I help salespeople become sales leaders w/ the Salesblazer Method™️ | Executive Sales Leader

Over the last decade, I helped build multiple multi-million dollar medical device territories by developing new markets and strategic sales teams. I also helped customer-partners build their personal brands and land consulting contracts, which led to developing new products/techniques and enhanced patient outcomes.

Then, in 2023, I hit a fork in the road. Do I continue building someone else's company at the expense of my convictions, or do I risk my comfortable life to gain personal agency, take complete ownership over my future, and craft something worth telling a story about?

Building something on my terms and diversifying my income would be the best pathway towards control over my calendar, autonomy over the work I get to do, and the direct impact I can have.

While this pathway has not been easy, the results have been remarkable.

Since leaving a sales executive role with a great brand, I have been able to replace my income by working for myself with less effort (working smart).

I have launched Sparkbound, a medical sales & marketing organization that goes beyond the transaction and seeks to enrich the lives of others.

Sparkbound not only helps our people build influential careers, increase our partners' influence, or improve our practitioners' patient outcomes, but we also want to help aspiring difference makers become the change they wish they could make... and then help them make positive change happen.

My mission is to help you see that you're not stuck. You don't have to labor and live as others expect you to. My mission is to help you challenge the status quo, lead by design, and choose the impact you wish to have.

I love writing about leadership, specifically leadership without titles, about how high-impact professionals can earn personal agency, purposeful productivity (doing more good, better), and meaningful work.

Francisco Martinez

Find a leader to work for. Not a job to do. 

The wrong manager can hold your career back for years. 

The right managers see your potential, help you unlock your potential, and champion your promotion. 

The best leaders are agnostic to the logo they represent. 
They are believers in the people they are responsible for. 

The best managers prioritize people first, then profit. 

I've worked for great leaders. 

- They believed I had potential.
- They asked about my wife & children. 
- They invested in me even when I deserved to be fired. 
- They designed comp plans around revenue goals, not quota.
- They created roles to solve problems that fit my passion and strengths. 
- They listened - and did not turn on me - when I considered outside offers.

I once struggled because I wasn't sure I wanted to be in this industry. 
My leaders noticed my decreasing excitement, put their arms around me, and said, "Where do you want to be? We'll help you get there." 

They are why I stayed, even though I was offered better pay elsewhere. 
They are the reason I haven't quit the medical device industry.

Ultimately, their leadership has led to several promotions, bigger paychecks, and once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities. 

Choose leaders who want to see you grow today. 

Agree? Let me know your thoughts👇

If you want to look like a leader, get your MBA. 

If you want to be a leader, start leading.

Leadership is simple. 

Leadership is not: 

- Executive titles
- Being a high performer
- Corner office with a view
- Managing a 10K person org

Leadership is:

- Stepping up to care for those around you.
- Getting results while raising up others.
- Creating opportunities to serve. 
- Leading yourself. 

Titles, certifications, degrees, and education amplify your leadership. 

But they don't make you a leader. 

How can someone start leading today?

After 14 years in medical sales (18 total in sales), I've had to reinvent my career several times. 

I have been demoted, stuck, and promoted. 

I have represented large brands and startups. 

Every time, it has come down to these basic but powerful habits. 

Here are the 17 powerful habits of high-impact salespeople:

1. Focus on what you can control: your attitude & actions
2. Learn to say, "I don't know, but let me find out." 
3" Give, don't take. Give away your time, expertise, & self. 
4. The day starts the night before. Wake up to execute. 
5. Practice patience, not passivity. Growth takes time. 
6. Like Navy Seals, train with a pod of peers. 
7. Sundays are for strategy. Plan an ideal week.
8. Get aligned every quarter with your values and mission
9. Always be checking in on your character. 
10. Do what you say you will do, even if it costs you. 
11. First impressions are for impact, not to impress. 
12. Time block high-revenue activities. Ruthlessly stick to it
13. Send a weekly highlight report to your boss. 
14. Send a weekly lessons learned report to your team. 
15. End each day with a self-assessment review of yourself.
16. Solve big problems instead of reacting to fire drills. 
17. Go beyond the transaction and seek to enrich lives. 

Medical sales, and all sales, are more than hitting quota. 

It's about becoming the person you would rave about doing business with. 

What did I miss? 

--
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You don't need permission to lead.
You don't need to work 60-hour weeks.
You don't need approval to implement AI.

Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. 

The biggest lies we tell ourselves:

"I need to wait until the culture improves."
"I need to be promoted before I can lead."
"I need to stay in my lane.

Here's the truth:

You have everything you need to make change happen in your company.
The work isn't waiting for permission.
The work is taking responsibility.

How many people do you know who spent years taking orders instead of taking initiative?

The most successful people didn't wait to lead and do great work.

They had a vision.
They took small bets.
They chose to lead and make a change.

Stop waiting to get picked.

Pick yourself and make positive change happen. 

♻️ Repost to help your tribe be the change they wish they had
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It's not your fault that you aren't getting promoted.

Companies love to promote the wrong people: 

People with seniority, big numbers, and loud mouths. 

But don't let that stop you from getting promoted the right way.

Promoting the right way is simple.
It's not about being extraordinary. 
Nor is it about being high performing. 

It's about being a high-impact person. 

High-impact people don't chase what others chase:

🏷 Executive titles
🏢 The corner office
👏 Praise and recognition
🎓 Fancy MBA degrees

High-impact people are simply leaders without titles. 

Lead where you are. 

No hierarchy.
No entitlement.
No permission needed.

✅ Seek impact, not impressions.
✅ Take initiative when others are complacent.
✅ Pursue excellence when no one's watching.
✅ Lift morale when others stick to themselves.

The gap between insignificance and influence shouldn't be authority.

It's the choice to become the leader you wish you had.

What do you think?

The best leaders aren't the smartest in the room. 

More Knowledge won't get you promoted. Try this instead:

Acquire wisdom. 

Here's why:

🧠 Knowledge is about knowing more. 
🦉 Wisdom is about knowing you don't know enough. 

🧠 Knowledge says, "I know the answer." 
🦉 Wisdom asks, "What's the right question?"

🧠 Knowledge recites best practices. 
🦉 Wisdom knows when to break them.

🧠 Knowledge speaks first in meetings. 
🦉 Wisdom listens, then synthesizes what others missed.

🧠 Knowledge focuses on being right. 
🦉 Wisdom focuses on being useful.

🧠 Knowledge collects information. 
🦉 Wisdom connects the dots others can't see.

The leaders who get promoted aren't the ones with the most certifications or the largest vocabulary.

They're the ones who can navigate complexity, read between the lines, and make decisions when the data is incomplete.

They turn information into insight. Problems into opportunities. Chaos into clarity.

Stop collecting Knowledge. Start cultivating wisdom.

Your career will thank you.

What's one moment when wisdom mattered more than Knowledge in your career? Share below 👇

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Making Leaders Remarkable | Follow for systems & strategies for effortless leadership & remarkable work | Founder & Principal building an 8-figure sales agency from scratch

Avoid being the 99% who wait to get promoted.

Trust me when I say:

- mastering influence
- excelling in your role
- crafting solutions as a niche
- teaching others to create success

And above all, being worthy of remark...

Will make it 100x easier to get promoted.

Waiting for an opportunity isn’t reliable. Go create a demand for your skills.

99% of people miss a promotion because they try to do "more". 

Future leaders focus on who they are becoming.

❌ Stop asking, "What must I do to get promoted?"
✅ Start asking, "Am I becoming someone worth following?"

❌Stop asking, "How many more years do I need to wait for that next promotion?"
✅ Start asking, "Where can I initiate, and whom can I begin serving today?"

❌Stop asking, "How can I get noticed by leadership?"
✅ Start asking, "How can I shine a spotlight on others?"

❌Stop asking, "What skills do I need on my resume?"
✅ Start asking, "What real, soft skills can I develop?"

❌Stop asking, "Who can help advance my career?"
✅ Start asking, "Whose career can I help advance today?"

❌Stop asking, "What tasks can I take off my boss's plate?"
✅ Start asking, "What common problem can I bring solutions for?"

If you are frustrated that nothing is changing, stop asking the same questions everybody else asks.

Ask better questions.
You'll get different, better results.

"Quality questions create a quality life." - Tony Robbins.

What questions have you asked yourself to become the leader you wish you had?

You can't just "wing it" in leadership. 

If you want to succeed as a leader, start asking two questions:

"Who will I serve today?"
"Who will I surprise this week?" 

Leadership is simple. 
Leadership is servant leadership. 
Servant leadership is not waiting around hoping to be asked for help. 
Servant leadership is initiating and planning acts of service. 

