In this episode, we embark on a journey into the world of storytelling and its profound impact on long-term sales success. Inspired by the beloved children's tale, "The Velveteen Rabbit," we explore how genuine connection, authenticity, and resilience are fundamental keys to real, lasting success in sales and sales leadership.

Discover the remarkable ways in which personal narratives shape one's identity, mental health, and overall satisfaction. We delve into the art of communicating personal stories in sales, illustrating how authenticity and passion can build trust and empathy with customers, ultimately fostering meaningful connections and sustainable relationships.

In this episode, we dive into the often underestimated yet powerful impact of assessments in selecting exceptional sales representatives. Drawing from our extensive experience with thousands of companies, we shed light on how validated assessments, when combined with other recruitment tools, become an invaluable aid for identifying top-tier sales talent.

We delve into the evolving definition of success and how it differs across generations. Drawing insights from Bruce Feller's groundbreaking book, "The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World," we uncover the findings of extensive interviews conducted with both Generation Z and Generation Xrs. These interviews reveal a trend of young individuals leaving traditional jobs in search of more purposeful work-life integration. The pursuit of meaningful work has become their primary objective, with less emphasis on wealth and status. So, what does this mean for sales leaders, recruiters, and company owners?

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating dynamics of leadership and how assertiveness and compassion play crucial roles in achieving success. Inspired by a discussion sparked by a Jordan Peterson podcast, we explore a study involving chimpanzees and draw parallels to the challenges faced by a CEO in coaching her sales manager.

In this episode, we dive into the profound impact of having a customer-oriented approach in sales and how it can make a significant difference in long-term success for companies. The discussion is sparked by a thought-provoking comment from a listener: "Redefined adequate to be attentive." We explore the idea of providing exceptional service and why being just adequate or attentive may not be enough.

Join us in this thought-provoking episode as we explore why settling for mediocrity or being just good enough can impede progress and hinder success. Learn how focusing on the fundamental aspects of sales and fostering genuine customer relationships can propel you and your team towards greatness, leading to increased profitability, customer loyalty, and an outstanding reputation in your industry. Don't settle for good when greatness is within your reach!

In this episode, I will describe my experience at a coffee shop in Tennessee and contrast it with a negative experience I had at a corporate store. I want to emphasize the importance of customer orientation and attitude in sales and customer service.

Furthermore, the podcast delves into the impact of non-verbal cues and appearance on the perceived believability of public speakers. It reminded me of the significance of projecting sincerity and authenticity through body language and overall presentation. It made me realize that by focusing on serving others and adopting an attitude of service, we can build meaningful connections and run successful businesses.

The episode discusses the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and recruiters when hiring salespeople and highlights seven common recruiting missteps that decrease the chances of hiring top performers. These missteps include overemphasizing past experience, relying solely on non-structured interviews, inadequate job descriptions, insufficient focus on cultural fit, rushed hiring processes, neglecting passive candidates, and lack of a validated assessment.

The episode emphasizes the importance of hiring the best people who can sell what a company sells in the right way, rather than just hiring based on charisma or personal liking. It warns against the pitfalls of a "grow at all costs" mentality that leads to recruiting numbers over quality and valuing profit over customer relationships.

This episode discusses the hard sell approach used in various industries and why sales managers should adopt a more customer-centric approach. The hard sell approach involves using high-pressure tactics to convince potential buyers to make a purchase, often relying on emotional manipulation, false scarcity, and other unethical tactics to close deals.

In this episode, we take a look at current statistics saying that AI will take over a huge portion of jobs in America. We look at what sales jobs ChatGPT says it can perform better than humans. We ask it to tell us what salespeople can do to keep AI from taking over their jobs and more!