Advisor to small recruitment firms looking to scale to 7 figures | Check out my website to see about working together

Two years ago, I started working with a boutique recruiting agency that had hit a wall.

The founder was stuck. No consistent pipeline. Sales were reactive. Everything depended on him — and when he focused on delivery, growth stalled.

Over 18 months, we rebuilt his outbound engine from the ground up. Account targeting, messaging, automation, KPIs — all designed to operate without him. Today, that firm has scaled to $5.6M, and their pipeline runs with consistency and control.

That story isn’t unique. Since then, I’ve helped dozens of founder-led recruiting firms move from ad hoc sales to structured, scalable growth.

I do this through The Systematic Recruiter — a proven 90-day method to build outbound systems that generate pipeline even when the founder is focused on running the business, not stuck inside it.

This isn’t coaching theory. I work hands-on inside my clients’ CRMs — writing sequences, mapping targeting frameworks, and building processes they can rely on.

The outcome? A fully operational sales system designed to run without the founder.

Most of my clients come to me when they’re ready to move beyond survival mode and scale with intention.

If you're still relying on referrals, sporadic outreach, or bursts of activity during slow months — it’s time for a system.

Book a call and I’ll walk you through it. No pitch unless it’s a fit.

Keely Flood

Most SMB founders and owners in the service trades hit the wall when scaling sales. 

- They’re tangled in day-to-day selling.
- They struggle to set up their new reps for success.
- Their sales team's performance is inconsistent and unpredictable.

That’s where I come in.

I’m Sean Lyden, founder and CEO of Systematic Selling, where we help SMB owners and their sales teams in the service trades scale their sales (without the chaos).

A little about me:
- Former U.S. Top 25 medium-duty truck sales rep (GMC, Chevrolet, Isuzu brands)
- 28 years in sales; the past 12 as a founder
- 1,200+ coaching sessions: founders, owners, and their sales teams
- Co-Author, Collaboration Effect on Profit: Overcoming Founder’s Syndrome to Achieve Sustainable Success (2024).

We help founders, owners, and their sales teams:
- Crush their close rates (without high-pressure tactics).
- Reduce sales team turnover (by setting up reps for success).
- Scale sales (with more intentionality and less stress).

Get started (For free):
📩 Subscribe to the Systematic Selling Newsletter for bite-sized, high-impact sales training straight to your inbox: https://www.systematicselling.co/
🎙️ Listen to the Systematic Selling Podcast for expert insights and real-world sales strategies: https://www.systematicselling.co/podcast

Beyond sales…
Outside of coaching, I’m a proud husband, dad, and granddad—and when I’m not helping founders scale, you might catch me at a Central Florida venue jamming a few sets on the sax 🎷 as my alter ego, TheSilverSax, blending blues, rock, and Latin grooves.

If you’re ready to break the sales bottleneck and build a business you love, let’s connect. 👊

Sean Lyden

Workplaces would be far less toxic if employees could “write up” their bosses for the same reasons bosses write them up.

Think about it.

What recourse does someone have when a leader:
 – sets unclear expectations
 – withholds support
 – moves the goalposts
 – then documents the “failure” they helped create?

They usually have one option:

Leave.

That imbalance protects poor leadership
and quietly drives out your best people.

Strong cultures fix this by design.

They build upward accountability:
 – real feedback loops
 – psychological safety
 – leaders who are evaluated on how well their teams succeed.

The goal isn’t to punish managers.
It’s to make leadership a responsibility...not a shield.

Sean M. Lyden

Founder & CEO, Systematic Selling | Helping Growth-Minded SMB Founders Scale Their Sales (Without the Chaos) |🎙️Host of the Systematic Selling Podcast

Honored to be a small fry joining these big-time players on the Board of Directors of the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce.

Looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and serving alongside these amazing entrepreneurs and professionals on behalf of our thriving Orlando business community 🔥

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In 2025, we took on an ambitious goal.

We called it "Operation: Snakeskin."

Shed our remaining content agency business
 — and replace that revenue with sales training clients.

The pivot officially began in July 2024 when we rebranded from Lyden Communications LLC to Systematic Selling.

