Why Most People Fail at Sales (And How to Fix It) with Steve Nudelberg
How do you stand out in a world where everyone is selling? The answer isn’t just in your pitch—it’s in your mindset and daily habits.
In this episode, Courtney sits down with sales and business development expert Steve Nudelberg to uncover the strategies that separate the top performers from the rest. From mastering the art of connection to building momentum through consistent action, Steve shares powerful insights that will challenge the way you approach success.
Whether you're in sales, leadership, or simply want to make bolder moves in life, this episode will leave you fired up to take action.
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
The real key to sales success (it's not just about selling!)
How small daily habits build unstoppable momentum
The importance of authenticity in building connections
Why confidence is the game-changer in sales and life
The biggest mistakes people make in networking
Bold moves that lead to massive breakthroughs
Practical strategies to elevate your business game
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
"Sales isn’t about selling—it’s about solving problems and building relationships." – Steve Nudelberg
"Success is found in the daily habits, not just the big wins." – Steve Nudelberg
"You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room—just the most authentic." – Courtney Turich
"Confidence is a skill. The more you practice, the stronger it gets." – Courtney Turich
"Your energy introduces you before you even speak." – Steve Nudelberg
About Steve Nudelberg
Steve Nudelberg is a sales expert, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur, known for his high-energy approach to performance and leadership. As the founder of On the Ball, he helps businesses and teams accelerate growth through proven strategies. With over 40 years of experience, Steve developed the 27 Leadership Rules of Engagement, featured in his book Confessions of a Serial Salesman. His expertise includes daily sales processes, social selling, relationship-building, and storytelling to drive success.
Follow Steve Nudelberg:
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A Team Dklutr Production
BLOG TRANSCRIPT
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Courtney Turich: Hi friends. In today's episode, we're chatting with Steve Nudelberg, who's made bold moves and confident choices to build something incredible. We'll dive into his journey, the key lessons learned, and some surprising insights along the way. A little bit about our fascinating guest, Steve Nudelberg, I will call the sales playbook mastermind, is a serial entrepreneur, award winning sales trainer, TEDx speaker.
Author and is the driving force behind on the ball. Steve has built a career on transforming teams and businesses by focusing on what truly moves the needle process, relationships, and pipeline. He's the go to guy for CEOs and leaders ready to level up with his no nonsense approach and proven strategies.
Steve keeps organizations accelerating. Towards real sustainable growth. So let's get ready. This conversation is going to be packed with insights. You comply today. So, you know what, enough of me talking, let's go. Steve, welcome to Bull Moves Confident Choices. My friend,
Steve Nudelberg: good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
So great to be here with you. we have become recent friends and, every time I'm with you, I feel your electricity and. So I'm excited to be here.
Courtney Turich: That means so much, Steve. Everyone, I have to tell you, when I first met Steve, I'm like, gosh, this guy looks so familiar and could not put my finger on it.
And then it dawned on me, when I first started engaging on LinkedIn, he was the first guy I would see every time I popped open my LinkedIn because he was doing a LinkedIn Live with his son. And there was almost all this energy coming from you, Steve. Like a seven in the morning. What time did you start
Steve Nudelberg: that show?
We wound up doing over a thousand shows every morning, Monday through Friday. It was 7 58. We stopped at 821. There's a whole story why we do that. But the reality is, it started just around the time of the pandemic. People were reaching out saying, dude, what do we do? I knew they needed something. We were one of the early adopters of live.
And so we Basically built a place where people could come every morning and start their day on a positive notes. And let me tell you, in all of my years of being in business and in marketing clearly was one of the greatest things we've ever done. I met great people, the response. we've since morphed the show into something different, but you do a thousand of anything.
It's got to be pretty successful.
Courtney Turich: No kidding. All about that consistency, Steve, which I know you're going to share a lot more about with us, but before we dive into some big questions, can you just share a little bit more about your story?
Steve Nudelberg: Yeah. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My grandfather, my dad were in the lady fashion shoe business.
I have listened and heard about it all day at the dinner table, everywhere we went. I was fascinated with one particular part of it, which was the people side. They always got to meet new people all the time. The people who worked for them were highly motivated, highly dressed, professionals in the business.
