Business

Transforming Sales: Tips from Gene Slade’s Student on Lead Ninja System

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2024

Corbin Allen’s journey from a troubled past to a successful sales professional shows how resilience and good mentorship can change a life. With the help of Gene Slade, CEO of Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, Allen improved his sales skills and used new strategies to perform much better.

Lead Ninja System is a training program that helps improve sales skills, especially for people in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades. It focuses on making sales more efficient and keeping customers happy through Slade’s proven strategies and hands-on training sessions. Lead Ninja AI is part of the Lead Ninja System and can have long, human-like phone conversations. It remembers details from past talks, making each call personal and consistent. This AI is flexible and works well for sales calls and customer support in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades.

Here, Mr. Allen shares the important lessons he learned from Slade and how he used them to succeed. He gives practical advice for new salespeople. Allen keeps learning from Slade and now also teaches others at Slade’s live events.

Road to Victory

Allen’s journey is truly amazing. He was born into a tough situation and faced many difficulties from a young age.

“I was a product of a broken home,” he shares. “I never really had a mom physically present, and this led to some poor choices. I found myself in prison at 18.”

When Allen was 20 and got out, he decided to change his life. He started working on air conditioners, not knowing at first how much money he could make in sales.

“I was hired as a technician, but I realized the guys selling air conditioners were making significantly more money,” he says. “This moment was the start of my journey in sales.”

Discovering Gene Slade and Lead Ninja System

Allen’s career took a huge turn when he found Slade and the Lead Ninja System.

“Gene is the real deal,” Allen says. “Unlike many sales trainers who haven’t ‘walked the walk,’ Gene’s advice is practical and — most importantly — rooted in real experience.”

Allen first heard about Slade through a podcast and was immediately impressed by his insights.

“I decided to try his techniques, and they worked,” Allen says. “This was a total game-changer for me.”

Top Tips from Corbin Allen

Drawing from his experiences and the invaluable lessons learned from Slade, Allen shared his top sales tips with us to help our readers succeed.

1. Establish a Routine

Allen insists on the importance of a good routine.

“How you do anything is how you do everything,” he says. “Having a routine, setting aside time for yourself, and keeping a positive mindset are super important. Whether it’s going to the gym, meditating, or grounding yourself, find something that centers you and make it part of every single day.”

2. Adopt a Holistic Approach

A holistic approach to life and work is essential.

“You need to look at your life from all angles,” Allen says. “Focus on improving yourself in all areas of your life, not just in sales. When you feel good, you do well. This means you will have better interactions with clients and more successful sales. But you have to give all aspects of your life equal value.”

3. Develop a Solid Process

One of the most impactful lessons Allen learned from Slade is the importance of having a structured sales process.

“Most salespeople don’t have a clear process that they can use with every potential client,” he notes. “Gene taught me that having a standard process allows you to track what works and what doesn’t. It’s important to follow a consistent process in every interaction.”

4. Focus on Helping Others

Allen advises changing the perspective from selling to helping.

“Ask yourself, ‘How can I help this person today?’” he says. “When you really focus on providing help and solving problems for your clients, the sales will naturally follow!”

5. Continuous Learning and Adaptation

As a forever student of Slade’s teachings, Allen shares the importance of always learning and being open to adapt.

“Sales is always changing,” he says. “Stay updated with Gene’s latest techniques, attend his bi-weekly training sessions, through the Mastermind, and always be open to learning new things. Gene’s Lead Ninja Mastermind sessions are so great, and the Mansion Events are even better, because we practice in real life, just like it would be with a potential client.”

Allen’s Credentials and Achievements

Allen’s success under Slade’s mentorship is easy to see from his big achievements.

“From making $50,000 a year as a technician to earning over $200,000 in my first year in sales, the change has been incredible,” he shares. “This year, I’m on track to make over $300,000.”

Allen is also successful in his personal life. He built a stable and loving family, raising four boys with his wife, whom he met just three months after his getting out of prison. They were wed six months later.

“We’ve been together for over five years, and it’s been a steady climb,” he says proudly. “I hope through Lead Ninja, many men can bring together beautiful families like I did. I didn’t think it was possible when I was at my lowest. Now, I think anyone can do it if they work hard and believe in themselves. It helps to have Gene in your corner, too.”

The Power of Mentorship

Allen attributes much of his success to the mentorship he received from Slade.

“Lead NInja is ultra transformative,” he states. “Gene provides practical advice that is easy to implement from the jump. Plus, his process works for everyone, regardless of personality type.”

For those looking to copy Allen’s success, he offers this final piece of advice: “Find a mentor who has walked the path you want to take. Learn from them, implement their strategies, and always strive to better yourself. With the right guidance, anything is possible. I believe in us.”

Corbin Allen’s journey from adversity to success underscores the profound impact of effective mentorship and the power of resilience. By following his advice and adopting a holistic approach to life and work, aspiring salespeople can achieve remarkable success in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades.

