You can't scale a business if the CEO is involved in every new business pitch. Transitioning from founder-led sales to a team-driven approach is essential for sustainable growth. It’s not just about delegating—it’s about empowering your team, showcasing their expertise, and building trust with prospects. When clients see a collaborative team approach, they feel confident they’re hiring a company, not just a single leader. This shift not only frees up the CEO to focus on strategy and thought leadership but also creates a scalable sales process that drives long-term revenue success." Paul Wilson In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast, titled, Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success, host Kerry Curran is joined by sales and growth consultant Paul Wilson to uncover the secrets to building a sales process that delivers consistent, scalable results. Drawing on decades of experience scaling businesses and coaching CEOs, Paul shares his ""Winning Every Stage"" framework—a step-by-step guide to qualifying leads, mastering discovery calls, customizing pitches, and closing deals with confidence. Key takeaways include: How to define and leverage your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Focus your efforts on prospects that align with your expertise and values. The power of discovery calls: Learn how asking the right questions can uncover client needs and shape compelling, customized presentations. When to qualify and disqualify prospects: Maximize ROI by prioritizing the opportunities most likely to convert. Transitioning from founder-led sales: Strategies for CEOs to build a team-driven approach that fosters trust and scales growth. The importance of client retention: Use feedback loops like Net Promoter Score (NPS) to strengthen relationships and create upsell opportunities. Whether you’re a startup founder or a seasoned CEO, this episode is packed with actionable insights to optimize your sales process, improve client satisfaction, and drive sustainable revenue growth. Don’t miss this transformative conversation that could redefine your approach to sales success!"
Most sales pitches fail for one simple reason. They are presentations, not conversations.
Too many teams walk into a pitch talking about themselves instead of uncovering what actually matters to the buyer. The result is stalled deals, low win rates, and prospects who say, “Just send the deck.”
In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast titled Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success, I sit down with Paul Wilson, founder of Massive Growth Partners, to break down what it really takes to win sales pitches consistently.
Paul shares his proven Winning Every Stage framework, designed to help sales teams qualify better leads, run stronger discovery calls, and deliver pitches that are tailored, credible, and buyer-focused. Instead of one-sided pitching, he shows how to turn sales meetings into strategic conversations that build trust and move deals forward.
If your team is pitching often but closing inconsistently, this episode explains where deals break down and how to fix it.
You will learn:
Why most sales pitches fail before the presentation even begins
How to run discovery calls that uncover real buyer priorities
What top-performing teams do differently to tailor every pitch
How to ask the right questions and confidently move to a close
Why winning pitches depend on process, not individual charisma
This episode reframes sales success around preparation, discovery, and buyer insight, giving teams a repeatable approach to winning more deals at every stage of the funnel.
Stay tuned to the end where Paul shares the first change sales teams should make to immediately improve pitch performance and close rates.
Chapter Highlights and Key Takeaways:
00:00 Why Most Sales Pitches Fail Before They Start
01:10 The Real Cost of Talking Instead of Listening in Sales
02:05 What CEOs Get Wrong About Sales Performance Data
03:30 Why One-Sided Pitches Kill Trust and Win Rates
05:10 Stop Pitching Solo: How Team-Based Pitches Win More Deals
07:15 Winning Every Stage: Defining and Qualifying the Right ICP
09:10 How to Run a Discovery Call That Changes the Entire Pitch
11:55 The Question Gap: Open vs. Closed Questions in Sales
14:10 Turning Discovery Insights Into Buyer-Centered Presentations
16:30 How to Close Confidently Without Sounding Pushy
18:10 Why Retention Starts in the Sales Pitch
20:05 The First Change Sales Teams Should Make to Win More Pitches
To connect with Paul Wilson go to: pwilson@massivegrowthpartners.com
https://www.massivegrowthpartners.com/
Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success
“You can't scale a business if the CEO is involved in every new business pitch. Transitioning from founder led sales to a team driven approach is essential for sustainable growth. It's not just about delegating.
It's about empowering your team, showcasing their expertise and building trust with prospects. When a client sees a collaborative team approach, they feel confident they're hiring a company, not just a single leader.
This shift not only frees up the CEO to focus on strategy and thought leadership, but creates a scalable sales process that drives long-term revenue success. That's a quote from Paul Wilson and a sneak peek at today's episode.
Hi there. I'm Kerry Curran, business growth consultant, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost, a marketing podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive revenue growth for all businesses.
