The Growth Signal

Customer relationships are changing. In a world where trust is earned (not assumed) and expectations evolve overnight, revenue leaders can’t afford to rely on old playbooks. The Growth Signal is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of customer relationships. Hosted by Alyssa Nolte, each episode features honest, unscripted conversations with leaders in sales, customer success, marketing, and growth. No slides. No buzzwords. Just smart people wrestling with how to build trust, drive impact, and stay one step ahead. Whether you're trying to scale post-sale strategy, drive proactive engagement, or rethink what customer success really means - this podcast will help you lead the way. -- Connect with Alyssa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte/ Follow the Podcast on LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nor

The Growth Signal is a business podcast hosted by Alyssa Nolte, with 170 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Alyssa Nolte hosts The Growth Signal, a business show with 170 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #160

  The Big Dogs Are Lying: Why Small Companies Shouldn't Cut Managers for AI with Patrick Carter

  Oct 1, 202624 minS1

  Big companies say AI let them cut their middle managers. Small and mid-sized companies are listening, and some of them are about to copy that move. Patrick Carter thinks that's a huge mistake. Patrick is the founder of Edge Advantage Group. He spent 35 years leading sales teams and training the leaders who run them. Alyssa Nolte comes back with a hot take of her own: a lot of those big-company layoffs may just be spin. It's easier to blame AI than to admit you made a mistake. If you lead a team, or you're thinking about swapping people for software, listen to this one first. Patrick and Alyssa break down what AI can take off a manager's plate and what it can't. They also get into what happens to your people when the path to leadership disappears. Key takeaways: You manage things, but you lead people. AI can help with reports and updates. It can't care about your team, and people don't give their best effort to a system that doesn't care about them. AI only works when the process is clear, and most companies don't have a clear process for leadership. If your new managers were thrown to the sharks, AI won't fix that. Build backwards from your best win. Look at what went right, write down the steps, and ask your leaders to run that system instead of just chasing results. People and resources mentioned: Ronnell Richards, Say Less. Sell More. on Substack: ronnellrichards.substack.com Donald C. Kelly, The Sales Evangelist: linkedin.com/in/donaldckelly Patrick's Lead Yourself workshop, October 14 at 4:00 PM Eastern, live on LinkedIn, Substack, and YouTube Connect with Patrick Carter: linkedin.com/in/patrickgcarter edgeadvantage.net Connect with Alyssa Nolte: alyssanolte.substack.com linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte alyssanolte.com ologycollective.com

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  Episode #159

  If You Sell a Service, You're in Hospitality with Jessica Millhiser

  Sep 24, 202623 minS1

  If you sell a service, you're in hospitality. Jessica Millhiser, owner of JMills Consulting, joins Alyssa Nolte to talk about building your business around the client experience instead of the other way around. Jessica has worked in service roles her whole career, from serving and bartending to running operations, and she brings that lens to anyone who serves clients: consultants, agencies, account teams, and service providers of every kind. Why listen? Most teams plan how to win a client and how to deliver the work. Very few plan how the relationship ends. Jessica explains why the goodbye matters as much as the hello, and how small, low-cost touches keep clients coming back and sending referrals your way. Key takeaways: Your client journey and your client experience are two different things. The journey is the process: consultation, onboarding, deliverables, and off-boarding. The experience is how your client feels moving through it. Plan your off-boarding on purpose. Most clients will leave at some point. How you close the relationship decides whether they come back, refer others, or forget you. Small touches beat big budgets. A handwritten card, a personal check-in, or a warmer follow-up email costs very little. Jessica's first step for anyone: reread your standard client emails and make them sound more human. People and resources mentioned: Jessica Millhiser, JMills Consulting: jmillsconsulting.com (free operations audit on the site) Jessica on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessicamillhiser Jessica's Strategic Advisory Partnership for female founders: enrollment opens October 19 Jennifer Stapleton, The Foundation Voice podcast Michelle Gruening, This Is Nothing New podcast Connect with Alyssa Nolte: alyssanolte.substack.com linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte Guest Bio: Jessica is the owner of JMills Consulting, where she helps entrepreneurs build better businesses through stronger structure, clearer strategy, and intentional growth. With over 20 years of experience in operations, administration, and leadership, Jessica works with service-based business owners to strengthen the internal foundation of their businesses. Her work focuses on operational clarity, client experience, process development, strategic planning, and creating sustainable systems that support long-term growth. Jessica holds a master’s degree in Coaching & Administration and is known for her collaborative, direct, and action-oriented approach. She helps clients move from overwhelm and reactive decision-making into greater clarity, organization, and control.

