Small business expert Ramon Ray returned for another episode of The Rundown with Ramon co-hosted with Robert Kennedy III, communication expert with Kennetic Kommunications, and Lanika Johnson, founder of Press Staffing. This episode focused on the critical difference between marketing and direct sales for business growth and more.

Key Points:

• Sales is a critical function distinct from marketing – direct sales actually gets you paid
• Don’t rely solely on commission-based sales staff – provide base salary plus commission
• LinkedIn DMs can be effective when personalized and authentic, while Instagram DMs require relationship building
• Your voice and storytelling create connections that combat loneliness in business
• Going to events and meeting customers face-to-face builds irreplaceable relationships

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Sales: The Missing Piece in Many Business Models

Ramon shared a pivotal realization from his recent experience: after years of focusing primarily on marketing through content creation, podcasts, and articles, he discovered the transformative power of direct sales. Despite having built successful businesses, he acknowledged that his approach had been largely marketing-driven until recently.

“I’ve been doing purposeful, active sales, going on LinkedIn, DMing people,” Ramon explained, sharing his excitement about receiving a response from a billion-dollar company executive through a cold LinkedIn message. This success highlighted a crucial lesson: while marketing creates visibility, sales generates revenue.

Lanika Johnson, CEO of Press Staffing, emphasized that many entrepreneurs fail because they don’t recognize the difference: “If you are not actively selling in your business and you don’t have a sales mechanism in your business, your business will stall out.”

A Framework for Understanding Sales Success

Robert Kennedy provided a powerful framework from his friend Sharron Washington: “PR gets you seen, marketing gets you leads, sales get you paid.” This simple but profound insight helps entrepreneurs understand why their marketing efforts might not translate to revenue.

The discussion revealed how many business owners confuse marketing activities with sales. As Robert noted, “A lot of us are doing marketing work and wondering why we’re not getting paid.” He stressed that posting on social media and appearing on podcasts are marketing activities, not sales. To convert those leads, you need deliberate sales conversations and systems.

Building a Sustainable Sales Team

Lanika addressed a common misconception among entrepreneurs about hiring sales staff. Many believe they can hire commission-only salespeople, but she warned: “You will not hire anybody. I promise you, you are going to struggle. No one’s going to work for commission only in this economy.”

She recommended providing a base salary plus commission structure, sharing her own model: “My sales reps get 80% of the first month’s revenue. So they get their base salary plus 80% of the first month’s revenue from their sale, and that makes them very, very happy.”

The panel emphasized that entrepreneurs often become bottlenecks in their businesses by trying to handle all sales themselves. As Lanika pointed out, when business owners are unavailable for sales because they’re speaking or handling other responsibilities, sales stall.

The Art of Digital Outreach: LinkedIn vs. Instagram

A significant portion of the discussion focused on the effectiveness of direct messaging on different platforms. Ramon shared his experience with LinkedIn DMs, noting that personalized, authentic outreach works well on the platform. His approach involves researching the person and crafting specific messages rather than generic greetings.

However, Instagram requires a different strategy. Lanika explained that Instagram is about community building: “On Instagram, you’re trying to build a community more so than just sell something. On LinkedIn, you’re looking to close deals.” She recommended focusing on DMing people who have already opted into your mailing list or shown interest in your content.

Robert added valuable insight about pattern disruption in sales, suggesting unexpected questions like “Snickers or Reese’s Pieces?” to break through the noise of standard sales pitches. This approach creates genuine conversation starters rather than immediate sales attempts.

Building Community to Combat Business Loneliness

The conversation took a deeper turn when discussing the isolation many entrepreneurs face. Ramon opened up about feeling alone as a solo entrepreneur working from home without the typical office environment. This resonated with the panel, leading to a discussion about the importance of building communities.

Robert Kennedy emphasized that using your voice and sharing your story creates connections: “I believe that your voice is one of the best ways to create community.” He explained that when people hear your experiences, they find common ground and connection, which helps combat the loneliness of entrepreneurship.

Lanika added that technology creates an illusion of connection without real connection: “There’s literally a male loneliness epidemic… communities like this are important to find your people.” She encouraged entrepreneurs to take online relationships into the real world.

The Power of In-Person Relationships

The discussion concluded with the importance of real-world connections. Ramon shared his upcoming trip to London to speak at AdCon, which came through a relationship with Devon Brown. This led to another opportunity for Robert to speak on Ramon’s behalf at another event, demonstrating how relationships create cascading opportunities.

As Lanika concluded, “The Internet is not a real place. Get out into the real world, meet real people.” This sentiment reinforced the episode’s central theme: while digital tools are valuable for marketing and initial outreach, sustainable business growth comes from genuine relationships and direct sales efforts.

The episode served as a powerful reminder that successful entrepreneurship requires more than just marketing—it demands active sales efforts, strategic team building, authentic connections, and the courage to move relationships from the digital world to the real world.