Tea and Timbits

Complex selling is never just about “the buyer” and “the seller.”

We wish it were. It would make life much easier, and we could probably all spend less time in meetings pretending the spreadsheet is “basically under control.”

In this episode, we talk about stakeholder engagement — the people inside and outside the deal who can quietly make everything work… or loudly make everything fall apart.

That includes executives, delivery teams, partners, suppliers, finance, operations, customer service, and sometimes the person who appears halfway through the process with a very strong opinion and absolutely no context.

The big takeaway?

Stakeholder management does not have to be perfect. But it does have to exist.

Even a simple list of who is involved, what they care about, what they are worried about, and how they affect the outcome can prevent a lot of firefighting later.

And if you are always firefighting, well… we may have accidentally diagnosed the problem.

In this week’s episode, we get into:

• Why stakeholder management goes beyond executive selling
• How to uncover hidden risks before they become expensive surprises
• Why internal delivery teams need to be involved earlier
• How partners and suppliers shape the customer experience
• Why “known unknowns” are far better than “unknown unknowns”

Have a listen, especially if your complex sales process currently relies on optimism, crossed fingers, and a heroic amount of Slack messages.

This week, we’re recording together in London for a rare in-person episode, which naturally means things go slightly off the rails before we even get to the topic.

We kick things off with a story about hiring event security, where we learned the hard way that ticking qualification boxes doesn’t always mean someone can actually do the job. Turns out “having the badge” and “being able to climb stairs without needing a lie down” are apparently separate competencies.

From there, we dive into the world of complex selling and executive selling — and why most big deals are won (or lost) long before the final proposal lands.

We explore:

• Why executive selling is more than just presenting to senior leadership
• How to use your own executives as part of the sales strategy
• The importance of coaching leadership teams before customer meetings
• Why one uninformed stakeholder can derail an entire deal
• How to tactfully expand conversations to include hidden decision-makers
• The role of context, repetition, and preparation in complex sales
• Why executives need exposure to real customer conversations

Along the way, we also accidentally turn the conversation into relationship advice and realise that executive communication skills might be just as useful at home as they are in the boardroom.

It’s a practical, slightly chaotic conversation about influence, credibility, preparation, and the human side of complex deals.

This week, we dive headfirst into the world of complex deals and team selling — and discover that the secret to winning big opportunities isn’t bringing eleven people and a 300-slide deck into a meeting. In fact… it’s usually the opposite.

We explore why complex deals are more often lost to internal chaos than to competitors, how healthy businesses create healthier sales processes, and why clarity beats noise every single time. Along the way, we talk about overloaded pipelines, managing urgency without panic, executive sponsorship, customer alignment, and the importance of having one person truly “own” the opportunity.

There’s also a cautionary tale involving eleven people heading into a defense contractor meeting… which thankfully became two people and three slides before anyone got hurt.

As always, we manage to make complex sales sound both strategic and mildly ridiculous — which, honestly, is probably the most accurate description of enterprise selling anyone’s ever come up with.

In this bonus episode, we doubled down on what actually drives healthy teams and results—and spoiler alert: it’s not luck, and it’s definitely not another fancy spreadsheet.

We kicked things off with a simple but powerful reminder: just showing up (literally, in person) can unlock opportunities you didn’t even know existed. Turns out, a casual “while you’re here…” can be worth six figures. Not bad for a day out of the office.

From there, we unpacked our slightly cheesy but surprisingly effective framework: capability, culture, capacity, and consistency. We talked about why consistency is usually the first thing to slip (guilty), and how without it, everything else quietly falls apart.

We also got into the habit most teams get wrong—only reviewing what went badly. Instead, we made the case for digging into wins and understanding what actually worked (because let’s be honest, “we lost on price” tells you absolutely nothing).

And finally, we brought it all together with one key idea: healthy businesses are built by design, not by accident. No shortcuts, no magic—just deliberate effort, reflection, and a bit of resilience when things don’t go to plan.

If you’ve been chasing better results without stepping back to look at how you’re operating, this one’s for you.

This week, we wrap up our “Healthy Team, Healthy Results” series with a tools episode—but not the kind you’d expect.

We kick things off with a story that perfectly proves why getting out from behind the screen still matters. What started as a routine 15-minute client meeting turned into a game-changing discovery… all because we were physically in the room. Turns out, you can’t replicate hallway chats and off-script insights on Zoom (we’ve tried—awkwardly).

