"In business, they don't bet on the horse. They bet on the jockey. The more things you do to differentiate yourself — not just the product — the more that likability factor becomes the deal." — Stephen Rouse

Stephen Rouse once showed up unannounced at Home Depot's corporate headquarters with a holiday lighting product and walked out with a $3 million order. He's cold-called pharmaceutical executives the day after a LinkedIn reply. He's mailed calligraphy letters to 300 accounts that wouldn't return an email. His playbook isn't in any sales training manual — and that's exactly the point.

In this conversation, Stephen and Karl dig into one of the most counterintuitive growth strategies for founders and sales leaders: the deliberate, strategic decision to do things that don't scale. Not because you can't automate — but  ...