SECRET SKILL. HIDDEN CAREER. The Truth About Sales

Many people are reluctant sellers. Even seasoned salespeople sometimes feel uncomfortable sharing their strengths with potential clients, never mind the occasional salesperson who really doesn't like to shout from the rooftops about what they do!  If you find yourself a bit tongue-tied pitching yourself at networking events, in meetings or over the phone, this episode will help you. If you're a non-salesperson who has to sell yourself or your business in order to deliver what you're great at but find it difficult, tune in.  Host Paul Owen will share with you a tip to help the slightly more reluctant salespeople, perhaps some of whom suffer from imposter syndrome. If you have expertise but find it difficult to express it in sales conversations, Paul's tip will help you immediately. Enjoy the show. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Closing is not - as often claimed - the secret to sales success. But it does matter. It's not the secret because you don't rescue a bad sales conversation with a great close. But it matters because you can have a good sales conversation and waste it by closing badly. This is not only the most common closing mistake in telesales but also the most frustrating. All the hard work has been done! Join host, Paul Owen, as he shares the details on this common mistake and gives the simple change you can make tomorrow to improve this part of your sales calls. Enjoy the show. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

There are many different ways to sell - it's one of the best things about sales though it also creates some problems in training sales teams. In this short solo episode, host Paul Owen shares his thoughts on the balance between methodology, delivery and learner participation. Is one sales methodology the clear winner? Or is the answer to consistent sales success something else entirely? Enjoy the show! (and listen out for the special offer at the end)Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Education is broken. It has been for years. That broken model is often replicated in the training world, for sales and others. This leads to unproductive training programmes, a lack of positive change and a growing disenchantment with learning. This is a problem we need to fix. This is a problem we can fix. Join host Paul Owen in this solo episode as he makes clear the problems of the broken model, the knock-on effects for workplace training and how a lesson from Taylor Swift can turn the tide. In addition, Paul offers all podcast listeners to chance to pre-register for an exciting new initiative from True Sales, launching soon. Tune in for full details. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Can you make yourself more likeable? And, if you can, does it matter in sales?…In this solo episode, host Paul Owen answers both questions based around the many years of research into likeability done by social scientists.If you think that likeability either happens or doesn't, think again.You're about to find out that there are 5 factors that foster likeability.And each of them is under your control.Enjoy!Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

One of the happiest, most successful remote sales teams we have ever seen is run by Sian Burton, Commercial Director of Kyero, the leading international property portal. Join host Paul Owen as he spends an engaging half hour with Sian to find out her sales management secrets. With teams based across 5 countries and speaking many languages, the challenges of recruitment, onboarding, training, managing and motivating are great. Yet the ability of Sian and her management team to do it well (for over 13 years, way before Covid!) has seen the Kyero team grow ten-fold in her time with the company. Sian will share her insights across several key sales management areas: Remote recruitment Onboarding online Creating and sustaining company cultureTraining and coaching via Teams Managing and motivating across the miles If you'd like to contact Sian and her team at Kyero, you can find her direct on LinkedIn or via the Kyero website: www.kyero.com (where you can also view 1 million international properties for sale!). Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

When we ask people the Number 1 benefit of great sales questioning, few people get the answer right. Yes, of course, we ask questions of a potential client to understand their needs and work out if we can help. But there is a lot more to it. In this short solo episode, host Paul Owen shares the one benefit that is the most powerful and the most overlooked in the world of sales. Of course, we make mention of other benefits of questions: Building rapport - people enjoy talking, especially about themselves, and this builds a connectionLearning their language - we all use English differentlyControlling the conversation - questions are the conversational signpostsMaking our lives easier - when they're talking, we can relax and listen carefully Making them think - a client, asked good questions, has to think. This is key to a productive use of their time and oursBut the focus in this episode is on one other benefit. The idea shared in this episode will not only change how you communicate in your sales conversations and your business meetings; it will probably change the communication in your personal life too. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

A large percentage of many sales teams are underperforming. Not only now but on an ongoing basis. Why is that the case? Why do we accept this? What are we doing to address this consistent sales under-performance? Our guest Richard Washington, Founder and MD of Tick Talent, built a large and successful tech sales operation himself several years ago and now helps scaling tech teams to find the top sales talent in their market. He has strong views on 3 key mistakes made by companies as they scale up: not just in they try to attract talent and hire it but the way they motivate sales teams, coach them and manage them. Join him in this episode as he shares with host Paul Owen the Top 3 Sales Mistakes he sees in scaling teams. We are confident you will find Richard's engaging style a joy to listen to and his clarity about business success will enlighten you. He'll probably make you smile too! Tune in. We look forward to hearing your feedback. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

In many markets, it's tough right now. Stop worrying about it. Stop complaining. And take action. The danger, in more challenging times, is that we pause to analyse and stay in analysis phase for too long. Understanding the data and making plans are both important, of course, but it has to lead to action. So what actions will help you. In this short solo episode, host Paul Owen shares 3 simple sales strategies that will help any company open up quick sales opportunities right now. Tune in for 6 minutes, take on board the ideas and then get busy. Time to end the Analysis Paralysis and get busy selling! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

