Gene McNaughton

About Gene McNaughton

I help companies build predictable, scalable, and repeatable growth systems that transform sales teams into high-performance revenue engines.Over the past 30 years, I’ve advised organizations ranging from $10 million to multi-billion-dollar enterprises, and the outcome has been consistent:Record-breaking sales results, stronger leadership alignment, and teams confident in their ability to win.My career has taken me through the highest levels of sales leadership — from building and scaling divisions inside fast-growth companies, to leading the U.S. expansion of Geobear, a Europe-based company that I launched into the American market and grew into a multimillion-dollar operation - exiting in December of 2024.I’ve now helped 164 companies reinvent their sales approach, elevate their leadership, and create systems that deliver sustainable revenue growth.Today, I work directly with CEOs, founders, and executive teams to solve their biggest challenges, including: • Building a scalable, high-performance sales organization • Fixing inconsistent pipelines and stalled growth • Tightening messaging, improving presentations, and elevating sales execution • Designing end-to-end sales systems that drive accountability, velocity, and resultsI’m also the author of The Sales EDGE, a bestseller that has helped thousands of sales leaders elevate their communication, persuasion, and execution skills. My next book, The AI Sales EDGE (July 2026), will show people how to integrate AI into the everyday craft of selling — hunting, researching, preparing, presenting, forecasting, and closing — with a tactical, step-by-step approach.My work is grounded in three core beliefs: 1. Sales is a process, not a personality. Every revenue problem is solvable with the right system, skillset, and accountability. AI will never replace great salespeople — but great salespeople who master AI will replace those who don’t.Whether I’m leading a workshop, training a national sales force, or keynoting a conference, my focus is always the same:Deliver the tools, scripts, frameworks, and strategies that teams can use immediately to produce measurable results.If you’re a CEO or sales leader navigating stalled growth, shifting buyer behavior, or the pressure to hit increasingly aggressive targets — I can help your team perform at the level your strategy requires. If you want a stronger year, let’s talk. If you want a breakout year, let’s build the system that makes it inevitable.Send me a message here on LinkedIn to get started.

Experience

1. President

   Growthsmart Consulting, Inc

   Apr 2014 — Present · Orange County, CA, US

   We are a business growth firm. We help executive leadership teams who are looking for ways to drive efficiency, reduce waste in their organizations, drive top-line revenue growth, and improve long-term sustainability of their operational models. We do this by deploying our agile team of experts using a combination of field-tested best practices combined with innovative strategies aligned to client organizations.Our clients turn to us because they are frustrated with:• Tribal training methodologies causing inefficiencies, waste, and inconsistent customer experience• Lack of balance created by process-centered business models versus customer-centered models• Increase in cost of training, turnover, operational cost, and technology platforms• Lost revenue opportunities, plateaued, or stagnant revenue growth• Poorly defined structure and roles leading to higher turnover, waste, and process duplication• Management and accountability more administrative than performance-drivenWe solve these problems with strategies and engagements that include:• The enhancement of existing business process to focus on a customer-centered approach in each division that affects customer retention and revenue• Development of consistent processes that are aligned throughout divisions and corresponding training and accountability tools• Playbook design and development for key roles, divisions, and strategies that align stakeholders and create consistency in training and growth• Design of management training systems and accountability tools that optimize overall clarity for both management and employeesAmong our customers are Fortune 500 organizations, start-up companies, mid-sized firms, and a wealth of companies in between. To learn more or request a complimentary consultation - contact me on LinkedIn.

Education

• East HIgh School

  High School, Fun, Football, and Friends

  1982 — 1986

• Morningside University

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Business Management/Mass Communications

  1986 — 1991

Skills

• Business Planning
• B2b
• Strategy
• Management
• Business Development
• Leadership
• Coaching
• Analytics
• Training
• Business Strategy
• Budgets
• Sales Process
• Account Management
• Advertising
• Sales
• Business Coaching