Paul Higgins Podcast

You didn't lose that deal in the proposal. You lost it six months earlier, before the prospect ever found your name. In this episode, I break down why the buyer's journey for tech business owners has shifted, why AI is accelerating it, and why most owners are still showing up only at the last two touch points and wondering why win rates feel random. I walk through the channel analyst data from Jay McBain on the 28 touch points in a modern B2B buying journey, and I share the three fixes that decide whether your business compounds or flat lines over the next five years. If you are tired of being invisible in the early part of your client's buying journey, this one is for you. Resources and Links Episode 435Apply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session hereThe LinkedIn Secret Filling Tech Business Owners' Calendars with Donald KellyCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen Tired of sending LinkedIn messages into a black hole and wondering why your outbound never converts? In this episode, I talk with Donald C. Kelly, founder of The Sales Evangelists and one of the most recognised B2B sales voices in the world. Most tech business owners default to pitching before earning attention, and it is the reason their pipeline stays empty. Donald walks through the exact sequence he uses to break through the noise, earn engagement, and turn it into a real conversation, without faking friendship or copying the spray-and-pray playbook every SDR is running. If you sell on LinkedIn and the results are not matching the effort, this one shows you where the gap is. About Donald Kelly Donald C. Kelly is the founder of The Sales Evangelist and host of one of the longest-running B2B sales podcasts in the world, with nearly 2,000 episodes heard across 155+ countries. A LinkedIn Top Voice in Sales and three-time Salesforce Top Influencer, he helps SMB and mid-market sales teams build LinkedIn-led outbound systems that turn cold prospects into booked calls. He is the author of Sell It Like a Mango and based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Resources and Links thesalesevangelist.comDonald's LinkedIn profileDonald's free prospecting toolHunter.io Apollo.io SNOV.ioZoomInfoGemini Nano BananaBase44678 - 81% of Partners Will Grow Below the Industry RateCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Watched your vendor's share price lately, or noticed the quiet changes to partner fees, commissions, and cloud service minimums? In this episode, I break down why Wall Street is pricing in the collapse of the per-seat model, and why platforms restructure partner economics long before they touch executive pay. I share the pattern I've seen across 670 tech business owners, including what happened to my own consulting business when the platform pivoted overnight while I was on dialysis three times a week. The business owners coming through this stronger already made three structural decisions, the ones still waiting for the platform to stabilize are still waiting. If 80% of your pipeline still runs through someone else's hands, this one is for you. Resources and Links Apply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session hereHard work isn't your problemCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Most tech business owners hitting mid-six figures aren't stuck because they're not working hard enough. They're stuck because they're running a business built on assumptions nobody has ever tested. In this episode, I walk through the exact audit I did on my own business when activity was high and revenue wasn't moving. I share what the data revealed: a newsletter that warmed but never converted, a target market too early-stage to invest, and growth projections built on events and partnerships that historically produced near-zero direct clients. Once I faced those numbers, I made one decision: cut the noise and go back to the one engine that actually built my business. If you're adding more LinkedIn posts, more outreach sequences, and more channels but the gap between where you are and where you need to be isn't closing, this episode is for you. Resources and Links Apply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session hereWhy Your Voice Is the Only AI Tool That Matters With Molly Mahoney Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen Your content machine is broken, and the tools aren't the problem. If everything you publish sounds like it could have come from anyone in your industry, you haven't got a content problem. You've got a voice problem. In this episode, I talk with Molly Mahoney from The Prepared Performer, a digital marketing strategist and keynote speaker who has been building AI-powered content systems since 2021. Molly shares how she helps established business owners identify the 20 things that make them a uniquely weird human before touching a single AI tool, because without that foundation, you're just feeding the robot army. If you've been hiding behind the technical work while the algorithm rewards personality, this conversation will change how you think about content. About Molly Mahoney Molly Mahoney is a digital marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and former NYC performer who helps coaches, consultants, and agency owners build AI-powered content that actually sounds human. Known as The Prepared Performer, she launched the world's first AI-focused content membership in 2021, two years before ChatGPT, has generated over 39 million views, and been featured in Forbes and Inc. Resources and Links Thepreparedperformer.comMolly's LinkedIn profileFree Custom GPT Source Prompt GeneratorSpotlight Engine SoraPerplexity ComputerGoHighLevelRSS App675 - SaaS isn't dying. Your positioning might be. Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Platform agnosticism made sense when software budgets were small. That era is ending. In this episode, I break down why the "death of SaaS" narrative is the wrong read, and why the tech business owners who believe it are about to miss the biggest software wave in a decade. I walk through what Monday.com's CEO said on the 20VC podcast about the budget equation flipping from headcount to platforms, and what that means for consultants who haven't yet committed to a single platform. If you're still keeping your options open because it feels safer, this episode will challenge that directly. Resources and Links Monday.com CEO Eran Zinman on 20VC with Harry StebbingsApply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session here674 - AI Can't Give You a Blood TestCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Using AI to diagnose your own business is like Googling your blood test results and treating yourself. In this episode, I share what seven years of post-transplant care taught me about pattern recognition, and why the same principle applies to the WHO and WHAT decisions most tech business owners are avoiding. I walk through the difference between a tool that helps you execute and someone who has seen your situation hundreds of times and knows exactly where the problem is. If AI is giving you polished output but no real direction, this one is worth your time. Resources and Links Apply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session here673 - The 40-Minute Meeting That Makes or Breaks Your First HireCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Most tech consultants building their first team make the same mistake. It's not the hire. It's what happens on day one. In this episode, I walk through the exact 10-item induction call checklist I use with every new hire, whether they're based in the Philippines, Australia, or North America. I cover the questions that flip the dynamic from day one, the ones most consultants skip entirely, and why the first 40 minutes determines whether your team can eventually operate without you. If you're building your first team and want to stop being the bottleneck, this is where it starts. Resources and Links Apply for a FREE Multiplier Call672 - Why Discipline Won't Fix Your Consulting BusinessCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Working 60-hour weeks and still watching your revenue flatline? In this episode, I break down the two strategic decisions most tech consultants have never made: WHO to target and WHAT business model to run. I share how one consultant went from competing on commodity rates with payroll anxiety every month to building a specialist practice, hiring a team, and clearing over $30K a month without changing his technical skills. If you're great at delivery but still trapped in the project grind, this episode is for you. Resources and Links Apply for a FREE Multiplier Call671 - Why Your Clients Are Not Using the AI Tools You Recommended with Angie CarelCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen If your clients keep investing in AI tools and their teams still aren't using them three months later, the problem isn't the technology. In this episode, I talk with Angie Carel, an AI enablement consultant who spent 18 years running a marketing agency before pivoting full-time into corporate AI adoption in 2022. Angie works with large corporations across finance, healthcare, and higher education, and her view is consistent: jumping straight to use cases before building AI literacy almost always backfires. We dig into the people-first sequencing she now uses to close the gap between deployment and actual adoption, and why framing AI training as "corporate recess" gets results that formal rollouts never do. If you're a consultant whose clients are sitting on AI investment with nothing to show for it, this conversation will reframe how you solve that problem. About Angie Carel Angie Carel is a Generative AI Consultant named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch in AI and featured in the IEDC 2025 Yearbook as a leading entrepreneur. After running a 10-person marketing agency for 20 years, she went all-in on AI consulting — and in her first year solo, she's on track to outpace her old agency's revenue. Angie founded AI in FW, Indiana's largest AI community with 700+ members, and Co-Crafted, an AI consultancy collective. She helps organizations adopt AI with a human-first approach and coaches emerging AI consultants on building sustainable practices. Resources and Links Angiecarel.comAngie's LinkedIn profileLovableMidjourneyRunwayMakeN8NRelayGoogle Gemini Deep ResearchClaudeClaude CodeThe AI Show with Paul Roetzer and Mike KaputGoogle DeepMind podcast 670 - Stop Chasing Small ClientsCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