By the end of 2025?

Mission accomplished.

• Fully phased out agency retainers
• Replaced that revenue with sales training & coaching engagements
• Grew topline revenue by 38.1% during the transition

Some notable 2025 stats:
• Proposal Conversion Rate (PCR): 89.47%
• Overall Close Rate (Discovery → Closed-Won): 62.96%

Revenue mix:
• 66.32% Retainer (training & coaching)
• 33.68% New revenue (new 2025 engagements)

Rates increased 42.86% from January → December 2025.

But here’s the metric that matters most for our 2026 forecast:

👉 Meetings-to-Discovery (M2D).

By “meetings,” I mean informal 1:1s with new contacts
(ICPs, COIs, and potential partners) from:

• Networking events
• LinkedIn & X
• Referrals

In 2025, our M2D was 3.64.

In plain English:

1 out of every 3–4 informal conversations turned into a Deep-Dive Discovery opportunity.

This way...

When you know your:
• Proposal Conversion Rate (PCR)
• Revenue Per Sale (RPS)
• Proposals Per Month (PPM)
• Overall Close Rate (OCR)
• Meetings-to-Discovery (M2D)

You can finally ask the right question:

How many 1:1s do we need to book to hit our revenue forecast?

My answer for 2026:
 👉 4 booked 1:1s per week

Assuming I maintain:
• 3.5 M2D
• 85% PCR
• 63% OCR

So how do I hit that number predictably?

My 5-Point Plan (pressure-tested in 2025):

1. 1–10–20 Framework (Daily)

→ 1 post  (repurposed across LinkedIn, X, Company Page, Substack, etc.)
→ 10 DMs
→ 20 ICP connection requests

2. 6+ networking events per month (every month)

3. 2 direct 1:1 invites per day, 5 days/week (average)

4. 1+ newsletter article per week
 (Systematic Selling Newsletter)

5. 2+ podcast episodes per month
 (Systematic Selling Podcast)

I spent all of 2025 testing these plays.

Now I have the data to run them on a larger scale.

Big takeaway?

Know your numbers.
Especially the ones that tell you how many 1:1s it takes to win.

Because growth doesn’t come from hope.

It comes from math.
And relentless execution.

That's #SystematicSelling.

I won’t coach a sales rep 1:1 unless I also coach their boss.

That means the owner or the sales leader.

Why?

Because if leadership doesn't buy into our 'no-pressure, no drama' approach to sales…

If the culture is toxic…
If the comp plan sucks…
If there are no sales systems in place...

Then everyone is set up for failure.

Not just the rep.

I’ve spent more than a decade training and coaching elite sales teams in the SMB service trades, and one pattern shows up every time:

The winners win from the top down.

That’s why at Systematic Selling, we coach from the top down.

Because sales performance isn't just a rep problem.
It’s also a leadership and systems problem.

Uncomfortable truth: You struggle with integrity.

Not with other people.

With yourself.

You’re honest.
Trustworthy.
Dependable.
Conscientious.
On time.

You do what you say...for other people.

But the promises you make to you?

Those are optional.

“I’ll work out.”
“I’ll prospect consistently.”
“I’ll be more present at home.”
“I’ll protect my calendar.”
“I’ll invest in my relationships.”

And then… life happens.

Deadlines.
Distractions.
Excuses.

So they get pushed.

Again.

This sounds harsh. But hear me out...

You're not alone. 
You're in good company. 
We all struggle with this.

But you have a self-integrity gap.

Because true integrity isn’t just keeping commitments to others.

It’s also honoring the ones you make to yourself.

Before I commit to anything now, I ask one question:

“Can I realistically follow through on this?”

If the answer is no, I adjust the commitment.

Smaller.
Simpler.
More sustainable.

No more lying to myself.
No more overpromising.

Just doing what I said I’d do...especially for myself.

This one change in the past 6 months has been absolutely transformational in my life and business.

That’s how you rebuild self-trust.

One promise kept at a time.

Too many people are afraid of fear. 

But I use fear as fuel... as long as it's productive 👇

Fuel that drives me to "finish strong" in my life.