So many of us hate networking. Even amongst those that don't mind networking, many do it badly. There is one major reason why this is either the least favourite or the worst delivered business generation platform: WE MISUNDERSTAND NETWORKING. In this solo episode, your host Paul Owen will share the networking mistakes he made over many years. He will also challenge you to think again about the point of networking: What are we actually trying to do at an event? The answer does not involve the words 'Sell' or 'Pitch'. In just 10 minutes of listening time, you will learn: How to re-frame the whole concept of networkingWays to feel more relaxed about attending A process to make the experience more enjoyable (for you AND those you meet)A result that will give you more value for the time spent thereEnjoy the show - and your future networking events! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

What is the worst answer in sales? And why is it the worst answer? In this short solo episode, host Paul Owen shares his thoughts on these questions. We all think we know the worst answer in sales but, in many cases, we're wrong. Tune in to hear: The 4 reasons why 'The Worst Answer' will kill your sales successThe better answer you should seek instead (yes, we all know, is the best one!)How to switch your mindset to make the adjustment The differences this will make to the way you sell Closing is NOT the secret of sales success in the way it is often viewed. But it is important to do it well. This insight will help you do it better.  Enjoy the show.  Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

It's not what you know that makes you successful. It's what you do. There's a huge misunderstanding about knowledge vs action. "Knowledge is power" the cliche tells us. No, it's not. The implementation of knowledge is power. This is hugely overlooked in the world of sales and many others. Including medicine.  The world of surgery had an opportunity to transform itself through a simple checklist. Yet, despite compelling results, the challenges it solved remain prevalent in surgery today. What can sales professionals learn from the world of surgery?  What are the simple steps between knowledge known and knowledge in action? In this solo episode, host Paul Owen shares a sales lesson from the world of surgery and gives listeners 2 quick, simple ideas to turn knowledge into meaningful action.  Enjoy the show.  Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

One of the most critical support services to provide to your sales teams is dedicated sales coaching. You can hire an external expert but, with the right process and expertise, you can do much of it in-house too. Too many people work in sales without individual coaching and we want to encourage companies all over the world to change this. One of the reasons coaching is not provided is that sales leaders are unsure of how to do it well. Let's change that.  In this solo episode, host Paul Owen shares his Top 5 Sales Coaching Tips to enable teams to be more successful. These are simple, proven techniques that you can put into practice immediately. Enjoy the show.  Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

New ideas for selling better come in many different forms. Yes, sales books can be helpful but, often, the best ideas come from other fields of study. In this solo episode, host Paul Owen shares 5 of his favourite non-sales books that have given him sales inspiration. There are 2 books by doctors and 1 by a table tennis champion so you can be assured of variety. Tune in to hear a short overview of each book and how they can help you sell better. The best ideas can come from very different worlds - yes, each idea takes a bit of translation to turn to sales but even that process benefits the learning. You take the inspiration from an outsider and add your own twist in a sales setting - perfect! If you have any of your own non-sales book recommendations, do get in touch with us: hello@truesales.co. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

For many of us, our first impressions of sales are negative and we quickly build a belief that sales is bad and salespeople do bad things. But what if that's wrong? What if your first interaction with sales was filled with love and that informed how you viewed it from that day on? Meet the man whose first sales job - knocking on neighbours' doors selling chocolate to raise money for a school charity - led to meeting his first girlfriend. Jason Marc Campbell, a Canadian sales leader, entrepreneur and bestselling author of Selling With Love is this week's guest, in conversation with host, Paul Owen. Small, seemingly insignificant events such as Jason's door-knocking to sell chocolate can shape a life and it was a joy to hear someone speak so authentically about selling with care, selling with empathy, selling with love AND how that changes everything. Tune in to find out how love elevates sales by putting client value at the top of the tree, how it almost automatically increases your levels of repeat business and hugely increases referral levels.  If you like what you hear from Jason, look up his book online, tune into his podcast (https://www.sellingwithlove.com/) or visit his website (https://www.jasonmarccampbell.com/). Finally, to make the most of Jason's offer for a free download on selling with love, find him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmarccampbell/)Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