You're at mid six figures, your calendar is full, and you're still grinding for $20,000 projects. Meanwhile, there are enterprise and mid-market contacts sitting in your CRM right now who could write $200,000 checks, and you haven't called them because the small deals feel safer. In this episode, I walk through the exact WHO decision that keeps most tech consultants stuck in the project grind, and why safe doesn't scale. I share how one consultant, stuck at mid six figures with deal sizes of $15,000 to $25,000, made one strategic shift to stop chasing referrals and start activating the mid-market relationships already in his network. Six months later, his deal size was 10x. If you've got the right contacts in your phone but keep defaulting to smaller, faster deals, this episode will make you reconsider who actually deserves your time. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call669 - The Pricing Gap Most Consultants MissCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Clients aren't pushing back on your rates, so you assume you're priced right. That's the most expensive assumption in consulting. In this episode, I break down how one consulting partner discovered she was leaving $55 to $95 per hour on the table because she priced based on confidence instead of market value. I walk through the exact sequence she used to move from $40,000 per month to $63,000 per month, and the one-question filter that tells you whether you're making the same mistake. If you've never actually researched what the market pays for the outcome you deliver, this episode is your wake-up call. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call668 - Stop Waiting for Salesforce Leads with Doug PelletierCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen About Doug Pelletier Doug Pelletier is the Founder and CEO of Trifecta Technologies, a technology consulting firm he launched in 1991 that has grown into a trusted Salesforce and enterprise solutions partner for leading organizations. A sales- and strategy-led founder, Doug focuses on identifying real business problems, building executive relationships, and hiring strong operational leadership early – allowing him to concentrate on growth, client strategy, and selling. His leadership is shaped by decades of experience and a strong emphasis on financial discipline and long-term stability. Having gone through multiple industry shifts, Doug views AI as a major inflection point and leads Trifecta in helping organizations move beyond the hype to apply data, architecture and AI in practical ways that drive meaningful business outcomes. Resources and Links Trifecta.comDoug’s LinkedIn profileSnowflakeDatabricksApolloZoominfo667 - The Land-and-Expand PlayCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

You've landed a foothold in a big company, delivered a great project, the client loved it, so why are you still stuck in the same corner six months later winning the same small deals? In this episode, I break down why most consultants stay trapped in one department and how to turn a single project into an enterprise-wide engagement. I share how one Airtable consultant turned a $20,000 clinical trial tracking project at a top-three pharmaceutical company into a $200,000 transformation across three countries, all by making one strategic shift in how he treated his internal champion. If you've got a foothold in a big company and you're watching other consultants land the deals you should be winning, this is your playbook. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call666 - The partner trapCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Stuck at 50% of your revenue target because your pipeline depends on someone else's priorities? In this episode, I break down the partner program trap and why so many platform consultants stay dependent on AE referrals even when they know it's holding them back. I walk through the exact 12-month transition sequence I use with clients: pick your niche, build pain-point messaging, start direct outreach, and keep partner referrals flowing as cash while you build. If your best leads only show up when an account executive needs to hit their quota, this episode shows you how to take back control of your pipeline. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call665 - AI Does 70% of the Work and Here’s What a Salesforce Partner Does With the Other 30 with Ferny BengaliCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen You know you should be using AI in your consulting practice, but where do you actually start without compromising client data or wasting time on tools that don't stick? In this episode, I talk with Ferny Bengali from Sherpaneer, a boutique Salesforce consultancy that works with enterprise clients across high-tech, financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare. Ferny walks me through exactly how her team of 12 uses AI day to day, from feeding anonymized staffing data into models for capacity planning, to using voice notes and LLMs to prep for pitches. We also get