In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, I sit down with Steve Popp to delve into the critical topic of driving adoption within sales organizations. We explore the challenges sales leaders face when implementing new initiatives and the importance of prioritizing effectively. Steve shares his insights on how to engage team members, crowdsource ideas, and establish a culture of buy-in for new training programs. We discuss the necessity of having influential advocates within the sales team to champion initiatives and the role of strategic planning in ensuring successful execution. If you’re looking to enhance your organization’s ability to adopt new strategies and drive revenue, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won’t want to miss.

Discover why sales forecasts miss the mark -- and how curiosity, skepticism, and clear future commitments can fix your pipeline accuracy for good.

Happy ears have ruined more sales forecasts than bad markets ever will. In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford break down the real reasons sellers miss their forecasts -- starting with the dangerous habit of hearing only what they want to hear when a prospect gives them positive signals.

Josh shares his go-to rule -- "curiosity and skepticism is the antidote to hope and happy ears" -- and explains why sellers are always just one question away from the truth. The conversation dives into the concept of clear future commitments: knowing exactly what's next, who's involved, and what the anticipated outcomes are, rather than settling for vague promises like "give me a call next Tuesday." Mark adds the manager's perspective, introducing the Eeyore-to-Tigger continuum for calibrating whether reps are sandbagging or over-projecting.

The episode also tackles why forecast accuracy matters far beyond making the boss look good -- from resource planning and inventory to cashflow and staffing -- and how pipeline meetings should be coaching opportunities, not checkbox exercises. If your forecast feels more like a weather prediction than a business tool, this episode will show you how to fix it.

Host: Mark McGraw -- Building Your Sales Engine

Co-host: Josh Pitchford -- Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode:

Why happy ears are the number one forecast killer

"Curiosity and skepticism is the antidote to hope and happy ears"

The danger of taking positive buyer signals at face value

Why sellers stop asking questions when they hear good news

Beware the positive prospect -- and the positive salesperson

Risk mitigation: always asking "where could this go wrong?"

The optimistic-realistic-pessimistic dial for forecast calibration

The Eeyore-to-Tigger continuum for reading your reps

What "clear future commitments" really means vs. vague next steps

Knowing date, time, participants, agenda, and anticipated outcomes

Why "I'm supposed to give them a call Tuesday" is not a clear future

How missed forecasts reveal that a seller doesn't know their account

Why forecast accuracy matters: resource planning, inventory, cashflow, staffing

Think a level or two above where you are

The importance of giving sellers permission to tell the truth

Setting upfront contracts with your team around honesty

Why end-of-quarter deals get weaponized by trained buyers

Pipeline meetings as coaching opportunities, not checkbox exercises

Using group pipeline reviews to keep the whole team learning

Links:

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

"If you're not committed to doing the work to get to a goal, don't set the goal. Because all you do is hurt your self-esteem and hurt your confidence." Discover the critical difference between desire and commitment -- the two ingredients of the will to sell that determine whether your sales goals drive you forward or drag you down.

Every sales manager has seen it: a rep who knows what to do but won't do it consistently. In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford unpack why desire without commitment creates a dangerous gap -- and how managers can uncover a salesperson's compelling why without becoming a persecutor in the relationship.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The real difference between desire and commitment in sales

Four types of motivation -- and why only one is sustainable

How to uncover your (or your rep's) compelling why

The 1-to-10 commitment scale for honest goal conversations

Why caring more than your rep makes YOU the problem

The pilot light test: how to know if someone has the drive

Why setting uncommitted goals destroys your confidence

Host: Mark McGraw -- Building Your Sales Engine

Co-host: Josh Pitchford -- Building Your Sales Engine

Links:

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

"If you don't have a system, it's backyard football, after Thanksgiving dinner, everybody go out there and get open. You score touchdowns every now and then, but there's too much on the line to play backyard football." Discover why having a proven sales system beats winging it -- and how it transforms results for sellers and managers alike.

Most salespeople default to the buyer's process without realizing there's another option. In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford break down the real benefits of systematizing your sales approach -- from creating predictability and shortening sales cycles to recognizing patterns, combating fear in the moment, and getting to "no" faster.

The conversation then shifts to the manager's lens: how a shared system improves forecast accuracy, makes pre-call planning and debriefing actionable, and gives your team a common language for team selling.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- Why predictability is the #1 benefit of a sales system

- How to shape the sales process instead of being shaped by it

- The "start with no" mindset that takes all the pressure off

- The GATE process: Goals, Actions, Tools, and Exit criteria

- How the 10-80-10 concept applies to manager-rep sales calls

- Why the most important upfront contract is between seller team members

- How a documented system accelerates new rep onboarding

🎙️ Host: Mark McGraw — Building Your Sales Engine

🎤 Co-host: Josh Pitchford — Building Your Sales Engine

👇 Timestamps below 👇

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🎙️ Full podcast episodes: buildingyoursalesengine.com

**Links:**

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Website: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Learn how to put a dollar amount on any sales problem -- the skill that justifies investments, creates urgency, and helps buyers sell internally.

