections that matter. This week's challenge: Take 15 minutes to reconnect with one contact - no pitch, no agenda, just genuine connection. Want to connect with Nelson? Find him on LinkedIn or visit c3creations.com. Have an episode idea? DM me on LinkedIn and let me know! Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| [RE-RELEASE] Your Process Problem Is a Sales Problem - Here’s How to Fix It with Devin Lee | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:28:01 | |
In this episode, I talk with Devin Lee, systems strategist and the Founder behind helping overwhelmed business owners create custom processes that simplify operations. Devin specializes in transforming chaos into clarity, enabling businesses to scale efficiently without hitting plateaus. She shares her expertise in streamlining workflows, automating tasks, and implementing effective delegation strategies to enhance client experience and boost revenue. Devin dives into her journey from professional organizing and virtual assisting to becoming a sought-after business management expert, explaining why efficient systems are essential for growth. She also highlights common inefficiencies in service-based businesses, the critical role of first impressions in sales, and the importance of automating client onboarding to create lasting positive experiences. Key takeaways:
Sales as Service Challenge - Join In! This week’s Sales as Service Challenge is to do a 15-minute Process Audit in your business. Here’s how to do it: Choose one core process - this could be client onboarding, scheduling sales calls, or delivering your service. Write down every single step in that process. (You’re likely doing more than you realize!) Identify: - What can be automated? - What can be delegated? - What do you actually need to own? Streamlining even one process can save you time, create a better client experience, and remove unnecessary friction from your sales cycle. Take the challenge and let me know how it goes - DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram! #SASChallenge Want to connect with Devin? Visit her website at DevinLee.com, where you can subscribe to her highly recommended newsletter, or find her on LinkedIn to explore more insights into systematizing your business for sustainable growth. Resources Mentioned in this week’s episode: Airtable Relationship Management Template: https://devinlee6.gumroad.com/l/relationship-database-auto Airtable (Recommended Tool): https://www.airtable.com Zapier (Automation Tool): https://zapier.com Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| From Waiting for Clients to Creating Real Opportunities with Kimberly Boyd | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:22:42 | |
Referrals are a strong signal that your work matters—but they’re not a strategy you can rely on long term. In this conversation, I sit down with leadership coach Kimberly Boyd to talk about what happens when a referral-based business starts to feel inconsistent—and what it takes to build something more stable. When we started working together, Kimberly’s business was built almost entirely on word-of-mouth. It worked… until it didn’t. What you’ll hear in this episode is how she shifted from “cross your fingers and hope” to a more intentional, consistent approach to business development—and what changed as a result. This isn’t about doing more. It’s about understanding the difference between waiting for opportunities and creating them. In this episode, we cover:
Your challenge:
Because this is where a real pipeline starts. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| DM Me: Turning Conversations into Clients with Sean Malone | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:48:08 | |
Somewhere along the way, sales became more complicated than it needs to be. Funnels, tech stacks, automation all before we ever have a real conversation. But when you strip it back, every new client opportunity comes down to four simple steps: finding the right people, connecting with them, nurturing the relationship, and making an offer when there’s a genuine fit. In this episode, I’m joined by Sean Malone, Co-Founder of FlowChat, author of DM Me, and someone who has been part of more than 1.5 million direct message conversations. Together, we break down why most founders don’t have a lead problem—they have a consistency problem—and how direct messaging creates the fastest, most human path to starting real conversations that lead to new business. In this episode, we cover:
20 minutes: Nurture your network 20 minutes: Build visibility 20 minutes: Strategic outreach No scripts. No overthinking. Just consistent, intentional action. This is how you move from waiting for opportunities to creating them. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| The Gap Between Attention and Decision - And How to Close It with Ashley Kruse | 15 Apr 2026 | 00:30:33 | |
We’ve been taught that consistency and visibility are the keys to growth. Show up, post regularly, build an audience—and the clients will follow. But what happens when the content is working and the sales aren’t? In this conversation, I sit down with Ashley Kruse to unpack the gap between attention and decision. We get into what actually drives someone to take action, what needs to be in place before you ever spend money on ads, and why most content falls flat when it comes to conversion. Ashley brings a clear, data-driven perspective to marketing and challenges the idea that more visibility automatically equals more revenue. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Look at your website, your social content, or your sales page and ask:
Then choose one belief you hold about your work—and say it plainly. No hedging. No watering it down. Next, anchor your content this week to one specific decision your buyer is trying to make.
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Your Client Experience is Your Sales Strategy with Vance Morris | 08 Apr 2026 | 00:29:15 | |
There’s a lot of people out there who do what you do. From the outside, it can feel like you’re competing on the same offer, the same services, the same outcomes. But what actually sets your business apart isn’t what you sell—it’s the experience of working with you. In this conversation, I sit down with Vance Morris, former Disney leader turned entrepreneur, to break down how customer experience directly impacts retention, referrals, and long-term growth. We talk about the small, often overlooked moments that shape how clients perceive your business—and why those moments matter more than any new strategy or tactic. If you’ve been focused on finding the next big thing, this episode is a reminder that your biggest opportunity might already be inside your business. In this episode, we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Instead of asking, “What do I need to add?”