And I just was enamored with it. So new early on that I was going to bet on myself now, you know, for me growing up, the word entrepreneur didn't really exist, thanks to, guys like, Mark Cuban and, Damon, John, it became sexy, but the reality is. I just wanted to control my destiny. I didn't want to ever say, look to someone else and blame.
So early on, that's where I knew I didn't know what specific, you know, specifically I would do, but I'm grateful because I've had an amazing career.I met amazing people. And while you talked about my sales success, I have never sold anything in my life other than me.
Courtney Turich: Oh, that, I love that Steve, did everybody hear that he has never sold anything in his life except for himself, putting himself out there, right?
Steve, when we spoke not long ago, you talk about the impact of just connecting with people. Can you share how that has played into your growth and where you are?
The Power of Consistency: Building Relationships Over Sales
Steve Nudelberg: For some reason, I think people who are in business get up in the morning and their goal is to sell something. They want to make money and the money is going to afford them whatever lifestyle they want.
I was one of those outliers. I saw it differently. And I said, if I could just manage meeting people, that was my skill set. And I basically call it the five by five rule. If I can meet five people every day. and do it, for a year, that's 25 a week, 100 a month, 300 a quarter, 1200 a year. If I just focused on the people side, that behavior would create outcomes that I could never create in any other system or process.
And along the way, I met great friends, great mentors, great business opportunities, because it was always about them and what I could learn from them. And, so when I look back on my career, it really was never about the product price or service. It was always about the people very much the way that we met.
We were in the same community with Scott McGregor, who is just. One of those outliers, no pun intended, or pun intended, because it's just a great human when I met him, which was pre pandemic. We spoke on the phone, imagine that. And from that call, the following day, I flew to New York to have lunch with him.
He was like, wow, I never met anybody like you. And I said, vice versa. I don't know what's gonna happen, but good things are gonna happen. And so if you do that at scale, and then you stack it over a 30 year or a 40 year career, it's so overwhelmingly fun.
Courtney Turich: So Steve, I want all the sales reps out there to flip the script.
You know, we hear a numbers game. Sales is a numbers game, numbers game, numbers game, pickup dial for dollars. But what you're saying is, you know what? I'm just connecting with five people a day. That is my logical connection. I'm connecting with others, building my network, which ultimately then. trigger sales.
Steve Nudelberg: So I'll def further. Five meaningful c and I started with what w virtual coffee, which is have to leave my desk. I I think the new thing is this is face to face, and then if you earn it, you go face to flesh. Oh, okay. We could always meet sometime in the future, but in a very short period of time, you and I got to know each other.
It was meaningful. We connected because our dialogue was crisp, and we had a lot in common, and people in common, and so If you don't have that, my gut tells me the chances of us actually doing business together are none, zero. Right. You do business with people that you know, like, and trust. So the early part of any relationship for me was, can I earn the right to talk about my business?
Most people have that completely reversed and they show up and they go, I'm the VP of sales of this company and we have the greatest product. And I can't wait to tell you, we have a solution for you. Maybe they don't need your solution. Maybe they might like you and refer you to the biggest deal ever.
But because you were just pitching. And for me, face the rightness of the wall of every sales room I've ever been in. When you pitch, they ditch.
Courtney Turich: Ooh, I like that. When you pitch, they ditch. That is awesome, Steve.
Steve Nudelberg: And if you think about it for yourself and your own buying patterns, you know, like the most leaders are, I say to them, if.
I, we were able to get your phone number and I called you, would you answer the phone knowing you didn't know my number a hundred percent? No,
Courtney Turich: right.
Steve Nudelberg: Well, not true yet. Those same leaders go back to their company and endorse a cold calling strategy, which nobody's answering the phone anymore. So the work and the, grind it takes to do all that, meaningful conversation start with something we have in common.
You and I, Scott McGregor in common, we were already in a common place. It wasn't cold. In fact, it was really warm because we have stories to tell about him. That's just breadcrumbs that lead to more meaningful dialogue. Never once did we talk about business or selling or whatever. It led to another conversation, which I'm grateful to be here today.
People just don't have patience. To build something they want quick kits and I blame a lot of sales leaders for that because they don't give people the space to do it and do it. Right. And you know, I'm blessed that at the end of my career, this last chapter, I get to teach people the number one student I had is my son.
My older son was a college football coach 14 years, Decided to join the business world, which I talked him out of, but I tried to anyway, but when he said, dad, there's gotta be a process, I wrote it down for him. He followed it verbatim and now he's the president of our company and he runs day to day and.
the growth that I get to see him just shows that it's goof proof. If you have a plan and you do it every day with discipline and consistency, that's what great athletes do. Great performers do. Great people have a plan,
Courtney Turich: have a plan. And your current business with your son is on the ball, correct?
Steve Nudelberg: So my business is 40 years old.
It started as a sports marketing company. it has morphed as the, needs have changed of the community. We were a very, very successful sports marketing company representing companies, not athletes and coaches. But our relationship network with coaches, we could access anybody, anytime. So we played a unique role.
we weren't selling the athlete. We were consulting the corporations about how to use sports and entertainment. Highly successful. Then people said. Wow. We'd like the way you guys think, could you do this? And could you do that? And we continually were ahead of the curve sold my last business 10 years ago.
Wasn't really sure what I was going to do. Someone said, write a book. It's like I was voted least likely to write a book in high school. I wrote a book called confessions of a serial salesman, and it's basically my 27 rules that I followed my whole life, my boys were brought up on it. And once I did that, it exposed me to an audience of people who said You might be able to help me, CEO, business leader, entrepreneur, you've done it, help me.
And it was the genesis of a training and development company where we just do it differently. most people look at our stuff and they go,never heard that before.don't understand. we set goals, but we set them and forget them. And then we focus on behavior. If you do the right behavior and you can see this in other walks of life.
Jim, if you go, if you're, want to get physically better, you have to do consistent behavior to do that, you know, to lose weight, eating donuts is not going to get, I love donuts just like anybody else. So by focusing on the right behaviors. We've defined five pillars that people should focus mindset, time management, learning linkedin, which is a gift to all of us get 90 percent of the population doesn't use it correctly.
modern business, there's a different cadence, a different way to do stuff. I do not do first meetings in person. I don't care if they're next door to me, everything is a 15 minute commitment virtually. And that leads to good things or nothing, which is fine. Then other tools like video selling, I send people a video and they're like, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen.
It's been available for more than five years, less than 5 percent of the population use it. Yet every time I send it to a CEO. They're like, no one's ever sent me like, so if you do it differently, you show up differently. It's a lot about being genuine and authentic. And I consider it good proof. If you do it right, it's such a difference from what's being thought out there.
Opening, Not Closing: A New Approach to Sales
Steve Nudelberg: I get on stages and the person before me is talking about 101 ways to close. And we had a piece of business at the end of last year, big healthcare company CEO called me goes, I'd love what you guys do. I love what you represent. I'm curious. I don't see anything about closing. And I said, you never will because we don't spend any time closing.
We spend all of our time opening.
Courtney Turich: Wow. Okay, Steve, that's really fascinating. And what you've just talked to us about seems so simple in the whole scheme of things.
Steve Nudelberg: That's what I try and tell people. It's not complicated. but we live in a world of distraction. We live in a world of, I want it immediately.
it takes time, if you're putting the time and effort and you do the right behavior every day, which, when we use the gym analogy, if you go to the gym every day and you do the right exercises, I guarantee you, your body will change. I don't know when, I can't tell you, on this day, it's going to change, but I know over the course of time, you will notice change.
It's the same thing in any behavior modification, you got to stick with it. And then all of a sudden it's like, Oh my God, this is great. For me, it's generally 90 days. If you can stick to a 90 day plan and there is a. backdrop to what the 90 day plan means, but whatever you do today will not affect you 90 days from now.
So 90 days from now, when people are going, wow, I have no pipeline and my business stinks, go back 90 days and say, I didn't do anything on that day. and so with us. When I work with a CEO, a business leader, a CRO, I basically guarantee that if you do what I tell you to do, or what we all tell you to do, it's proven that in 90 days you will see results.
