Episode #96
#96 Quinntessential Questions with Ned Phillips | Talent Isn't Real: 37 Years of Sales Wisdom with Ned Phillips
In this episode of The Quinntessential Questions Podcast, Paul Quinn sits down with Ned Phillips, Founder of The Sales Movement and former Founder & CEO of Bambu. From cold-calling door to door in a commission-only insurance job to raising $22 million for a wealthtech startup that worked with HSBC, Standard Chartered and Franklin Templeton, Ned shares his transformation journey and the moment his company liquidated after eight years. He discusses why "talent" isn't real, why sales scripts only work until you throw them away, why content is the new cold call, and why energy and resilience matter more than raw ability. Ned also opens up about watching Bambu fail and rebuilding his career and identity from there, sharing powerful lessons on listening, personal branding, and closing without selling. Whether you're a founder wondering if you should keep going, a salesperson who hates the word "sales," or anyone who's had to rebuild after a public failure, this conversation offers hard-won wisdom on resilience, reinvention, and what it actually takes to sell for 37 years straight. WATCH OUR OTHER PODCASTS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjbRIxrGYDGUA9niiF7U0IOMXBMeDf81b NED PHILLIPS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ned-phillips/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nedphillips2/ Website: https://thesalesmovement.co/ LISTEN ON YOUTUBE, APPLE & SPOTIFY YouTube: https://youtube.com/@quinntessentialquestions Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-quinntesssential-questions-podcast-with-paul-quinn/id1764230785 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5x98T8QSRo01reQOGVGavq FOLLOW PAUL QUINN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinntaipan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-quinn-wp1/ FOLLOW OUR SOCIALS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinntessential_questions/ Website: https://www.quinntessentialquestions.com/ CAREER COACHING Website: https://quinntessentialca.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/westport-partners-career-coaching/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westportpartnerscareercoaching/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Westport-Partners-Career-Coaching/61558129585059/ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Catching up before the show 1:44 Ned's 37 years in B2B sales across Asia 3:08 How Ned and Paul actually connected 5:03 Why "sales" is a dirty word in private banking 5:47 The story behind Ned's move to Singapore 8:29 Do sales scripts actually work? 13:14 Be interested, not interesting 15:17 Ned's sales methodology 22:58 The 18K "stockbroker" job that was actually a boiler room 27:42 Selling horse manure over the phone 31:02 Building Bambu: from $400K to a $22M raise 39:45 Meeting Jack Ma and building tech for Kevin O'Leary 43:51 When Bambu liquidated - and why banks still run on its code 46:33 Why talent isn't real 57:59 Why content is the new cold call 1:19:08 What drives Ned today Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company or organisation, its affiliates, subsidiaries, partners, or employees.
