How Faith Fuels Revenue: Brent Long’s Playbook
Brent Long’s story reads like a movie: farm-kid grit, two back surgeries, getting hit by a car during recovery, and a zig-zag through college that included funding tuition in an…unusual way—before God reoriented his identity and calling. Today, Brent coaches leaders and sales teams to grow principled revenue without the “slimy” stuff—anchored in Scripture and heart-level behavior change.
We unpack how John 5 reframed his work: Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” Brent translates that into sales as service—questions that cut through noise, clarify commitment, and lead to real solutions. He breaks down his S.A.L.E.S. framework—Seek, Ask, Listen, Excel, Solidify—and his S.A.L.T.Y. questioning—Straightforward, Aimed at the heart, Leading to a solution, Timely, Yielding a result—so teams stop clogging their pipelines and start creating outcomes.
Brent also talks ideal clients (yes, many aren’t people of faith), why assessment and coaching beat tips & tricks, and how leaders can simplify metrics, coach the few behaviors that matter, and start stacking wins. We close with the book that almost didn’t get finished—and why his weekly class and periodic intensives keep teams practicing, not just reading.
Highlights
From injury, setback, and identity crisis to calling and clarity
Why “faith-based” selling ≠ pressure; it’s service + commitment
S.A.L.E.S.: Seek → Ask → Listen → Excel → Solidify
S.A.L.T.Y. questions that unstick pipelines and surface real commitment
Case studies: doubling output in 10 months; $3.5M → $20M in ~5 years
Assessments that say who shouldn’t be on the team (and why that’s loving)
Weekly sales class (3-month minimum) + bootcamps/intensives
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Links:
FREE GIFTS FOR LEADERS: https://leadwithstan.com
MORE INFO: https://www.stangibsonspeaks.com
Guest Links:
brent@longonlife.com
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 Intro & show setup
03:15 Meet Brent: family of 14 (!), grandkids
05:30 Farm roots → work ethic
07:40 Ohio State, injuries & surgery #1
11:40 “I got hit by a car” → surgery #2
14:30 Extreme accountability & heart change
17:15 Funding college, the unexpected way
19:30 Integrity in unlikely places
21:00 From sports agency to revenue coaching
24:10 Why 90s sales training felt “slimy”
27:00 Turning to Scripture for a better way
29:20 John 5: “Do you want to be made well?”
32:00 Ideal clients (many not faith-based)
35:10 S.A.L.E.S.: Seek, Ask, Listen, Excel, Solidify
37:30 S.A.L.T.Y. questions & unclogging pipelines
41:00 Who should call Brent (and why)
42:45 Case studies: doubling output; $3.5M → $20M
44:50 Assessments & saying “no” to bad fits
47:00 Accountability, humility, growth mindset
49:10 Finishing the book (thanks to his wife!)
51:10 Where to get the book
52:00 Weekly class, intensives, bootcamps