The Sales Evangelist

Nowadays, there’s no such thing as easy selling. You need to know more than just product features and benefits.

You also need to understand how businesses make money and how different decisions impact success. The problem is that many salespeople still lack strong business acumen.

That’s why I brought in Kevin Cope, CEO of Acumen Learning and author of Business Acumen for Sales Success. He shares how salespeople can strengthen their business knowledge and become more valuable business advisors during the sales process.

Meet Kevin Cope

• Kevin is the CEO of Acumen Learning, an organization that helps companies improve business acumen across their teams.
• Over the past 24 years, Acumen Learning has worked with many of the world’s largest organizations to help employees better understand how businesses grow, make money, and create long-term value.

Why Business Acumen Matters in Sales

• Too many sellers lead conversations with features and benefits instead of understanding the real business challenges buyers are facing. Kevin explains that strong salespeople think like business leaders.
• That shift changes how you prepare for meetings, ask questions, and position your solution. Instead of simply selling a product, you begin helping customers solve problems tied to revenue growth, profitability, efficiency, and cash flow.

The Five Business Drivers Every Seller Should Understand

• Kevin introduces his five business drivers framework: cash, profit, assets, growth, and people. These drivers help sellers understand how organizations measure success and make decisions.
• Once you understand what matters most to the business, it becomes easier to connect your solution to real outcomes instead of generic product messaging.

How Top Sellers Prepare Differently

• One way to improve business acumen is by spending a few minutes reviewing a company’s financials and earnings calls before a meeting.
• Kevin explains how top sellers use that information to identify challenges, understand priorities, and position themselves as trusted advisors instead of transactional sales reps.

“Business acumen is understanding how a company makes money and making good decisions around that money-making process.” — Kevin Cope

Resources

• Connect with Kevin Cope on LinkedIn and check out Business Acumen for Sales Success to learn how stronger business acumen can help you build trust, speak the language of business, and close more meaningful deals.
• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

AI can help you move faster, but it can also help you make mistakes faster. Too many sellers rely on automation while skipping the fundamentals that actually help deals close. One of the biggest problems? Poor qualification.

I sat down with Gearoid Cox, CEO of SalesPipeline, to share advice on how sellers can build healthier pipelines, qualify deals more effectively, and stop wasting time on opportunities that are never going to close.

Meet Gearoid Cox

• Gearoid is the Founder and CEO of SalesPipeline, a revenue growth partner that helps SMBs build and run effective sales operations.
• With nearly 15 years of experience across startups and Fortune 500 companies, he has led teams of more than 100 people.
• He saw that many SMBs lacked the structure, talent, and systems needed to scale their sales efforts, so he built SalesPipeline to solve that problem by hiring, training, and managing high-performing sales and marketing teams.
• Originally from Ireland and now based in Tbilisi, Gearoid specializes in building high-performing sales systems that drive revenue growth.

Why Qualification Starts Earlier Than Most Sellers Think

• Qualification doesn’t always begin on the discovery call. It often starts with the outreach itself.
• Gearoid explains why sellers need to stop chasing volume for the sake of activity and focus more on understanding the actual problems buyers are facing.
• Instead of trying to book as many meetings as possible, the goal should be booking meetings with people who are genuinely qualified and have a real reason to buy.

How Bad Pipeline Data Hurts Sales Teams

• When dead deals stay in the CRM too long, it creates a false picture of what’s really happening inside the business.
• Sales leaders struggle to forecast accurately, reps waste time chasing stalled opportunities, and teams lose focus on deals that actually matter.
• Gearoid shares why sellers need to become more ruthless with pipeline management and honest about which deals are truly moving forward.

The Best Sellers Think Like Consultants

• The strongest salespeople are not simply trying to move prospects through stages. They take time to understand the buyer’s situation, the pressure they’re under, and the risks they’re trying to avoid.
• That shift changes everything. Instead of sounding transactional, sellers become trusted advisors who actually understand the customer’s world.

“People don’t need to hear that your product is perfect. They need to know what happens if something goes wrong.” — Gearoid Cox

Resources

• Connect with Gearoid Cox on LinkedIn and learn how SalesPipeline helps businesses build stronger sales systems, improve qualification, and create healthier pipelines that actually convert.
• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

We finally made it to the 2,000 episodes! After podcasting for 13 long years on sales conversations, it taught me a few things about the industry. Sales has changed a lot since I started this podcast in 2013, and one thing became clear over the years: the people who adapt the fastest are the ones who continue to win.

Why Speed Matters More Than Ever

• Today’s buyers expect answers immediately. They don’t want to wait days for a follow-up email or a scheduled demo. I break down how the rise of AI, automation, and changing buyer behavior has made speed one of the biggest competitive advantages in sales today.
• I also share how organizations are improving conversions simply by responding to leads faster and using AI to personalize outreach at scale instead of relying on outdated “spray and pray” tactics.

