How to Grow Your Sales Portfolio and Close More Deals
In this episode of Ask The Professor, Ben Hippeli is joined by a recurring guest Max Kent, a top sales professional and CEO of Procure Services LTD, to discuss the nuances of portfolio management.
This conversation centers around the strategy of account management, moving beyond simple retention to focus on strategic growth. Max emphasizes the importance of customer segmentation, urging sales professionals to categorize their clients not just by revenue, but by profitability and the cost of time. He challenges the common fear of letting go of high-maintenance, low-profit customers to protect the sanity of your sales representatives and the company’s bottom line.
They also discuss how to conduct effective quarterly business reviews or touchpoint meetings. Rather than showing up with no agenda, Max and Ben outline a structured approach that includes closing open loops, sharing industry insights, and demonstrating partnership value. By leading with genuine curiosity and asking “Who else? What else?”, sales professionals can transform routine check-ins into powerful engines for internal expansion and external referrals.
Here’s what you’ll walk away with from this episode:
- Prioritize Through Segmentation: Don’t treat all customers equally. Rank your portfolio based on opportunity, complexity, and urgency your client’s require.
- Embrace the “Hunter-Farmer” Hybrid: Understanding how to land a deal makes you a better manager, and managing a deal effectively reveals new “hunting” opportunities within that same organization.
- The Importance of an Agenda: To reduce client anxiety and prevent them from looking at competitors, use a structured QBR agenda
- Be Genuinely Curious: When you show you care about your client’s day-to-day operations rather than just your commission, clients are more likely to trust your recommendations for expansion
- The “Who Else? What Else?” Rule: Who else in the organization (or their network) has similar problems? What else are they buying that your company could provide?
If your team is struggling to balance account management with new growth, let’s get to work.
Schedule a discovery call today to discuss personalized sales coaching or sales team development programs designed to protect your bottom line and accelerate your portfolio growth.
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In this episode of Ask The Professor, Ari Justice and Professor Ben Hippeli discuss how leaders can leverage DISC to clarify expectations and gain real commitment from your team.
Leaders will learn how different DISC styles interpret clarity, what commitment actually looks like for each style, and why teams often say “yes” but fail to follow through. Through real-world examples and live audience questions, Ben and Ari show how to tailor communication, prevent overcommitment, and keep projects moving – without frustration, micromanagement, or burnout. This episode is especially valuable for leaders preparing their teams for bigger goals, higher expectations, and increase complexity.
What is DISC?
DISC is a powerful framework that breaks down human behavior into four primary styles — Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. By understanding these styles, leaders can recognize their own tendencies while adapting their approach to better connect with their team.
Here’s what you’ll walk away with from this episode:
- Clarity looks different for every DISC style: Clarity is not one-size-fits-all. Leaders who tailor their message to their team’s DISC style dramatically increase execution.
- Gain true commitment: True commitment goes beyond verbal agreement. By defining what success looks like for each style, leaders can confirm alignment before the work begins.
- Commitment needs trust: Teams must feel safe raising concerns, admitting mistakes, and challenging ideas. Without that foundation leaders get compliance at best.
- Manage overcommitment: High energy team members often overcommit and lose focus. Support them by surfacing blind spots, clarifying competing priorities, and using regular check-ins that reinforce accountability without killing enthusiasm.
- Identify DISC in the field: By watching how people communicate, professionals can quickly adjust how they clarify, coach, and respond in real time.