Is selling face to face still worth it in 2026?

Michelle says yes. As a fractional CRO, her fastest funnel is going where CEOs and founders are, shaking their hands and looking them in the eye. But the first thing they do after meeting her is go online to check she's the real deal. So her YouTube, LinkedIn and podcast carry the other half. She runs very few ads. Her advice for anyone stuck building funnels, landing pages and the perfect business card: you just gotta talk to people.

Is low revenue always a sales problem?

Every company Michelle walks into thinks it is. They want her to listen to the calls and fix the closers. Then she hears reps doing everything right and losing the buyer at the offer. Or the leads are wrong for the product, and that's your 15% close rate right there. She also checks what happens after the sale, because weak retention drains revenue too. Her job is to look at the whole revenue picture and decide which lever to pull first.

How should a sales team use AI?

Michelle pairs people with AI and keeps someone supervising it. Last year she built a BDR department for a client that 18 months earlier would have needed 6 hires. It ran on 3 people plus 1 sales AI agent. The reps got sharper too, because managing the bot became part of their job. She watches accuracy closely, and when a model starts feeding her bad information she adapts. Anyone planning to replace every advisor with AI, she says, is going to lose.

How do you lead a Gen Z sales team?

Michelle staffed a whole BDR team with recent college grads on a tight budget, and they call the damn leads. Her rules: Gen Z is loyal to the leader first, so be one they look up to. Give them micro coaching and steady feedback so they always know where they stand. Define what success looks like, commit to it, and keep the CEO from moving the carrot. And in the interview, pass on anyone who's never had something hard happen to them.

podcast ·Sep 21, 2026

The Future of Sales Leadership, AI, and Gen Z Teams | Michelle Terpstra

by Drewbie Wilson

In Episode 208 of Call The Damn Leads, Drewbie sits down with revenue strategist and fractional CRO Michelle Terpstra for a high-energy conversation about modern sales leadership, AI, branding, trust, and what it really takes to build revenue systems that scale in this market.

Key Takeaways

CEOs and founders buy from people they trust, and they check you out online before they decide.
When revenue's down, look at lead quality, your offer, customer retention and how your departments connect before you blame sales.
Leaders, consultants and CROs are always selling, even after the contract is signed.
AI can cut overhead a lot, but it needs human oversight to hold on to trust and accuracy.
Gen Z reps respond to mentorship, constant feedback and leaders they trust personally.

Michelle shares the wild story of how she broke into enterprise software sales at just 22 years old while competing against an industry giant who controlled nearly the entire territory. Facing criticism, rumors, and intense competition, she turned grit and in-person relationship building into one of the biggest wins of her career.

They get into why companies often misdiagnose "sales problems," how marketing, sales, and customer success must work together, and why strong leadership means continuously influencing teams long after the sale is closed.

Michelle also breaks down:

Why face-to-face networking still dominates in 2026
The rise of the "trust recession" in modern sales
How AI should support human sales teams
What leaders get wrong about Gen Z sales reps
Why great sales leadership requires constant coaching and adaptation

If you're a founder, sales leader, entrepreneur, or revenue-focused professional trying to scale without losing trust, culture, or clarity, this episode's for you.

Key Takeaways

• Personal Branding + Real Relationships Win

Michelle explains why the strongest sales strategy today combines in-person networking with a consistent online presence. CEOs and founders still buy from people they trust — but they validate that trust online before making decisions.

• Most Companies Don't Actually Have a Sales Problem

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is blaming sales for poor revenue performance when the real issue is bad lead quality, weak offers, poor customer retention, or disconnected departments.

• Sales Leadership Never Stops

Michelle says leaders, consultants, and CROs are "always selling," even after the contract is signed. Great leaders keep their teams on the same page about data, strategy and execution.

• AI Is a Tool

AI can dramatically reduce overhead and improve efficiency, but Michelle warns that businesses relying solely on AI without human oversight will struggle with trust, accuracy, and execution.

• Gen Z Sales Teams Require a Different Leadership Style

Gen Z employees respond strongly to mentorship, constant feedback, and leaders they trust personally. Michelle explains why loyalty today is built around leadership.

Memorable Quotes

"You just gotta talk to people. Talk to people."

"The fastest funnel in the world is shaking hands with CEOs and founders."

"Most companies think they have a sales problem — but it's usually a systems problem."

"You are always selling, even after the contract is signed."

"Gen Z is loyal to leaders, not companies."

About Michelle Terpstra

Michelle Terpstra is a Fractional Chief Revenue Officer who helps companies get sales, marketing, and customer success working together to grow revenue.

She specializes in: