Mental Selling: The Sales Performance Podcast

Confidence matters in revenue, but ego is where performance starts to slip. 
In this conversation, Mike Head, CRO at PartnerStack, explains how the strongest leaders build confidence without letting pride drive their choices, especially when outcomes feel personal.
He shares what modern revenue leadership requires: emotional discipline, clearer decision frameworks, and an ecosystem mindset that puts giving first. Mike also breaks down the belief systems that separate consistent leaders from reactive ones, plus how partnering, automation, and better signals are changing what it takes to lead at the CRO level.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Emotional Control At The Top: Why confidence matters, but ego can quietly derail performance and decision making.
Lead With Stability: How the best revenue leaders stay steady through wins and losses, and why that emotional baseline sets the pace for the whole team.
Partnerships Require a Giving Mindset: Why scarcity thinking kills ecosystem growth, and how long-term partnerships reward leaders who consistently bring value first.  
Better Deal Reviews Through Better Questions: How to pressure test opportunities by naming the real reasons you could lose and using that to improve execution. 
The Modern CRO Skill Set: Why the role is becoming more technical, with stronger expectations around systems, data fluency, automation, and AI.

Resources:
Mike Head’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/headmike/ 
Learn more about PartnerStack: https://partnerstack.com/

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Meet Mike Head
(03:51) Mindset that drives performance: beliefs of top revenue leaders
(06:25) Scarcity vs. ecosystem thinking: confidence, overconfidence, and give-first partnerships
(08:54) Modernizing pipeline with tech, automation, and better systems
(10:18) Raising decision quality: emotions, steelmanning, and listening to understand
(14:04) Stress-testing assumptions and separating signal from noise in an AI world
(17:35) The CRO of tomorrow: RevOps roots, AI fluency, data instincts, and creativity
(22:00) Rapid-fire: habits, biases, and selling with integrity

Integrity is the foundation of trust and success in today’s selling environment.
Brian Snader, Vice President of Client Development at Integrity Solutions, joins host Hayley Parr to discuss why integrity matters more than ever in 2026. Brian emphasizes how integrity is about doing the right thing, having sound moral principles, and fostering trust within organizations and sales teams.
He highlights that integrity isn’t just a philosophy, but a competitive advantage that builds relationships, credibility, and confidence. Brian also explains how Integrity Solutions has evolved, integrating new technologies and AI to better support modern learners and meet the needs of today’s sales teams.
By focusing on both mindset and skillset, teams can achieve lasting success, making integrity an integral part of their sales strategy.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Integrity as a Competitive Advantage: Why integrity is more crucial than ever in 2026 and how it builds trust and relationships across sales teams.
Evolving with the Times: How Integrity Solutions has updated its approach with new technology and AI to better serve today’s sales teams.
Mindset and Skillset Alignment: Why success in sales requires both strong skillsets and the right mindset, and how to tap into the “God of want” for self-correction.
Core Values at the Heart: How integrity is a core value that drives organizations and individuals to help others succeed.
Building Confidence Through Integrity: Why leading with integrity builds internal and external credibility, ensuring long-term success.

Resources:
Brian Snader’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-snader-3253582/
Learn more about Integrity Solutions: https://www.integritysolutions.com/ 

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Meet Brian Snader
(00:32) Current sales challenges in 2026
(01:58) The importance of integrity in sales
(03:20) Insights from Brian Snader on integrity
(04:15) Evolving sales strategies at Integrity Solutions
(06:14) Moments of realization: integrity's impact

Brand clarity is what turns frantic activity into focused growth. 
Cate Hollowitsch, Fractional CMO and Principal Consultant at Relevents Group, joins host Hayley Parr to explain why go-to-market strategy should start with brand. Cate discusses how a clear brand foundation helps teams avoid the "spray and pray" approach and ensures alignment across departments.
She breaks down the nine essential components of brand vision, mission, values, ICP, positioning, promise, persona, tone, and logo, and why these must be in place before building a go-to-market playbook. Cate also shares why go-to-market isn't a department or a campaign, but an enterprise-wide operating system that impacts all functions of the business.
With a solid ICP, sales teams can stop chasing irrelevant leads, avoid discounting, and focus on selling with purpose. Cate challenges leaders to niche down, refine focus, and let that clarity drive sustainable growth.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Brand Before Tactics: Why go-to-market execution breaks down without brand clarity and how to build a foundation that guides every decision. 
GTM as an Operating System: How go-to-market isn’t just a campaign or department, it’s an enterprise-wide operating system that drives alignment across all teams
Scarcity Selling Spiral: Why pressure creates “spray and pray” behavior and how to replace frantic activity with focused strategy.
ICP Discipline: Why a clear ideal customer profile helps teams stop chasing bad fit deals and say no with confidence.
Niche Down Until It Hurts: Why focus wins even when it feels uncomfortable and how narrowing your audience strengthens results.

