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In this episode of Pod, Patrick sits down with Leslie Venetz—founder, sales trainer, and all-around sales enthusiast—for a conversation that’s part reflection, part wake-up call, and full of practical insights for today’s revenue leaders. Leslie shares how she fell into sales fresh out of college, discovered a deep passion for the craft, and is now on a mission to make sales more human, strategic, and sustainable. The two dive into the evolution of sales over the last 15 years, the real (not hype-driven) impact of AI, and why most reps are flying blind when it comes to territory management. Plus, Leslie gives a candid take on pipeline health, how to stop drowning in tasks, and why good sales enablement means giving reps the right data—not just dashboards.
Leslie didn’t grow up dreaming of being in sales. Like many, she took her first sales job out of necessity, attracted by a decent paycheck rather than a burning ambition. But two weeks in, she realized something clicked—she was good at this. And more than that, she enjoyed it. What started as a stopgap became a calling.
That early experience set the tone for how Leslie sees the profession: not just a job, but a craft. A human-centered one. “We’re not saving lives,” she says, “but we are helping people.” In a world where sales can still carry a whiff of sleaze, Leslie’s mission is to reframe the role as one of value creation and connection. Her view is clear: great B2B salespeople should feel proud of what they do.
But doing sales well today is not about pounding the phones like it’s still 2008. Leslie’s first role involved stacks of printed leads and faxed proposals—a far cry from the tech-enabled world of modern sales. The tools have changed dramatically. The profession, too, should evolve.
With AI dominating headlines, you’d think every rep was using it to 10x their productivity. Leslie’s take? The hype is way ahead of adoption. Despite the chatter, most reps are barely scratching the surface of what’s possible. Asking ChatGPT a question or relying on a conversation intelligence tool isn’t the same as integrating AI into your sales workflow.
Leslie believes the real opportunity lies in assistive—not replacive—AI. The reps seeing results aren’t using AI to do the job for them, they’re using it to do the job better. Think streamlining research, personalizing outreach faster, or reducing low-value admin time. But even that takes intention. It’s not enough to install a tool and hope for the best. Sellers need to think critically about where they’re spending time and ask: “Is this something AI could help me automate?”
Still, she cautions against overwhelming reps with a firehose of tech. Adoption isn’t just about tools—it’s change management. Without strong enablement and real-world use cases, AI ends up as shelfware or, worse, a tool for blasting even more mediocre messages at scale.
When Leslie polled her LinkedIn audience at the start of 2024, the #1 skill reps said they wanted to improve was territory management. Not closing. Not cold calling. Territory management. That’s telling—and long overdue.
Leslie sees two big problems with how most teams handle territories: a lack of strategic planning, and a glorified grind-it-out mindset. Reps get a list of accounts and start dialing, hoping something sticks. And to be fair, it can work in the short term. But it burns out the rep and the territory. That short-term success often reinforces bad habits, leaving reps ill-prepared to build a long-term, sustainable pipeline.
Her fix? Value-based segmentation. It’s not about choosing between quality and quantity—that’s a false binary. Instead, it’s about finding scalable ways to personalize. That starts with firmographic data (industry, company size, revenue) and layering on triggers—like a leadership change or a new funding round—that make outreach timely and relevant. The key is connecting the dots. Don’t just say “Congrats on the promotion.” Explain why that change makes your message valuable now.
And most importantly, reps need to take ownership. Sales leaders can guide strategy, but it’s on the ICs to become stewards of their patch. That means knowing which accounts are worth the time—and which aren’t.
If Leslie could give every rep one productivity framework, it would be this: define your Key Result Area (KRA) and filter your entire calendar through it. Whether that KRA is hitting a $1M quota or booking 10 meetings per week, every decision—every meeting invite, every “quick task”—should be judged by how it supports that goal.
It sounds simple, but few reps (and even fewer teams) operate this way. Salespeople, Leslie says, are addicted to urgency. Slack pings, emails, the dopamine hit of activity—it all feels important. But in reality, most of it isn’t. Reps end up doing a lot, but not necessarily doing what matters.
To course correct, Leslie recommends ruthlessly evaluating your workload. Can you delete it? Delegate it? Automate it? Protect your time like it’s your most valuable resource—because it is. Whether it’s setting “do not disturb” hours for cold calling or putting an out-of-office reply on during focus blocks, small shifts add up.
Sales isn’t just about effort—it’s about direction. And managing your time with intention is one of the highest-leverage things a seller can do.
Let’s be honest: most reps have too many deals in their pipeline. But as Leslie bluntly puts it, “If you have 60 deals, you don’t.” Many are ghosts—opportunities that haven’t moved in weeks or don’t even have a real next step.
Her quick audit? First, if a deal doesn’t have a mutually agreed next step (not just a vague “follow up in two weeks”), it’s a red flag. Second, if there’s been zero engagement in the last 30 days, it’s time to reassess. Unless it’s August and you’re selling into Europe, silence isn’t a sign of progress—it’s a sign you’re being ignored.
Cleaning house is hard, especially for reps who fall in love with deals. Leslie gets it. But clinging to stale pipeline hurts forecasting and hides the truth: that you need to prospect more, or go deeper into your current accounts. Disqualification is a skill—and a necessary one if you want an accurate view of your funnel.
The takeaway: let data—not hope—drive your pipeline decisions.
Leslie has a strong POV on sales enablement: stop overwhelming reps with dashboards. Especially for early-career sellers, more data is not always helpful—it’s often paralyzing. They don’t know what to look for or what good looks like.
What they do need is prescription. Show them where to focus. Help them interpret signals. Provide examples of what great looks like. Enablement should reduce noise, not add to it. If a rep has to figure out their strategy from scratch every quarter, that’s not empowerment—it’s abandonment.
The same goes for training. Active listening, for example, isn’t innate—it’s a skill that takes practice. And until reps develop the pattern recognition that comes with time in seat, they need structured guidance. Gut instinct comes later. Early on, what they need is clarity.
Leslie’s take on the future of sales is refreshingly grounded. AI’s not replacing reps, but it is raising the bar. The grind can still get short-term results, but it’s no longer a long-term strategy. And the reps who will thrive are those who learn to manage their time, their territory, and their mindset.
For anyone who’s earlier in their career, Leslie leaves one key piece of advice: it’s okay if it feels uncomfortable. That’s a sign you’re learning. But it should never feel icky. Stay human. Stay curious. And maybe, don’t put ketchup on your hot dog—especially if you’re in Chicago.
You can find Leslie on LinkedIn (she’s posted every day for over 1,000 days) or on TikTok at @salestipstalk. If you’re looking for practical, real-world advice about what actually works in modern sales, she’s a voice worth following.
