In this final episode of Season 1 of Revenue Through Reputation, Brandon Lee discusses the rapid shifts happening in the world of leadership visibility. The changing landscape of B2B sales, content creation, and executive branding is being driven by economic pressures, artificial intelligence and generational changes. The shift is clear: businesses need to lean into human-to-human interactions and personal storytelling to drive trust and create business opportunities in a world full of noise.

🔹 The Shift to Human-to-Human Interactions

The landscape of leadership visibility is rapidly changing. With economic headwinds and AI tools becoming more prevalent, companies are shifting away from cold outreach and automation and embracing the human element of connection. Building authentic relationships and providing thought leadership (even without a “capital T”) has become the key to standing out and opening new opportunities.

🔹 AI is Here, But It's Not the Holy Grail

AI tools are advancing quickly, but Brandon points out that AI-driven cold outreach and content creation are still missing the human touch. Although AI can assist with efficiency and personalization, it can’t replicate the genuine, emotionally resonant content that grabs attention and builds real trust. As Brandon shares, “If it smells like AI, we move on.”

🔹 Why Everyone Should Be Investing in Thought Leadership

It’s not just executives anymore—everyone in the company should be encouraged to build their personal brand. 90% of companies are now investing in thought leadership for their teams through LinkedIn posts, YouTube videos, and even conference participation. “We’re all thought leaders,” Brandon says. “We all have unique experiences worth sharing.”

🔹 The ROI of Personal Branding and Visibility

People do business with people they trust. Personal visibility, whether through content, comments, or direct outreach, is essential for building that trust. As Brandon puts it, “The more visible you are, the more conversations you’ll have, and the more opportunities will come your way.” He also highlights the story of Chris Dunn, whose LinkedIn activity led to over $400K in new revenue.

🔹Building Reputation is More Important Than Ever

The path to greater success in business is through consistent and authentic content creation that reflects your unique journey. “When you share your experiences, you invite others into the conversation,” says Brandon. It’s not just about posting—it’s about building relationships and creating connection through your story.

As the business landscape continues to shift, personal visibility and reputation have become essential for leadership success. While AI tools and automation have their place, nothing replaces the human connection that truly builds trust and drives business growth. As Brandon shares, “You don’t need to be a ‘thought leader’ to share your experiences and start building your network. Everyone has unique stories that can resonate with others.”

To succeed in today’s fast-evolving market, leaders must show up, be authentic, and share their journey.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

In this episode of Revenue Through Reputation, Brandon Lee dives deep into why traditional sales tactics and cold outreach are no longer effective in 2025’s digital-first world. The crux of the issue? Buyers trust people, not brands, brochures or cold calls. As leaders, it’s crucial to lead with authenticity and share your journey to build trust and capture attention.

Brandon explains why companies need to shift away from value propositions, features, and case studies, and instead focus on sharing human stories that resonate emotionally with their audience. This episode highlights the emotional resonance required to stand out and turn passive content into meaningful conversations that drive sales.

Brandon encourages leaders to share their experiences, their challenges, and what they’re learning in real-time. This human-centric approach to content will drive engagement, spark conversations, and ultimately fill your pipeline.

• The Need for Human Connection:
  In today’s world, buyers aren’t responding to the same old value propositions and cold outreach methods. Instead, they connect with human stories—the lived experiences, the challenges faced, and the lessons learned. When you put your humanity into your content, you break through the noise.
• Emotional Resonance Over Logic:
  Logic might make people think, but emotion makes people act. In the age of information overload, emotional content is what stands out. Sharing personal stories, like challenges you've overcome or insights you’ve gained, connects more deeply with your audience than any brochure could.
• Trust is Built Through Visibility:
  Brandon emphasizes the importance of executive visibility. When leaders share their authentic journey, they build trust—not by promoting a product but by showcasing their humanity and authority. This makes your audience feel they know you, and trust follows naturally.
• The Shift to Leader-Led Content:
  Content led by CEOs and other executives is far more impactful than generic brand messaging. Leaders must share their personal experiences and thoughts to drive conversations and engagement. Brands that focus on leader-led content create lasting relationships, not just transactions.
• Why Cold Outreach is Failing:
  Cold calling, emailing, and LinkedIn DMs are becoming increasingly ineffective. The traditional cold outreach model lacks personalization and fails to make a meaningful connection. Buyers simply aren’t responding to the same old tactics anymore.

In a world where buyers trust people, not brands, it's time to shift the focus of your sales efforts. Authenticity and emotional resonance are the true keys to breaking through the noise and creating genuine, lasting connections with your audience. Leaders must show up, share their personal journey, and build trust—one story at a time.

As Brandon said, “The more you share your humanity, the more you’ll build relationships that lead to opportunities.” It's time to start sharing your journey and let your authentic voice lead the way.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

What happens when a sales leader stops posting polished content and starts sharing dog walks, family stories, and honest business lessons? For Chris Dunn, VP of Sales at BlueHive Exhibits, it resulted in deeper trust, stronger visibility, and over $300K in attributed revenue.