There are many KPIs that are measured in sales but which ones are the most important? And is there one that beats all others to give you the best indicator of success? This week's guest Colin Mitchell is a Founder with 3 successful exits who believes 1 sales KPI is head and shoulders above the rest and it's the one we should all track carefully. A fascinating character with a successful career so far, Collin was raised by a single mum on food stamps and government cheese. He started his first company with his wife when he was 25 and grew it to $5M ARR in 26 months, and now specialises in helping companies at or above $1M to $10M ARR as VP of Sales at Leadium. Leadium specialises in helping companies scale through generating inbound leads and providing outbound campaigns and qualified data for fast-growing companies to scale their sales operations. You can find out more about Leadium and their services here: Leadium websiteJoin Collin as he answers questions from host, Paul Owen, about the sales KPIs that should no longer be measured, the ones that can help and the Number 1 we should all monitor carefully. He shares the common mistakes he sees in scaling sales and how to implement the ability to track the most important element in sales. If you like what you hear from Collin, then tune into his hugely successful podcast: Sales Transformation (listen here on Apple Podcasts), available on all major platforms, or drop him a note on LinkedIn: Collin Mitchell. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. If you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Can you tell a short, captivating and impactful story about your business that engages an audience and moves them to action? Would you like to be able to do so? Whether we're talking about our businesses, our community projects or our life goals, it can be easy to get stuck in well-intentioned but misdirected ideals, meaningless detail and unconvincing sales pitches. But when we can step in front of audiences both large and small to share a story that creates powerful relevant images in their minds, we give ourselves the chance to change their point of view and move them towards taking action. If this sounds like the kind of thing you'd love to be able to do, join host Paul Owen as he interviews serial entrepreneur and master storyteller, Tom Jackobs. After setting up his own fitness company only to discover he was terrible at sales, Tom worked out his own way to sell honestly and consistently: Telling stories that matter to him and connected powerfully to his audience. This led to huge growth in his company before selling it on to new owners (who have continued to grow through stories!).  In this episode, Tom will share the first steps you should take to do the same thing and also give you a flavour of the difference it can make to your company when you master the art of storytelling.  He also makes an offer to each listener to share with you his 5 Steps Blueprint For Creating Your Personal Story That Sells. For full details on Tom's life, career and the way he can help you right now, visit his website: www.tomjackobs.com. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Sales is the most important function in any business and one of the most critical skills in life (yes, really).  Yet, still, salespeople are too often overlooked as the diligent revenue-driving workers we are. No business survives without revenue and no revenue is generated without sales (ok, sometimes marketing too!). Join Paul Owen in this short solo episode to hear a celebration of sales as one of the best jobs in the world and one of life's key skills. You will be a better partner, parent, friend and colleague if you learn how to sell well. Sales is not just for salespeople - it's for all us, both at work and at home. Tune in and enjoy - we hope it helps and puts a little spring in your sales step! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

What can a door handle teach us about sales? There is a glaring omission in the sales habits of many of us in sales and the way a door opens (or doesn't) gives us an unusual reminder of the importance of NOT omitting it. Join Paul Owen in this short solo episode to hear about the lesson of 'stimulus / response compatibility', whether that's opening or door or guiding a potential client through the buying process. If we fail to give people the right cues, we heighten the risk that our clients and prospects will take the wrong action or not be clear about the next steps - that's a failure for professional salespeople and we're letting our clients down if we fall into this trap. Tune in and enjoy - we hope it helps! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

All salespeople from cold outbound callers to account executives carry a quota and some of that is likely to be self-sourcing. All too often, a self-sourcing opportunity at our very fingertips is missed.  Our contact at a client leaves and we quickly try to find a new contact there to keep the business but how often are we proactively following up that contact in their new job? What if we're able to track the movement to a new job automatically?   Joining host, Paul Owen, this week is Canadian serial entrepreneur, Jamie Shanks, to share his thoughts on Sales Intelligence and how to use it to your advantage. In particular, Jamie shares his insights on the proactive tracking of our contacts as they move jobs, opening up the chance to self-source new business from our existing contact base. A CEO of 3 companies (Pipeline Signals, Sales for Life, Get Levrg) and a bestselling author, Jamie specialises in building global communities to help companies scale their businesses.  If you'd like to get in touch with Jamie direct, you can find him on LinkedIn or contact him via one of his companies: www.pipelinesignals.com, www.getlevrg.com or www.salesforlife.comThanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

In almost every other example of success in life, we see that people practise to become great: sport; music; drama and medicine. So, why is it that salespeople remain reluctant to practise their art? There are 3 fundamental mistakes made in implementing a regime of sales practice. One around belief in its applicability; one around its relevance to real world problems; and one, incredibly, around how comfortable it feels. As salespeople, we need to overcome our unfounded concerns and recognise the power of practice. It's one of the simplest, most powerful changes to the way you become great. Join host Paul Owen in this short solo episode to hear about the power of practice and the difference it will make to you and your work.Tune in and enjoy - we hope it helps! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Building successful partnerships for your business can not only increase your revenue and profit but it can also help your customers. In fact, the most successful ones start with how to help your customers, not how to increase your revenues, according to our guest this week.  Barrett King, Senior Manager within the Global GTM Strategy Team at Hubspot, has over 10 years' experience of building successful global partnerships. At the heart of great partnerships is the ability to find ways to benefit the customers of both partners whilst broadening the range of services on offer and decreasing the cost of customer acquisition. Do it well and it's a winner all round. Do it badly - as is often the case - and you'll waste time, money and effort as well as running the risk of brand damage. In this episode, you'll hear Barrett's top 3 tips for getting partnerships right and his 3 big mistakes to avoid. You'll also hear how to calculate if partnerships are a good idea for your company - it doesn't work for every market or every product and service. If you like what you hear from Barrett and want to get into partnerships more, the good news is that Barrett has his own podcast focused exclusively on this topic. And the even better news is that it's a good podcast! To find the podcast, just search for: Outcomes - Where Partnerships & SaaS Meet. It's available on most podcast platforms. To get in touch with Barrett direct, drop him a line on LinkedIn to introduce yourself: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrettjking/Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Sometimes it's our job in sales to say ‘No' to business because not every deal on the table is worth taking. Just because someone is offering to pay you money for your product or service, it doesn't mean it's worth taking. When should you say no to business, turning down potential revenue? Why does it make more sense to do this? And how can you do it without losing a relationship with the company you turn down? Join host Paul Owen in this short solo episode to hear when, why and how to say ‘No' to business. Saying ‘Yes' to business that's not right for you will kill your profit margin and your motivation; it might also kill off the belief you have in what you do – no deal is worth that! When you better understand the business worth turning down and clearly see the business you should pursue, sometimes the ‘No' of yesterday turns into a ‘Yes' of tomorrow. That's exactly what's happened to Paul and he shares the lessons he learnt from that.He ends with a final tip if your business or your team is currently at the stage where it simply can't turn down any new business. Tune in and enjoy - we hope it helps! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Many people start selling by copying someone else's style of selling but find that it doesn't suit them. They struggle to connect with potential clients, find it hard to sell well and, all too often, give up on sales and think they're not suited to it. This is bad for career development options but could be terminal if you're running your own business and need to sell to keep the business alive.  But what if you could find your own true sales voice? Something with the curiosity to uncover client needs and the compelling persuasive style to give you a platform to share your enthusiasm for the product or service you offer.  Join host, Paul Owen, as he talks to Sarah Jolley-Jarvis about how to find your own unique sales voice. Having been a successful salesperson in the healthcare market, Sarah set up her own consultancy and has worked for several years helping people - many of them female entrepreneurs - to sell better in their own natural style. As well as her consultancy, she's also an international bestselling author with her book, Selling Without Sleaze, which you can find on her company website: https://go.sellingwithoutsleaze.com/. If you'd like to get in touch with Sarah direct, you can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram - as she's the only Sarah Jolley-Jarvis in the world, you should be able to track her down easily! Whether you're a new sales executive or a business owner looking to grow sales in your own natural voice, tune in to hear Sarah's take on an alternative way to sell. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

