Ben Reed's Weekly B2B Growth Insights & Highlights | July 5th, 2025

Hey everyone,

This week’s recap saves you time: I’ve distilled the top B2B sales, marketing, and growth insights from my podcast + LinkedIn — so you can scale smarter without the noise.

🎧 Podcast Episode of the Week

Hiring B2B Sales Reps Like a Pro (Must Know Tips & Tricks) with Kristie Jones

Guests: Kristie Jones, Author of “Selling Your Way In”

Highlights:

• How Kristie made the leap from department store retail to subscription‑based sales and SaaS leadership.

• The importance of embedding formal processes, documentation, and sales training into early-stage growth.

• How she turned fractional sales leadership into scalable consulting frameworks for documenting processes and hiring.

• Insights on effective hiring: using assessments, behavioral traits, candidate ICPs, and the “three‑day challenge.”

• Why lateral thinking about sales hiring—like athlete backgrounds or unrelated high‑pressure roles—can signal grit and match.

• The nuance between billing people into roles vs. matching their natural drive and strengths.

• How founders and consultants can focus on micro‑segmentation, ICP clarity, and leading workshops to align sales teams.

💡 LinkedIn Highlights

💭 My Take of the Week

• There is a reason that Steve Jobs once said:

  • “The thing I'm most proud of is that the Macintosh team at Apple was an incredible team of people. Not just in their individual accomplishments, but in the way they worked together as a team, the way they complemented each other.”

• He went on to say:

  • "My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.”

• I used to think the “only work with A+ players” cliche was just that…a cliche. Through my experience, I realize now that it is the most crucial cliche, period. Fail to abide by it, and your business is doomed, or at least relegated to the bin of mediocrity.

• In my businesses, I have seen one person output the work of 10 or more. I have also seen a team of 25 produce the work of one person. I was often baffled by this dynamic. It seems counterintuitive. It seems illogical. Yet, time and time again, the superstars I have encountered in life remind me of this dynamic. They work harder, care more, produce results at a faster pace, and are simply more pleasurable to be around and work with. The “B players” make excuses, take forever to deliver, check out at 5 p.m., and get upset when you question their work.

• The most crucial factor to look for when searching for an A+ player is simple:

  • “Give a Dam.” That is, do they REALLY care?

  • A way to test for this is to determine if the person would perform the required work for the job without being paid. No, I’m not saying “Don’t pay your A+ rockstars.” My point is that their motivation and drive must come from something beyond money.

    • In the seminal book “Drive” by Daniel H. Pink, Pink argues that traditional motivators like rewards and punishments are outdated and ineffective for today’s complex, creative work. Instead, true motivation comes from three intrinsic elements:

      • Autonomy (the desire to direct our own lives)

      • Mastery (the urge to get better at something that matters)

      • Purpose (the yearning to do work that serves something larger than ourselves).

    • Pink draws on decades of research to show that when people are given the freedom to choose how they work, opportunities to grow, and a sense of meaning, they are more engaged, productive, and fulfilled.

• How do you search and find your A+ players?

  • Clearly define “WHO” you need and why.

    • Define all the key characteristics, values, and abilities this dream colleague MUST possess.

  • Search high and low for this person. DO NOT RUSH.

  • Look for “proof;” prior results that the A+ player is legit.

  • Look for “passion;” prior examples of working beyond the call of duty to build, produce, or deliver exceptional results not because they “had to” but because they couldn’t help themselves.

  • “Try before you buy.”

    • Set up a short-term, clearly defined trial period or pilot period to test out your working relationship. Give them clear goals and deliverables.

      • Evaluate their communication style.

      • Evaluate their core values and integrity.

      • Evaluate how well you get along with them.

      • And, of course, evaluate their results.

        • If you are not “Wowed” by their output…they are not an A+ player."

  • Once you commit to your new A+ player, get out of their way.

    • Give them a goal and vision, but do not tell them how to do what they need to do.

    • Instead, have them tell you how they will deliver and let them do what they do best — produce outstanding results.

• Final A+ Hiring Tip:

  • If, for any reason, the A+ player seems like a B+ player, they are not an A+ player. It must be a “Fuck Yes” in your gut. If not, it is a “Fuck No.” Move on and find your rockstar.

📣 What do you think?

👉 Hit reply and let me know what resonated most this week — or tell me what you’re struggling with in B2B sales right now. I read every response

👉 Want to go deeper? Head to the NextGen Sales Systems Group and Share!

👀 Stay tuned next week

I’ll be covering:

• Podcast: Founding a Cold Email Agency

  • Guest: Tyler Mounce | Cold Email Agency Owner | Amplis

🚀 Let’s connect

• Connect with Me On LinkedIn:

  https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

• Send Me An Email: [email protected]

• Work With Me: https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

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