You will either lead well or not. There's no in betweena. 

You can fail to plan your leadership, but you will plan to fail as a leader. 

How do you plan to lead well this week?

Don't just pray for a great culture.

Be the answer to your prayer.

It's easy to hope for a healthy workplace—one where you feel safe, valued, and seen.

But culture isn't something you stumble upon.

It's something you help create.

Culture is not:

- Pizza, ping pong, or even pickleball
- Unlimited PTO or remote work
- A profitable business unit
- A mission statement
- HR department
- Core values
- The CEO

The success or attitude of individual contributors is not the measure of culture. 
But it is measured by:

- Low burnout
- Employee referrals
- High retention rates
- People celebrate each other
- Alignment of all people and parts
- The way employees feel on Sunday night

Yet, no culture is perfect. Even great workplaces will disappoint at times.
And that's okay.

That's why what matters is how you carry yourself and champion the culture you wish you had.

You bring attitude, habits, and values everywhere you go.

The best cultures aren't found. Courageous people cultivate them.

So yes, pray for a great team, a mission you can stand behind, and a culture that breathes life.

But don't stop there.
Be the person who:

- Gives credit
- Has a bias for action
- Chooses to lead without a title.
- Praises the efforts and success of others.
- Isn't waiting to be asked to serve but creates opportunities to serve.

You're not just a recipient of great culture.
You're crafting it... every single day.

What are the best ways a leader without a title can impact their culture?

The best medical sales reps don't sell. They serve.

After 14 years in medical sales, I've watched too many reps crash and burn trying to be the smartest person in the room.

Here's what actually works:

Stop trying to impress doctors.
Start trying to improve patient outcomes.

This mindset changes everything.

Here are the non-negotiables for high-performing medical sales reps: 

✅ Lead with patient impact, not product features
✅ Create opportunities to serve your customers. 
✅ Play the long game and build trust as you build your pipeline.
✅ Educate, educate, educate. 
✅ Don't knock the competition. 

Here's the interesting truth:

When you stop selling and start serving, your numbers go up.

In medical sales, we don't just move products.
We're integral to someone's healing.

Act like it.

What's the most important lesson you've learned about putting people before profit?

♻️ Repost if this resonates
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The #1 credential for leadership is character. 

Without high integrity, you can't influence people effectively. 

Character is more important than your certifications.
Character is more important than your degrees. 
Character is more important than your experience.
Character is more important than your success. 
Character is more important than your content.
Character is more important than your mission.

Character is the most foundational aspect of leadership, as everything flows from it. 

Your hard work. Your motivation. Your goals for your people. Your servant leadership. Your trustworthiness.

All of it flows from the person you are when nobody is watching.

Before you ask what you should do to be a leader, ask, "Who am I becoming?"

Character is a slow brew. It is shaped and developed through testing over time. 

So be patient. 
Know who you want to become.
Be that person. 
When you fail, own up to it. 

That's what the people around you need most. 

Then watch yourself naturally work on being and having all those other things essential for success with people. 

Do you agree or disagree? Comment and let me know.
♻️ Repost and like if you agree

P C.

Don't quit. Don't give up. Turn that frustration around. 

Because success is not a corner office, a title, or a bigger role. 

Thinking in terms of vanity metrics almost destroyed my career. 

Thinking I could impact lives if I had that bigger role hindered my effort. 

I realized that it wasn't my managers keeping me from bigger and better things. 
It was me. 

Once I chose to be a salesblazer, making positive change happen right where I was and leading without a title, my career blossomed. 

Here's the mindset that finds success with or without titles:

- You make change happen for the sake of others. 
- You initiate solving common problems your way. 
- You think beyond your role. Create a rising tide. 
- You are willing to ask for help from your tribe.
- You are faithful with what you've been given.
- You detach from outcomes. Create systems. 
- You know what makes you unique. 
- You don't hate small beginnings.
- You adopt the 12-week year. 
- You aim to work hard. 
- You excel. 

The result? 

You build an impactful and successful career.

The brutal truth about starting your own business: it doesn't give you the freedom, security, and everything you dreamt about when first starting.

Well... at least not at first.

Ben Horowitz said it best:

"As a startup CEO, I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried."

While my trust in the Lord keeps me sound asleep at night, that doesn't mean I don't wrestle with stress and anxiety over the business and the people that have come along for the ride. 