If not, I didn't do my job, I'll give you your money back. No one ever does that in revenue production, I'm talking about revenue, I'm talking about pipeline. Every business I ever owned or invested in, you can't show me 90 days out what's in the pipeline and accurate.
Courtney Turich: Not interesting. We've got a problem.
Fascinating. I mean, again, it doesn't, it's not rocket science in so many ways, but so thank you for sharing that, Steve. And okay, I have to jump into this question because I have a feeling that you're going to give us something very remarkable. And that is Steve, what would you say was the bold move or confident choice that took things for you to that next level in life?
Turning Fear into Fuel
Steve Nudelberg: So that's a great question. There's so many different ways I can answer it. I think life is made up of bold choices. You are the sum of the choices you make. every day you make 35, 000 decisions. Turn left, wear white, wear black, eat this. Don't, you know, so Every day, those decisions matter. But when you say big and bold, I can look at a couple of different ones.
But the one I would probably share with you was I got invited into an opportunity in the technology space and cellular early cellular phones before it became mass marketed. We grew a very, very successful company that I did not enjoy working. Thank you And, the reality was it was toxic for me.
It was very successful. Everybody thought it was great. I didn't. I was with other people that I did not align with. And so culturally it wasn't a map, but I was making more money than I ever thought I ever dreamed would make making more money than my father had ever made. young in my thirties, early thirties and at 34 years old, a mentor who said to me, can you imagine climbing the corporate ladder? Just to realize it's leaning against the wrong building, like somebody like basically pulled my heart out of my chest and I said, I don't want to do this the rest of my life. And so I basically exited the business, took my whatever I had earned, sold it. Took a year off, spent it with my then five year old son, and then created OnTheBall.
And OnTheBall was merely, in my career, people had always said to me, Thanks for being OnTheBall, you're always OnTheBall. so I said that would make a great name for a company, because inherently the name says that we're going to do the right thing, always. and if you look at the dictionary definition of OnTheBall, it is, alert to new ideas and always doing what is right.
So my big bold move was to jump, and people looked at me, my partners looked at me and they go, you are out of your mind. this thing is working. And I go, no, it's not. So, I did that in spite of conventional wisdom because it's not about money. It's always about people and experience and the book that I recommend everybody reads besides my own, is do what you love and the money will follow guaranteed.
most people are in jobs they hate. And it's miserable and it where you only have a short time on this place Do we love and I love helping people and doing what I do every day i'm thrilled to get up and this particular part of my career is the best
Courtney Turich: You know steve So what you say do what you love and the money will follow we've all heard that before and it is such a scary feeling to really believe in it.
Embrace that moment. Take us back when you were at the cellular company and you're kind of coming to terms with what's happening at the organization. What are you feeling? What's going through your mind? How do you know, obviously you have a young kid at home as well. Like there's a lot of, Financial scariness right there.
what catapults you? What takes you over the edge?
Steve Nudelberg: Great question, and this is true of every successful person I have ever met. if you turn fear into fuel, it's like rocket ship. So I was like, I'm gonna do this. I know in my belly and in my heart that I'm gonna break out. I'm a builder. I was responsible.
Maybe not exclusively, but it was responsible for building a very successful company. I know how to do it. I love the build. I'm just going to do it on my terms. So I was inspired, energized. if anybody tells you there's no fear, then it's usually not worth doing, I spoke to this group the other day and I said, this happens in all walks of life, especially my sons.
I would say to them, Hey, you're in the locker room, you're going out to play in a big game. you still get butterflies? And he goes, dad, you wouldn't believe how many people are throwing up. Just before they run out of the tunnel, what he shared with me and I still embrace is that that's just a sign that something good's gonna happen.
So you gotta learn to turn that, those butterflies into fuel, and it's what drives you, it's makes me feel alive. Everything I've ever done in my life was driven by, well, you said I couldn't do it. Watch, I did not graduate from college. I did not go to business school. I did it with gut and integrity.
And so anything's possible. The stories I get to be privy to, the guest speakers that you have on this show all have a story of something they did. just embrace that.the world is so much information available that can help you and give you a road map that pay attention, listen, learn And so for me, I probably could be retired now, but I'm having more fun than I've ever had it's just a great time to be in business.
Courtney Turich: You know, Steve, a lot of people listening might just say, Hey, he comes from an entrepreneurial background. This is easy for him. He's not afraid to take a jump. I'm curious to know what is Steve noodle Berg's biggest fear in life?
What is that? Grimlin?
The Fear of Being Average
Steve Nudelberg: That is an amazing question, by the way. Good for you. This has been my fear since I'm a young guy. The answer is easy, you know, simple for me. I was always afraid of being average. I just didn't want to be the middle of the road. And the people I've surrounded myself, whether they be great athletes or great coaches, Nick Saban, who I had the chance to work with and learn the most from, he says, mediocre people don't like high achievers and high achievers don't like mediocre people.
So if you can't. Get that culturally right. It's never gonna work. So people who are willing to do what it takes get more. and so everybody wants to be successful in business, you've got to be willing to do what it takes. I never, ever doubt. I just said, if I do the work, and that's, I think the biggest problem is people don't want to do the work.
I mean, people are very lazy. People are quick to point and make excuses. Well, they, and this and the economy bullshit. The number one companies in this world were started during depression. You know what I mean? Other people wouldn't do it. So yeah, it sounds like hype, but if you surround yourself with the right people, one of the recommendations that I give anybody in life.
Is that you can have your own personal board of directors, big companies have them. They're there to take their knowledge and support the mission of the company. You could easily call five people you admire and respect and say, I'm putting together my personal board. I want to be able to share what I'm doing.
I want to get feedback. I'll take you to dinner once a quarter, once a year, whatever. The format you do. I am on other people's personal board and proud to do it because nobody ever did it alone. So when people say to me, Oh, entrepreneurs, you know, it's a lonely thing. It's only if you make it lonely. Only
Courtney Turich: if you make it lonely.
I like that, Steve. And so everybody, I want to reiterate instant gratification and business does not exist. There is a path and a journey to everyone's success. And Steve is stressing that right here, right now with all of us, there is a path. There's a road it's bumpy. It can be ugly, but if you stay the course, you can make it happen.
So Steve. What would you tell little Steve at his 18-year-old self?
Steve Nudelberg: Great. love when I get asked this 'cause every audience I share this with, young or old, really gets it. if I were able to talk to my, uh, 18-year-old self, I would clearly say don't give a shit what other people think. Like I drove my whole life based on looking for validation.
I want you, Oh, I'm starting this. What do you think? Oh, the minute I stopped looking for validation, my life and my career exploded. You will be surprised that people closest to you could be your worst enemy, their fears and doubts they put on you. And so. If you are willing to live a life based on what you think and what you do, which by the way, the only things you can control, control the controllables, whatever you think and whatever you do, and you pay attention to that, you will be successful and money has nothing to do with it.
Courtney Turich: Wow, Steve, pretty big stuff. I mean, there are so many gems in this episode and we're not even at 30 minutes. Yeah, how about that? That's crazy. So Steve, as we come to an end here, what would you like to share with everyone that they can walk away with today besides everything you've already given us?
The Power of Mental Training
Steve Nudelberg: so, there are 60, 000 thoughts that go through the human brain every day.
I don't know how they came up with that number, but it is scientific. 85 to 90 percent of those are negative. So, when you wake up in the morning, your beer hormones are at their highest. So I tell this to everybody, if you are not starting your day. With daily affirmations, you're missing the boat.
I'd liken it to football players or hockey players would never go on the ice or the field without a helmet. You got to put your helmet on. So your morning ritual needs to feed you physically, emotionally, and daily affirmations. If you Google them. I will tell you every successful person I've ever met takes care of themselves first.
They prepare themselves to go out into the world to deal with, the mess that we've created. So, don't give advice. I give perspective advice could be right or wrong. I'd want to be right or wrong. I want to tell you from my experience, here's what I know works for that. If you're willing to try it.
And to your audience, if you're willing to try daily affirmations, it will reframe your entire personality and people notice.
Courtney Turich: A lot of people, Steve, think or believe that this is very daily affirmations are cheesy. I'm a big believer in them myself, and they have definitely helped rewire my mind. So it means so much that you're reiterating this to everyone.
Cheesy or not, maybe it is. But it will make an impact. On your daily activity
Steve Nudelberg: that one comment Is I don't care what other people think.
Courtney Turich: Yes. I
Steve Nudelberg: tried it. I know it works I wouldn't think of starting a day without it because it affirms Who I am i'm not looking for outside validation. I've already validated myself and I show up different They go.
Wow, man, you're really confident. I was like, you know when that pandemic hit everybody ran for the hills My son had just joined the company and he was like I make a mistake That's it, son. I think for the first time, everybody's on the starting line. When you join the business world, everybody's got an advantage or boom.
This was wiped the slate clean. You got to figure it out. And if you do, the riches will be yours. Our business tripled because of the pandemic. I wouldn't wish that. Been out on the road, telling people virtual is coming. you're not using AI now, you're going to get left behind. Now people are using it poorly, but it's an unbelievable partner.
I use it for brainstorming. So all of these things that people have fear and there, I validate myself first. Pay attention to feeding Mel Robbins is amazing. Seth Godin is amazing. I mean, the, people that I have access to, that just with click of a button, boom, boom, boom, boom, show me what they're all about.
It's good stuff. And if you feed good in, you get good out. And the best part is everybody notices. They like, what's up with you, man? You're always smiling. I go, why wouldn't I be smiling? If I frown, I've ruined everything in front of me. So I find it easy because I've trained myself to do this. It takes training.
It takes discipline. people who think it's cheesy, aren't willing to try. Cause once guaranteed, there's nothing cheesy about it at all. Feeling good, mentally preparing yourself for this assault. you're in a new business, you're a startup, you're dealing with any rejection
Courtney Turich: always, always inevitable.
Steve Nudelberg: So, I chose a profession that is. geared to no eight out of every 10 to say no to me. Fantastic. I'm not focusing on them. I'm only focusing on the two that say yes. Wow. Hot up and all that negative. You got a plan to push it out. And when you do, and that's what great athletes do. There's, uh, Ryan Holiday.
I don't know if you read him, but Ryan Holiday is a stoic. again, I can point to books in my career that really helped. The Obstacle is the Way is an incredible book, but basically it's all about neutrality. Never too high, never too low. This is what I do. I'm going to have good days, bad days, quarterback through the interception.
Okay. What's next. Do I let that play affect this play? And if you do, you already lost in business. It's tragic. Still, ah, we had the worst January and now it's March day by day, by day, by day, got to come back to the game. So it's fascinating. 90 percent of success is metal. And if you play that game, right.
but life is really good.
Courtney Turich: 90 percent of success is mental. Take notes. All right, Steve, we're coming to an end, my friend. Where can people find you?
Steve Nudelberg: So like you said in the beginning, if you can't find me on social media, you're just not looking, I'm everywhere. the name of the company is on the ball. My last name, Berg, you can find anywhere.
I'm on LinkedIn, Instagram, I'm not on TikTok. Two younger sons, 38 and, 27. And they say, dad, we'll take care of TikTok, . So, but Instagram, Facebook, and here's another thing. Don't let people talk you into that. Nobody's on Facebook. Everybody's on Facebook,they just don't admit it. So anywhere you want, and I answer all my own stuff.
I do not have a robot. I do not have any, team of people. It's all me. So if you reach out and you say, I saw you on your show. You will hear from me.
Courtney Turich: Steve, I just want to thank you. So much for your valuable time today. Your insights reminding us that there is a process to everything. My friends, no matter where you're at in business, you just have to stay the course, find your board of directors, control your controllables and guess what, more than anything.
Steve Nudelberg: Take control of your mind. Take control of your mind. biggest muscle in your body.
Courtney Turich: You're right. it has to be trained just like anything. So friends again, thank you for being here today, Steve. Until next time, everyone go be bold, be confident and be you. Thanks.
Steve Nudelberg: Stay
Courtney Turich: on the ball. Stay on the ball.
