SALES ADVISORY
ESI CAPITAL GROUP · SALES ADVISORY & FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Where Trust Is the Strategy,
Not the Tagline.
Fractional Sales Leadership for Companies That Can't Afford to Get It Wrong.
Early-stage companies don't need another methodology deck. They need a sales leader who has closed in the room, built teams from scratch, and knows how to install process without killing momentum. That's what ESI Capital Group delivers.
25+
Years closing complex sales across cybersecurity, CRE, and commercial lending
3
Industries. One framework. Consistent results.
TRUST
A proprietary methodology distilled from 25 years and two leading frameworks
THE TRUST FRAMEWORK
T
TARGET
R
RELATE
U
UNDERSTAND
S
SIMPLIFY
T
TRACK
THE PROBLEM
Most Sales Training Doesn't Survive First Contact.
Generic methodologies were built for the average rep at the average company. Early-stage and growth-stage companies need something that actually installs — and holds.
Process without relationships fails.
Most frameworks teach process mechanics. None of them teach you how to earn trust in 90 seconds, the thing that actually determines whether a prospect takes the next meeting.
Qualification theater wastes pipeline
Without ruthless targeting criteria, early-stage teams chase every logo and close nothing. The best salespeople win before they pitch; they qualify before they engage.
Founders can't scale what isn't documented.
If your sales process lives in one rep's head, you don't have a process; you have a dependency. ESI installs a system that founders can train, replicate, and grow.
WHAT WE DO
Three Ways to Engage
1
Fractional Sales Leadership
For early-stage cybersecurity and B2B companies that need a senior sales leader without the full-time cost. I embed into your team, own the pipeline, and build the function.
Sales process design & installation
Pipeline review & forecasting
Hiring & rep onboarding
CRM setup and governance
2
TRUST Framework Training
A live workshop or multi-session training program built around the TRUST methodology — for sales teams, revenue orgs, and corporate training programs.
Half-day and full-day workshops
Manager certification tracks
Custom workbooks & field tools
Ongoing rep coaching
3
Advisory & Coaching
For founders, sales managers, and individual reps who need a sharp outside perspective. Retainer-based advisory or structured 1:1 coaching engagements.
Founder sales coaching
Deal review & strategy
PE/VC portfolio advisory
Rep performance coaching
THE METHODOLOGY
The TRUST Framework
Synthesized from 25 years of field experience, SNAP Selling, and MEDDICC — built for reps who need to win on relationships, not just process.
T
TARGET
Qualify before you invest. Know your ideal buyer cold.
R
RELATE
Trust is built in the first 90 seconds or never.
TARGET
U
UNDERSTAND
Diagnose before you prescribe. Listen to win.
S
SIMPLIFY
Complexity kills deals. Make the path to yes obvious.
T
TRACK
What gets measured gets closed. Own the process.
T
Target
The best salespeople win before they pitch. Targeting is the discipline of knowing exactly who your ideal buyer is — their role, their pain, their decision-making authority — and qualifying ruthlessly before investing a single meeting. Most lost deals were lost before they started.
"If you're pitching everyone, you're closing no one. Define your buyer or your buyer will never define you."
THE BOOK
TRUST: Why the Best Salespeople Win on Relationships — Not Just Process
A field manual for sales reps, managers, and founders who are tired of methodologies that sound great in a conference room and fall apart in the field.
What's broken in sales training, how to fix it, and how to make it stick — all in one book.
Built on 25+ years of real-world selling — not academic theory
Synthesizes SNAP Selling and MEDDICC with an original relationship intelligence layer
Written for individual reps and for managers who want a trainable, repeatable system
TRUST
Why the Best Salespeople Win on Relationships — Not Just Process
AUTHOR
John Polise
25+
YEARS IN THE FIELD
ABOUT
Sales is the Only Sport Where the Field Changes Daily.
CYBER SECURITY
B2B SALES MANAGMENT
SALES STRATEGY
FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP
I've spent 25+ years closing complex, relationship-driven deals across three demanding industries. What I learned is that the fundamentals don't change — but most sales training never teaches them. So I built a framework that does.
Today, through ESI Capital Group, I work with early-stage cybersecurity founders, PE-backed portfolio companies, and corporate training programs to install the TRUST Framework — a methodology that produces results because it's built on how people actually buy, not how vendors wish they would.
"The best reps I've ever seen didn't win on product knowledge. They won because people trusted them."
SPEAKING & TRAINING
Signature Talks
Available for sales kickoffs, leadership conferences, and corporate training programs. Each talk is built around the TRUST Framework and customized for your audience.
01
Trust Is the Strategy: Building Pipeline on Relationships
A keynote for sales teams on why relationships — not process — are the ultimate competitive advantage, and how the TRUST Framework installs both.
FOR: SALES TEAMS & KICKOFFS
02
Why Your Sales Training Isn't Working — And What Does
A direct, no-jargon talk for sales leaders and founders on where generic methodologies break down, and how to build something your team will actually use.
FOR: FOUNDERS & SALES LEADERS
03
The First 90 Seconds: Earning Trust Before You Pitch
A workshop-style session focused on the "Relate" pillar — the relationship intelligence skills that no methodology teaches, but every top rep uses.
FOR: REPS & MANAGERS
Ready to Install a Sales Process That Actually Holds?
Let's talk about what ESI Capital Group can do for your team.
GET IN TOUCH
Let's Talk About
Your Sales Challenge.
Whether you're a founder building your first sales function, a manager looking for a framework your team will actually use, or an organization planning a training program — start here.
Best place to follow along — I share field insights and framework applications regularly.