Founder-led growth is all the buzz today, but what do you do when it's time to scale? In this episode, Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success. I'm joined by sales expert, Paul Wilson, founder of Massive Growth Partners, who shares his proven framework for scaling revenue with a team-driven sales approach. We discuss how CEOs can transition from founder-led sales to a scalable process that empowers their teams to drive growth.
Paul's actionable insights provide a roadmap for winning at every stage of the sales process. So whether you're a CEO, sales leader or marketer, this episode is packed with strategies to drive sustainable revenue success. Let's go!
So, welcome, Paul. Please introduce yourself and tell us all about your background and expertise.
Thanks, Kerry. Great to be here today. I’m Paul Wilson. I have over 20 years of experience as part of an executive team running sales and marketing.
I joined a company when it had 40 people, and we grew to 750 people, from $4 million to $75 million, through a successful acquisition. I then moved to RKG, a small search marketing agency in Charlottesville, Virginia, where we grew from $5 million to $30 million over three years and sold the company to Merkle.
Five years ago, I started a consulting firm helping CEOs of early-stage digital agencies and software companies grow revenue and scale their businesses. I focus on teaching a process called Winning Every Stage of the Sales Process, which emphasizes qualifying leads and defining your ideal customer profile (ICP). Who is your ideal customer? How do you qualify them? How do you conduct a discovery process? How do you leverage your learnings into the presentation? And how do you close more revenue?
Excellent, thank you! I’m excited to speak with you today. Fun fact for our listeners—Paul was my longtime boss and mentor. He taught me a lot of what I know and is responsible for much of my success. So, thank you, Paul! We’re excited to have you on.
As you mentioned, you speak with a lot of CEOs today. What are you hearing from them? What business challenges are they facing? What do they need—whether they realize it or not? What are they asking for?
Right. When I speak to CEOs, one of the most common things I hear is, "I've been leading sales. How do I step out of it and still have the company grow and prosper?"
When they’re used to running every aspect of the business, it’s manageable at 5, 10, or even 15 people. But if they want to scale to 50 or 100 people and grow revenue from a few million to $15, $20, or $50 million, they need to put a process in place to scale.
They’ll ask me, "How do I do that? How do I develop a go-to-market plan? How do I step back while staying involved in thought leadership and key client relationships, while letting sales be handled by someone else?"
When I ask them about their sales performance, like "What are the top three reasons you win a new client?" or "What are the top three reasons you lose?", many CEOs don’t have clear data. So, I often start engagements by analyzing their sales data—why they win, why they lose—and reviewing recorded sales pitches. One of the great things about Zoom and Teams is that presentations are recorded, so you can analyze them.
What I often find is that sales calls aren’t conversations—they’re one-sided pitches. Sellers aren’t uncovering information or asking open-ended questions to understand the client’s real needs.
So, to answer your question, CEOs want to step back from sales but still have confidence in the process. The key is putting together a structured go-to-market plan, hiring the right people, creating the right compensation plan, and developing a team that can execute.
That makes sense. I love that you're helping CEOs recognize the need to evolve and get out of the weeds.
I’ve also noticed that many startups rely on founder-led growth—where the founder is the face and voice of the company. You’re coming in at a critical stage, helping them transition from founder-led growth to building a go-to-market team and strategy, leveraging data along the way. It’s fascinating how you pull all of that together.
Yes! And one of the first things I often recommend is that CEOs stop pitching alone.
If I'm a client and I see a CEO pitching solo, I might wonder, "Will they have time to work on my account?" I want to meet the people who will actually be managing my business.
So, I help CEOs expand their sales teams while staying involved. Maybe an account manager presents a case study, or a key strategist customizes a strategy for the client.
Clients don’t want to hear about your agency or software—they want to know what you’re going to do for them. They want a presentation tailored to what you learned in the discovery process.
That’s why I advocate for a team-based sales approach—bringing two or three people into pitches to showcase the depth of the company. Over time, the CEO can step back and let others lead. This gives clients more confidence in your company because they see a team, not just a founder.
Absolutely. That’s such an important strategy.
You mentioned your Winning Every Stage framework. Can you walk us through the stages and how you coach teams through them?
Sure! It starts with defining your ICP—your ideal customer profile. What size company? What verticals? What challenges do they face?
Once you define your ICP, you outline discovery questions. I teach teams to have a 30-minute discovery call where they don’t pitch at all—they just ask questions. They take notes, then use that information to tailor their presentation.
