From Technical Skills to Sales Skills - Learning to Sell When You’re Not a Born Seller with Nick Strain
Release Date: 01/23/2025
The Truth About Value-Based Selling That Most Salespeople Never Learn
Building Your Sales Engine
Mark McGraw sits down with Josh Pitchford to unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in sales: Value. You’ll learn what it actually means to deliver value, why it’s different for every buyer, and how to uncover it by focusing on the customer's needs. To find our handout for this episode, click . Tune in to hear practical tips, real-world insights, and a fresh perspective on value-based selling. Josh starts by explaining why most salespeople struggle with “bringing value” in sales: Because we assume we know what the other person wants. According to Josh, value is one of the most...
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Breaking Into New Markets with Harris Fogel
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Mark McGraw sits down with Harris Fogel, founder of TechCPG—a company that helps organizations break into the U.S. market and work with consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. To find our handout for this episode, click . You’ll learn how to enter new markets, define your ideal client profile, and build a go-to-market strategy that actually gets results. Tune in to hear Harris break down what it really takes to succeed in the U.S. market, the benefits of having a local guide in a new market, and how to win over your first customers in a brand-new region. Harris starts by sharing how...
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The 3 Rules That Transformed My Sales Career — And My Life — with Terry Turley
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Mark McGraw sits down with Terry Turley, the Senior National Sales Director at Primerica. Terry shares the habits and principles behind his extraordinary rise from a nervous, struggling salesperson to leading over 600 offices across the country. You’ll learn why systems, accountability, and a guiding life philosophy are essential to winning both professionally and personally. To find our handout for this episode, click . Tune in to hear practical insights on mastering sales with authenticity, the power of lifelong learning, and how to build a sustainable, purpose-driven career. Terry...
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Grow Your Pipeline Through Strategic Partners with Sheri Spencer Bachman
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Mark McGraw sits down with Sheri Spencer Bachman to unpack what really makes business partnerships work. Sheri shares practical insight on how to choose the right referral partners, why trust is the key to stronger business relationships, and what it takes to build a network that keeps sending you business. To find our handout for this episode, click . Tune in to learn how to design a strategic partnership strategy that wins you more leads, better clients, and long-lasting partnerships. Sheri starts by revealing how she met Mark—he walked into her office 18 years ago. No hard sell, just a...
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Inside the Mind of Top Salespeople with Tim Geisert
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Mark McGraw sits down with Tim Geisert to break down how to be a great salesperson in today’s ultra-competitive market. To find our handout for this episode, click . Tim shares practical strategies for building trust, navigating complex deals, and identifying top performers—not just by talent, but by the competencies they bring to the table. Learn how to avoid the “happy ears” trap, why checklists are a salesperson’s best friend, and what really separates modern sales winners from the rest. Tim shares how a near-accident during a crosswind, caused by an old knee injury, forced him...
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Dealing with Difficult Conversations with Markku Kauppinen
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Mark McGraw sits down with Markku Kauppinen, an expert on conversations and behavioral styles, particularly the DISC model. To find our handout for this episode, click . Markku shares practical strategies for handling difficult conversations and reframing how we think about “difficult people.” Learn how to stay calm under pressure, use emotional control to close the deal, and lead more productive sales conversations. Markku starts by highlighting why the phrase “difficult people” sets us up for conflict. When you reframe it as “different people,” you open the door to empathy and...
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Using the BAT Framework to Accomplish Any Goal with Carlos Garrido
Building Your Sales Engine
Mark McGraw sits down with Carlos Garrido, founder of Miami Absolute, who’s nearly 100 pounds down and credits Sandler principles for the transformation. To find our handout for this episode, click . In this episode, Carlos shares how the BAT system (Behavior, Attitude, Technique) helped him reshape not just his business, but his health, mindset, and lifestyle. Tune in to hear how a strong health mindset can improve your life in and out of work. Carlos starts the conversation by explaining how Sandler principles apply beyond sales and into life. Carlos shares a powerful shift: “I...
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How to Become the Unselfish Salesperson with Brian Kavicky
Building Your Sales Engine
Mark McGraw sits down with Brian Kavicky, the most recent David H. Sandler Award winner. They dive deep into the concept of the unselfish salesperson and why putting the client’s needs first is the key to not just closing sales, but building long-term relationships. To find our handout for this episode, click . Tune in to hear Brian explain how shifting your mindset and serving your clients with integrity will help you close more sales and stand out as a trusted advisor in your field. Brian starts by revealing the title of his talk at the 2025 Sandler Client Summit: "Defying the Norm: The...
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The Power of Curiosity to Grow Sales with Andy Sherman
Building Your Sales Engine
Mark McGraw sits down with Andy Sherman to discuss curiosity and why it’s a superpower in sales. They cover how curiosity helps you stay grounded when conversations get tense, why it leads to better questions (and better outcomes), and what it takes to build it into a daily habit. To find our handout for this episode, click Tune in to hear the difference between using curiosity as a tactic vs. living it as a principle, and how this shift can change the way you sell, lead, and show up. Join us to learn how to get curious on purpose—and why it might be the most powerful habit you can...
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Pre-Call Planning Your Next Sales Call with John Rosso
Building Your Sales Engine
Mark McGraw is joined by sales legend and longtime friend John Rosso for a deep dive into the critical (and often overlooked) discipline of pre-call planning. Together, they unpack the four-step framework that turns average sales calls into powerful, purposeful conversations—and why skipping this step is not just inefficient, but borderline criminal. To find our handout for this episode, click . From defining clear objectives and setting upfront contracts to asking the right questions and getting your mindset right, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world examples that...
info_outlineMark McGraw talks with Nickolas “Nick” Strain, Senior Wealth Advisor at Halbert Hargrove.
Press play to learn how Nick “fell” into sales and how the Sandler Selling System has helped him close more deals.
To find our handout for this episode, click here.
You’ll hear about the two Sandler Rules Nick is a fan of, and what you need to do to achieve sales success.
Whether you have been in sales for a couple of months or for several years, you’ll walk away with some principles that will improve your sales process, and any type of exchange: with prospects, with team members, and even in your personal life!
- Nick Strain doesn’t see himself as a born salesperson, but rather as someone who “fell” into selling.
- At the beginning of his journey at Halbert Hargrove Nick’s focus was on being a good financial advisor and wealth planner.
- Mark McGraw talks about how pretty much everybody has to go through a belief curve where their capabilities are greater than their beliefs.
- Nick and Mark discuss the key role processes have, especially when it comes to meetings and sales conversations.
- Nick has two Sandler rules he’s really fond of: “Don’t believe everything you think” and “You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it.”
- As Nick puts it: “To be successful, we just have to do little things that might not be the most fun and enjoyable, but are impactful and important for us to do.”
- When it comes to sales, Nick focuses on understanding how he can be helpful and add value to prospects and clients.
- Nick opens up on how the sales process at Halbert Hargrove has evolved and now relies on two steps.
- Sometimes, people with a technical background end up getting in their own way when having a call with a prospect.
- Nick takes back the curtain and talks about the different components of his sales process – including what he does to hold himself accountable.
- You don’t ever really complete a course… It's about practicing the art of selling.
Mentioned in This Episode:
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