Quantifying pain is one of the most powerful skills in sales, yet most sellers avoid the financial conversation entirely. In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford break down why putting a dollar amount on a problem changes everything -- from justifying the investment and creating urgency to empowering buyers to sell internally to decision makers.

Learn practical tactics for doing the math with prospects: stacking numbers to lead the witness, uncovering opportunity costs, calculating the cost of doing nothing, and using the value gap to multiply impact over time. The key insight? When they do the math, they're buying. When you do it, you're selling.

Host: Mark McGraw -- Building Your Sales Engine

Co-host: Josh Pitchford -- Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode:

Why people pay attention when there's a number attached to a problem

How quantifying pain justifies investments, creates urgency, and accelerates decisions

The cost of doing nothing: what happens when buyers delay six months

Empowering buyers to sell internally with a financial business case

How to put a dollar amount on nebulous problems like bad service

Stacking numbers: giving prospects a multiple choice range to start the math

The value gap: where are you today vs. where do you want to be

Opportunity cost: where the real money is

When they do the math, they're buying -- when you do it, you're selling

Having business conversations vs. product conversations with decision makers

Links:

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Discover the hidden weaknesses that sabotage sales hires -- and how assessments reveal the sales DNA that resumes can't show.

Hiring the right salesperson is harder than it looks. 72% of salespeople say the job was misrepresented after they were hired -- and most hiring managers focus on technical skills while ignoring the beliefs and mindset that actually predict success. In this episode, Andy Miller of Objective Management Group reveals how to build a hiring system that uncovers hidden weaknesses before they cost you.

Andy breaks down the three buckets that determine sales success: will to sell, sales DNA, and tactics. Learn why hunters and farmers require completely different profiles, how need for approval sabotages execution, and why the best candidates often interview the worst. Plus, Andy shares the Goldwing motorcycle story -- a perfect example of how head trash kills deals.

About Andy Miller: Andy Miller is a Partner Coach at Objective Management Group (OMG) and a sales consultant with 35 years of experience. He is the author of the international bestseller "The Science of Hiring Quota-Busting Sales Teams."

Andy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigswiftkick/

Host: Mark McGraw -- Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode:

Why 72% of salespeople say the job was misrepresented after being hired

Hiring is a system, not just picking the right assessment

The three buckets: will to sell, sales DNA, and tactics

Why managers hire for technical skills but should hire for attitudinal fit

Hidden weaknesses: the beliefs that sabotage sales execution

Hunter vs. farmer: why hybrids rarely work

Need for approval: how likable candidates often can't close

"You hired a cat when you needed a hunting dog"

Weeding vs. wooing: why top producers don't respond to job ads

Always be recruiting: Google's one-day-a-week rule

The Goldwing story: how head trash loses sales

Why great resumes and great interviews don't predict performance

How your own shopping habits show up in your selling

Building relationships vs. having acquaintances

One contact disorder (OCD): the danger of single-threaded accounts

Links:

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmcgraw/

Andy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigswiftkick/

In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, I delve into the significance of conducting effective discovery calls. Joined by my colleague Josh Pitchford, we explore why many sales professionals struggle with this crucial aspect of the sales process. We discuss the common pitfalls of falling into pitch mode too early, the importance of understanding the prospect's needs, and how to avoid the trap of focusing on our own solutions instead. By shifting our mindset from selling to understanding, we can foster more meaningful conversations that lead to better outcomes. Tune in as we share practical strategies to enhance your discovery calls, ensuring they are both insightful and productive.

Master WIMP Junction—the Sandler concept that separates top sellers from those who give away leverage—with a 5-step framework to stay in control of every deal.

WIMP Junction is the Sandler concept every seller needs to master: that fork in the road where you either follow the buyer's system and lose leverage, or maintain control of your sales process. When prospects say "Can you send a quote?" or "Can we get a demo?"—these are danger zones, not buying signals.

In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford share five practical strategies to overcome WIMP Junction: pre-deciding your response, pre-call planning, setting your dial to "no," using reversing techniques, and aligning your intentions. Learn why choosing short-term discomfort leads to long-term sales success. It's hard to prospect, and it's hard to miss your number—choose your hard.

About Josh Pitchford

Josh Pitchford is a Sandler trainer and coach at Sales Engine, where he helps sales professionals and teams build predictable revenue systems. With extensive experience in enterprise sales and account management, Josh specializes in teaching relationship-building strategies, account planning, and the Sandler methodology.

