Marcus Lancaster, VP at Quad, breaks down why authenticity beats tactics, how collaborative selling wins, and why he still prospects daily after 30 years in sales.

Most sales leaders talk about authenticity. Few actually live it.

Marcus Lancaster, VP of Strategic Sales at Quad, has been in sales for 30 years. And he's still prospecting every single day. Not because he has to. Because he knows he can't call himself a sales leader if he's not doing the work he asks his team to do.

In this episode of The Revenue Vault, Marcus Lancaster breaks down the leadership principles that separate elite performers from everyone else fighting for scraps. This isn't about tactics or hacks. This is about the fundamentals that compound over decades to create massive results.

Here's what you'll learn...

Why Authenticity Is Your Competitive Advantage

Marcus doesn't lead with pressure. He leads with presence. And people feel the difference.

"What I do speaks so loudly, you can't hear what I say," he says, quoting his father.

That's the foundation of authentic leadership. You can't fake it. Your team sees through it. Your prospects see through it.

Authenticity shows up in the small things. Remembering someone's spouse's name six months later. Celebrating your team's wins louder than your own. Being fully present in every conversation instead of checking your phone.

These aren't grand gestures. They're daily deposits that build trust over time.

Collaborative Selling Beats Hoarding Glory

Here's a belief most sales leaders won't admit. Marcus does.

"We are far more successful when we sell collaboratively than when we try to hoard glory."

Early in his career, Quad's structure was competitive. Sales credit mattered. Reps fought for recognition. And results suffered.

Now? They sell as a team. Subject matter experts. Sales reps. Multiple stakeholders in every pitch. And when they win, Marcus doesn't take credit. He shines the spotlight on everyone else who contributed.

The unexpected result? It elevates him more than self-promotion ever could.

Why Marcus Still Prospects After 30 Years

Marcus blocks time for prospecting. Every single day. Even as a VP with competing priorities.

His reasoning is simple. "I can't call myself a sales person if I'm not prospecting." It's like Neil Peart, the legendary Rush drummer Marcus loves. Peart hated touring.

But he'd always say he couldn't call himself a musician if he wasn't playing live.

The same applies to sales leadership. If you're not doing the work, you lose credibility. You get rusty. You lose touch with what the market actually looks like.

Marcus doesn't just talk about activity. He lives it. And his team sees it.

Activity Over Outcomes. Every Single Time.

Most leaders obsess over pipeline numbers. Marcus obsesses over activity.

"If you remain activity focused, and you're doing the activity correctly, then the sales will follow."

Outbound calls. Outbound emails. Customer meetings. Breaking bread with a prospect every month. These are the metrics that matter.

But here's the key. Marcus said it subtly. "If you're doing the activity correctly."

It's not just checking boxes. It's doing the right activities with intention, focus, and continuous improvement.

Why Shining the Spotlight on Others Elevates You

Marcus has a playbook for celebrating wins. Quarterly all-hands meetings where specific people get called out. One-to-one recognition where he tells reps exactly what they did well.

But here's the move most leaders miss. He emails the entire team. He CCs leadership. He names every single person who contributed to the deal and what they specifically did.

The ripple effect? Reply-alls. Forwarded emails. Kudos from bosses. Everyone gets elevated.

And Marcus? He gets elevated most of all. Not because he tried. Because he genuinely cared about raising everyone else up.

Marcus Lancaster has been in sales for 30 years. He still prospects daily. He celebrates his team louder than himself. He focuses on activity over outcomes. He builds self-awareness in his reps. He runs his life in 12-week cycles.

This isn't complicated. But it's rare. Because most leaders won't do the boring work consistently enough to see results compound over time.

If you want to lead like Marcus, start here. Be authentic. Be present. Do the work you ask your team to do. Celebrate others. Focus on activity. And never stop improving.