How can you overcome the fear of rejection on outbound sales calls? 2 simple tips will help you and, in just 8 minutes, we'll share them with you in this episode.  For many people, the relative comfort of sending emails takes them away from the fear of making outbound calls. If that works, great. If it doesn't, it's probably not your email text that's not working; it's the fact that you'd be better making calls. If only you could overcome the fear.....  Join host Paul Owen to hear a couple of simple tips he shares with his 1-2-1 coaching clients. The first tip focuses on mindset and the oft-misunderstood culture of sales. The second tip will make the change much easier. Change is often held back by trying to move the dial too far too quickly. Making the first step quicker and easier makes it more likely you'll take it.   With these 2 tips, you'll be more likely to overcome your fear of rejection and make more outbound calls, still the most effective, quickest and most successful means of finding a client's needs and moving them to action. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Did you know that, by 2050, there will be 2 billion people across the globe over 60 years of age; that's double the current number. In the UK alone, 31 million will be over 50 by 2041. When you look at the demographics and then consider the workforce challenges we face, we must reconnect the missing link between the workforce over 50 and the potential they offer the workplace. Join host, Paul Owen, as he discusses this issue with his guest, Simon Long, Growth Director of 55 Redefined. Simon has enjoyed 3 decades of business triumphs in several industries: from drinks with Diageo to Formula 1, Simon has enjoyed success in many markets yet, upon hitting his mid-50s, he faced a common challenge of finding a new role in an increasingly youth-obsessed job market. In this episode, Simon explains that demographic change means we have to change the way in which we build our business teams of the future. There are fewer younger workers, we're living longer and we have talent shortages – that means we all have a problem. Tune in to hear Simon explain the benefits of employing a diverse workforce that welcomes older workers; the way in which 50+ employees are 200% better than workers in their 20s; and the benefits offered to the world of sales in particular by employing people with years of life experience. If you'd like to get in touch with Simon direct, you can find him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-r-long/). If you'd like to find out more about his employer, 55 Redefined, the link to their website is shown below along with other similar companies that might be able to help. 55 Redefined - https://55redefined.co/Other companies offering similar help: Brave Starts - https://www.bravestarts.com/Pro-Age - https://www.proage.org/Bridge of Hope Careers - https://www.bridgeofhope.careers/Whether you're an older worker looking for new direction and support or an employer who recognises the benefits offered by a diverse workforce that welcomes experience, we hope you enjoy the podcast and learn one or two things to help you. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

In a new series with a new name and few changes to the format, it's all change for Series 4 of our podcast.  In one of our new 'solo' episodes with host, Paul Owen, you can hear his number 1 tip for motivating teams (and it does NOT involve motivational talks!). This tip came from years of getting it wrong trying to motivate teams, focusing on the wrong things that were hard to do and mostly unsuccessful.  A simple change of approach made things easier and more successful and it's so easy, everyone will be able to do it too. Ditch your demotivating motivational talks now and incorporate this new idea to help both you and your teams.  In addition to this simple motivational tip, Paul also shares an update on the rebrand of both the company and our podcast. Why change? What's different? And what can you expect in our new series? Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

