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Picture this. A sales conference featuring the then-sitting president of the United States as the keynote speaker. It happened in July of 1916. 

It wasn’t because the president had nothing going on that day, happened to be in town, and decided to swing by.  A world war was raging in Europe. What we now know as World War 1.

It was because Woodrow Wilson had an important message for the sales world that day. It was the United States' opportunity to establish itself as a world superpower…and it depended largely on salespeople to make it happen. He had four lessons he wanted every salesperson to hear clearly and embrace. 

It was the most significant sales keynote speech of all time… these are the lessons.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

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This may sound crazy, but I truly believe that government legislation has had a larger impact on changing the sales profession than has technology or the proliferation of information available to buyers. 

Legislation changed things more significantly. Legislation changed things faster. 

The sales profession has consistently pushed the boundaries since the 19th century, driven by greed, and it is the government that has created the rules by which we've all had to play. In this episode, I take you through those significant pieces of legislation and how they immediately and wholly changed the way we sell. 

(Lots of research went into this episode...hope you enjoy it!)

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

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"The selling methods of any period grow out of the economic situation of the time." - H.K. Nixon, Principles of Selling, 1931

Looking back over the past 225 years, the prominent persona in the sales profession has moved from the Peddler to the Drummer to the Confidence Man, then swung back and forth between "high pressure" sales versus the true "service" salesperson. In this episode, we explore the personalities and personas since the early 1800s, understanding what drove those shifts, and how to think about the future required sales personas.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

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In March of 2022, I released an episode of this podcast called "Using History To Predict - The Future of Sales", as we had been repeating the 1920s. Here we are over 3 1/2 years later, and so far, it's been right on! 

In an article I found from 1921, the writer describes in striking detail what was happening at the time, coupled with profound advice and guidance on how to prepare for what's to come.

In this episode, I walk you through the overlap, share paragraphs from the article, and help you predict the next few years. I'm no Nostradamus, but history repeating is batting almost a perfect 1.000!

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

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You’ve heard about Abraham Lincoln. You’ve heard about Ulysses S. Grant. They’re credited with putting down the rebellion during the Civil War. But there was a forgotten sales master who may have been just as important. 

“If ever there should be a Salesmen’s Hall of Fame, one of the first pedestals must be reserved for Jay Cooke.” - Ads and Sales, Herbert Newton Casson, 1911

In this episode, we explore the story of the "first national sales campaign" and the story of the unsung hero who, without his go-to-market sales strategy, the United States might look completely different today.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

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We believe we know today the traits it takes to be a successful salesperson, but do we? In the early 1900s, while many of the thoughts were the same as today, there was some "off-limits" thinking as well. In this listener-inspired episode, I break down many of the ideas from a hundred years ago about sales hiring, including an exploration of the age-old introvert versus extrovert debate, and some of the wilder criteria.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

Support the show

Send us a text

In this, the 50th episode of The Sales History Podcast, I step into the role of prosecuting attorney to put one bold claim on trial: that the sales profession has changed dramatically in the past decade. My case? The evidence shows otherwise. Drawing on over 140 years of books, magazines, and other artifacts, I attempt to prove that the foundational principles of selling are the same today as they were over 100 years ago. Decide the verdict for yourself.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

Support the show

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I got "lit up" by a social media troll...and it turns out, the troll was right! I was complaining about my seat on a plane; a metal tube traveling 500 mph 35,000 feet above the earth. Me, sitting comfortably in a cushiony chair sipping a Diet Coke and enjoying a Stroopwafel. 

Uncle Charlie Terry shared his travel stories from the 1800s...and (a) it made me realize what a wimp I was by complaining, but (b) opened my eyes to what traveling salespeople sacrificed and dealt with to make a living in the 1860s-1920s. 

Enjoy this take on sales and sales travel from the 1800s. 

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

Support the show

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Imagine: it's spring 1893. You're a salesperson for the National Cash Register Corporation (NCR). Your ultimate boss? Oh, it's just the founder of the modern sales profession...John H. Patterson. 

The person responsible for almost everything about sales today, back in the 1890s, wrote a newsletter to his salespeople across the country on a regular basis. In this episode, we explore some of the thoughts, tips, and rules for the NCR team.

Trust me - they're amazing, and still applicable today.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

Support the show

Send us a text

Is AI coming for the sales profession? Will "everything change"? Turns out, history can help us predict the future of the sales profession in the face of the rise of AI.

Because, as I read all of the commentary, they mostly all say the same thing…
…the same thing as was said throughout history every time there was either (a) a significant shift in the world of business, or (b) a significant downturn.

In this episode, I attempt to answer the question, "Will AI kill the sales profession? What history tells us..."

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

Support the show