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  Episode #158

  AI Is Coming for Your Job. Double Down on Being Human with Paul Burani

  Sep 10, 202623 minS1

  Paul Burani says AI is coming for a lot of what you do all day. He also says that's good news. Paul is the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Atlas Primer, and he joined Alyssa Nolte to argue something most people miss: if everyone has access to the same AI, the advantage moves to the things AI can't do for you. Here's the part that stuck. We all agree practice makes people better. We all know role play works. And almost nobody wants to do it in a room full of their coworkers. Paul's argument is that we've been asking people to build human skills in the one setting guaranteed to make them feel judged. Take the judgment out, and people will actually practice. If you lead a sales, service, or enablement team, this one is worth your time. You'll get a different way to think about training, and a better answer to the question your reps keep asking: why am I sitting in a workshop instead of talking to customers? Three things to take with you: AI takes the tasks, not the trust. Cold calling, complex enterprise deals, a call center handling upset customers... they all come down to building rapport with a person. Paul says that's where we should be doubling down, because it's the part nobody is automating. Most companies have nowhere to practice. You get an onboarding workshop, and maybe a manager willing to give you honest feedback. Paul calls that a set of constraints, not a training program. Practicing with a machine that never judges you, and forgets the session afterward, removes the awkwardness that stops people from trying. Learning and selling aren't separate calendars. Alyssa and Paul both push back on the two-day kickoff model. As Paul puts it, ten minutes of practice right after a call that went badly may do more for a seller than two days at a sales kickoff in Vegas. There's also a good stretch on growth mindset, and why so many of us will ask Google a question we'd never say out loud to another person. The Growth Signal is a weekly show about rethinking the future of customer relationships. Mentioned in this episode: Paul Burani, co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Atlas Primer. Find him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/pburani or at atlasprimer.com . He says he loves hearing from strangers. Jonathan Hull, Chief Operating Officer of ThingLink, a Finland-based company building immersive learning experiences. Paul's answer when you asked who else we should be listening to, and he recommends him for reasons that reach well past learning and development. Find Alyssa Nolte on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte Read her writing on Substack: alyssanolte.substack.com

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  Episode #156

  AI Isn’t Taking Your Job. Bad Leadership Is. with Victoria Pelletier

  Aug 20, 202627 minS1

  AI is getting blamed for layoffs it may not actually be causing. So what happens when fear moves faster than the technology? Victoria Pelletier joins Alyssa Nolte to challenge the idea that companies are already replacing huge parts of their workforce with AI. Her take: many leaders are using AI as cover for cuts they needed to make anyway. The bigger risk may be what that story does to trust inside a company. Alyssa and Victoria talk about what AI can really do today, why companies need better AI governance, and how leaders can help employees prepare for the changes ahead. They also explore why human skills like creativity, empathy, problem-solving, and relationship building may become even more valuable as AI improves. If you are trying to figure out what AI means for your job, your team, or your customers, this conversation offers a much more useful answer than "AI is coming for everyone." It is about rethinking how humans and AI work together...and how leaders can build trust while doing it. 3 Key Takeaways AI may not be the real reason behind many layoffs. Victoria argues that most companies are not using AI at enough scale to explain major workforce cuts. In many cases, AI may simply be the easier story to tell. AI adoption requires more than buying a tool. Companies need clear guardrails, data governance, employee training, and honest communication about how AI will change people's work. Human skills may become even more valuable. Creativity, empathy, problem-solving, relationships, and good judgment are harder to automate. Learning AI matters, but so does getting better at the things humans do best. People and Resources Mentioned Victoria Pelletier victoria-peltier.com Leadership Transition Guide by Victoria Pelletier Influence Unleashed by Victoria Pelletier Influence Activated by Victoria Pelletier Mo Gawdat Former Chief Business Officer of Google X and guest on The Diary of a CEO Scott Galloway World Economic Forum skills research Follow Alyssa Nolte alyssanolte.substack.com linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte

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  Episode #154

  Every Customer Touchpoint Is a Promise with Shawn Boehme

  Jul 23, 202621 minS1

  Getting customers is hard. Keeping them is even harder. Alyssa Nolte sits down with Shawn Boehme to rethink one of the biggest mistakes businesses make. Most companies think they have a sales problem, a marketing problem, or a customer success problem. Shawn argues they actually have a communication problem. If your customer journey feels disconnected, this conversation will help you see why. From the first marketing message to onboarding and long-term customer success, every interaction shapes trust. Alyssa and Shawn explore how small communication gaps between teams turn into broken promises for customers. They also discuss why leadership has to own the customer experience across every department, not just within individual teams. Key Takeaways Every customer touchpoint is a promise. Each interaction either builds trust or breaks it. Sales, marketing, and customer success must work together. Silos create a confusing customer experience. Great customer relationships start with clear communication, realistic expectations, and consistent follow through. If you're looking to improve customer experience, customer communication, team alignment, or customer retention, this episode will give you practical ideas you can apply right away. People and resources mentioned: PanTerra Networks Mike Brooks (Mr. Inside Sales) Alyssa Nolte Substack: http://alyssanolte.substack.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alyssanolte

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