In Part 2 of our conversation with B2B Sales Playbook co-author and Growth Forum CEO David Fastuca, we dig deeper into the realities of modern B2B selling—where sales efficiency meets brand experience, and AI is no longer optional.

From the dangers of AI-powered spam to the rise of seller personal branding, David, Mark, and KK unpack the current sales landscape and where it's headed.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why AI spam is killing your brand—even if your numbers look “okay” on paper
• How to realign your go-to-market strategy around quality, not just quantity
• The rise of seller-led branding and why BDRs must now build trust and visibility online
• How great sales leaders create calm, consistent, performance-driven cultures
• The new standard for sales-marketing alignment: shared metrics, shared messaging, and shared accountability
• How to use AI to forecast accurately and coach reps in real time using sales call transcripts

Quote to remember:

“Your brand is being shaped by every outbound touch—even the ones that get ignored. AI makes it easier to scale, but much easier to erode trust.” – David Fastuca

Don’t miss this if you’re a CEO, CRO, or RevOps leader rethinking how to scale sales in the AI age.

Listen to the full episode now and learn how to balance automation with authenticity.

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In this episode of Selling the Cloud, we sit down with David Fastuca, CEO and Co-Founder of Growth Forum and co-author of the bestselling new book B2B Sales Playbook. From his base in Melbourne, David shares how high-growth teams can stop relying on random acts of selling and start building systemized, scalable sales engines. If you're still managing sales with gut instinct and ad-hoc processes, this episode is your wake-up call.

What We Cover:

• Systemizing Sales Growth: Why repeatable processes always outperform superstar sellers—and how to build one.
• Calendar = Control: How elite sellers block time for prospecting, CRM updates, and continuous improvement.
• Avoiding RevOps Pitfalls: Common mistakes in go-to-market execution and how to get your ICP and messaging right.
• Give Power Back to the Buyer: Why a buyer-led process can result in better conversion and stronger relationships.
• AI & Automation in Sales: What works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid falling into the spam trap.
• The Right Way to Use AI: Using tools like Loom and ChatGPT not to automate junk—but to amplify thoughtful, insight-driven outreach.

Mic-Drop Insight:

“If your sales process depends on gut instinct or a single rainmaker, you’re gambling—not growing.” – David Fastuca

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a blueprint for B2B sales leaders looking to create predictable pipeline, reduce churn in their sales team, and finally align marketing and sales under one scalable system.

Subscribe to Selling the Cloud for more insights from top go-to-market leaders and B2B growth experts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Selling the Cloud, hosts Mark Petruzzi and Kristin Anderson sit down with Stephen Messer, co-founder of Collective[i], to unpack why traditional sales playbooks are failing in today’s volatile markets—and what elite revenue organizations are doing differently.

Stephen brings a bold, data-backed perspective on why so many sales teams are flying blind and how AI-powered feedback loops are becoming essential for navigating constant change.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why playbooks break down when market conditions shift
• How reliance on historical data leads to broken forecasts
• The growing gap between buyer behavior and seller actions
• What boards and executive teams really want from forecasting
• Why superintelligent sellers outperform rigid process followers
• How AI transforms pipeline visibility, speed, and decision-making

Key Quote:

“In volatile markets, you don’t need a better playbook—you need a better way to listen, learn, and adapt in real time.”

Guest Bio:

Stephen Messer is the co-founder of Collective[i], an AI-powered platform designed to transform the way revenue organizations operate. A pioneer in tech and data-driven strategy, Stephen has spent his career building companies that help businesses make smarter, faster decisions.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.