Zero to Known
How ambitious professionals build visibility, authority, and trust in competitive markets.
If you feel invisible in your market — overlooked, under-recognized, or stuck — this book gives you
the framework to become known for the right reasons.
Book resources, worksheets, and companion tools will be available at:
zerotoknown.com/resources
The Problem
Talent is not enough.
Most sales professionals aren’t stuck because they lack talent or effort. They’re stuck because they’re playing a game they never learned how to win.
Zero to Known is the field-tested playbook for sales professionals who are ready to stop chasing and start leading. Built on Erik Selden’s experience growing a $200 million commercial banking market from scratch – with no branch, no brand recognition, and no built-in advantage – this book delivers the SPEED Framework¿: a proven system for building authority, earning trust, and accelerating growth in any market.
SPEED stands for Skill, Perspective, Exposure, Execution, and Desire – five interdependent elements that transform how sales professionals show up, build relationships, and win business. Unlike books that offer tactics without a system, Zero to Known gives readers a clear order of operations, a shared language for growth, and a framework that compounds over time.
Readers will learn how to:
– Identify and win high-value clients by becoming a Level 5 Value Creator
– Lead conversations that go past the transaction using the CORE Framework™
– Build a content engine that establishes visible authority in their market
– Architect a COI network that generates consistent referrals without cold outreach
– Execute a 90-Day Operating Rhythm that turns intention into measurable momentum
Zero to Known is written for the sales professional who is tired of being invisible – the banker, consultant, advisor, or specialist who knows they have more to offer than the market currently recognizes. The principles are universal. The stories draw from the world of commercial banking, but the system works wherever trust and relationships determine outcomes.
This is not a book about closing harder. It’s a book about becoming someone the market wants to buy from.
The SPEED Framework
The framework inside Zero to Known is built on five pillars that drive accelerated credibility.
Master the competencies that matter most in your market.
Skill builds confidence. Competence builds credibility.
The beliefs and mindset that separate high performers from average contributors.
Perspective drives decision-making under pressure.
Visibility matters. Exposure ensures the right people know who you are and what you stand for.
Discipline, consistency, and the daily behaviors that compound over time.
Execution turns potential into momentum.
The internal drive that fuels long-term growth.
Without desire, everything else fades.
Who This Book Is For
- Sales professionals entering a new market
- Leaders stepping into expanded responsibility
- Entrepreneurs building authority
- Professionals transitioning industries
- Anyone who feels capable but unknown
About the Author
Erik Selden is a sales strategist, leadership coach, and founder of Selden Smart LLC.
With more than two decades in commercial banking, he built a $200 million market from scratch using the principles in this book. He is the creator of the SPEED Framework™, CORE Framework™, host of the Bourbon with a Banker podcast, and a sought-after speaker on sales authority, relationship architecture, and personal brand development.
Become Known for the Right Reasons
Stop hoping your work gets noticed. Start building visibility with intention.
(Amazon link coming soon.)