In this episode of Revenue Through Reputation, Chris joins Brandon Lee to talk about how his morning walks with Barton the dog evolved into a podcast, created demand, and reshaped how BlueHive builds pipeline.

🔹 #BartonTheDog: Emotional Resonance Wins
Chris initially hesitated about being 'the dog guy' on LinkedIn. But those posts sparked familiarity and connection. "People I hadn't spoken to in years knew everything about me from my posts." Emotional hooks create memory. Chris found the sweet spot between humanity and business insight, which turned passive scrollers into pipeline opportunities.

🔹 From Morning Thoughts to Content Strategy
The breakthrough came when Chris began tying morning dog-walk reflections to client challenges and sales insights. His content shifted from promotional to relational, positioning him as both relatable and trustworthy. This mix of personal stories and professional value built real audience engagement.

🔹 Why He Launched a Show
Wanting to uplevel his visibility and thought leadership, Chris started The Event Marketer's Toolbox podcast. He didn't begin as a confident host—but by partnering with Fist Bump, he streamlined the process and committed to consistency. The result? Stronger relationships, broader reach, and repurposable content assets every week.

🔹 Results That Speak for Themselves
Through consistent content and his show, Chris generated over $300K in new revenue—including repeat business. One inbound opportunity stemmed from a connection who had never liked or commented, but had been silently following for years. His posts and podcast gave prospects the confidence to trust him without a hard pitch.

🔹 Advice for Leaders on the Fence
Chris admits he once felt nervous about "putting himself out there." But now he views digital visibility not as a nice-to-have, but as essential. "You can't show up for 30 days and expect ROI. It's about consistency, authenticity, and trust." For leaders skeptical of building a personal voice, Chris emphasizes: Start human, stay visible, and real results will follow.

Chris Dunn proves that when authenticity meets strategy, your reputation becomes your greatest sales asset. His journey from casual posts to consistent podcasting offers a roadmap for executives ready to ditch cold outreach and build trust-first visibility.

As Chris says, "Just be real. The right people will find you".

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

Most B2B teams aren’t doing marketing wrong, they’re just doing it like it’s 2014.

You’ve got the blog posts, the newsletters, the case studies, the MQL funnel. But if your campaigns feel busy and your pipeline feels quiet, this episode is your wake-up call.

In this solo episode, I talk about the quiet cost of staying stuck in outdated strategies - and what happens when we finally shift from content that promotes to content that connects.

Because buyers don’t want to be impressed by your marketing. They want to feel seen by your message.

✅ Why the “Old Funnel” is Quietly Costing You Deals

• Your content might be polished - but if it doesn’t resonate emotionally, it’s forgettable.
• Case studies and features used to win attention. Today? They sound like everyone else.
• If your buyers don’t feel something, they won’t remember you.

✅ The Shift from Promotion to Connection

• Content that works today is about the leader, not just the logo.
• What you’ve lived, learned, and are still living through - that’s what builds trust.
• Your experience is your unique fire. Don’t hide it behind over-edited messaging.

✅ Emotional Resonance: The New Differentiator

• Logic makes people think. Emotion makes them act - and remember.
• Human content connects. Over-polished content gets scrolled past.
• Ask yourself: Would someone say, “I feel like I know you” after reading this?

✅ Buyers Are Self-Educated - But They Still Need to Trust You

• Today’s buyers are non-linear, digital-first, and saturated with outreach.
• They're not just looking for what you do - they're assessing how it feels to work with you.
• And yes, they’re lurking. Most won’t like or comment - but they’re watching.

✅ Lurkers Convert When the Content is Right

• Your best leads may never engage publicly - but your content is still shaping their impression of you.
• When your content reflects your real voice, they feel it. And when the time is right, they show up.
• “I feel like I already know you” is the new warm lead.

✅ Three Moves You Can Make Today

1. Do a Voice Inventory Ask: Is your content just more noise? Or does it show how you think, work, and lead?
2. Record Real Reflections, Not Talking Points Start capturing thoughts about what you’re living and learning, even if you never post them.
3. Visibility Without Vanity Don’t chase views. Chase resonance. Consistency builds trust, even with quiet followers.

This episode is a direct message to CEOs, founders, and sales leaders who feel like they’re doing everything right but still not seeing results. It’s not about effort. It’s about alignment. And that alignment starts when you stop promoting - and start connecting.

You're not in a marketing crisis. You're in a resonance reset.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

Most CEOs and marketing leaders aren’t doing the wrong things, they’re doing outdated things. In this powerful episode, Brandon Lee reflects on a critical shift: from marketing that promotes to content that connects.

This episode goes deep on why traditional tactics no longer resonate, and what kind of storytelling builds trust, opens doors, and drives revenue today.

▪️ Why Great Content Still Falls Flat

Brandon shares how his first podcast, Celebrate the Wins, had great guests, solid production, and all the “right” content strategy moves… yet it didn’t create results. The reason? The content lacked emotional resonance. It was professional but not personal - visible but not memorable.

▪️ The Power of Humanity Content

Forget robotic “thought leadership.” Today’s buyers want to know the person behind the brand. Brandon calls this “humanity content” - storytelling that offers a glimpse into the life, experience, and values of the executive. It’s not about oversharing—it’s about being real.