Discovery Wins Deals

• The best salespeople are not the best closers. They are the best at discovery. I explain why understanding operational challenges, emotional stakes, and organizational risks matters more than pushing features or rushing into demos.
• Discovery has become its own process, and the sellers who know how to diagnose real problems are the ones winning deals today.

Why Relevance Beats Volume

• Cold outreach looks completely different than it did years ago. Buyers are overwhelmed with emails, which means generic messaging gets ignored fast.
• I talk about how AI can help sales teams create more relevant outreach, improve response rates, and focus on the people who actually have the problems they solve instead of blasting messages to everyone.

The Future of Sales Is Human

• Even with AI transforming the industry, trust and human connection still matter. Buyers are researching online long before they ever talk to sales, which is why content, social selling, and in-person relationships are becoming more important than ever.

“The best closers aren’t closers. They’re world class at discovering challenges and uncovering real problems.” — Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Should your demo and discovery call happen in the same meeting? If you’re combining the two, it may be the reason your pipeline is not converting the way you want it to.

Wesleyne Whittaker, sales professional and author of Sales Reset, joins me to challenge how most teams run demos and discovery and why it might be the reason deals are stalling. She also shares practical frameworks from her book Sales Reset to help you run more effective discovery calls.

Meet Wesleyne Whittaker

• Wesleyne Whittaker is a sales strategist, coach, and author of Sales Reset. She’s known for helping sales professionals rethink how they approach conversations so they can stop going through the motions and start actually closing deals.
• What makes her approach stand out is how she blends mindset with real sales execution. She does not just talk about what to do. She shows you how to do it in a way that feels natural and effective.
• She works with sales teams across different industries, helping them run stronger discovery calls, ask better questions, and create demos that actually connect with buyers.
• At the core of her work is a simple idea. Sales is human to human. And when you focus on understanding people first, everything else starts to fall into place.

Why Discovery Should Come First

• Wesleyne believes deals begin to close during the discovery call. If that conversation is weak, your pipeline will reflect it.
• Instead of jumping straight into a demo, she explains that discovery should focus on listening. You should be talking about 20 percent of the time while your prospect does the rest.
• That is how you uncover the real problems, not just surface level requests.

What an Effective Discovery Looks Like

• A strong discovery call starts before the meeting even begins. Research the company, understand their environment, and come prepared with one key opening question.
• From there, let the conversation guide your follow ups. The goal is to identify three to five real challenges your solution can solve.
• When both sides are learning from each other, the conversation becomes valuable.

How to Deliver a Demo That Converts

• Once you understand the problem, your demo becomes simple. Connect each challenge to a specific feature.
• Avoid showing everything. Focus only on what matters to that buyer.
• When your demo feels tailored instead of generic, it becomes easier for prospects to see the value.

“Don’t do your discovery and demo in one meeting. It’s better to cut a 30-minute call into 20 minutes and say, ‘Let’s reconnect so I can tailor this for you,’ than try to cram everything in.” — Wesleyne Whittaker

Resources

• Grab a copy of Sales Reset to learn how to run stronger discovery calls and close more deals, and don’t forget to connect with Wesleyne Whittaker on LinkedIn.
• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

40% of a seller’s time is spent on prospecting. That’s a big investment, especially when a lot of it does not lead anywhere. So how do you make sure that time actually turns into real opportunities? Let’s break down how to prospect in a way that leads to conversations and closed deals.

Leverage Intent and Relevant Data

• A big part of prospecting comes down to timing. You want to reach out when buyers are already looking for a solution.
• That is where intent data comes in. Tools like ZoomInfo and 6sense can help you identify prospects who are actively researching solutions like endpoint protection.
• When you do reach out, make it relevant. Speak directly to their industry and back it up with a recent success story from a similar company. That is what helps build credibility early.

Utilize Advanced LinkedIn Searching

• Instead of reaching out to everyone, focus on a smaller group of people who are more likely to respond.
• You can build a list of 30 to 40 individuals by narrowing your search. Look for people who are new in their roles or who have been active on LinkedIn in the past 30 days.
• You can also look at who they are connected to, especially if they follow industry influencers or are part of specific associations. That gives you a stronger starting point for outreach.

Systematize Referrals

• Referrals are one of the most overlooked opportunities in sales.
• Most prospects are open to giving referrals, but very few salespeople actually ask for them. That is a missed opportunity.
• Start making it part of your process. When you are working with a client, ask if they know others who are dealing with similar challenges. A simple ask can open the door to warmer conversations.