About Gene Slade

Gene Slade, CEO of Lead Ninja System, is a pioneering force in the realm of sales training and business development. With a steadfast commitment to empowering professionals in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades, Gene offers transformative coaching experiences that revolutionize the way business owners approach sales and growth through personalized guidance, community support, and access to exclusive resources. For more information, please visit https://leadninjasystem.com/

Business

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2026

Matthew Wiles

How technology drives value creation in private equity is now one of the most actively debated topics among institutional investors and fund managers. A decade ago, technology was largely a cost center in PE-backed companies. Today it sits at the center of margin improvement, revenue growth, and exit multiple expansion. Firms that figured this out early are generating better returns with less reliance on financial engineering.

The shift happened for a practical reason. As interest rates rose and deal multiples compressed, financial leverage stopped doing the heavy lifting. Operational improvement became the primary value creation lever. Technology accelerated what was possible within the ownership period.

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Operations

Operational improvement through technology produces the most measurable results. PE firms apply technology tools to reduce costs, increase throughput, and improve decision-making speed inside their companies.

Digital Process Automation in PE-Backed Companies

Manual processes in back-office and production functions carry real costs. They consume labor, generate errors, and slow down the information flow that management teams depend on. Automation tools eliminate these costs without requiring headcount reductions that disrupt company culture.

The most impactful automation deployments in PE-backed operations include:

Accounts payable and receivable automation that compresses billing cycles and reduces days sales outstanding
Production scheduling software that reduces downtime and improves throughput in manufacturing environments
Inventory management systems that cut carrying costs by aligning purchasing with real-time demand signals
Quality control automation that reduces defect rates and warranty claims in product-based businesses

ZCG Consulting (“ZCGC”) works with companies across industrials, manufacturing, packaging, and consumer products to identify and implement automation programs tied to specific financial outcomes. The approach connects technology investment to measurable margin improvement rather than treating automation as a general upgrade.

Data Infrastructure as a Value Creation Tool

Many PE-backed companies arrive under new ownership with fragmented data systems. Different departments use different tools. Reporting requires manual consolidation. Leadership makes decisions with incomplete information.

Fixing that infrastructure creates immediate value. Integrated data systems give management teams real-time visibility into revenue, cost, and operational performance. That visibility accelerates decisions and surfaces problems before they become material.

James Zenni, founder and CEO of ZCG with over 30 years of capital markets experience, has consistently emphasized that information quality drives investment performance. That view shapes how ZCG approaches technology investment across the companies in its portfolio.

Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Through Revenue Growth

Cost reduction gets most of the attention in PE operational improvement, but technology also drives revenue growth. The mechanisms are different, and they compound differently over a hold period.

E-Commerce and Digital Customer Acquisition

Companies that sell primarily through traditional channels often leave significant revenue on the table. Adding e-commerce capabilities or investing in digital customer acquisition expands the addressable market without proportional cost increases.

PE firms that invest in digital revenue channels generate higher growth rates during the hold period. That growth rate difference translates directly into exit multiple expansion.

Revenue growth technology applications in PE-backed companies include:

E-commerce platform buildouts that open direct-to-consumer channels alongside existing wholesale relationships
Customer relationship management systems that improve retention and increase repeat purchase rates
Digital marketing infrastructure that lowers customer acquisition costs through better targeting and attribution
Pricing optimization tools that identify margin improvement opportunities without volume loss

Technology-Enabled Customer Experience Improvements

Customer retention is cheaper than customer acquisition. Technology investments in customer experience, service speed, and product quality consistency reduce churn. Lower churn produces more predictable revenue. More predictable revenue supports higher exit valuations.

ZCG deploys Haptiq Technologies and Solutions, its 300-plus-person technology division, to support digital transformation across its companies. The platform was founded 20 years ago and manages approximately $8 billion in AUM. It brings implementation resources that most individual companies cannot afford to build internally. That capability gives ZCG’s companies faster access to technology improvements at lower execution risk.

Building Technology Capability Within PE-Backed Companies

Technology investment during the hold period creates value in two ways. It improves financial performance during ownership. It also makes the business more attractive to the next buyer.

Strategic buyers and later-stage PE funds pay premium multiples for companies with modern technology infrastructure. A business with integrated systems, clean data, and digital revenue channels commands a better price. A comparable business running on legacy platforms does not.

The ZCG Team structures technology investment as part of the initial value creation plan for each company. Priorities get set at entry based on the gap between current capability and acquirer expectations.

This pre-sale positioning approach changes how technology investment gets funded and sequenced during the hold period. Projects that improve financial performance and exit readiness simultaneously get prioritized. Projects with long payback periods that do not improve the sale narrative get deferred.

How technology drives value creation in private equity is ultimately about execution discipline. The tools matter less than the clarity of the financial objective each technology investment must achieve.