Resources:
Cate Hollowitsch’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catehollowitsch/ 
Learn more about Relevents Group: https://www.releventsgroup.com/ 
Take a free GTM Assessment: https://gotomarketguru.com/

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Meet Cate Hollowitsch
(01:34) Why brand clarity comes first
(02:14) The core elements that define your brand
(03:53) How clarity sharpens every go to market decision
(06:12) Defining your audience and focusing sales activity
(10:33) Niching down until it feels too small
(23:26) Go-to-market alignment across the full organization
(29:03) Rapid fire on brand clarity

Sales strategies that worked in the past are no longer enough in today's rapidly evolving market. By the time a buyer engages with a sales team, they’ve often already made up their mind. So how do you break through the noise and stand out in a crowded, info-overloaded world?

Em Holldorf, Director of Demand Generation at Integrity Solutions, joins host Hayley Parr to explore how sales teams can adapt to the dramatic shifts in buyer behavior. Em explains why relying on outdated tactics, like generic sales pitches and "info dumps," won’t cut it in 2026, and shares the tools and strategies that modern sales teams need to succeed.
Em dives into the concept of the ‘dark funnel,’ where buyers do all their research and make decisions behind the scenes, and shares how marketers can spot the signals that show when a buyer is ready to engage. She joins Hayley to discuss the importance of human connection and why shifting from transactional sales approaches to trust-based partnerships is key— not just for sales, but for marketing teams looking to stay relevant and aligned with how buyers actually make decisions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Dark Funnel: Why buyers are forming opinions without your involvement and how to get in front of them before they exclude you.
The Info Dump Trap: Why overwhelming prospects with too much information leads to disengagement and how to foster authentic, human conversations instead.
Intent Signals: How to recognize the subtle signs that show a lead is ready to buy and how to act on them before they even reach out.
Personalized Outreach: How to break through the noise with quality, personalized messages that resonate with today’s self-educated buyers.
Sales and Marketing Alignment: How to create seamless communication between teams to deliver the right messages at the right time and close more deals.

Resources:
Em Holldorf’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-holldorf/
Learn more about Integrity Solutions: https://www.integritysolutions.com/

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Meet Em Holldorf
(02:05) Understanding the dark funnel and its impact on sales
(06:19) Why the "info dump" is hurting your sales approach
(10:33) Key signals that indicate buyer readiness
(14:00) How personalized messaging leads to better engagement
(18:45) Aligning sales and marketing for success in 2026

This year brought constant change to the sales profession and to Mental Selling itself. Throughout 2025, communication, purpose, and culture stood out as the forces that set strong teams apart. The year also marked a new chapter for the podcast, with Hayley Parr stepping into the host role and building on the foundation established by those who helped shape the show from the start. In this year-end reflection, Hayley looks back on the conversations that defined Mental Selling in 2025 and the lessons that continue to resonate. 
Throughout this year, sales leaders, industry experts, practitioners, and coaches shared their perspectives on what drives meaningful performance. This special end of year recap episode looks back on some of the key themes that emerged in 2025, including: how storytelling and clarity build trust and connection, why purpose fuels resilience in high-pressure environments, and how training, coaching, and culture support long-term success. 
Together, these insights show how sales professionals strengthened communication, stayed grounded in purpose, and built teams that perform over time.
In this episode, you’ll revisit some of these key podcast themes that emerged in 2025:
Communication as a Competitive Advantage: Understand how storytelling and clarity shape relationships.
Purpose as a Steadying Force: How aligning with purpose helps navigate pressure.
Building Strong Sales Teams: Discover why culture, coaching, and consistent training are the keys to sustained growth.

Resources:
Lauren Deal’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhostlaurendeal/
Jacob Hicks’ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-hicks-5ab068ab
Jen Mueller’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenmuellertalksporty/
Brad Farris’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfarris/ 
David Hammond’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhammond/
Donna Horrigan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnahorrigan/ 
Patty Gaddis’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattygaddis/ 
Em Holldorf’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-holldorf/ 
Garin Hess’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garin-hess/  
Gearoid Cox’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gearoid-cox-b20b73104/ 
Derek Roberts’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekroberts1/ 
Duncan Taylor’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanjtaylor/
Brett Shively’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettshively/ 
Danita High’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danita-high-257a5a1a3/ 
Brad Jung’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradjung/ 
Learn more about Integrity Solutions: www.integritysolutions.com/

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) The year in review
(01:58) Theme 1: Communication as a Competitive Advantage
(05:37) Theme 2: Purpose-Driven Performance in a Chaotic Market
(10:57) Theme 3: Training, Coaching, and Culture as the Engine of Sales Success
(17:027) Key lessons and takeaways for the future