Target Niche Local Events

• Not every opportunity comes from online outreach. Smaller, more focused events can be a great way to connect with people directly.
• Think industry meetups or informal gatherings where conversations happen more naturally.
• These settings make it easier to build relationships and lead to introductions that feel more genuine.

The Fortune Is in the Follow-Up

• Even when you get in front of the right people, it does not mean much if you do not follow up.
• A large percentage of event attendees have the authority to make buying decisions, yet most leads never receive any follow-up at all.
• That is where the real opportunity is. Following up within 12 to 24 hours and staying consistent with your outreach can be the difference between being remembered and being forgotten.

“Nine out of ten prospects are willing to give a referral, but only about 11% of salespeople actually ask.” - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Do you need help on getting more referrals? Check out episode 1976.
• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Salesforce found that reps spend just 11 hours per week actually selling. That means nearly 70% of their time is spent on everything else. So where is it going? Let’s break down what sellers are really doing and why it’s keeping them from hitting quota.

Identifying Time-Bleeding Tasks

• Let me show you what’s really taking up their day. A lot of it comes down to necessary work that just takes way too long. Think about the time spent digging for information before a call. That can easily turn into 45 minutes of manual research for one prospect.
• Then there’s building proposals and assessments. Reps are sitting there formatting documents, choosing layouts, and putting together decks when that time could be spent in front of a customer.
• On top of that, you’ve got CRM updates, data entry, and internal meetings that keep pulling reps away from actual selling. It all adds up fast, and before you know it, the day is gone without much time spent with buyers.

Leveraging AI and Process Optimization

• So how do you fix it? It starts with getting rid of the work that does not need to be done manually.
• AI is making that a lot easier. Instead of spending close to an hour researching a prospect, reps can pull together key insights in just minutes. CRM updates can be automated. Meeting notes can be summarized without lifting a finger.
• And when it comes to proposals and documents, this is where better systems come in. Instead of starting from scratch every time, teams can use templates or even hand off parts of the process so reps can stay focused on selling.
• The goal here is simple. Take as much off the rep’s plate as possible so they can spend more time doing the one thing that actually drives results.

Actionable Steps for Leaders and Reps

• If you want to fix this, both leaders and reps have to take a hard look at how time is being used.
• Start by tracking it. Spend a week writing down exactly where your time goes. Prospecting, emails, research, meetings. When you see it on paper, it becomes a lot clearer where the gaps are.
• From there, leaders need to step in and protect selling time. That means cutting back on unnecessary meetings and making sure reps have systems that actually support them.
• And finally, simplify the tools. When everything is scattered across different platforms, it slows everyone down. Bringing those tools into one place makes it easier to work faster and stay organized.
• At the end of the day, this is about making sure your reps are spending more time in front of customers and less time stuck in the background work.

“Time is ticking and time is money.” - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Salesforce found that sellers who use AI are 3.7 times more likely to hit quota. So what are they doing differently? Let’s break down how AI is helping sellers work more effectively and why it’s becoming a core part of modern sales.

Maximizing Efficiency in Prep and Prospecting

• AI is taking a lot of the busy work off a seller’s plate, especially when it comes to prep and prospecting.
• Instead of spending 45 minutes digging into a single prospect, sellers can now pull together key insights in just minutes using tools like ChatGPT or Claude. That kind of time savings adds up fast.
• And it changes how sellers spend their day. When you’re saving 30 minutes or more per prospect, that time can go back into higher-value activities like engaging on LinkedIn or actually reaching out to prospects.
• AI is also making personalization easier to scale. Sellers can quickly find relevant details about a prospect and use that information to craft more thoughtful, tailored outreach without starting from scratch every time.

AI as a Sales Coach

• AI is not just helping with research. It’s starting to act like a built-in sales coach throughout the deal cycle.
• Sellers can use it to think through different scenarios before a call ever happens. By plugging in meeting notes or past conversations, AI can highlight potential risks and help them prepare more effectively for discovery.
• It’s also useful when it comes to handling objections. Instead of guessing how to respond, sellers can use AI to brainstorm different approaches, especially when they’re up against a specific competitor.
• And before a deal moves forward, AI can help pressure test it. Sellers can ask it to find gaps, weak points, or anything they may have missed so they can tighten their approach before presenting a solution.

"You're shrinking the busy work so you can focus more on selling." - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You’re feeling the impact of the tariffs, aren’t you? They keep your deals from moving forward. Luckily, I came up with three ways to move those tariff blocks out of the way and make everything move in your favor.