Building a medical sales agency from scratch has taught me:

- Relationships are priceless, and integrity - even when it costs you - is the glue that keeps them together.

- While you have a sense of ownership over your calendar, you're owned by the customer and your people. 

- When your people don't show up, you have to... even if it's on the weekend. 

- No such thing as a cushy savings account because cash goes quick when you're scaling fast. 

- More time with your family? No such thing. 

Everybody dreams about starting a business.

But nobody wants to sacrifice and prepare for the cost of actually building a business from scratch. 

Starting a business isn't about freedom.

It's about trading one set of problems for another — except now they're all yours.

And there's no one to blame if things don't get done except yourself 😂 

Is it worth it? 

100%. 

What matters most is to count the cost before you leap. 

Because the business builders who survive aren't the ones with the best ideas.

They're the ones who knew what they were signing up for — and chose it anyway.

What's the hardest part of starting a business nobody warned you about?

The biggest mistake I made in building an influential sales career:

Not being generous.

Not monetarily, that's easy.

But sacrificial with everything else.

Now I give away my:

- Expertise to customers with zero strings attached
- Strengths & skills to develop others
- Time in the trenches with our reps
- Ideas to improve our organization

Giving binds people into a community.

Salesblazers are better together.

Take your work seriously, but not yourself seriously.

One of the greatest mindsets for doing great work without running over people:

- Think of yourself less (& others more)
- You’re not that important
- Commit unwaveringly to your mission
- Leave a mark on those you serve
- Decide to involve the skills and talents of your team
- Have fun

Nobody likes to work with arrogant jerks. 

The humble way, while more challenging, brings everybody together to accomplish your important work.

Caring isn't a strategy you implement. 

It is a lifestyle you embody daily.

So stop acting like you care. Start actually caring. 

❌ Don't perform empathy for your team 
✅ Genuinely invest in their growth

❌ Don't fake interest in customers
 ✅ Detach from profit and connect as humans

❌ Don't care for the applause 
✅ Care because it's a person you can impact

If you feel you are acting, tell yourself to care genuinely.

Do the work to make an impact, not just to impress.

What's one way to embody authentic care?

♻️ Repost to inspire leaders to care
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The system for promoting salespeople is broken.

And it's costing companies their best leaders.

5 metrics nobody is using to discover true leaders:

Old metrics:

- Seniority
- Expertise
- Big personality
- Quota achievement
- Number of direct reports

Better metrics:

- Flexes between extrovert and introverted personalities
- Develops and creates more leaders (not just followers)
- People passionately following their mission and vision
- Obsesses over people first over quota
- Initiates acts of service

The common denominator? 

Not quota achievement or high-performing. 
But pouring into people because that's the right thing to do. 

Traditional credentials make a manager. 
People make the leader.

What's one trait youve seen in a great leader that never shows up on a performance review?

The system for promoting salespeople is broken

No matter how experienced you are, selling can be daunting.

Here's how to stay calm (without hacks):

Overthinking ➡️ Write out strategy 
Uninspired ➡️ Read customer stories
Scared of rejection ➡️ Practice your pitch
Stuck in a rut ➡️ Call a mentor
Tired of cold-calling ➡️ Rehearse your why
Confused ➡️ Leverage AI
Frustrated by mgmt ➡️ Go lead
Burned out ➡️ Create a system
Impatient ➡️ Impatient
Unmotivated ➡️ Read a book

What would you add?

Find a leader to work for. Not a job to do. 

The wrong manager can burn you out and hold back your life. 

The right managers know your emotional and physical capacity and help you maximize it, not exhaust it. 

The best leaders are agnostic to "hustle culture."  
They not only push their people to greatness but also protect them from burnout. 

The best managers prioritize people first, then profit. 

Choose leaders who want to see you succeed without crashing. 

Agree? Let me know your thoughts👇

Charles Thompson

Account Executive @ Experian | Tenant Screening Solutions

I have helped build a community over a 1,000 members and along the way thought it would make sense to help people feel comfortable using LinkedIn create a presence to open up doors for the life they want.

If you want to join do it below:

https://www.skool.com/presence-co-5767/about?ref=78fbe94485c74555a4fc1ad54839e831


Helping people take control of their credit story. One click. One insight. One breakthrough at a time.

After years of selling with at Experian, I joined Pentius to push the boundaries of what financial wellness really means. Not just reports and scores, but tools that empower real people to live better, freer lives.

