Creativity does not fade with age or technology. It fades when creators stop creating.

You Will Learn

• How a veteran music producer used AI to create 50 songs in 90 days
• Why momentum matters more than perfection for creators
• How to use AI without losing your creative voice
• What separates real creators from prompt pushers
• How modern tools can unlock dormant ideas

n this episode of Close The Deal, Ewell Smith sits down with veteran music producer and filmmaker Steve Scaffidi to explore creativity reinvention and responsible AI use. Steve shares how modern tools helped him unlock decades of unreleased songs, dramatically accelerate his output, and reconnect with the joy of creating.

The conversation covers mindset, momentum, marketing lessons hidden in music, and why the most dangerous thing a creator can do is stop creating. This episode is a powerful reminder that tools do not replace talent. They amplify it.

Key Takeaways

• Momentum beats perfection
• AI is a tool not a replacement
• Ownership still matters
• Speed creates leverage
• Creativity rewards action

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

In this episode of Close The Deal, Sam Caruso, Vistage Chair, shares why working on the business instead of in it leads to clearer thinking, better leadership decisions, and stronger long term growth.

You will learn

• How working in the business keeps leaders stuck
• Why better questions lead to better decisions
• How to spot when you are doing the wrong work
• How strong mindset improves sales and leadership clarity
• How to step back and lead more effectively

This conversation explores mindset, trust, accountability, and how better questions change everything for business owners and sales leaders.

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ari reveals the system behind trust based selling and why the old way of selling no longer works. He shares the moment that changed everything, the process that stops ghosting, and how to use the One Call Trust Method to build trust fast. This episode will help you shift from chasing prospects to building clarity and confidence in every call.

Key points
• Why trust collapses faster than ever
• The call that changed Ari’s entire career
• The top of the iceberg question
• How to unpack the real problem
• Why most salespeople give too much too fast
• How to onboard clients instead of closing them

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Logic does not close deals. Emotion does.
In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, Corey Cousins breaks down the biggest mistake salespeople make and why relying on logic, features, and data often causes prospects to hesitate, stall, or disappear.

Corey is the Vice President of Sales at Destination Motivation, the number one sales and lead conversion incentive company in the nation. He has trained thousands of sales professionals and helped companies dramatically increase close rates, reduce cancellations, and create more feel good buying experiences.

Inside this conversation, Corey shares how emotional drivers shape buying decisions, the power of the FAB method, and why linking a purchase to a positive emotional outcome creates trust and momentum. He also explains how Destination Motivation uses experience based incentives to stop ghosting and boost long term customer satisfaction.

If you want to understand how people actually make decisions and how to create deeper connections that close more deals, this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn

• Why logic rarely wins and what truly motivates buyers
• How emotions guide 90 percent of purchase decisions
• How to apply the FAB method to spark better conversations
• Why vacations and experiences create powerful emotional anchors
• How to prevent cancellations with one simple shift
• The mindset Corey wishes he learned earlier in his career
• How sales teams can create trust faster without pressure

sales emotional selling buyer psychology corey cousins destination motivation closing deals sales training sales mindset home services sales customer behavior fab method sales coaching increase close rate prevent cancellations

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Standing out has never mattered more. With AI Search rewriting the rules, the voices that rise to the top are the ones backed by real authority and real conversations. That is why podcasting has become such an essential tool for entrepreneurs and creators.

In this episode, Ewell Smith sits down with Parker Olson, founder of PodPitch.com, whose wild journey from living in a tent to running product giveaways on airplanes has turned him into a standout guest across dozens of podcasts. Parker reveals how podcasting created unexpected opportunities, built lasting authority, and helped him connect with the right people at the right time.

You will learn how to create a clear listener promise, how to use your story to cut through the noise, and why consistent podcast guesting builds credibility faster than nearly any other strategy today.

You will learn:
• How podcasting helps you stand out in a crowded market
• Why long form conversations perform in AI Search
• How to use your unique story to create attention
• How podcast guesting builds trust and inbound opportunity
• Simple steps to strengthen your voice and grow your business

If you want more clarity, more authority and more opportunities, this episode shows you how to get there.

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Want to raise your in-home close rate without high-pressure tactics? Dominic Caminata from Grosso University breaks down five proven steps that turn more kitchen-table conversations into confident yes decisions. Learn how to slow down to speed up, build trust fast, present with clarity, and use the Grosso method to win more jobs at higher margins.

This episode gives you simple, repeatable tools to improve your close rate this week.

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Are your billboard ads doing more harm than good? In this episode of the Close The Deal Podcast, veteran marketer and outdoor advertising expert Eric Murr breaks down the 11 most common billboard ad mistakes that drain budgets, confuse audiences, and sabotage sales.

From bloated designs and misleading calls to action — to ignoring your digital reality — Eric shares real-world insights that could save you thousands and radically improve your ad performance.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “more info” = less impact in billboard advertising
• How billboard ads drive (or destroy) your online traffic
• Why color, contrast, and ego can ruin a campaign
• The right role of billboards in your marketing funnel
• How to combine outdoor + digital for massive ROI

Whether you're a local business owner, franchisee, or ad buyer, this episode will change the way you see billboards — and give you the tools to use them right.

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Why do so many founders hit a wall at one, three, or ten million in revenue? Sales strategist Nicole Vorkapic reveals the three hidden gaps that keep businesses from scaling—and how to fix them fast.

In this episode, Close The Deal Podcast host Ewell Smith sits down with Nicole to unpack the patterns that cause sales to plateau and what it takes to create systems that scale. Drawing from her experience leading national sales teams managing over $120 million in revenue, Nicole breaks down the steps founders can take to move from chaos to consistency.

If your business feels stuck, this conversation will show you how to replace gut-driven hustle with structure, clarity, and confidence.

What You’ll Learn

1. The Sales Productivity Gap — Why most sales reps only sell 28% of the time and how to fix it.
2. The Customer Retention Leak — How to stop churn before it starts with intentional onboarding and follow-up.
3. The Pipeline Predictability Problem — How to shift from gut-based forecasts to evidence-driven sales management.
4. How to Build Systems That Scale — Why structure creates freedom and consistency for your entire team.
5. The Three Diagnostic Questions every founder should ask to identify where their company is truly stuck.

##

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.

Ewell Smith is talking with sales and marketing pros who help professionals and business owners drive more leads and close more deals.

Close The Deal Podcast Supported by Your First Franchise

We have gift for you for listening - grab a copy of Your First Franchise Roadmap.

Visit www.CloseTheDeal.com to see all episodes.