The presentation should be about the prospect, not you. Companies don’t care how many employees you have or where your offices are. They care about how you’ll solve their challenges.
I also teach when to ask open-ended questions (to uncover insights) and when to ask closed-ended questions (to confirm decisions). Too often, I watch sales calls where 27 minutes go by and the agency hasn’t asked the client a single question.
At the end of the presentation, I encourage a clear, direct close: "You told us your top priorities are A, B, and C. Now that we’ve covered those, are you ready to move forward?"
Too many pitches end with "We’ll send you the deck!" That doesn’t move the deal forward. I teach teams how to ask the right questions, handle objections, and confidently move through the sales process.
That’s such a great framework! Salespeople often struggle with listening instead of talking. They also hesitate to ask tough questions—like timing, decision criteria, or what they’re not getting from their current agency.
Your approach really ensures they dig deeper to uncover the real needs of the client.
Exactly! And just as important as closing deals is retaining clients.
I always set up a system to check in with clients regularly. I’ve launched multiple Net Promoter Score (NPS) programs where we ask clients four questions every quarter:
Tracking these scores quarter over quarter helps agencies retain clients and grow long-term. Many companies celebrate closing deals but don’t invest in keeping them. A structured feedback loop prevents surprises when contracts come up for renewal.
Such a smart strategy!
For CEOs who want to step out of sales, what’s the first thing they should do?
First, analyze your win-loss data. Why are you winning? Why are you losing?
Then, transition gradually—don’t just stop selling overnight. Start by bringing others into pitches, then slowly step back. You’d be surprised how many team members enjoy presenting and want to take on more sales responsibility.
Great advice. How can people connect with you?
Find me Paul Wilson on LinkedIn I’ve also launched Massive Growth Partners. I’d love to talk about sales!
Thank you, Paul! I appreciate your time and insights.
Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success
“You can't scale a business if the CEO is involved in every new business pitch. Transitioning from founder led sales to a team driven approach is essential for sustainable growth. It's not just about delegating.
It's about empowering your team, showcasing their expertise and building trust with prospects. When a client sees a collaborative team approach, they feel confident they're hiring a company, not just a single leader.
This shift not only frees up the CEO to focus on strategy and thought leadership, but creates a scalable sales process that drives long-term revenue success. That's a quote from Paul Wilson and a sneak peek at today's episode.
Hi there. I'm Kerry Curran, business growth consultant, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost, a marketing podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive revenue growth for all businesses.
Founder-led growth is all the buzz today, but what do you do when it's time to scale? In this episode, Winning Every Stage: A Sales Framework for Sustainable Revenue Success. I'm joined by sales expert, Paul Wilson, founder of Massive Growth Partners, who shares his proven framework for scaling revenue with a team-driven sales approach. We discuss how CEOs can transition from founder-led sales to a scalable process that empowers their teams to drive growth.
Paul's actionable insights provide a roadmap for winning at every stage of the sales process. So whether you're a CEO, sales leader or marketer, this episode is packed with strategies to drive sustainable revenue success. Let's go!
So, welcome, Paul. Please introduce yourself and tell us all about your background and expertise.
Thanks, Kerry. Great to be here today. I’m Paul Wilson. I have over 20 years of experience as part of an executive team running sales and marketing.
I joined a company when it had 40 people, and we grew to 750 people, from $4 million to $75 million, through a successful acquisition. I then moved to RKG, a small search marketing agency in Charlottesville, Virginia, where we grew from $5 million to $30 million over three years and sold the company to Merkle.
Five years ago, I started a consulting firm helping CEOs of early-stage digital agencies and software companies grow revenue and scale their businesses. I focus on teaching a process called Winning Every Stage of the Sales Process, which emphasizes qualifying leads and defining your ideal customer profile (ICP). Who is your ideal customer? How do you qualify them? How do you conduct a discovery process? How do you leverage your learnings into the presentation? And how do you close more revenue?
Excellent, thank you! I’m excited to speak with you today. Fun fact for our listeners—Paul was my longtime boss and mentor. He taught me a lot of what I know and is responsible for much of my success. So, thank you, Paul! We’re excited to have you on.
As you mentioned, you speak with a lot of CEOs today. What are you hearing from them? What business challenges are they facing? What do they need—whether they realize it or not? What are they asking for?
