I’m trying to stop the endless cycle of hiring, training, and turnover by leaning into AI-driven outreach instead of adding another sales rep. I walk through what I’m testing with Apollo.io, what went wrong on my first run, and how I’m rebuilding my lead list and email sequence to reach real local decision makers.
• why staffing flakiness makes owners do every job at once
• choosing automation over hiring for trade and barter education-heavy sales
• what Apollo.io does well and where it fails for hyperlocal businesses
• pulling local leads with ReferenceUSA and filtering for the right companies
• uploading CSVs, running enrichment, and avoiding wasted credits
• building a three-email sequence that boosts legitimacy with a local ad and podcast
• early results after fixing the setup and targeting decision makers
Hit me up if you’d like some tickets here soon when they when they open up.
You can just apply yourself online if you want to.

Send us Fan Mail

Survive the Apocalypse in Get Prepped! Game | GET PREPPED!

Support the show

Thanks for listening to The Trading Post Podcast!

Find all our important links— https://linktr.ee/traderstu

This episode of The Trading Post is proudly sponsored by Press X 2 Play Games, Metro Trading Association, and the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Exciting news—I’m featured as The Trader at the Trading Post in Press X 2 Play’s upcoming video game! Learn more about Press X 2 Play at pressx2play.games, discover how Metro Trading Association helps businesses grow through barter and trade, and explore the magic of the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

Questions or guest suggestions? Email us at thetradingpostwithtraderstu@gmail.com

“Whistles In The West” was written, recorded, and produced by Durracell, exclusively for use with Trader Stu’s platform.
The track is protected under U.S. Copyright (filed and registered), and rights to use have been granted specifically to Trader Stu for content and promotional use related to his brand and media presence.
For additional licensing, custom audio, or to inquire about future collaborations and performances, contact:
📧 durracellmusic@gmail.com
🌐 www.durracell.com

© 2025 The Trading Post Podcast. All rights reserved.

We share a real-world update on shifting from trying to hire sales reps to testing an AI agent for cold outreach and sales prospecting. We walk through what we have set up so far, what is already working, and what still feels messy as we try to scale follow-up without sounding like a robot.
• why hiring sales reps stalls when applicants ghost interviews
• using Apollo AI to run consistent cold email sequences
• early outreach results, replies, and open-rate expectations
• integrating automated outreach with our proprietary CRM
• finding warm leads outside Metro Detroit using online signals
• staying under spam thresholds with sensible daily volume
• adding phone calls, LinkedIn touches, and the “six to seven touches” idea
• risks and cautions around cold texting and compliance
• spotting AI-script “voice” and keeping messages human
Feel free to reach out and I’ll give you my, you know, two cents on it or whatever how I feel

Send us Fan Mail

Survive the Apocalypse in Get Prepped! Game | GET PREPPED!

Support the show

Thanks for listening to The Trading Post Podcast!

Find all our important links— https://linktr.ee/traderstu

This episode of The Trading Post is proudly sponsored by Press X 2 Play Games, Metro Trading Association, and the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Exciting news—I’m featured as The Trader at the Trading Post in Press X 2 Play’s upcoming video game! Learn more about Press X 2 Play at pressx2play.games, discover how Metro Trading Association helps businesses grow through barter and trade, and explore the magic of the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

Questions or guest suggestions? Email us at thetradingpostwithtraderstu@gmail.com

“Whistles In The West” was written, recorded, and produced by Durracell, exclusively for use with Trader Stu’s platform.
The track is protected under U.S. Copyright (filed and registered), and rights to use have been granted specifically to Trader Stu for content and promotional use related to his brand and media presence.
For additional licensing, custom audio, or to inquire about future collaborations and performances, contact:
📧 durracellmusic@gmail.com
🌐 www.durracell.com

© 2025 The Trading Post Podcast. All rights reserved.

We’re trying to hire outside sales reps across Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio, and the “nobody wants to work” problem hits different when you’re the one posting the job. We lay out what cold calling looks like right now, why job boards feel like pay-to-play, and why we’re testing AI agents to keep MetroTrade growing for our members.
• why we’re hiring and why we can’t cover every city ourselves
• what MetroTrade feels like for members and why local relationships matter in B2B barter
• why cold calling burns out fast and why “email me” becomes the new default
• how we broke the territory into seven districts and why reps need to live locally
• why overseas and out-of-state applicants do not work for outside sales coverage
• what we learned about the legal and practical limits of internships
• the real monthly cost of sponsored job ads on major platforms
• the math on W-2 salaries plus overhead versus 1099 commission roles
• why an AI sales agent helps with scraping, lists, and fourth follow-ups
• how we want to integrate AI with our CRM to track touches and avoid duplicates
Maybe let me know, you know, comments or whatever, write in.
What do y’all do out there? Be good or be good at it.

Send us Fan Mail

The Michigan Renaissance Festival
Experience the Michigan Renaissance Festival, where history and fantasy collide!

Survive the Apocalypse in Get Prepped! Game | GET PREPPED!

Support the show

Thanks for listening to The Trading Post Podcast!

Find all our important links— https://linktr.ee/traderstu

This episode of The Trading Post is proudly sponsored by Press X 2 Play Games, Metro Trading Association, and the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Exciting news—I’m featured as The Trader at the Trading Post in Press X 2 Play’s upcoming video game! Learn more about Press X 2 Play at pressx2play.games, discover how Metro Trading Association helps businesses grow through barter and trade, and explore the magic of the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

Questions or guest suggestions? Email us at thetradingpostwithtraderstu@gmail.com

“Whistles In The West” was written, recorded, and produced by Durracell, exclusively for use with Trader Stu’s platform.
The track is protected under U.S. Copyright (filed and registered), and rights to use have been granted specifically to Trader Stu for content and promotional use related to his brand and media presence.
For additional licensing, custom audio, or to inquire about future collaborations and performances, contact:
📧 durracellmusic@gmail.com
🌐 www.durracell.com

© 2025 The Trading Post Podcast. All rights reserved.