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systematicselling

Want a simple way to unseat an incumbent competitor—without trash-talking?

Ask this question in Discovery:

“On a scale from 1–10…
where would you rate your current provider?”

Most answers land around a 6 or 7.

That’s your opening.

Follow with:

“What would they need to change to earn a 10?”

That answer tells you:

- What the buyer actually cares about
- Where the incumbent is vulnerable
- Whether switching is even on the table.

You’re not trying to convince them you're better.

You’re letting the buyer define the gap.

And if you can fill that gap?

Now they're open to hearing how you work.

That's #SystematicSelling.

We connected on LinkedIn and decided to meet IRL for coffee. Just an informal get-to-know-you conversation.

Or so I thought.

He opened with a curveball.

"Sorry, but I only have 30 minutes. Tell me about what you do and how you can help us."

Pause.

How would you respond?

Here's how I handled it—by taking back the Power Frame.

"I appreciate that. My intention today wasn't to pitch you. It was to get to know you. At this point, I don't know yet whether you'd be a good fit for us, and vice versa.

So, why don't we do this: I’ll share a bit about my business, then you do the same. If we see alignment, awesome. We can dig deeper. If not, no harm done. Sound good?”

This Power Frame shift changed everything. 

The tension dropped. The conversation flowed.

And two weeks later, it turned into new business.

Lesson:
Always reclaim the Power Frame.
Don't let anyone rush you into a pitch before you—and they—are ready.

That's #SystematicSelling

Most sales teams track Revenue Per Sale (RPS).

But we also track Revenue Per Touch (RPT).

Why?

Because every touch has value—
even the ones that end in “no.”

The mistake most people make is treating rejection as wasted effort.

It’s not.

It’s a required input.

You don’t get the yeses without the nos.

So instead of avoiding uncomfortable outreach, we measure it:

– DMs
– Calls
– Texts
– Emails
– Follow-ups
– Conversations
– Disqualifications

All of those touches compound into revenue over time...
whether they lead to meetings, sales, or nothing at all.

Tracking RPT removes emotion from prospecting.

No good days.
No bad days.
Just inputs and outputs.

Track the work, not just the wins.

Because the wins come from consistent work.

❌ Frame: Cold outreach = interruption
✅ Reframe: Cold outreach = introduction

If you genuinely believe in yourself and your solution...

Why would you ever hesitate to introduce yourself to as many people as possible?

So, try this reframe:

Cold outreach isn't about interrupting someone's day.
It's about introducing yourself.

Why it works:
It supports healthy “rejection management.”

Some people will appreciate your outreach. 
Others won’t.
So what?

That’s normal. It’s nothing personal.
Move on to introducing yourself to the next person on your list.

When I sold GM commercial trucks in the 2000s, I learned a lesson that still shapes how I run Systematic Selling today:

Treat EVERYONE on your team who plays a part in the sale...
as a high-value client.

What does that look like?

In truck sales, that meant building genuine relationships with people on our dealer support team, like:

1. Service advisors

I’d bring coffee and bagels to their break room — 
not to “ask for favors,” but to say thank you.

Result: 
My fleet customers often became their top priority.


2. Vehicle delivery drivers

I got to know them. Their families. Their lives.

Result: 
They’d rearrange schedules to expedite my deliveries when it mattered.


3. Back-office staff

They handled all the logistics behind every deal —
tag & title, paperwork, booking. 
High stress, little recognition.

I was patient. Appreciative. Human.

Result: 
More than once, they dropped everything to take care of my customer.


The bottom line:

Your sales success depends on how you treat EVERYONE involved in the sale.

Not just the person who signs the contract.

I've carried that lesson into helping founders and sales leaders
build elite sales teams in the service trades...

by training sales reps to treat technicians, dispatch, and operations like customers.

Because here's the reality:

Your support team may not be your client.
But you gain an unfair competitive advantage when you treat them like they are.

That's #SystematicSelling

Leaders, please remember:

Every message you send to your team carries more weight than you think.

Email. Text. Slack. Teams.

By default, your employees assume you mean:

“Drop everything and respond now."

Even if that wasn't your intention.

And when expectations aren't clear, your most conscientious employees default to panic mode.