Right. When I speak to CEOs, one of the most common things I hear is, "I've been leading sales. How do I step out of it and still have the company grow and prosper?"
When they’re used to running every aspect of the business, it’s manageable at 5, 10, or even 15 people. But if they want to scale to 50 or 100 people and grow revenue from a few million to $15, $20, or $50 million, they need to put a process in place to scale.
They’ll ask me, "How do I do that? How do I develop a go-to-market plan? How do I step back while staying involved in thought leadership and key client relationships, while letting sales be handled by someone else?"
When I ask them about their sales performance, like "What are the top three reasons you win a new client?" or "What are the top three reasons you lose?", many CEOs don’t have clear data. So, I often start engagements by analyzing their sales data—why they win, why they lose—and reviewing recorded sales pitches. One of the great things about Zoom and Teams is that presentations are recorded, so you can analyze them.
What I often find is that sales calls aren’t conversations—they’re one-sided pitches. Sellers aren’t uncovering information or asking open-ended questions to understand the client’s real needs.
So, to answer your question, CEOs want to step back from sales but still have confidence in the process. The key is putting together a structured go-to-market plan, hiring the right people, creating the right compensation plan, and developing a team that can execute.
That makes sense. I love that you're helping CEOs recognize the need to evolve and get out of the weeds.
I’ve also noticed that many startups rely on founder-led growth—where the founder is the face and voice of the company. You’re coming in at a critical stage, helping them transition from founder-led growth to building a go-to-market team and strategy, leveraging data along the way. It’s fascinating how you pull all of that together.
Yes! And one of the first things I often recommend is that CEOs stop pitching alone.
If I'm a client and I see a CEO pitching solo, I might wonder, "Will they have time to work on my account?" I want to meet the people who will actually be managing my business.
So, I help CEOs expand their sales teams while staying involved. Maybe an account manager presents a case study, or a key strategist customizes a strategy for the client.
Clients don’t want to hear about your agency or software—they want to know what you’re going to do for them. They want a presentation tailored to what you learned in the discovery process.
That’s why I advocate for a team-based sales approach—bringing two or three people into pitches to showcase the depth of the company. Over time, the CEO can step back and let others lead. This gives clients more confidence in your company because they see a team, not just a founder.
Absolutely. That’s such an important strategy.
You mentioned your Winning Every Stage framework. Can you walk us through the stages and how you coach teams through them?
Sure! It starts with defining your ICP—your ideal customer profile. What size company? What verticals? What challenges do they face?
Once you define your ICP, you outline discovery questions. I teach teams to have a 30-minute discovery call where they don’t pitch at all—they just ask questions. They take notes, then use that information to tailor their presentation.
The presentation should be about the prospect, not you. Companies don’t care how many employees you have or where your offices are. They care about how you’ll solve their challenges.
I also teach when to ask open-ended questions (to uncover insights) and when to ask closed-ended questions (to confirm decisions). Too often, I watch sales calls where 27 minutes go by and the agency hasn’t asked the client a single question.
At the end of the presentation, I encourage a clear, direct close: "You told us your top priorities are A, B, and C. Now that we’ve covered those, are you ready to move forward?"
Too many pitches end with "We’ll send you the deck!" That doesn’t move the deal forward. I teach teams how to ask the right questions, handle objections, and confidently move through the sales process.
That’s such a great framework! Salespeople often struggle with listening instead of talking. They also hesitate to ask tough questions—like timing, decision criteria, or what they’re not getting from their current agency.
Your approach really ensures they dig deeper to uncover the real needs of the client.
Exactly! And just as important as closing deals is retaining clients.
I always set up a system to check in with clients regularly. I’ve launched multiple Net Promoter Score (NPS) programs where we ask clients four questions every quarter:
Tracking these scores quarter over quarter helps agencies retain clients and grow long-term. Many companies celebrate closing deals but don’t invest in keeping them. A structured feedback loop prevents surprises when contracts come up for renewal.
Such a smart strategy!
For CEOs who want to step out of sales, what’s the first thing they should do?
First, analyze your win-loss data. Why are you winning? Why are you losing?
Then, transition gradually—don’t just stop selling overnight. Start by bringing others into pitches, then slowly step back. You’d be surprised how many team members enjoy presenting and want to take on more sales responsibility.
Great advice. How can people connect with you?
Find me Paul Wilson on LinkedIn I’ve also launched Massive Growth Partners. I’d love to talk about sales!
Thank you, Paul! I appreciate your time and insights.