Joining me for Episode 9 to discuss strategic selling is Sarah Downs, Co-Founder and CRO of Doqaru, who works with growth-minded businesses across the Energy & Tech sectors by enabling the B2B Sales Function to drive more predictable sales performance.  As a former Trauma Nurse, Sarah is no stranger to a challenge and is passionate about helping people.  Nursing taught her the value of a proper diagnostic process and the importance of not acting on symptoms alone. Sarah now uses her transferable skills from nursing in her business, Doqaru Ltd, and focusses on truly understanding the client's needs by using data, industry knowledge and strategic insights to support their growth. Sarah is also a Chair of IoD and Non-Exec director, the Host of the ‘Sales Insights with Sarah' podcast and one of the founding members of The Sales Club on Clubhouse which now has over 44K members.  In this episode, we hear Sarah's views on strategic sales: how can companies become better at selling complex solutions over a long - and often tortured - buying process?  How to handle multiple decision makers? How to help your clients present a business case to their board? And what kind of salesperson do you need to be to sell consistently well in complex deals? We also hear Sarah's views on how to assess the competencies of salespeople in a much more reliable way than 'We like them'.    We close our conversation, as always, with a discussion of the challenges (and benefits) of being a woman in sales and in business along with a few recommended books from Sarah's reading history as sources of inspiration. If you'd like to get in touch with Sarah direct, you can find her on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowns-doqaru/ - or via the Doqaru Head Office: https://doqaru.com/. This is the final episode of Series 3: Women in Sales. We'll be back soon with a new series and some improvements to our format. See you again soon! Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

There are still many more men than women in sales so, if we want to attract more women, what changes do we need to make? Taking on board the insights and personal experiences of 7 women so far in this series, Paul Owen shares his personal thoughts in this solo episode on how to go about changing the world of sales into a more inclusive, more balanced workforce. Key areas covered include: Perception of sales and how it turns women awayCulture and environment - it's too macho for many womenSkills - are young women better qualified than men when they start a sales job? What now? Would Paul be happy if his daughter had a career in sales? The world of sales, the world of business will be better with more women. Tune into Paul's thoughts and pleas for action, then decide which points you can take on board to play your part. Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear on The True Sales Podcast, please give us a review or a rating on your preferred platform and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. For video episodes, visit our YouTube Channel podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruesalescompany/podcastsIf you'd like to get in touch with us, either to find out about how we can help with your sales or to recommend our next guest, please contact us via email to hello@truesales.co, call +44 (0)20 3859 2000 or visit our website: www.truesales.co.

In this series focusing exclusively on Women in Sales, my guest in Episode 7 is Lisa Stead, Head of Franchising at Shuttercraft, the franchise group specialising in plantation shutters. Lisa is our first non-salesperson guest in this series yet, as you might imagine, she regards her sales skills as critical to her success in all her non-sales roles. Having left university with ambitions to become an actress, Lisa saw a gap in the market for children's performing arts groups and set up her first business: a dance school for children in South Wales. From there, she moved to a property investment franchise, eventually becoming a Board Member (the first woman) and finally Managing Director. These days, she is a senior director at Shuttercraft where, like her time in property investment, she has played a significant part in hugely increased business levels and big growth in franchise partners for the group. In this episode, we hear Lisa's views on how sales skills can help us all, no matter what job we do, and some tips on how they can improve relationships in our personal lives too. "Learning to sell has actually made me a better wife!" was one of many interesting comments in this episode.  We close our conversation, as always, with a discussion of the challenges (and benefits) of being a woman in sales and in business along with a few recommended books from Lisa's reading history as sources of inspiration. Lisa is one of my favourite non-sales salespeople and I hope you enjoy my time with her as much as I did. If you'd like to get in touch with Lisa direct, you can find her on LinkedIn or via the Shuttercraft Head Office: https://www.shuttercraft.co.uk/. 

What was it like to be a woman in sales 35 years ago and how have things changed since then? Describing herself as a 'small blonde woman from England making her way in the Italian property market' in the 1980s, my guest in Episode 6 is Linda Travella, founder of Casa Travella, the leading Italian property specialists. From difficult, rather prejudiced, beginnings, Linda has built a great name in the international property market and her company has continued to thrive, both through the financial crash of 2008 and the recent global pandemic. As well as running her own company for 30+ years, Linda has also played a key role in improving the international property market, making it safer and simpler for British and Irish buyers. She has served as Chair of FOPDAC (the first woman to do so) and as a Director of AIPP, 2 industry bodies working hard to make the market more professional. A regular on TV and radio as a spokesperson on both the Italian market and the wider international property market, Linda has become one of the most respected voices in her sector.  In this episode, Linda will take us back to the very different business world of 1980s where the default position in business was to address the man in the room, not the woman (I know, sounds odd now but very common then!). Perhaps more than other markets, property has long been a male preserve so how did Linda handle that in the early days? We also hear Linda's views on how different the world of sales is today, particularly for women coming into the market.  If you'd like to get in touch with Linda direct, you can find her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindatravella/) or via her company website (https://www.casatravella.com/)