1. Show Them What It’s Costing to Wait

• When deals stall, it’s easy for companies to pause spending and focus on what feels urgent right now. But waiting comes with a cost.
• Instead of pushing harder, help them see what happens if nothing changes. What does it cost the business to delay? What risks are they taking on by doing nothing?
• When you lay that out clearly, the conversation shifts. It is no longer just about spending money. It becomes about avoiding a bigger loss.

2. Ask What Needs to Change, Not “When”

• Most sellers follow up with one question: “When can we move forward?” That question does not move the deal.
• A better approach is to ask, “What needs to happen for this to become a priority again?”
• Now you open up a real conversation. You start to understand what is actually blocking the deal, whether it is budget, timing, or internal pressure. Once you know that, you can position yourself to help move things forward.

3. Stay Present So You’re First When It Opens Back Up

• Sometimes there is nothing you can do at the moment. The deal is simply frozen. That does not mean you disappear.
• Stay in motion. Check in, share insights, and send relevant updates that keep you top of mind without being pushy.
• When things start moving again, the seller who stayed present is usually the one who gets the deal.

“Delays don’t kill deals. Ignoring the cost of waiting does.” - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Today, most deals involve 11 to 13 decision-makers. Nobody wants to be the one held responsible if things go wrong. So instead of one decision-maker, you’re dealing with a full committee. That’s one of the biggest reasons deals stall, and that’s what we’re getting into in this Missed Quota episode.

Why Deals Stall Even When You Do Everything Right

• You’ve done your research. You ran a solid discovery. The demo went well. And then the deal just sits there.
• A lot of times, it’s because you didn’t know who was really involved in the decision.
• On top of that, buyers are spending less time talking to sellers. They’re doing their own research and only bringing you in for a small part of the process.
• That means if you’re not connected to the right people, you can lose the deal without even realizing it.

Build a Champion Toolkit

• If you have a champion inside the company, you need to set them up to win when you’re not in the room.
• That means giving them the right information to speak to different stakeholders. Think about what the CFO cares about. Think about legal, procurement, and leadership.
• Give your champion the tools to answer those questions so they can confidently represent your solution.

Map Out the Buying Committee Early

• Don’t wait until the deal slows down to figure out who’s involved. Work with your champion early to identify everyone who has a say in the decision.
• Then figure out what matters to each person. When you understand their priorities, you can tailor your approach instead of guessing.

Multi-thread Your Way Into the Deal

• Your champion can’t carry the entire deal on their own. Ask for introductions to other stakeholders. Get in front of people like the CFO or anyone else influencing the decision.
• Speaking directly to their concerns, makes it easier for the deal to move forward and take pressure off your champion.

“The first thing you need to recognize is that there are a lot more people involved in deals today than there used to be.” - Donald C. Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

A lot of sellers are working hard but still falling short in Q1. The challenge isn’t always activity. It’s timing. This is part two of the missed quota series, and I’m sharing why buyers are already far into their journey before you ever connect with them and how you can show up sooner.

Why Q1 Feels So Difficult for Sellers

• Most sellers wonder why Q1 feels so tough, and a big part of it comes down to this. By the time you’re getting in front of a buyer, they’re already about 67% through their decision-making process.
• They’ve done their research, explored options, and in many cases already have a shortlist before you even show up.

The Buyer’s Shift: The Dark Funnel

• This is what I call the dark funnel. It’s everything happening behind the scenes before a buyer ever talks to you. And here’s the reality. A lot of buyers prefer it that way.
• Gartner found that 61% of B2B buyers want a seller-free experience early on, and 43% of executives are discovering solutions through social media. If you’re not visible during that stage, you’re already behind.

Content Is How You Show Up Early

• So how do you get ahead of that? You’ve got to start thinking like a content house. If you’re not consistently showing up with insights, you’re invisible while buyers are forming their opinions.
• This isn’t about posting just to stay active. It’s about sharing content that actually helps your ideal customer think through their challenges.

What to Share to Stay Relevant

• If you’re in something like cybersecurity, think about the kind of content your buyers care about.
• Break down major breaches and what companies can learn from them. Explain new compliance changes in a way that’s easy to understand.
• Share real-world insights based on what you’re seeing in the field. This is the kind of content that builds trust before a conversation ever happens.

Consistency Over Virality

• You don’t need to go viral to win. You need to be consistent.
• Aim for about three quality posts a week that speak directly to your ideal customer profile. Over time, that consistency is what keeps you top of mind.

Make Your LinkedIn Profile Work for You

• And while you’re doing all of this, don’t overlook your LinkedIn profile. That’s often the first place buyers go when they come across your name.
• Make sure your headline clearly shows how you help clients. Use keywords they’re searching for, and back it up with real credibility in your experience section.

"Sales professionals who master social selling, create 45% more opportunities and are 51% more likely to hit their quota." — Donald Kelly

Resources

• Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
• Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
• Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.