From there, we dig into tools—not just the usual suspects like CRMs and calendars—but the ones that actually support culture, collaboration, and long-term business health. Think corporate social media used properly (yes, really), peer-to-peer recognition platforms, learning systems that don’t make you want to cry, and even… office chairs.

The big takeaway? Tools don’t fix broken processes—they amplify whatever discipline you already have. So if things are messy… well… congratulations, you’ve just bought yourself a faster mess.

We used to think “healthy body” in business conversations meant… well… eating a salad and pretending we enjoy it.

Turns out, it’s a bit more important than that.

In our latest episode, we got into something that doesn’t get talked about enough:
> Leaders set the tone — not just with strategy, but with how they live and work

If you’re constantly stressed, skipping breaks, and powering through holidays… guess what your team thinks “normal” looks like?

A few things we discussed:

• Why blocking vacation time in advance actually works
• The difference between customer service and customer experience (and why it matters more than you think)
• How a lack of structure quietly leads to burnout, bad decisions, and takeout-for-the-third-time-this-week energy
• And why “treating yourself” can become a slippery slope if you’re not careful

None of this is revolutionary.
But it is the stuff that quietly separates healthy teams from chaotic ones.

We’re not perfect at it (far from it), but we’re trying to be more intentional — and this episode was a good reminder.

If you’ve ever said “I’ll take a break after this week”… this one’s for you.

#Leadership #TeamCulture #Wellbeing #BusinessGrowth #CustomerExperience

In our latest episode, we got into a conversation that started with a global meeting powered by live AI translation (very cool, slightly sci-fi), and quickly turned into something deeper:

Why do some teams just work… while others feel like chaos in slow motion?

We’ve both seen businesses where:

• The values are beautifully written… but completely ignored
• Everyone is “busy”… but nothing moves forward
• And somehow everything is urgent all the time

And we’ve also seen the opposite:

• Clear expectations
• Real accountability
• Different working styles… but shared standards

That’s culture.

Not perks. Not posters. Not pizza Fridays.

Just clarity, consistency, and what actually gets reinforced when no one’s looking.

If you’re leading a team right now, ask yourself one question:
“What behaviours are we accidentally rewarding?”

That answer will tell you everything.

Give it a listen if you’re trying to build a healthier team (or fix one that’s gone a bit sideways like ours have in the past…)

Ever sat through “training” where you click play, zone out, and hope there’s no quiz at the end? 😅

Yeah… we’ve all been there.

In our latest episode, we talk about why most training doesn’t work—and what actually does.

Turns out:

• It’s not about more content
• It’s not about clever hacks
• And it’s definitely not about ticking a box

It’s about changing behaviour.

We break down:
Why great teams obsess over the basics (yes… again)
Why managers need to be trained before their teams
And a simple framework (EDIP) that actually makes training stick

Also… a gentle reminder:
You can take your work seriously without taking yourself too seriously.

That might just be the secret ingredient.

Give it a listen if you want your team to stop “doing training”… and start actually improving.

#SalesLeadership #Training #TeamPerformance #B2B #Leadership

We wrapped up our sales channels series the only way we know how—by slightly going off-script.

This week, we dove into the tools behind partnerships, social selling, and referrals… but not before questioning whether following “the process” too perfectly might actually slow you down. Turns out, sometimes the best move is to politely ignore your own rules.

We explored CRMs as your system of record, why most reporting is… let’s say “aspirational,” and how tools like analytics platforms, social schedulers, and even good old-fashioned PDFs can make or break your channel strategy.

Big takeaway? Tools matter. Process matters. But common sense might matter just a little bit more.

(Also, our audio worked this time, which frankly deserves its own celebration.)

In this episode , we stumble through a slightly chaotic start (audio equipment: 1, us: 0) before diving into one of the most powerful — and most underused — sales channels in business: referrals.

We talk about why referrals are the cleanest path to growth, how trust transfers instantly when someone introduces you, and why simply doing good work isn’t always enough to generate them.

Along the way we explore:

• Why referrals don’t scale organically unless you’re intentional
• The difference between testimonials and real referrals
• How to ask for introductions without making it awkward
• Why sometimes your clients treat you like their secret weapon
• And how offering referrals first can unlock more opportunities than asking for them

We also kick things off with a story about walking into a situation wildly underqualified… and still coming out on top — proving that preparation and curiosity can sometimes beat credentials.

If you’re looking for practical ways to grow your business through trust, relationships, and a little strategic asking, this one’s for you.