Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

This is Higgle: The B2B Sales Club Podcast, where we bring you actionable insights about sales RFPs, Sales Negotiations and difficult Procurement discussions. It's all about helping you win more deals, and hitting your sales quota.We talk to sales leaders, brand leaders and procurement leaders about lessons learnt on their journey to win more sales deals and get better negotiated outcomes.The podcast is hosted by Mike Lander, an ex procurement director and entrepreneur, talking to guests about their experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly.Please subscribe to get updates when new episodes are released.

Higgle: The B2B Sales Club is a business podcast hosted by Mike Lander, with 146 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mike Lander hosts Higgle: The B2B Sales Club, a business show with 146 episodes published.

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  Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

  The AI-Driven Workforce Reset: Can Agencies Survive the Next 3 Years? with Paddy Woods

  Aug 17, 202623 min

  Is the industry sleepwalking into a talent collapse driven by AI and short-term thinking? In this episode I sit down with Paddy Woods, Founder of Fuse, to unpack a bold and urgent idea: the marketing and creative industry is heading toward a structural talent crisis. Paddy shares insights from his "Workforce Transition Program for the UK Marketing and Creative Industries" report, explaining why junior hiring is collapsing, AI is accelerating redundancies, and the traditional agency pyramid model may be on the verge of imploding. The numbers he outlines are startling, and the implications stretch far beyond agencies alone. We later examine how AI-driven automation, network mergers, and consultancy giants are reshaping the competitive landscape. We get into what it really means to become a strategic growth advisor instead of a production engine, and why initiatives like mini-MBAs (as seen in the Omnicom-IPG merger) and talent reinvention may be the only viable path forward. We discuss the emergence of new roles like orchestrators, governance leads, and strategic partners, along with why collaboration may matter more than competition. Topics covered during this episode include: How agency pipelines need stronger control, positioning, and client growth strategies. What the Workforce Transition Program report aims to change across the industry. How AI, client pressures, and hiring declines threaten junior talent. Why removing entry-level roles risks collapsing the agency talent pyramid. How senior knowledge disappears when experienced people leave the industry. Why remote working has perhaps weakened learning, confidence, and client relationships. The current signals showing automation and consolidation are already accelerating. How major networks are investing in strategic training for agency talent. Why broader business skills help agencies speak credibly with senior clients. What potential job losses could mean for consultants and government support. How agencies can move toward value-based models and strategic advisory roles. Why emerging roles include governance, measurement, taste, and growth advice. How competing agencies may still need to collaborate around client outcomes. The agency orchestrator role, which brings specialists and internal teams together. Why leaders must reset before today's profitability hides tomorrow's shock. The warning signs are here. Tune in and get ahead of what's coming! Paddy Woods on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-woods-5386a025/

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  Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

  The Secrets of How to Win Billion-Dollar Sales That Start Long Before the RFP with Shari Begun

  Aug 10, 202628 min

  How do you align global stakeholders and still keep price from dominating the conversation? In this episode, I sit down with Shari Begun, Vice President of Sales at GlobalFoundries. She leads strategic accounts in the semiconductor industry and manages several billion dollars in annual revenue. She takes us behind the scenes on what it actually means to close complex, high-stakes deals that take two to five years to materialize. Shari provides insight on orchestrating global teams, aligning engineers with executives, and navigating customers spread across continents. We explore how to articulate value when price is always on the table, but rarely the true decision-maker. Shari discusses how supply chain reliability, geographic diversity, engineering investment, and speed-to-market become powerful value levers in enterprise sales. She also reveals how executive business reviews are carefully engineered, along with how consistency builds trust over years, not weeks. We later unpack how curiosity can transform complex negotiations into long-term strategic partnerships. Topics covered during this episode include: Why semiconductor deals involve enormous investment before revenue appears. How global customer teams add complexity across locations and functions. The way technical experts support early enterprise sales conversations. Why different customer stakeholders need carefully tailored and consistent messaging. How simple organization charts can reveal decision-making power over time. Why transparency helps secure access to senior customer decision-makers. The role of roadmap alignments and executive reviews in relationship building. How executive meetings focus on future investment and faster market entry. Why pre-reads and alignment prevent surprises in high-stakes meetings. How customer value depends on understanding the problem being solved. How delivery flexibility can create huge customer revenue opportunities. Why consistency and follow-through build trust before formal opportunities appear. How AI supports onboarding, summaries, and faster internal knowledge searches. Why sales intuition still develops through observation, coaching, and curiosity. How blank-slate thinking can unlock creative moves with existing customers. Listen now to hear how billion-dollar sales are really built long before the final negotiation begins! Shari Begun on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharibegun/

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  Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

  Why the Best Agencies Won't Be Replaced by AI...They'll Be Rebuilt Around It with Simon Billington, Part 3

