The Brutal Truth about Sales Podcast - b2bREVENUE
A veteran B2B sales coach interviews practitioners and delivers solo talks on navigating complex, long-cycle sales.
A no-fluff audio and video podcast for serious B2B salespeople, mixing deep-dive interviews with short, direct-to-camera solo talks. The interviews are career-focused explorations with VPs and top reps in complex fields like cybersecurity and medical devices. The solo segments are 'brutal truths' that aim to dismantle counter-productive sales instincts and replace them with proven, non-intuitive techniques.
“The show's blend of formats is its key differentiator: long-form, career-spanning interviews with practitioners are paired with short, sharp, solo monologues that challenge conventional sales wisdom. Unlike many sales podcasts, the focus is less on quick tips and more on fundamental strategy, mindset, and navigating complex organizational buying processes.”
Who hosts this show
With over 25 years of experience in B2B enterprise software sales, Brian G. Burns hosts this podcast focused on the realities of complex, long-cycle selling. He interviews senior sales leaders and top individual contributors, deconstructing their careers and strategies. The show also features solo episodes where Burns directly challenges common sales myths and ineffective habits, aiming to help salespeople increase their revenue and shorten sales cycles.
Credentials & credits
- Host of 'The B2B Revenue Leadership Show' podcast
- Author of four books on B2B sales and marketing
- Over 25 years in B2B sales
- CEO of B2BRevenue.com
- Played leadership roles for nine venture capital-backed companies
Other ventures
- The B2B Revenue Leadership Show (podcast)
- b2bREVENUE.com (consulting and training)
- Maverick Selling Method (book and concept)
- Selling in a New Market Space (book)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01ARE YOU A SERVICE CLERK OR A SALES PERSON???Apr 20, 2026 · 2 min
- 02SALES VS. FINANCE - WHO IS RIGHT???Nov 13, 2025 · 1 min
- 03YOU MAY KNOW HOW TO SELL - BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO BUYNov 11, 2025 · 2 min
- 04ANYONE CAN BE BUSY BUT FEW CAN SELL - WHICH ARE YOU???Nov 4, 2025 · 1 min
- 05SALES MATH IS BS - MATH IS FACTS NOT OPINIONSOct 30, 2025 · 1 min
- 06ARE YOU A SERVICE CLERK OR A SALES PERSON???Oct 27, 2025 · 2 min
- 07HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL EVEN IN THE MOST DIFFICULT MARKETSJan 20, 2025 · 33 min
- 08HOW TO LEAD THE DEAL INSTEAD OF REACTING OR SERVICING ITOct 29, 2024 · 32 min
Notable episodes
- 01HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL EVEN IN THE MOST DIFFICULT MARKETS
A deep dive with a first-time VP of Sales in cybersecurity, candidly discussing the transition to leadership, hiring philosophies, and navigating cultural differences in startups.
- 02HOW TO LEAD THE DEAL INSTEAD OF REACTING OR SERVICING IT
An interview with a medical device sales professional that clearly explains the challenge of a 12-18 month sales cycle and the concept of finding a true internal 'champion' with 'the juice'.
- 03ARE YOU A SERVICE CLERK OR A SALES PERSON???
A classic example of the host's solo monologue format, using a simple analogy (learning to drive) to argue that a salesperson's natural instincts are often their biggest enemy.
What you'll be asked on this show
Brian Burns begins interviews by asking for the guest's background, then guides the conversation chronologically through their career. He uses short, direct, open-ended questions like "How'd you become good?" or "Where do the deals usually get stuck?" to probe for specific learning moments and processes. He lets guests speak at length without interruption, often using their specific terminology to ask follow-up questions. The style is less of a rapid-fire Q&A and more of a guided storytelling session, using his own industry knowledge to build rapport and frame the conversation.
The podcast alternates between two distinct formats. The primary format is a long-form (30-45 minute) video interview with a single guest, typically a sales leader. The second is a short (2-5 minute) solo monologue from the host, Brian Burns, often filmed 'walk and talk' style, that presents a core, challenging idea.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
3- Q.01
“Can you give us a little background on yourself?”
This is his standard opening question to establish the guest's career origins.
- Q.02
“Why did you get into sales?”
He often asks this early on to understand the guest's initial motivations.
- Q.03
“Why did you decide to move into leadership?”
He asks this of guests who have made the jump from individual contributor to manager.
craft
2- Q.01
“How did you become good at this?”
A direct question used to uncover the guest's learning process and key influences.
- Q.02
“How do you differentiate when you're seen as a commodity?”
He poses this to elicit specific competitive strategies in crowded markets.
mindset
2- Q.01
“What was the primary driver for you: financial, success, or self-image?”
He asks this to dig into the deeper, personal motivations behind a guest's career drive.
- Q.02
“What do you attribute your track record to?”
A question designed to have the guest reflect on their personal success factors.
process
3- Q.01
“Where do the deals usually get stuck?”
This question surfaces common obstacles and chokepoints within a complex sales cycle.
- Q.02
“How do you keep the dialogue going during a long sales cycle?”
This question is for tactical advice on maintaining engagement over many months.
- Q.03
“How do you tell if a sales hire is going to be good?”
This question is directed at sales leaders to understand their hiring philosophy.
advice
1- Q.01
“What makes a great sales rep in your specific space?”
Asked towards the end, this question seeks to distill key success factors for the audience.
money
1- Q.01
“Give us a sense of the deal size.”
He asks this to establish the scale and scope of the business being discussed.
Signature segments
- · The Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling (show name)
- · Solo 'walk and talk' monologues
- · Interviews with VPs of Sales
- · Focus on complex, long-cycle sales
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are senior B2B sales practitioners, typically VPs of Sales or top-performing individual contributors from complex, high-stakes industries like cybersecurity and medical devices. The show books guests with a demonstrable track record in long, multi-million dollar sales cycles.
- Larry Helmson HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL EVEN IN THE MOST DIFFICULT MARKETS
- Dale (last name not provided)on HOW TO LEAD THE DEAL INSTEAD OF REACTING OR SERVICING IT
- Nick Defeoon HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE WHEN YOU ARE VIEWED AS A COMMODITY
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast does not appear to feature third-party sponsors. It serves as a primary content marketing channel for the host's consulting firm, b2bREVENUE.com, and his associated training courses and books.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host is Brian G. Burns.
- What is the format of the show?
- The show alternates between long-form (30-45 min) interviews with senior sales professionals and short (2-5 min) solo monologues from the host.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, the podcast is updated regularly, with episodes dating from 2009 through the present.
- Who is this podcast for?
- It's aimed at experienced B2B salespeople and sales leaders who deal with complex, long-cycle sales in industries like tech and medical devices.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.
- What other work has the host done?
- Brian G. Burns is the CEO of b2bREVENUE.com, hosts a second podcast called 'The B2B Revenue Leadership Show,' and has authored four books on B2B sales.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
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