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In this episode of The Art and Science of Complex Sales, Paul Fuller is joined by Adam Boyd, CEO of The Northwood Group.
Drawing on a career in sales training and leadership development, Adam brings a rare combination of humility, practical wisdom, and candid storytelling. In this conversation, they explore what truly drives performance in sales and leadership and reveal why chasing someone else’s path often leads to frustration rather than fulfillment.
Why Fear Motivates More Than Greed (5:19)
Too often, leaders assume salespeople are motivated only by money. In reality, Adam sees fear—of missing quota, losing a job, or letting family down—as a far stronger driver. The best leaders, he says, replace fear-driven validation with purpose-driven impact, creating teams that sell with confidence rather than anxiety.
The Connection Between Leadership and Sales (18:23)
Leadership and sales share the same core elements: a clear objective, alignment of interests, being other-focused, knowing yourself, and strong communication. Without these, both sales calls and team management falter. Adam emphasizes that managers must invest in understanding what truly motivates their people instead of assuming everyone shares the same goals.
Why You Need to Play Your Own Game (29:25)
One of Adam’s most personal insights is the danger of comparing yourself to others. He candidly shares how chasing someone else’s career path left him feeling like a failure—until he realized fulfillment comes from playing your game, not theirs. For sales leaders and reps alike, this mindset shift can be transformative: stop measuring yourself against others and focus on being the best version of you.
Listen to the full conversation with Adam Boyd and discover how to build sales careers and teams rooted in clarity, confidence, and authenticity
Paul Fuller’s stated mission is to help others maximize their gifts by using his.
Paul has been a pioneer in the sales process and training, sales as a service, content marketing and CRM. As a previous founder and owner of multiple successful growth organizations in these spaces, Paul has effectively trained and led sales and marketing teams across the world to focus on and achieve dynamic growth.
He firmly believes sales is defined best in three categories:
• Service - helping other get what they need
• Leadership - guiding others toward their vision
• Wayfinding - navigating the path to success together
He is firmly committed to elevating the sales profession through coaching, leading, and empowering others through systems that enable strong performance.
Currently Paul leads revenue growth at Membrain.com - the top sales effectiveness CRM in the world. Working with his team, and a group of over 100 top sales consultant organizations across the globe, they are focused at creating scalable growth through sales excellence in companies and teams in over 80 countries.
Schedule a call with him here.
Find out more about Paul Fuller on LinkedIn
From north to south, east to west, Membrain has thousands of happy clients all over the world.
