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

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

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

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

What You’ll Learn:

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

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

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

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

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

About Sales Lead Dog

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

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

Connect and Learn More

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

If this episode brought you value:

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

What if the secret to a long, successful sales career had nothing to do with scripts, tactics, or closing techniques?

Richard Cassell, Senior Director of Business Development at Black Box, learned his most important sales lesson at age 12 working at his family's gas station in Valdosta, Georgia. That moment set the foundation for a career built on one core idea: stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on what the customer actually needs.

In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Richard sits down with host Christopher Smith to unpack the mindset shifts, mentorship moments, and hard-won lessons that have shaped his approach to sales, leadership, and relationship building over multiple decades.

From a pivotal two-year comeback at Washington Mutual to reframing an entire enterprise deal around mission instead of ROI, Richard shares real stories with real lessons that any sales professional can apply immediately.

What You'll Learn

• The three principles a retired sales veteran gave Richard early in his career, and why they still drive his success today
• How a chance encounter at a Franklin Covey store in Seattle changed how he manages time and priorities
• Why being transparent about product gaps can actually win you the deal in the long run
• The Washington Mutual story: how Richard lost the room, came back two years later, and closed a career-defining deal
• How to build multi-threaded relationships inside complex enterprise accounts
• Why reframing around mission (not ROI) was the key to winning a major deal in Salt Lake City
• What Richard looks for in a mentor and how he recommends approaching high-level professionals
• His honest take on CRM: necessary evil or genuine sales tool
• Why AI is now changing the prospecting game and what that means for sales reps who want to stay competitive
• How Richard leads through nonprofit work and why giving back is a core part of his professional identity

Guest Credentials

Richard Cassell Senior Director of Business Development, Black Box Black Box is a global solutions provider specializing in IT infrastructure design, deployment, and management for enterprises, with a strong focus on healthcare across the United States.

Richard covers large healthcare systems nationally, working within a portfolio of 1,700 hospitals and 300+ healthcare systems.

Richard also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board at The Breakfast Group, a 50-year-old Seattle-based nonprofit focused on education and economic development for inner-city minority youth.

About Sales Lead Dog

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

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

Connect and Learn More

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

Connect with Richard Cassell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcassell/

If this episode brought you value:

👍 Hit Like and help more sales professionals find this conversation.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a Sales Lead Dog episode.

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

AI is not coming for sales. It is already here. In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, Victor Antonio joins us to break down what AI agents really mean for sales teams, sales leaders and the entire buying process. Victor’s background is rare. Electrical engineering. MBA. Global sales leadership. President of global sales and marketing for a $420M company. VP of international sales for a Fortune 500 organization. Today, he is one of the most recognized sales educators in the world and author of The Future of Selling: The Rise of AI Agents. This conversation goes beyond ChatGPT. We dive into AI agents, agent-to-agent communication, model context protocols, and how buying behavior is changing faster than most sales teams realize. The biggest shift is not just how we sell. It is how customers buy. And most organizations are not ready. 🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode • Why AI agents will change sales faster than CRM ever did • The difference between AI replacing jobs and eliminating hiring altogether • How AI is transforming the buyer journey before sales even gets involved • Why simple, low risk sales are already at risk of automation • The rise of agent-to-agent workflows and what that means for sales teams • Why CRM as we know it is becoming obsolete • How to prepare your sales organization before disruption hits • Why human conversation is becoming a competitive advantage 💡 Key Takeaways AI is not just a productivity tool. It is an infrastructure shift. Organizations that treat AI as a small pilot project will fall behind. Those that rethink their entire sales enablement strategy will gain margin, speed and insight that was impossible just a few years ago. Victor explains why companies must stop asking “Will AI replace sales?” and start asking “Which sales roles will AI replace first?” He also shares why picking up the phone may soon become a rare and powerful differentiator. 📘 About Victor Antonio Victor Antonio is a globally recognized sales trainer, keynote speaker and author of more than a dozen books. He has led global sales teams across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and South Africa. He is the host of the top 100 US podcast Sales Influence and runs the Sales Velocity Academy used by sales teams around the world. Learn more at https://victorantonio.com 🎧 Listen to More Sales Lead Dog Explore all episodes at: https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ 👉 If You Found This Valuable Like this video Subscribe for more sales leadership insights Comment below: Is AI a threat or an opportunity for your sales team?