April 14, 2025

Training Your Tech Team to Sell, Lessons in Trust, Empathy, and Real Sales Leadership | Crush Your Number #4 with Kermitt Francis of TekSouth

30 minutes

Sales managers often dream about turning their best technical minds into sales machines—but more often than not, it falls flat. Why? Because it takes more than product expertise. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sits down with Kermit Francis, a former auditor and coder turned Director of Business Development, who shares exactly what makes that rare technical-to-sales transition actually work.

Kermit didn’t just memorize the features. He built relationships by caring more about the person than the pitch. His story is packed with practical insight: how to identify technical folks with sales potential, the three traits to look for before making the leap, and why most “big personality” reps crash and burn. You’ll also hear how Kermit trains his team, how he uses personal experience to connect with clients, and how to keep your emotional energy steady through the highs and lows of sales.

This isn’t theory. It’s a masterclass in how empathy, listening, and genuine care create trust—and trust closes deals. If you’re looking for a new approach to building a sales team from your technical bench, this is your playbook.

Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.

Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com.

Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019.

Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

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