  Aug 3, 202621 min

  Are agencies about to automate themselves into irrelevance? In this final part of a trilogy with Simon Billington, Global Executive Creative Director at Team Lewis, we go deep into the idea of "control points" and why they might define the future of agencies more than any shiny AI tool. We explore how better visibility over data actually creates more creative freedom, and why automating the wrong things could quietly destroy agency value. Along the way, we unpack CFO mindsets and why campaigns built purely on rational logic rarely win. We also talk about what really wins business when procurement scorecards are complete, but the decision still isn't obvious. Simon gets into the tension between measurability and magic, why bravery matters more than certainty, and how agencies must avoid the trap of simply automating yesterday's processes. He shares candid warnings for agency leaders feeling uncertain about the future, and offers practical mindset shifts that feel both grounding and provocative. Topics covered during this episode include: The evolution of agencies in response to disruptive AI technologies. The definition of control points within marketing ecosystems. How measurable variables help infer creative impact indirectly. The risks of over-personalized marketing becoming overly reflective. The importance of data visibility across multiple measurable touchpoints. How progressive financial leadership reframes spending as cultural investment. The role of AI in equalizing fragmented regional measurement systems. The balance between automation and intentional creative chaos. How strong methodologies become competitive differentiators for agencies. Why humility around data maturity strengthens organizational competence. The emotional reality behind procurement decisions despite scoring sheets. A warning against automating existing processes without redefining problems. Hit play and discover why bravery, not automation, might be your biggest competitive edge! Simon Billington on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simonbillington

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  Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

  Why the Best Agencies Won't Be Replaced by AI...They'll Be Rebuilt Around It with Simon Billington, Part 2

  Jul 27, 202632 min

  Are agencies about to be redefined not by what they make, but by how they think? In this second part of my conversation with Simon Billington, Global Executive Creative Director at Team Lewis, we get straight into the shifting foundations of agencies in an AI-driven world. Simon challenges the idea that deep domain expertise is still the ultimate advantage. Instead, he argues that the real differentiator is broad emotional intelligence: the ability to read a room, sense cultural shifts, and connect ideas across disciplines. We explore how AI is changing the constraints that once justified agencies' existence and why the lines between consultancy and agency are blurring faster than ever. Later, we question whether AI will unbundle traditional roles and reshape how work gets done. Simon paints a picture of agencies defined not by outputs, but by their creative processes and emotional fluency. We talk about craft, taste, apprenticeships, data, and the risk of losing junior talent before examining why human connection may become the most valuable currency of all. It's a provocative look at what agencies must become if they want to thrive in the next era. Topics covered during this episode include: How emotional intelligence may be more important than intellectual knowledge going forward. The risks of relying on siloed niche specialists without external perspective. How blurred marketing disciplines demand interoperable thinking across systems. The historical constraints that originally justified the existence of agencies. How AI begins shifting expertise and capacity constraints dramatically. The impact of emerging global AI legislation on regulated industries. Why consultants provide accountability and external validation for bold decisions. The argument that deep domain mastery becomes less essential than connectivity. The distinction between deep knowledge and understanding interconnected systems. Why EQ represents the poetry and currency of the future economy, not IQ. How agencies may be defined by process rather than output. The potential decline of traditional entry-level agency roles. Why apprenticeship-style creative development remains critically important. The balance required between creativity and commercial credibility. Don't miss this expert deep dive into how AI is rewriting the agency rulebook! Simon Billington on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simonbillington

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  Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

  Why the Best Agencies Won't Be Replaced by AI...They'll Be Rebuilt Around It with Simon Billington, Part 1

  Jul 20, 202617 min

  How do you punch above your weight when a technological revolution threatens your entire industry? In this episode, I sit down with Simon Billington, Global Executive Creative Director at Team Lewis, for the first in a trilogy of episodes. Simon takes us back to early 2023, when agencies everywhere rushed to experiment with generative AI, and explains why he chose a radically different path. Instead of feeding public models, his team decided to build something private, secure, and future-facing. We explore this bold decision to invest heavily before outcomes were guaranteed, and why running toward disruption can be smarter than hiding from it. We talk about how data is the new oil, protecting institutional knowledge, and how AI should elevate talent rather than erase it. Simon demonstrates that the agencies that think widest, not deepest, might just shape what comes next. Topics covered during this episode include: How generative AI first appeared as a major agency disruptor in 2023. Why external AI models raise concerns around data and value. How private historical knowledge becomes a protected competitive advantage. Why AI needs to learn and grow, much like a child. How technical infrastructure makes integrated marketing intelligence more possible. Why building Marketing SideKick, Simon's AI-powered platform, was such an ambitious decision. How instinct helps leaders move before certainty fully arrives. How AI should lift creative teams instead of replace them. Why integrated agencies may hold advantages in faster markets. How broad platforms can support quicker, more connected decisions. Listen now for a fascinating look at the choice to build instead of wait! Simon Billington on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/simonbillington

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