podcast ·Nov 04, 2026

Know When To Hold Them, Know When To Fold Them | Rachel Rutherford

Rachel Rutherford walked into a breakfast meeting in Atlanta, off a red eye, five months postpartum, and sat down at the wrong table. Introduced herself. Started the meeting. Told a table full of complete strangers how glad she was they could finally make this work.

Her coworker had to say her name out loud to snap her out of it.

She's a CPA who hated accounting for six years, quit with no plan, trained people at a gym for a while, and got asked one question that changed everything: have you ever thought about getting into sales? Ten years later she's leading the team.

What she brings from the accounting seat is the part most salespeople skip. Rachel starts with the end in mind and works backwards, and she says there are only three levers you can ever pull… how big is the case, what's your win rate, and how many at bats are you getting. That's it. Pick the one you're going to move and go move it.

She's also sharp on the trap Drewbie sees constantly: tracking activity and never tracking what came out of it. "How's your kids?" is a nice conversation. It's not a valuable one unless something moves.

And she doesn't pretend the basics are easy. Somebody calling you to say they're taking a 35% increase to your competitor and here's what they think of you is real world, and the answer is still keep your cool and go back to the fundamentals.

This Episode You'll Learn

☛ The three levers Rachel says every sales number comes down to, and how she picks which one to pull

☛ How to work a revenue goal backwards into what your team has to do today

☛ The funnel a relationship seller should actually be measuring, from leads to contact rate to proposals to closed business

☛ How to set a time frame up front so you know when to cut a prospect loose without it getting personal

☛ Why a five minute call tells Rachel most of what she needs to know, and why she gives people a shot anyway

☛ What makes an interaction valuable instead of just friendly, and how to tell the difference on a client call

☛ Why everything that works on new business also works on renewals

How To Connect With Rachel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelcrutherford/

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelcrutherford/

Call The Damn Leads

"By sales professionals, for sales professionals."

Each week, I bring you humor, real-world stories, and powerful strategies to help you excel in your sales career.

Expect a wild mix of:

Real Sales Stories: Tales that entertain and inspire
Proven Tactics: Practical tips for boosting your sales game
Humor and Energy: Fun takes on the ups and downs of sales life
Expert Advice: Learn from seasoned pros across different fields

Whether you're in sales, an entrepreneur, or just looking to grow your business skills, don't miss out.

👉 Want to be a guest?
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More on this: Dusty Holcomb on knowing when to say no to a deal. New here? Start with what Call The Damn Leads is.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three levers behind every sales number?

Rachel Rutherford keeps it simple. "There's really three levers that you can pull," she told me. "It's how big is the case? What is our win rate and what are our at bats?" She starts with the goal, say a million in new sales with two people, and works backwards from it mathematically. Then she picks the lever she's going to improve and checks it with her reps bi-weekly or monthly. If it won't move and can't be fixed, she pivots to a different lever.

How do you know when to walk away from a prospect?

Rachel's rule is know when to hold them and know when to fold them. Once you learn to spot it, "you can tell within a five minute conversation" if someone is going to help you or "just going to suck my time, energy and effort." She still gives people a shot, because people can surprise her. So she sets a time frame up front: "If I haven't gotten X, Y and Z by this date, we're going to cut them loose. No harm, no foul."

What should a relationship seller measure?

Rachel says relationship sales comes down to know you, like you and trust you, and then measuring it. You've got to show up. Are you meeting them and following up with them? From there she works the funnel: "how many leads am I getting in a day," how many respond, your contact rate, how many give you a proposal and how many proposals turn into new business. Her sales cycle's long, so 3 conversations between July and October should show up somewhere, as proposals, introductions or closed business.

How do you make a client check-in worth the call?

Rachel sees it on new business and on renewals. It's easy "to fall into the trap of activity" and never track what came out of it. Her account managers tell her they talk to clients all the time, and her answer is that every interaction has to bring something of value. Ask how the kids are, then ask how that proposal's coming, and bring them something useful, like better terms you worked out with underwriting. "It's got to be both."