▪️ Emotional Resonance is the New KPI

People remember how your content made them feel, not the polished jargon you used. Brandon unpacks why stories that connect to shared emotions -like struggle, growth, or even failure- leave a lasting impact and stand out in the noisy digital landscape.

▪️ Executive Storytelling: The 4-Step Framework

Brandon outlines his 4-step framework to help leaders tell emotionally resonant stories:

• Align: Start with shared experience or pain point
• Agitate: Help them feel the tension or frustration
• Assert: Present your insight or turning point
• Invite: Extend a thoughtful next step or CTA

This model creates relatability, urgency, and trust - without coming off as pitchy or self-serving.

▪️ Your Content Needs a Reset, Not More Volume

If your content calendar is full but your sales team is struggling for meetings, the problem isn’t effort - it’s style. The episode encourages leaders to rethink their content from a connection-first perspective.

If you’re feeling the frustration of content that doesn’t convert or campaigns that don’t start conversations, you’re not alone.

This episode is your roadmap to reset-away from performance marketing that under-delivers and toward reputation-led content that actually builds trust.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

In this episode of Revenue Through Reputation, Brandon Lee dives deep into why most content strategies fail CEOs and founders—and how the simple act of connection is the secret sauce to lasting growth.

Brandon shares his own experience about the challenges of digital content creation and why many executives still prefer live events and face-to-face networking over “content hustle.” But, as he explains, content done right isn’t about promotion or sales—it’s about connection.

This episode explores how the best leaders use content to build trust and emotional resonance, turning strangers into known and trusted peers before a single sales conversation begins. Brandon reframes content creation as an extension of real-world networking, reminding us that the initial goal isn’t to sell—but to be liked and trusted.

He also busts common myths about social media being too promotional or impersonal, showing how blending personal stories and professional insights creates authentic, memorable content that truly sticks.

You’ll learn why the familiar phrases “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care” still hold more power than ever—and how CEO-led content can help you build that crucial network.

🔹 Content for Connection, Not Promotion

Leaders must shift their mindset from pushing messages to creating meaningful relationships through content that resonates emotionally.

🔹 Lead With Human Stories

Sharing your lived experiences, challenges, and lessons creates trust and memorable connections—more than just business pitches ever will.

🔹 Consistency Builds Trust

Just like showing up regularly at networking events, showing up consistently online fosters familiarity and credibility.

🔹 Emotional Decisions Drive Business

Buyers make emotional choices first, then justify them logically. Content that triggers emotional resonance wins attention and trust.

🔹 CEO Reputation Opens Doors

When CEOs lead content creation, their reputation accelerates sales, recruiting, and partnership opportunities—because people buy from people they know and trust.

🔹 Be Comfortable with Imperfection

Authenticity doesn’t mean sharing everything or being perfect. It means sharing enough to be relatable and memorable without oversharing or risking your brand.

At its core, reputation isn’t built on the loudest voice or flashiest marketing—it’s built on genuine connections that build trust over time. This episode reminds us all, especially seasoned leaders, that embracing a content strategy rooted in real human connection can accelerate growth, amplify influence, and open doors that cold outreach never will.

If you’re ready to stop shouting into the void and start building meaningful relationships that move the needle, this episode will give you the mindset and motivation to do it.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

Marketing teams are under pressure to generate pipeline. Sales wants conversations. The C-suite wants results.

But here's the tension:
Executives expect marketers to get leads. Marketers need their executives to be visible.

That’s the disconnect killing momentum across B2B teams and no campaign can fix it.

In this episode, I will unpack the real reason so many teams feel stuck: it’s not a strategy problem, it’s a visibility gap.

And it’s exactly what the Executive Briefing is designed to diagnose.

This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a strategic reset!

One that gets your CEO, sales, and marketing aligned around what today’s buyers actually trust: visible leaders, human content, and honest conversation.

If your content is active but your pipeline is quiet, this episode explains why.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.

RTR EP07 - Buyers Don’t Follow Funnels. They Follow Visible Leaders.
With Special Guest: Scott Boulas

Scott Boulas was trusted in every room he walked into.
But when he stepped into consulting, he hit a wall: Online, he was invisible.

In this episode, Scott shares how he went from a word-of-mouth reputation to becoming the voice people recognize before they ever meet him.

He didn’t change who he was, he just figured out how to show up online the same way he leads in person.

We talk about:
Why being great offline doesn’t cut it anymore
How Scott started using content to open doors instead of chasing them
The recon mindset that helped him lead in the military — and now drives his visibility strategy
The shift from “posting” to showing up with something real to say
If you’ve ever thought, “People should know who I am by now”, this one’s for you.
Because in 2025, trust isn’t built in private rooms. It’s built in public.

The Revenue Through Reputation Show
Hosted by Brandon Lee
New episodes every Tuesday at 11 AM ET | LinkedIn & YouTube
Empowering CEOs, founders, and sales leaders to build high-impact digital reputations that drive business growth.