Then choose one simple upgrade:
Keep it small. Keep it doable. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| Success on Your Own Terms with Erin Hines | 01 Apr 2026 | 00:36:48 | |
What if the version of success you’ve been chasing is not actually the one you want? In this episode, I sit down with Erin Hines, founder of Darn Good Business Coach, to talk about the pressure so many business owners feel to keep doing more, growing bigger, and pushing harder. We unpack the conditioning behind that mindset and explore what it looks like to build a business that feels aligned with your values, your energy, and the life you actually want to live. Erin brings a holistic perspective to business growth, blending strategy, Human Design, and a clear-eyed look at burnout, boundaries, and overdoing. This conversation is especially timely for anyone who has been questioning whether scale is really the goal — or whether success might look more personal, more intentional, and more sustainable than what the business world often celebrates. In this episode, we talk about:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Am I doing it this way because it works for me, or because I think this is what I’m supposed to do? Then make one small adjustment this week that brings your process back into better alignment with your values, your capacity, and the way you actually want to work. The goal is not to do less just for the sake of doing less. The goal is to build a sales process and business development rhythm you can actually sustain. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| [RE-RELEASE] Nobody’s Born a Closer: Why Sales Is a Skill and Not a Superpower with Joshua Schulman | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:43:00 | |
Too many founders hold back from selling because they think they’re just not cut out for it. But today’s guest, Joshua Schulman, is here to challenge that belief. As a communication coach with a background in public speaking, acting, and even poker, Joshua helps entrepreneurs ditch the “natural salesperson” myth—and replace it with real, repeatable skill. In this episode, we dig into why performance, not personality, drives sales confidence. Whether you're leading discovery calls, pitching investors, or just trying to get through outreach without freezing, Joshua shares practical ways to rehearse your way to clarity—and even enjoy the process. Here’s what we cover:
Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Pick one moment in your sales process—and rehearse it. That’s it. Just one. It could be: Write it down. Say it out loud. Try it a few different ways. Play with tone, pacing, and delivery. The goal isn’t to memorize—it’s to practice being present, so you feel more confident and less reactive in the moment. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| [RE-RELEASE] Selling Without Selling: Leveraging Podcast Guesting & LinkedIn Engagement for Business Growth with Elizabeth Howell | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:25:19 | |
In this re-release episode, I talk with Elizabeth Howell, owner of Howell Media, about the power of organic marketing for small business owners and solopreneurs. Elizabeth shares how she helps entrepreneurs fight marketing indecision by focusing on just two powerful strategies: LinkedIn and podcast guesting. As someone with extensive media experience, she discovered this combination gives the biggest return on time investment without requiring a massive budget. Key takeaways:
Elizabeth also shares her "Goals + Actions" exercise for creating LinkedIn content, where you map client goals against what they need to know, giving you endless content ideas. This week's challenge: Create five LinkedIn post ideas using Elizabeth's goals + actions exercise. Want to connect with Elizabeth? Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/euh24/ Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||
| The Difference Between Running a Business and Building One with Sarah Still | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:43:18 | |
There's a point in every founder's journey where doing great work stops being enough. The habits that built the business — staying close to delivery, saying yes, solving every problem — quietly become the ceiling. In this episode, Sarah Still, COO and Enterprise Value and Exit Strategist with RAYNE IX, joins Tam to talk about what it actually takes to build an agency that doesn't depend entirely on the founder. Sarah brings close to a decade of experience scaling a women-led agency to nearly $10 million, and the conversation gets specific fast — from how values get operationalized into daily systems, to why most founders are still unknowingly showing up like employees in their own businesses. This one is for any founder who has ever felt like they built a very demanding job instead of a scalable business — and wants a clearer picture of what changes when they start leading it differently. In this episode:
Find the complete show notes here →https://studiothree49.com/podcast/ep-50-sarah-still Sales as Service Challenge — Start Now! Identify one place where you're still showing up like a service provider instead of a strategic partner. Maybe it's overexplaining instead of making a recommendation. Waiting for permission before leading the conversation. Reacting to client requests instead of guiding outcomes. Or staying so buried in delivery that you're not thinking strategically about the business itself. Then ask yourself: What would this look like if I approached it as the expert in the room? Practice leading one client conversation differently this week. Be more direct. Make the recommendation. Guide the next step. Own your expertise. If that feels uncomfortable — that's worth paying attention to. This isn't about confidence. It's about reconditioning. Links & Resources:
Tam Smith is the founder of Studio Three 49 and a professional conversation starter. She helps service-based founders stop waiting for referrals and start creating opportunities through genuine conversations. Your next client - calculate what it takes. Connect with Tam on LinkedIn. Produced by KNWN Media. Executive Producer: Jess Milanes. | |||