We're focusing exclusively on Women in Sales for this series and my guest in Episode 5 is Alison Rocks, Senior Business Development Manager at Sprint Logistics. What I liked about having Alison on the show is the fact that she remains 100% an active salesperson; ie. her job focuses on sales and sales alone. When she first came into the working world, Alison answered a job advert listed in the back of a newspaper (remember them?!) to join the world of media sales and quickly realised that she'd found her natural home. In the 15 years since, she has sold strategies and solutions into a range of different markets including High End Retail, Design, Media, Advertising, Marketing and E-logistics. In this episode, Alison shares her insights on the huge variety of roles in sales: "Sales is not just one job! There are lots of different types of jobs in sales." Alison sees her role as a problem solver helping her buyers to find the right solutions using a consultative sales style. What is 'consultative sales' and how does it differ from other types of sales?  In addition to our discussion on the wide  variety of sales roles, we explore Alison's experience of being a woman in sales - has it been a different path as a woman and has that difference between negative or positive? Tune in to find out (you might well be surprised). If you'd like to get in touch with Alison direct, you can find her on LinkedIn or via her company's website: www.sprintlogistics.com or via email direct at: arocks@sprintlogistics.com

Women are under-represented in sales so this series focuses exclusively on Women in Sales. My guest in Episode 4 is Caroline Mastoras, Client Director at Salesforce. As well as her day job with the tech giant, she is also Bloom President 2022 and a winner at Women in Sales Awards 2022. Caroline's varied career, from a short stint in teaching to years of sales in both media and tech, has brought her success and an insight into the importance of diversity in the workplace, not least the role of women.  In this episode, we hear Caroline's view on working as a minority in sales (as a woman), the differences between media sales and tech sales and how the diversity question applies not just to gender but a range of other 'differences'. With ADHD, Caroline's difference is not just gender but she sees room for all types and all sorts in sales and actually thinks it helps a sales team to have as diverse a team as possible. We sell to a diverse society so we should be diverse ourselves, right?  In addition to our diversity discussion, we explore the differences Caroline has found being a woman in sales - what challenges has she faced that, had she been Colin Mastoras, she would not have faced as a man? We close our conversation with Caroline's sources of inspiration - a couple of new names for me and, hopefully, for you too. If you'd like to get in touch with Caroline, you can find her on LinkedIn, via Salesforce (https://www.salesforce.com/uk/?ir=1) or - if you'd like to find out more about Bloom and the mentoring work they do - via the Bloom website: https://www.bloomnetwork.uk/

Women are under-represented in sales so this series focuses exclusively on Women in Sales. My guest in Episode 3 is Nicola Cook, Founder, CEO and Chief Opportunity Officer of Company Shortcuts, a specialist in sales acceleration. As well as running her successful and fast-growing company, Nicola is also an award-winning entrepreneur, a busy (and award-winning) public speaker and the author of 2 bestselling books. Nicola's vast business experience, expert sales insight and no-nonsense style of delivery makes an engaging and entertaining episode. There are a few laughs too! We hear Nicola's overview on the sales tactics and business strategies needed right now as tougher times loom. Clear, practical guidance based on new data and years of business experience make an hour with Nicola time very well spent. In addition to these tips, we hear about the updated 2nd edition of one of Nicola's bestselling books, The New You. In addition, as with each guest in this series, we explore the differences Nicola has found being a woman in sales - has it been harder for her than it has been for men with a similar background? And - contentious question alert - are women actually better at sales than men? We close our conversation with Nicola's sources of inspiration - always a couple of additional ideas for your reading or listening list.If, after listening to Nicola, you'd like to get in touch with her direct, you can find her on LinkedIn or via her company's website: https://companyshortcuts.com/.  Alternatively, if you'd like to buy any of her books, including the new edition of The New You, follow this link: https://nicolacook.co.uk/

Women are under-represented in sales so this series focuses exclusively on Women in Sales. My guest in Episode 2 is Dr Cindy McGovern, Founder and CEO of Orange Leaf Consulting, bestselling author of 2 books and an inspirational keynote speaker on sales and business growth. After starting her career in academia, Cindy switched to the business world to help people understand that we're all in sales so why not do it properly?! Based in San Francisco, California with a global client list, she passionately believes that you'll do better in any job - and better in life - if you learn how to sell well. 'Taking the ick out of sales' has become one of her catchphrases. Tune into this episode as I ask Cindy about her new book - Sell Yourself: How to Create, Live and Sell a Powerful Personal Brand. What prompted her to write it now? Who will benefit from this book and how will it help them? What stops people from selling themselves well?  In addition, as with each guest in this series, we explore the differences Cindy has found being a woman in sales - has it been harder for her than it has been for men with a similar background? Have there been any advantages? And what about 'looks in sales' - do they matter and, if so, is this a more difficult balance for women?  We close our conversation with Cindy's sources of inspiration - always a couple of additional ideas for your reading or listening list. If, after listening to Cindy, you'd like to get in touch with her direct, you can find her on LinkedIn or via her company's website: https://orangeleafconsulting.com/. Alternatively, if you'd like to buy her new book, follow this link: https://www.sellyourselfbook.com/

Women are under-represented in sales so this series focuses exclusively on Women in Sales. My guest in Episode 1 is Helga Saraiva-Stewart, a passionate and inspirational sales leader with a successful international sales record. After 2 decades of successful selling in London with Bloomberg, Reuters and HSBC amongst others, Helga is now based in Lisbon wearing 3 hats, each one with sales leadership at its heart. Tune into this episode as we explore Helga's view on cold calling, one the most feared and misunderstood areas of sales. I discuss mindset as well as skillset with one of Europe's premier sales thinkers before spending the last few minutes talking about the particular challenges (and opportunities) for women in sales. Our final talking point is Helga's sources of inspiration (she shares a couple of lesser known crackers for original sales thinking). If, after listening to Helga, you'd like to get in touch with her direct, you can find her on LinkedIn or via her consultancy website: https://lead-results.com. Alternatively, you may be able to catch up at her annual SalesShaker event: https://salesshaker.com/ 

