Building Unbreakable Brands

Building Unbreakable Brands — DeAnn Petersson
Guest: DeAnn Petersson, Founder & President of Sunburst Sales Innovation
Host: Meghan Lynch, CEO of Six-Point Strategy

[00:00] Meghan Lynch:
Welcome to Building Unbreakable Brands, the podcast where we talk to business leaders with a generational mindset. I’m Meghan Lynch, an advisor to family businesses and CEO of Six-Point Strategy. Today I’m joined by DeAnn Petersson, founder of Sunburst Sales Innovation and author of The Sunburst Effect. Welcome, DeAnn!

DeAnn Petersson:
Thanks, Meghan. I’m excited to be here.

[00:45] Meghan Lynch:
You’ve got a fascinating mix of experience—agriculture, food sales, family business. Can you share how your career path led to founding Sunburst?

DeAnn Petersson:
Sure. I grew up in agriculture—where family business is the norm. I worked in a family-owned grocery store and a beverage company. Then I moved into corporate food sales, where I received incredible training in professional sales and account management. Now, with Sunburst, I’ve come full circle. We work with CPG, food, beverage, industrial companies, and others that support those industries.

[02:30] Meghan Lynch:
What were some key lessons from your time in corporate sales—and where did you see things start to break down?

DeAnn Petersson:
Big brands have a crystal-clear strategy. They tell you what to execute and give you the tools. In contrast, mid-market or family-owned companies often lack that infrastructure. That’s when strategy and execution fall out of alignment.

[04:15] Meghan Lynch:
Where do you see the most friction between leadership vision and sales execution in those mid-market companies?

DeAnn Petersson:
Leadership might develop a great long-term plan—but sales often gets left out. Sometimes they’re looped in too late, or not at all. The assumption is they’ll just “go execute,” even if they weren’t part of the planning.

[05:45] Meghan Lynch:
Why does that disconnect happen?

DeAnn Petersson:
Often the top leaders didn’t come from sales. That lack of understanding—and sometimes discomfort—means sales isn’t seen as the strategic execution arm of the business. So it’s left out of the bigger picture.

[07:00] Meghan Lynch:
You talk about sales not as a function, but a go-to-market system. What symptoms do you see when that mindset is missing?

DeAnn Petersson:
Imagine a quarterback throwing a pass—and no one’s there to catch it. That’s what happens when sales isn’t aligned. They’re reacting to competitors, defending business, chasing leads—but not advancing the company’s strategy.

[08:55] Meghan Lynch:
That tension between instinct and intention—how do you see that show up?

DeAnn Petersson:
One client had a commission-based sales plan. That structure drove them to defend current business constantly—but not pursue growth. We helped them re-align segmentation, sales strategy, and compensation. That clarity allowed them to grow without working against themselves.

[10:35] Meghan Lynch:
Let’s talk about segmentation. Why is that such a critical lever?

DeAnn Petersson:
Because not all customers are equal. If you treat them all the same, you leave results to chance. Segmentation allows teams to apply consistent standards—and direct resources to customers with the highest opportunity.

[12:45] Meghan Lynch:
A lot of family businesses have legacy customers who get custom treatment, even if they’re no longer a strategic fit. How do you help teams navigate that?

DeAnn Petersson:
You don’t reclassify customers publicly. Segmentation is internal. It brings structure so legacy clients still feel valued—but the team isn’t constantly reinventing processes. It also helps create a consistent customer experience.

[15:00] Meghan Lynch:
That also feels like a change management issue. How do you help legacy sales teams shift toward a new approach?

DeAnn Petersson:
It starts with clarity: What are we trying to achieve, and how? Then it’s about reinforcing that message, celebrating aligned behavior, and slowly shifting the weight from instinct to intention. We don’t want to remove instinct—it’s a superpower. But we need structure to guide it.

[18:00] Meghan Lynch:
Can you give an example of a tool or system that supports that shift?

DeAnn Petersson:
CRM is a great example. It can enable this shift—or derail it. If it’s used as just a tracking tool, sales teams resist it. But if it’s seen as a resource that supports execution and connects the org, it can change the game.

[19:30] Meghan Lynch:
If a leader suspects their issue isn’t sales performance but a system problem, what’s one diagnostic question they can ask?

DeAnn Petersson:
Ask your sales team: What are the company’s top three go-to-market priorities? If you get inconsistent answers, that’s your signal. The gap is likely strategic alignment, not effort.

[30:30] Next-Gen Segment — Henry Lynch joins the show

Henry Lynch:
Hi DeAnn! When you were my age, did you ever sell anything like lemonade or candy?

DeAnn Petersson:
I did! I was always selling candy bars for school fundraisers. I liked it—I was one of the top sellers.

Henry Lynch:
What makes someone a great salesperson?

DeAnn Petersson:
Someone who listens well, asks great questions, and figures out how they can help their customer succeed.

Henry Lynch:
What’s something you learned on the farm that still helps you today?

DeAnn Petersson:
You reap what you sow. You get out what you put in. That’s been true in every part of my business life.

Henry Lynch:
Why are cookies bad at sales?

DeAnn Petersson:
I don’t know—why?

Henry Lynch:
Because they always crumble under pressure!

DeAnn Petersson:
(Laughs) I love that! Can I borrow it?

Henry Lynch:
Of course!

[32:48] Henry Lynch:
Where can people learn more about you?

DeAnn Petersson:
You can find me on LinkedIn or at sunburstsi.com.

Connect with DeAnn Petersson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannpetersson/
Building Unbreakable Brands is hosted by Meghan Lynch
Produced by Six-Point Strategy
https://www.sixpointstrategy.com/