When marketing professional services, the playbook isn’t the same as product sales, and today’s episode dives into exactly why. Sean O’Shaughnessey and Kevin Lawson are joined by returning guest Chris Spanier, CEO of Carpe Diem Consulting Group and host of the Practical Actionable Marketing podcast. This conversation tackles the nuances of sales strategies for service-based businesses, blending value selling with measurable marketing and aligning both functions for stronger revenue generation. If you're a business owner, consultant, or fractional executive trying to sharpen your sales processes and improve messaging, this episode is a goldmine of practical advice.

🔑 Key Topics Discussed

• [02:44] Why traditional product marketing doesn’t work for professional services—and how to adapt

• [03:46] The importance of measuring marketing effectiveness and integrating KPIs into the sales process

• [07:36] How to position and market services that don’t have tangible “speeds and feeds”

• [08:28] Letting go of the fear of “giving away your secret sauce” in thought leadership content

• [10:30] Systemizing stories and messaging to scale sales efforts across a growing team

• [12:14] How to use lead nurturing email campaigns to drive engagement and trust over time

🗣️ Key Quotes

Sean O’Shaughnessey:

“Sales is a really expensive marketing arm if you're not doing really good marketing.” — [05:59]

Kevin Lawson:

“Tell how you win, how you help others win, and how they win when working with you—this is as key as anything in professional services.” — [10:52]

Chris Spanier:

“If you freely share value, people won’t take advantage of you—they’ll start trusting you. That’s the first step in real sales success.” — [08:54] “Marketing is half magic and half numbers. But the numbers—that’s where the proof comes in.” — [04:14]

📚 Additional Resources

• B2B Sales Lab - https://b2b-sales-lab.com/

• Practical Actionable Marketing Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/practical-actionable-marketing/id1697011310

• Chris Spanier’s consulting firm: Carpe Diem Consulting Group (cdcg.us)

• Contact Chris: [email protected]

• LinkedIn: Chris Spanier

✅ A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Systemize your lead nurturing. Create a recurring, value-focused email campaign to maintain top-of-mind awareness. Whether your cadence is every three or six weeks, focus 80% on providing helpful insights and only 20% on pitching your services. Tracking measures email open rates and clicks, and then the behavior is aligned with site visits or follow-up outreach. This strategy turns occasional touchpoints into consistent momentum, critical for long-cycle sales in professional services.

🎧 Why You Should Listen Now

This episode is packed with strategic clarity and tactical insight for anyone selling invisible services. Whether you're a fractional executive, consultant, or marketing-savvy sales leader, you’ll leave with a more innovative approach to messaging, a stronger understanding of sales and marketing alignment, and actionable ways to drive revenue generation with business acumen. Tune in now and rethink how you build trust and momentum in your professional services pipeline.

B2B Sales Lab is a private, member-led community for sales professionals who want actionable insights, not theory. It’s a space to ask real questions, share proven practices, and connect with others who are serious about improving revenue performance. Designed and led by veteran sales leaders, the Lab is where strategy meets execution. Join us at b2b-sales-lab.com

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC - [email protected] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - [email protected] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/

You can book time on Kevin's calendar at https://lighthousesalesadvisors.pipedrive.com/scheduler/JP7rZXH3/virtual-meeting-booking-time-with-kevin

You can book time on Sean's calendar at http://newsales.expert/sean-oshaughnessey-calendar/