Host Paul Owen reflects on his interviews with 6 business leaders across Series 2. Each leader was asked 3 core questions: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. In this episode, Paul shares one or two highlights on each point from each leader to give you a flavour of what they said and a prompt you to listen to the interviews in full (for the first or second time!). In addition, each leader was asked for their number 1 tip for the first step in scaling your sales team and their favourite sales book, podcast or speaker. It's a whistle-stop tour full of tips, insights, stories and advice from some of the leading business names in the UK and across the world. You're also invited to share your feedback on the series: what worked? What didn't? Who was your favourite guest? Should the episodes in Series 3 be shorter? Or longer? Too much of Paul, the host in Series 2? Or too little? And, if you have any recommendations for a guest, we'd love to hear from you. Enjoy! 

Host Paul Owen meets John Barrows, Founder and CEO of JB Sales, specialists in sales training and consultancy services. John and his team have worked with the likes of Salesforce, Google and Dropbox as well as many other fast-growing names in the tech world. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, John has helped teams across the USA and around the world, clocking up 2 million air miles as he takes his message of 'Sell Better' to every continent. 3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear John's views on: The difference between leadership and management (and why he's terrible at one of them!); The advice he would give his 22-year-old self; Why 'How you sell' is more important than 'What you sell'; How most companies get sales team onboarding wrong (and how to fix that); and Why he wrote a book on sales with his daughter to help her sell cookies for the Girl Scouts! 

Host Paul Owen meets Julie Rodilosso, insurance entrepreneur and now Global Sales Director at 360Globalnet. In 1995, Julie founded Rarrigini & Rosso, building it from scratch to a leading name in the insurance industry with 200+ employees. In 2003, it was sold for £12 million. Having worked since age 14, I'm not sure Julie will ever stop and she is now using her expertise to help 360Globalnet grow their market share in a role that brings together technology and insurance. 3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear Julie's views on: Sales commission and why she thinks it has more negative effects than positive; The biggest drag on company morale that's created by a handful of people; and Why salespeople should pay for their own training or leave a job that doesn't include itProvocative, passionate and punchy, Julie will challenge you, entertain you and educate you. 

Host Paul Owen meets Royston Guest, Founder and CEO of Pathways Global. A fast growth consultancy and technology business, Pathways Global helps business owners avoid costly trial and error in growing and scaling their business. As well as running the company and working with clients, Royston is also a best selling author, a sought-after conference speaker and executive coach.Since selling his first business after just 3 years, Royston has since built multiple businesses and works with a portfolio of fast growth businesses across diverse sectors.3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear Royston's views on: The importance of being clear on why to grow before focusing on how to grow; How to avoid leadership loneliness to keep yourself and your team motivated; Why personal growth plans are more important than business plans; and Why data is the new oil, the essential fuel for all leaders

Host Paul Owen meets Michael Tobin OBE, CEO of Telecity from 2002 to 2014, a company he took from £6 million to £1.7 billion market cap during his tenure. Now wearing many hats as entrepreneur, investor, mentor and philanthropist, Mike focuses much of his fund-raising efforts on children's charities. In 2016, Mike ran 40 marathons in 40 days to raise money for the Prince's Trust and, in 2020, he completed an immense 60-mile nautical trek across the Antarctic plateau to the South Pole to raise funds for The Lewis Moody Foundation and The Brain Tumour Charity. He personally raised £110,000 for the trek. 3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear Mike's views on the VPN of trust, why SMEs should rein in their hard sales approach, using storytelling rather than pitching, and the true role of leaders if you want to scale your business. 

Host Paul Owen meets Chris Brindley MBE, former MD of Metro Bank, who stepped away from the corporate world to undertake a portfolio career as NED, International Speaker, Executive Coach and Consultant in business and sport. Chris's current roles include Chair of Rugby League World Cup 2021 and, in the football world, Business Mentor to the Premier League. He was awarded an MBE for services to sport. 3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear Chris's views on the importance of peer-to-peer learning and hear about the 90 :10 rule learnt from a Manchester United coaching legend. Stay tuned to the end to hear one of the best 'Calls to Action' for any productive podcast, book or training session. 

Host Paul Owen meets Nicola Cook, Founder and CEO of Company Shortcuts, a consultancy that specialises in helping companies achieve rapid growth. As well as training and consulting on all things sales, Nicola is the author of 2 bestselling books and a highly respected international speaker on sales and business growth. 3 key areas are discussed in each episode with an experienced business leader: 1. What makes a successful sales team? 2. How to motivate yourself and your teams when growing a business; 3. The role of leadership in company growth. Tune in to hear Nicola's views on how the internet changed sales forever; why SMEs often struggle to scale-up their sales engine; and the 3 pillars of motivation. 