into how she structures client knowledge across projects, her approach to AI-optimized content for SEO, and why she hired a part-time BD person instead of going full-time. If you've been experimenting with AI but haven't operationalized it across your practice yet, this conversation will show you what that looks like in action. About Ferny Bengali Farnaz (Ferny) Bengali is Co-President of Sherpaneer, a women-owned, diverse Salesforce consulting partner that helps mid-to-large organizations implement the right way, the first time. With 20+ years of industry experience—including leadership roles at MicroStrategy, Accenture, and The Carlyle Group—Ferny chose the boutique path over big consulting, building a practice that delivers senior-level expertise without the agency bloat. She's also a board member of WISE (Women in Salesforce Entrepreneurship), co-invests in hospitality through Dogwood Hospitality, and is passionate about using AI as an operating layer to scale consulting without scaling headcount. Resources and Links Sherpaneer.comFerny's LinkedIn profileRead.aiNotebook LMScribeChatGPTClaudeGoogle Gemini

Still relying on referrals and hoping the next one brings a decent project? In this episode, I break down why your referral strategy is actually killing your margins, not growing them. I share the pattern I see with over 200 tech consultants who are great at delivery but trapped in legacy business development, constantly auditioning for clients who see them as a vendor instead of a strategic partner. Learn how you can increase your revenue by making two important decisions: the WHO decision and the WHAT decision. If you are tired of the referral lottery and ready to stop competing on price, this episode lays out what actually needs to change. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call663 - The "Fake Productivity" Trap for Tech ConsultantsCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Ever finish a 60-hour week and realize you didn't do a single thing to find better clients? In this episode, I break down why most tech consultants stay trapped in work that feels productive but actually keeps them stuck. I share the story of a client who was exhausted, in debt, and over-delivering on every project until we made two critical decisions together: the WHO (estate attorneys only) and the WHAT (productized service with clear scope). Six months later, he cleared his debt and doubled his profits. If you've been avoiding the hard decisions by staying busy with comfortable work, this one will challenge you to finally make the call. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call662 - How to Build an AI Strategy That Actually Works with Christine DuqueCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Why you should listen Feeling pressure to "do something with AI" but unsure where to start without wasting budget or burning out your team? In this episode, I talk with Christine Duque, CEO of Alonsera and former Big Four consultant who now helps mid-market companies in highly regulated industries navigate AI implementation. We dig into why most AI initiatives fail before they even launch, and it's not the technology. Christine explains why treating AI like a silver bullet creates more chaos than progress, and what the 10% of companies getting real results are doing differently. If you're tired of the hype and want a grounded perspective on what AI adoption actually requires, this conversation cuts through the noise. About Christine Duque Christine Duque is CEO of Alonsera, a global AI consultancy helping organizations deploy AI solutions that actually scale. With executive experience at Accenture, Deloitte, and IBM, she's overseen $2B+ in AI and digital transformation projects for Fortune 50/100/500 companies—delivering results like 70% faster data ingestion and 30-50% customer engagement efficiency gains. A sought-after speaker on ethical AI and digital transformation, Christine is actively shaping international AI standards through partnerships with Oxford University and UC Irvine. She authored the Amazon best-seller Walking in My Shoes: Shattering Glass Ceilings in Corporate America and co-founded the Women's Empowerment AI Network. An accomplished operatic soprano, she debuted at Carnegie Hall. Resources and Links Duquesacd.comAlonsera.comChristine's LinkedIn profile@christineduqueChristine Duque@duquesacdChristine DuqueWalking In My Shoes:...

Stuck three months into a niche and wondering if you picked wrong? In this episode, I share the story of a client who spent 14 months doubting his industrial automation niche before everything clicked. His first outreach response took 14 months to close. A newsletter reader opened the same email 25 times before becoming a client. I break down why most consultants quit at the exact moment their planted seeds are about to grow, and why your biggest competitor isn't other consultants but your own ability to commit long enough to let your niche work. Resources and Links Apply for a Multiplier Call660 - The Human-Centric AI Shift Every Tech Consultant Should Know with Scott Stafford Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast@PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources