David Spray

Ep018: Essentials of Business Development with Ashley Barhorst

April 20th, 2022  |  40 mins 18 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Ashley Barhorst, Director of Sales for North Texas at Iscential, an independent insurance agency, risk management, and financial services firm. She is also the Membership Development Director on the NBDA board.

In this episode, we talk about her background, role with Iscential, and how she was drafted to join the board here at NBDA, a role she has described as one of the best business decisions she ever made.

This is a great conversation, and Ashley shares her business development strategies, the lessons she's learned, and advice she'd give to a new person in a business development role.

Ep017: The Vitality of Culture with Leah Faul

March 23rd, 2022  |  46 mins 53 secs

Today on the NBDA podcast, we are joined by Leah Faul, Founder and Owner of 15,000 Cubits, a digital marketing agency based here in Houston, Texas.

Leah is also the director of marketing for NBDA, and in this episode, we talk about how she learned about NBDA, why she joined, why she chose to become a member of the board, and the value she's received from being a part of the organization.

We also talk about her company, her business development work each week, some of her best practices, and the role culture plays as a differentiator in their space.

Leah is a dynamic person whose passion for her business, employees, and clients really shows.

Ep016: Optimizing Business Development with Mike Siegel

February 23rd, 2022  |  33 mins

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Mike Siegel, one of the longest-serving NBDA Board Members and President of Nodus Solutions, a website development company, right here in Houston.

We had a great conversation about his company and the work they do, as well as learning more about how Mike became involved in NBDA, some of the things he enjoys most about being on the board, and the business development best practices he's developed over his 20 years in business.

Mike's a really engaging guy with a wealth of knowledge around business development and relationship building. There are a lot of great insights in this show.

Ep015: Building Your Network with Scott Kelley

January 12th, 2022  |  42 mins 55 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Scott Kelley, President of Encore Search Partners, an executive search firm providing white-glove recruiting services, right here in Houston.

Scott has a great story. He's still relatively early in his career but has really experienced a great deal of success and rapidly climbed the career ladder. We talked about his background, some best practices he follows, and the important things he's learned that he still uses in his Business Development career today.

We also talked about why he joined the NBDA board and the benefits of being a member.

Ep014: Developing a New Business with Carrie Ferroukhi and Candus Hinderer

December 8th, 2021  |  38 mins 33 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Carrie Ferroukhi and Candus Hinderer, Managing Partners at Arcus Advisors. A Houston based firm specializing in helping Private Equity firms improve their portfolio companies' results by optimizing the accounting and finance functions.

They founded the business in October of 2020, in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, and we talk about why they've started their business, the challenges and opportunities in launching a company during a pandemic, and the lessons learned over the past year.

This is a great conversation with two inspiring entrepreneurs developing a new business.

Ep012: Building Rapport with Laurie-Leigh White

November 3rd, 2021  |  30 mins 39 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Laurie-Leigh White, NBDA Board member and Partner at BVA Group, a nationally recognized litigation, valuation, and financial advisory firm based in Houston, Texas.

We had a great conversation about how she became involved in NBDA, why she decided to join the Board, and some of the great relationships she has formed since joining the organization.

We also talked about some of her business development best practices, things she does to build rapport, and an interesting perspective that, serving clients very well, is actually a form of business development.

So whether you've been in business development a long time or you're relatively new, Laurie-Leigh is a rising star in the Houston business community and has a lot of great insights to share.

Ep011: Decades of Development Experience

October 27th, 2021  |  47 mins 25 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Tim Brady, the founder and chairman emeritus of Brady, Chapman, Holland, and Associates, a risk management consulting firm that Tim founded more than 40 years ago, in Houston, Texas.

Tim has had business development responsibilities his entire career, and in this show, he shares his three best practices, some business development success stories, as well as his philosophies on business and life he's learned over the past 80-years.

He also talks about the advice he'd give his 25-year-old self.

Tim is a humble person who's experienced tremendous business success. He has a lot of value to share, especially for business development professionals.

Ep010: Ask More Questions with Trey Flores

October 20th, 2021  |  23 mins 43 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Trey Flores, an NBDA member and Principal of the Houston office at Aldridge, a managed IT services and consulting firm in Houston, Texas.

Trey has great experience in IT sales, and we talked about his experience tailoring business development conversations to meet specific client needs, including how asking better questions is essential to understanding their environment.

We also spoke about some of the best practices he employs and the advice he'd give someone starting in business development today.

Ep009: Building Relationships with Sue Ellen Burch

October 13th, 2021  |  35 mins 30 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Sue Ellen Burch, the Director of Growth and Innovation at AltruVista, a wealth management firm in Houston, Texas.

Sue Ellen has a wide-ranging career, leading AltruVista's business development activities and as an NBDA board member, and we get her perspective from both positions.

It's a great conversation. We hear more about her role and the opportunities she's created, her three business development best practices ideas, and the advice she'd give to her 25-year-old self.

Sue Ellen is a very warm and caring person with a zest for life that is really contagious.

Ep008: A Servant Approach to Business Development with Bob Charlet

October 6th, 2021  |  33 mins 28 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Bob Charlet, publisher of the Houston Business Journal.

Bob has a long history in the media business, and we had a great conversation about why the 44 Business Journals in the US are thriving, despite a decline in the traditional media business.

He attributes some of this success to his servant approach to business development, and we discussed the opportunities that this mindset presents, as well as the advice he'd give his 25-year-old self.

This is a great episode, whether you are a Houstonian active in the Houston business community or one of the 50% of Houston Business Journal readers who are not in Texas but still have a connection or interest in what is going on in the Houston business community.

Ep007: Branding with Jonathan Fisher

September 29th, 2021  |  44 mins 56 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Jonathan Fisher, Co-Founder, and Chairman of BrandExtract, a firm right here in Houston that specializes in helping companies align their brand with their true purpose.

Jonathan has decades of experience advising clients on branding and strategies to share their ideas with the world. He shared his experience and insights into how branding can be a foundation for increased growth, better client retention, and greater profitability.

We also talked about the National Business Development Association, how Jonathan learned about it, and why he joined more than five years ago.

It turns out Jonathan spends about a third of his time doing business development in addition to his other roles as Chairman of the firm, and he had some great insights and best practices around what he does to succeed in this area.

This is a great episode, especially as a window into the secrets and habits of someone who has successfully developed new business for decades.

Ep006: Best Practices with Tim Gray

September 22nd, 2021  |  40 mins 16 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Tim Gray, Senior Vice President of Vistage Worldwide.

In this episode, we learn more about Vistage, Tim's business development background, and his best practices for business development success.

We also talked about the counsel he might give to people considering taking on their first business development role.

Tim is a very poised, focused, and seasoned business development professional. Whether you're brand new to business development or have decades of experience, this episode has many great takeaways.

Ep005: Refining Your Skills with John Asher

September 15th, 2021  |  49 mins 37 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with John Asher, an NBDA speaker and CEO of Asher Strategies, a firm that specializes in best-of-breed sales training.

John is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served his country for more than two decades. During his time in the military, John was involved in data gathering and was responsible for giving concise yet informative briefings all the way up the chain of command. Briefings where he honed not only his speaking but also his sales skills.

After retiring from the Navy, John embarked on a career in sales and public speaking, and in this episode, we covered a wide variety of sales topics. These include his tips on listening techniques. Why the top 20% of salespeople earn more than 80% of the total income. Why 50% of sales success is having the appropriate inherent sales personality, and perhaps most valuable, a tool that allows you to discover personality insight of every one of your prospects and clients and costs only $29 per month.

This is a great episode, especially if you are committed to the ongoing improvement of your sales and business development skills, and is a great example of the type of speakers NBDA members get to hear from.

Ep004: Achieving More with Ken Beaman

September 8th, 2021  |  34 mins 5 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Ken Beaman, VP and Senior Business Development Executive at Marsh McLennan and an NBDA member.

Ken has a long history of tailoring property and casualty insurance programs for affluent families. We had a great conversation about his ideal client, some of the real-life client issues he's resolved, and how he first learned of NBDA and why he joined ten years ago.

We also had a great conversation about his four top business development best practices and his advice for someone considering entering a career as a business development professional today.

This is a very interesting episode, especially if you are looking to improve your business development skills and habits, and it also provides a member's insight into the benefits of joining NBDA.

Ep003: Performance Insights with Aubrey Surovik

September 1st, 2021  |  26 mins 36 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're speaking with Aubrey Surovik, a Certified Performance Coach with Insperity and an NBDA board member.

This is a great conversation about performance coaching and what makes Insperity unique. In addition, Aubrey shared some client success stories, which are great examples of how focused attention can lead to significant improvements in your career or business and she shared her best practices for business development.

We talked about her experience with NBDA, what lead her to join the association, and why she became a board member.

It's interesting to hear her perspective on what makes NBDA unique and different from other associations, and it's great to hear from someone who's been a member for some time, especially if you're considering joining NBDA.

Ep002: Digital Marketing Mastery with Andy Alagappan

August 5th, 2021  |  32 mins 45 secs

Today on the NBDA Podcast, we're talking with Andy Alagappan, digital marketing expert and founder of epromotionz here in Houston.

Andy has a long history in digital marketing, and we had a great conversation about the return on time invested and the way he approaches business development.

He spends a lot of time on inbound digital marketing to generate leads and get people to call him, which means he only spends about one to two hours a week on what you may think of as traditional business development but.

This is a fascinating conversation and some great insights into leveraging some of your time.