Southern California native. Former aspiring pediatrician turned people-first seller. Dad of four. Coach on and off the court. Relentlessly competitive whether it’s board games, basketball, or closing deals.

Now building with some of the sharpest minds in fintech. If you’re passionate about clarity, equity, and access in credit, let’s talk.

Concertation:
Credit Monitoring 
Identity Theft 
Sales
Thought Leadership 
Storytelling
Public Speaking
Coaching

Account Executive

I am responsible for: 

•	Ensuring Experian meets and exceeds my client expectations  

•	Identifying and analyzing key business, market, and product opportunities in alignment with strategy of Tenant Screening

•	Engaging key decision-makers in dialogues, to ensure they are informed of our innovative solutions 

•	Hosting presentations and demonstrations 

•	Ensuring our new and existing clients are informed of our innovative new tools 

•	Researching and identifying emerging markets and trends

I just got let go from my job, not for performance. My role was eliminated. Turns out I trusted the wrong people and ignored the writing on the wall.

A month ago my buddy got cut. I should've read the room. Instead I kept my head down and did my job. That's just how I'm wired.

So here I am. Time to find my next gig.

A little about me:
— Director of Sales experience leading full revenue cycles
— Managed a $3.2M territory at Experian, 105% quota
— Not afraid to get my hands dirty and build my own pipeline 
— Background in SaaS, credit data, and identity protection

Looking for a Senior AE, or Director of Sales, role at a company that has a dope culture.

If something comes to mind, I'd love to connect. charles.joe.thompson@gmail.com |

I help individuals and businesses build a presence on Linkedin | Sales Leader | Pickleball Fanatic |

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First Monday without a job since college.

Weird feeling. But I’m not sitting with it.

Here’s how I’m spending my day:

Working the pipeline. Many of you have already put real opportunities in front of me; I see you and I appreciate it. Now it’s time to qualify, vet, and close. That’s what I do.

Going back to basics. Studying. Sharpening. The best reps never stop working on their craft.

DoorDash. Yeah, I said it. Until the next paycheck comes in, I’m not too proud to put in the work. Gotta take care of the family.

Networking. I finally have more time ,let’s connect. Seriously, hit my DMs.

And enjoying the slow mornings with my family. There’s a silver lining in here somewhere.

If you know of a AE, or Director of Sales opportunity in SaaS, fintech, or identity/data — I’m all ears.

Grateful for the village. Let’s get to work. 🦾

Nothing can touch you unless God allows it.



That job you didn’t get.
That relationship that ended.
That opportunity that vanished overnight.

It wasn’t stolen from you.

It wasn’t meant for you.

At least not right now.

And if God is sovereign, really sovereign 
then holding bitterness makes no sense.

You don’t have to carry resentment.
You don’t have to replay the “what if.”
You don’t have to blame people.

If it left, it wasn’t yours.
If it’s yours, it can’t miss you.

And just because it wasn’t for you then
doesn’t mean it won’t be later.

But here’s the deeper truth:

Sometimes it’s not that you lost something good.
It’s that God is protecting you for something better.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…” — Romans 8:28

Trust the closed door.

Being a dad taught me priorities. 
Not balance.


Balance implies everything deserves equal weight. 

Priorities admit that some things don’t make the cut.

Kids make that real because the time is just… gone. Some things you can’t negotiate .

Once I accepted that, work got clearer too. 

Fewer things on the list. The right things.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​🫡

POV:
I make cold calls for a living…

But when my phone rings
I stare at it like this.

You want to build a “big” personal brand?
Cool.
Just know this first:

The clearer you get… the more people you lose.

The more you clarify what you’re about, what you believe, how you think 

The more you disqualify people without ever saying a word to them.

Some will unfollow. Some will decide you’re “not for them.”

Good.

That’s the whole point.

Branding isn’t about being liked by everyone.
It’s about being unmistakable to the right ones.

Clarity repels the wrong fits and magnetizes the right ones 

The clients who actually buy.

The partners who think like you.

The people worth building with.

Think about it this way:

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he killed 70% of their product line.

Less for more people became more for the right people.

Apple went from near-bankruptcy to the most valuable brand in the world.

Your brand works the same way.

If everyone feels neutral about you, you don’t have a brand.

You have noise.

The goal isn’t mass approval. It’s alignment.

So…are you trying to be accepted by everyone?

Or chosen by the right few?

taplio

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Charles Thompson

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