About

Brian McDowell & Leading Sales

Our expertise

Over 100 clients, 25,000+ people coached, and $50B+ in transactions — but the through-line is simpler than the numbers. The teams that win don't run on heroes; they run on a system. Leading Sales builds that system for you.

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30+

Years of enterprise B2B sales leadership and strategic consulting.

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100+

Clients served, consistently increasing sales results with improved strategy, skills and execution.

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25k+

People trained, coached, and mentored.

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$50B+

In transactions influenced through direct management, team leadership, and strategic guidance.

Our leadership

Brian McDowell
Founder and CEO

I founded Leading Sales because I love the craft of complex, high-value selling. The art, science, and discipline of it is more challenging, rewarding, and fun than anything else in business.

Thirty years in, I'm convinced of that the teams that win aren't the ones with the best closers or the hardest workers. They're the ones running a system that makes winning repeatable. Heroes have great quarters; systems have great years. That belief is the whole reason Leading Sales exists.

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Before this, I spent three decades driving growth for enterprise B2B companies. As CRO at Firstup, I led revenue from $5M to $100M, grew landing ARR from $50K to $250K, and expanded the customer base from 60 to 500 — including 40 of the Fortune 100. 

Our Principles

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Leadership Mindset

Lead yourself, your team, your company, your customer, your market. In that order.

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Outcome Focus

Time to value matters - take the straight and practical path.

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People Matter

If you use business to build people, instead of using people to build business, business will take care of itself.

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Grit

There are rarely silver bullets, plan to use a lot of lead ones.

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Always be Curious

Don’t worry only about what you don’t know. Look out for what you think is true - but is not.

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Learning Overcomes

The organization that learns the most and applies that learning the fastest will win.