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The Sales Mastermind · Newsletter

Founder-led sales, four minutes at a time.

One practical idea a week for founders who still do the selling. Stories from real deals, no fluff.

Latest issue

Issue No. 135 · 21 Sept 2026 · 4 min read

Stress Test

How to run a weekly sales pipeline review that stress-tests every deal, adds structure and accountability, and keeps your team on the right deals.

  • Story Time
  • Paperwork
  • Pipeline Reviews
  • Two Examples - One B2C, one B2B

“Build a product so good that a weak sales team could sell it. And… build a sales team so good that they could sell a weak product.”

Amit Bendov, Co-founder and CEO of Gong
Read the latest issue →

Recent issues

No. 134 · 3 min I was the buyer Scott shares a sales call he sat through as the buyer, and the lessons for founders: keep your intro about the buyer and prepare before every meeting. Read → No. 133 · 4 min Follow-Up Cadences That Get Replies Why cold outreach works better with variety: mix calls, texts, email, LinkedIn, video and voice notes, and give each message one clear outcome. Read → No. 132 · 2 min Start Here: 13 Resources for Founders Who Sell A starter list of sales resources for founders: practical newsletters, books, a simple CRM, call recording software and the headset and webcam Scott uses. Read →

The index

Every issue, newest first. Search by title or topic — pipeline, discovery, follow-up, closing.

  1. No. 135 Stress Test 4 min
  2. No. 134 I was the buyer 3 min
  3. No. 133 Follow-Up Cadences That Get Replies 4 min
  4. No. 132 Start Here: 13 Resources for Founders Who Sell 2 min
  5. No. 131 Higher Power Close 2 min
  6. No. 130 Whatsapp and Texts 3 min
  7. No. 129 August BHAG 4 min
  8. No. 128 Two Stories 2 min
  9. No. 127 Get Invited Into Deals: Building Fame in Your Niche 3 min
  10. No. 126 Name Your Journey 3 min
  11. No. 125 Your Video Call Setup Is Costing You Deals 2 min
  12. No. 124 Referrals 3 min
  13. No. 123 Asking Questions 3 min
  14. No. 122 Fit and Risk 3 min
  15. No. 121 Competitors 2 min
  16. No. 120 How to Join Your Seller's Calls Without Taking Over 3 min
  17. No. 119 Semi-Fresh Eyes 2 min
  18. No. 118 Price vs Cost 3 min
  19. No. 117 A Message to Garcia 4 min
  20. No. 116 Three Buyers 3 min
  21. No. 115 Buyer Risk 3 min
  22. No. 114 Partners 2 min
  23. No. 113 BAMFAM Back-up 2 min
  24. No. 112 Expectations 4 min
  25. No. 111 Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? Deciding What to Do Next 3 min
  26. No. 110 "Authenticity" 3 min
  27. No. 109 Blank Excel Sheet 3 min
  28. No. 108 Ask Again 3 min
  29. No. 107 Trust Your Gut 2 min
  30. No. 106 Anatomy of a Sale (I made a big mistake) 3 min
  31. No. 105 Interview 1 min
  32. No. 104 Daily Wins 1 min
  33. No. 103 Double Down 4 min
  34. No. 102 Launch Monday 2 min
  35. No. 101 Module 2 4 min
  36. No. 100 Announcement 3 min
  37. No. 99a Not the 100th Edition 1 min
  38. No. 99 Hunting 100 (By Alma) 2 min
  39. No. 98 Fail Forward 2 min
  40. No. 97 6.5 Reasons 2 min
  41. No. 96 Selling AI 2 min
  42. No. 95 Measure Results 2 min
  43. No. 94 One Change 1 min
  44. No. 93 Post-Close 3 min
  45. No. 92 Why 2 min
  46. No. 91 Second Valley of Death 3 min
  47. No. 90 Systems and Methodologies 4 min
  48. No. 89 Four Eye Policy 3 min
  49. No. 88 Cold to Gold (Reprise) 1 min
  50. No. 87 Buyers Research 2 min
  51. No. 86 Five Hiring Mistakes 3 min
  52. No. 85 Lead Gen Round Up 1 min
  53. No. 84 Roasting Giveaway 1 min
  54. No. 82 Start a a Podcast (yes, really) 3 min
  55. No. 81 Seasonality 3 min
  56. No. 80 Reference Check 1 min
  57. No. 79 Momentum 3 min
  58. No. 78 Closing MAPs 2 min
  59. No. 77 Reverse Benchmark 2 min
  60. No. 76 Mini or Hard Reset 2 min
  61. No. 75 Luck Surface 2 min
  62. No. 74 Three Unknowns 2 min
  63. No. 73 Next Step Selling 2 min
  64. No. 72 Commanding Questions 3 min
  65. No. 71 Phone Numbers 3 min
  66. No. 70 SMaaS 4 min
  67. No. 69 Partnerships 3 min
  68. No. 68 Differentiation 3 min
  69. No. 67 Tracking Success 3 min
  70. No. 66 Story Time - Pricing 4 min
  71. No. 65 Comedy Lessons 2 min
  72. No. 64 Ready to Buy 2 min
  73. No. 63 The 2025 Return 3 min
  74. No. 61 Cold to Gold: Building a SaaS Sales Pipeline That Converts 7 min
  75. No. 60 Inspiration (part 2) 1 min
  76. No. 59 Failure to Close 2 min
  77. No. 58 Labels 2 min
  78. No. 57 Win more deals; follow up 2 min
  79. No. 56 99% of Lead Generation 2 min
  80. No. 55 Preemptive Anti-Ghosting 3 min
  81. No. 53 Remember Upselling 2 min
  82. No. 52 Celebrate 3 min
  83. No. 51 You're (probably) right 1 min
  84. No. 50 Sustainable Leads 3 min
  85. No. 49 Tour de France and Sales 3 min
  86. No. 48 Boudica and Your LBBS 3 min
  87. No. 47 Game Tapes 2 min
  88. No. 46 Before you hire sellers 3 min
  89. No. 45 Escape Route 2 min
  90. No. 44 Framing, Timing and Space 2 min
  91. No. 43 Calendar Q2 and May 1 min
  92. No. 42 What C-3PO Teaches About Answering Buyer Questions 1 min
  93. No. 41 Deep Pain Creates Real Motivation 3 min
  94. No. 40 Get out of a slump 3 min
  95. No. 39 Just say No 4 min
  96. No. 38 Inspiration 1 min
  97. No. 37 What buyers want 4 min
  98. No. 36 The Other Side 3 min
  99. No. 35 Soft Closing 2 min
  100. No. 34 Pipeline - cut the crap 4 min
  101. No. 33 Reduce No Shows 2 min
  102. No. 32 Lead Generation 3 min
  103. No. 31 Back to Basics - Pricing 4 min
  104. No. 30 Learn to sell 1 min
  105. No. 29 Best Books 3 min
  106. No. 28 From Associate to #1 3 min
  107. No. 27 Sunday Night Test™ 3 min
  108. No. 26 Three early sales hires 4 min
  109. No. 25 Closing (back to basics) 2 min
  110. No. 24 New Year, not New You 2 min
  111. No. 23 Black Swans 2 min
  112. No. 22 Discovery Call 2 min
  113. No. 21 Sales Funnels (back to basics) 4 min
  114. No. 20 Mistakes from 80 sales calls 4 min
  115. No. 19 A confused mind never buys 5 min
  116. No. 18 7 Rules of Sales 3 min
  117. No. 17 Become a master story teller 2 min
  118. No. 16 Which Buyers count? 3 min
  119. No. 15 How Buyers want to be treated 3 min
  120. No. 14 Drop a "Really Bomb" 3 min
  121. No. 13 When not now, doesn't mean not ever 4 min
  122. No. 12 TPSO - Tactical Pessimism, Strategic Optimism 3 min
  123. No. 11 Sales helps from Eminem 4 min
  124. No. 10 Help avoid losses 3 min
  125. No. 9 PA-UA: Pause, Ask, Understand, Answer 3 min
  126. No. 8 Make every day a winner (step-by-step guide) 2 min
  127. No. 7 Struggling to move from first conversation to $$ 1 min
  128. No. 6 Are you "That Guy" 2 min
  129. No. 5 What do you sell? 3 min
  130. No. 4 Resuscitate cold conversations right now 2 min
  131. No. 3 The Question Stack™ 2 min
  132. No. 2 Talk less to sell more 2 min
  133. No. 1 BAMFAM 2 min

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