Series 2 of our podcast takes us in a new direction and with a new name. SECRET SKILL. HIDDEN CAREER: The Truth About Sales is being re-branded: The Sales Talent Podcast: GROWTH. PROFIT. VALUE. The new series will focus on those 3 words.Host Paul Owen will welcome guests with proven track records of success in scaling teams through the improvement of the sales function. His questions will unlock the secrets of their success and will reveal ideas, structures, processes and insights that you can take into your career and your company. Join us to find out how to scale teams, increase sales revenues and accelerate company value.

Dominic Cotton, former BBC broadcast journalist and now co-founder of fast-growing start-up Cyclo Technology, hosts this final episode of Series 1 to ask Paul Owen to review the ups and downs of 24 episodes of the first series. What went well? Best guest? Who turned down an invitation to appear? Has the podcast gone global and has it changed negative perceptions around sales? Finally, Dom asks Paul ‘So What Now?’ and hears about plans for the next series of the podcast, taking it up a level or two. Interested guests with interesting points of view on sales are invited to get in touch to appear in the next series; more details coming soon. NB. We’re still recording online right now due to the Coronavirus pandemic so please forgive the slightly lower quality of sound. Our engineers continue to do a great job but it’s hard to have studio quality sound over an online call.

Our first guest from the USA, Dr Cindy McGovern joins host, Paul Owen, to talk about her journey from academia to sales and why she believes Every Job is a Sales Job (the title of her book, a Wall Street Journal bestseller). Based in San Francisco and working with clients across the world, Cindy now specialises in helping companies grow their business through the improvement of their sales performance with much of her work focused on non-salespeople. In this episode, she explains why sales is much more than a business skill and why she is devoting her life to teaching everyone how to do it well. Tune it to hear how this academic with 3 degrees moved from her first job as a university professor to her role today as a global evangelist for sales, helping everyone sell better at work and at home. We also couldn’t resist asking her how sales is viewed in the US. NB. This episode was recorded online as we are all working at home currently due to the Coronavirus pandemic so please forgive the slightly lower quality of sound, mostly at the beginning. Our engineers did a great job but it’s hard to have studio quality sound over a phone line!

50 years of sales experience is shared in this episode as host Paul Owen explores the art of closing with guests, Maz Ahmad and Angus Buckle. (NB. Recorded online during the Coronavirus pandemic, the sound in this episode is occasionally less clear than usual but please stick with us – 99% of the content is loud and clear, with thanks to our technical team!). Maz, Angus and Paul dedicate a large proportion of this episode to the mindset of closing conversations well, including how to be confident and clear in your aims when closing, before moving on to analyse the benefits of repeatable structures. As always, the conversation goes off at tangents (often the case when salespeople start to discuss sales as every bit is linked to others!) and includes the benefits of waking up at 4.30am, of setting objectives for each day and of having visible focus points at your desk (was it an M3 or M4 for Maz?!).

Joining host, Paul Owen, in this episode is Emily Macdonald who started her successful business career in the world of wine in her home city of Auckland before leaving for a 2-year experience of travelling in Europe. A couple of decades later and she’s still here, still selling wine and still having a ball! Having pitched herself into her first job in sales, she faced the old-fashioned world of wine and hospitality which was not always particularly welcoming to women in those times. She explains how this was both a help and a hindrance and takes us through her journey from retail assistant in a wine shop to Sales Director of one of the best-known names in the wine world, selling millions of bottles of wine every year. NB. This episode was recorded online as we are all working at home currently due to the Coronavirus pandemic so please forgive the slightly lower quality of sound. Our engineers did a great job but it’s hard to have studio quality sound over a phone line!

Passionate salespeople want to share the wide range of benefits their products or services offer but the danger is that verbal diarrhoea is the result. They talk, they list, they explain and they prove. Or so they think! What actually happens is that they lose their audience and run the risk of losing the deal. In this episode, Paul Owen is joined by successful sales leader, Patricia Tosi, and one of most outstanding young salespeople Paul has met, Alex Roberton, to explore ways in which to keep sales conversations interactive. What are they? How do you put them into practice? How do you avoid the default behaviour of over-talking and, therefore, over-selling? It's one of the most important skills in sales and, yes, you can learn how to do it better.

Having worked for media giants Newsweek, Bloomberg and CNBC, John Pentin has had an amazing career and a fun-filled life. Now Head of Sales at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council, he connects the world's most powerful and influential business leaders to share ideas and discuss issues shaping the future. His sales career started at 19 when his father kicked him out of the house, telling him to come back later when he’d found a job. After a day in the pub, he got a job from a call on the journey home though only because the first-choice candidate dropped out. That stroke of luck opened a door into sales that changed his life. In this episode, John shares stories from a life well-lived, full of interesting people, fascinating work and some great weekends away!

When the time comes to sell, we can be tempted to jump into a description of how our product or service will solve the problems uncovered but buyers don’t just buy a product or service; they also buy the company offering it. In sales conversations, it’s important to make sure our company’s qualities are clear before we talk about the products and services we offer, yet many salespeople don’t sell their company – it’s a huge omission. Why don’t we do it? And, if we accept we should, how do we add it to our sales conversations right now? Joining Paul Owen in this episode to discuss these points and many more, we have an entrepreneur and sales leader with 20 years’ experience – Ben Rowland – a professional salesperson with 8 years’ experience – Alex Avery – and a 17-year-old school student who is considering a career in sales – Alex Harwood.