They get stressed.
They neglect other priorities
They feel set up for failure.

All of which can be avoided with one simple fix:

Set expectations inside your message.

For example:

• “No rush. End of day is fine.”
• “Can you get back to me by tomorrow?”
• “This one’s urgent—could you reply by 2 pm ET?”

Because clarity is kindness.

Especially when it comes to communicating your expectations.

Greek philosopher Aristotle said this over 2,300 years ago:

“Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.”

And he was right...especially as it comes to selling.

Because the sale begins long before you speak.

Before you pitch...
Before you demo...
Before you share recommendations...

The buyer is already asking themselves:

• Can I trust you?
• Can I trust you won’t burn me?
• Can I trust you’ll deliver what you promise?

You could present the most compelling offer imaginable.

But if the buyer doesn’t believe you, they won’t buy from you.

So if you want to become an elite seller, start with the foundation:

Earn a reputation as someone who:
 • Does what they say they’ll do
 • Follows through consistently
 • Is great to do business with.

Because when your character is solid, your trustworthiness does the selling for you.

Your character becomes currency.
And it’s worth more than any script, pitch deck, or “perfect closing technique” ever could.

That's #SystematicSelling.

Founders & sales leaders: 
Become the leader worthy of the elite sales team you desire to build. 👇

Most people know stories can sell.

But we overlook something bigger:

Stories also sell us — and not always in a good way.

Especially the stories we repeat to reinforce limiting beliefs.

The ones that stop us from being the hero of our own journey.

We get trapped in the Negative Narrative, where the villain — our inner critic — always wins.

When that happens, I use a simple tool to flip the script:

👉 Three magic words:

“That’s precisely why…”

Try it:

❌ You’re too old.
✅ That’s precisely why I bring more value. 

I have decades of experience and pattern recognition most people lack.

❌ You don’t have industry experience.
✅ That’s precisely why I'm the perfect fit. 

I bring fresh eyes, without the blind spots that typically creep in over time.

❌ You failed last time.
✅ That’s precisely why I'm ready now. 

I've gained data, wisdom, and resilience.

The “That’s Precisely Why” formula turns doubt into fuel.

It helps me flip the script to stories that push me foward, 
Not hold me back.

Try it the next time your inner critic speaks up.

Two words I never let a coaching client finish saying:

“I assume…”

The moment I hear:

“I assume they…”
“My assumption is…”

I stop them. Every. Time.

Because assumptions kill deals.

• Assuming urgency
• Assuming budget
• Assuming decision authority
• Assuming “they’re not interested.”

When in doubt, find out.

Ask for clarification.
Get the actual answer.
Replace assumptions with facts.

As the old adage goes:

Assumption is the mother of all f***-ups.

Especially in sales.

Don’t assume.
Just ask.

This weekend reminder is as much for me as it is for anyone else.

If you want to keep going hard and fast...
You gotta build in rest & recovery cycles.

Founders & sales leaders, as you prepare for this week, remember:

Don't mess with a sales rep's pay.

(Unless it's to improve it...for both your reps and the company.)

Better yet, get the comp plan right up front.

Whatever you do...

Resist the temptation to move the goal posts because a rep is "making too much money."

If they're crushing it and making a ton of money...

So are you. 

SystematicSelling.co

I have seen the most sales hiring announcements across numerous trades and ancillary industries (like equipmemt sales) this month on LinkedIn than I have seen in a long time.

Especially in the commercial trades.

Y’all seeing the same thing? 

Or is the algo feeding into my bias?

Sales advice you should reject immediately:

“The customer is always right.”

In a service business, following a customer’s “orders” is a surefire way of setting yourself up for failure.

They’re hiring YOU to take the lead.

Yes. Listen to your customer. 
Make them feel heard and understood.
But recognize they don’t always know what’s right for them. 

That’s why you’re there.
→ To protect their interests.
→ To watch their back.
→ To be their guide.

Your job is to ensure they'll never regret having chosen you.

taplio

The Battle

Keely Flood

Sean Lyden

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The Battle

Keely Flood

Sean Lyden

Followers

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sean Lyden's LinkedIn Performance

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