Host

Mark McGraw — Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode

What WIMP Junction is: the fork in the road between following the buyer's system or your own

Mark's desk drawer story and why WIMP Junction "haunted" him for years

Golden Retriever Selling: why fetching every request kills deals

The moment you lose all leverage (and how to keep it)

The Sandler Rule: get equal or greater value for everything you give

Five strategies to overcome WIMP Junction: pre-decide, pre-call plan, set the dial to "no," use reversing, and align intentions

Why understanding beats "selling" every time

Choose Your Hard: trading short-term comfort for long-term success

Links

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Inversion thinking helps sales professionals anticipate failure before it happens, creating prevention rules that guarantee goal achievement.

What if the secret to hitting your sales goals was visualizing failure instead of success? In this episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford explore inversion thinking, a powerful three-step framework that flips traditional goal-setting on its head. Instead of imagining success, you imagine failing at your goal and work backward to identify what went wrong.

The process is simple but transformative: First, set your goal. Second, imagine it is the end of the year and you have failed. Third, create prevention rules that eliminate those failure points before they happen. This pre-mortem approach leverages our natural tendency toward negative thinking and turns it into a strategic advantage.

Mark and Josh dive into practical applications, from shortening sales cycles to building prospecting habits. You will learn how to "pre-decide" your actions to remove willpower from the equation and why public accountability can leverage your need for approval to keep you on track. As the Sandler rule states, you have to learn to fail to win, and this episode shows you how to fail before you fail.

About Josh Pitchford

Josh Pitchford is a Sandler trainer and coach at Sales Engine, where he helps sales professionals and teams build predictable revenue systems. With extensive experience in enterprise sales and account management, Josh specializes in teaching relationship-building strategies, account planning, and the Sandler methodology.

🔗 Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Host

Mark McGraw — Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode

The three-step inversion thinking framework for goal achievement

Why imagining failure works better than visualizing success

How to conduct a pre-mortem before things go wrong

The concept of pre-deciding to eliminate willpower in the moment

Creating non-negotiable prevention rules

Common reasons salespeople fail to hit goals: not prospecting enough, extended sales cycles

Getting to the ultimate decision maker to shorten sales cycles

Finding the buyer's compelling event instead of relying on your own

Why humans are wired for negative thinking and how to leverage it

The importance of clear next steps in every sales conversation

Bulletproofing your deals to mitigate risk

Public accountability and leveraging need for approval

Bringing future pain into the present moment to drive action

Never let how you feel determine how you act

Building rumble strips as guardrails toward your goals

Links

Sandler: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford reveal the six essential checkpoints every seller needs to crush their goals and start the new year with confidence.

Are you ready to hit the ground running in the new year? In this milestone 50th episode, Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford break down the six critical areas every sales professional must address to start strong and finish stronger.

From setting stretch goals you'll only achieve 25% of the time (yes, really) to building your "cookbook" of controllable behaviors, Mark and Josh share the exact framework they use with clients to transform overwhelming annual quotas into manageable, motivating action plans. You'll learn about the KARE model for account segmentation, why your personal goals drive your professional success, and how to identify and crush the self-limiting beliefs holding you back.

Whether you're a sales leader preparing your team or an individual contributor mapping out your year, this checklist will help you move from daunting quotas to confident execution. Plus, hear Mark's "star salesman" story and why that's not the compliment you think it is.

About Josh Pitchford: Josh Pitchford is a Sandler trainer and coach at Sales Engine, where he helps sales professionals and teams build predictable revenue systems. With extensive experience in enterprise sales and account management, Josh specializes in teaching relationship-building strategies, account planning, and the Sandler methodology.
🔗 Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/

Host: Mark McGraw — Building Your Sales Engine

In This Episode:

The six-point checklist for starting your sales year strong

Why written goals beat goals "in your brain"

David Sandler's counterintuitive advice: set goals you'll only hit 25% of the time

How to create a quarterly revenue map to make quotas manageable

The "cookbook" concept: your recipe for consistent sales success

Why personal goals drive professional motivation

The KARE model (Keep, Attain, Recapture, Expand) for account segmentation

Territory zoning and why being a "star salesman" isn't a compliment

Using AI tools like ChatGPT to optimize your territory routes

Building strategic plans for your top 10 accounts

The three-by-three framework: going wider, higher, and deeper in accounts

Skill development priorities for the coming year (including AI)

The belief wheel: how beliefs drive actions and results

Identifying and crushing self-limiting beliefs

Why referral asks belong in every seller's cookbook

"It's not how you feel that determines how you act, it's how you act that determines how you feel"

Links:

Sandler Training: https://www.Sandler.com

Episode Page: https://www.BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/

Show Links: https://linktr.ee/buildingyoursalesengine

Josh Pitchford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-pitchford-6163274/