Sharing bold Insights that position you as a guide, not a seller
Release Date: 05/22/2025
Tech in Sales: Creating the right solutions
Sales Today
In this fourth episode of the Sales Today podcast miniseries, sales tech expert Hanneke Vogels joins Fred Copestake to explore the future of proposals, presentations, and how we bring solutions to life for buyers. Hanneke kicks things off with a strong rallying cry - “Death to the PDF!” - challenging the outdated way many salespeople still share proposals. She explains how today’s proposal tools and digital sales rooms allow sellers to create interactive, trackable micro-sites that not only look better but also provide rich data on buyer engagement. From...
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Tech in Sales: Having the right conversations
Sales Today
In this third episode of the Sales Today podcast miniseries, sales tech expert Hanneke Vogels shifts the focus to how technology can elevate the right conversations with prospects and customers. From virtual calls to face-to-face meetings, the discussion centres on using tech to prepare more intentionally, uncover fresh angles, and deliver conversations that help buyers think in new ways. Hanneke highlights the often-overlooked art of meeting preparation - knowing your objective, anticipating the customer’s goals, and having well-crafted questions ready. She...
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Tech in Sales: Doing the right research
Sales Today
In this second episode of the Sales Today podcast miniseries, Fred Copestake continues his conversation with sales tech expert Hanneke Vogels - this time addressing how modern technology can transform your research process before engaging with prospects. The focus is on understanding who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how to personalise outreach in meaningful ways using tools already at your fingertips. From mapping complex Decision Making Units (DMUs) to exploring individual communication styles with DISC-based AI profiling, this episode highlights how tech...
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Tech in Sales: Finding the right opportunities
Sales Today
Modern technology is reshaping how sales teams identify and qualify opportunities. In this conversation, Fred Copestake speaks with sales tech expert Hanneke Vogels to explore how tools like HubSpot’s Breeze and other sales intelligence platforms can help define and refine your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). They examine how existing customer data can reveal key patterns and shared traits, enabling teams to pinpoint lookalike companies and prioritise outreach more effectively. There's also a focus on how AI can support deeper customer understanding, allowing...
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Developing and using Partnering Skills - Procurement Special
Sales Today
This episode is a live recording of Fred Copestake’s show for the Alchemie Network, where he dives deeper into what makes true collaboration between sales and procurement work. Picking up from the last session on the evolution of sales, Fred explores selling through partnering skills – a practical approach to creating better, more productive relationships. With his usual energy, hard-won experience, and a few lighthearted moments, Fred unpacks six key elements of PQ (Partnering Intelligence) – the lesser-known but equally vital cousin of IQ and EQ. In this episode, you’ll...
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Sales Today Rewind – 15 Essentials For Your Sales Process
Sales Today
Too many sellers treat sales like a checklist. It’s not. Sales is a system - and when every part is strong, the whole thing works better. In this special recap episode, we take a step back to zoom out and review the 15 core skills, tools, and mindsets covered so far on Sales Today. Whether you're new to the series or have been with us since episode one, this is your chance to assess, reflect, and reset your approach to modern ethical selling. What’s Covered: • The 15 essential skills for modern B2B selling • Why sales isn’t just a series...
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Becoming world-class at Relationship Building
Sales Today
Too many sellers think being friendly is enough. It isn’t. If the customer only hears from you when it’s renewal time or when there’s something new to flog, you’re not a partner - you’re a vendor. And vendors are easy to replace. In this episode, the focus is on what it really takes to build genuine, lasting relationships in complex B2B sales. Relationships that win repeat business, reduce price pressure, and create referral engines that power long-term success. What’s Covered · Why most...
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Running better Reviews - Think value, not vanity metrics
Sales Today
QBRs are broken- here’s how to fix them. In this episode, we challenge the traditional Quarterly Business Review and introduce a smarter alternative: the Quarterly Value Review. If your customer reviews are little more than status updates and activity reports, you’re missing a huge opportunity to demonstrate value and grow the relationship. You’ll learn: • Why QBRs often fail to deliver strategic value - and how to fix that • The 5-part framework for running high-impact QVRs that drive renewals and upsells • How to shift the focus from tasks...
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Focusing on Outcomes, not just offerings
Sales Today
Customers don’t care about what your product is - they care about what it does. In this episode, we explore a fundamental shift in sales thinking: moving from product-based conversations to outcome-focused dialogue. When you stop pitching features and start communicating results, you change how customers see your value. You’ll learn: Why outcome-based selling leads to faster, more confident buying decisions The three core types of outcomes that matter to buyers: financial, operational, and strategic How to align your entire sales process...
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Mastering Storytelling (and making your customer the hero)
Sales Today
Sales success doesn’t come from bombarding prospects with features, facts, or figures. What truly sticks are stories - stories that show a better future and invite your customer to see themselves in it. This episode explores how to use storytelling as a powerful sales tool by borrowing from one of the oldest and most effective narrative structures: the Hero’s Journey. Discover how to turn dry case studies into compelling customer-first stories that feel real and memorable. Learn the four-part structure that positions your buyer as the hero and you as...
info_outlineToday’s buyers aren’t struggling with a lack of information -they’re overwhelmed by it.
Reports, webinars, emails, stats… it’s a constant barrage. But what they really need is someone who can help them cut through the noise and bring clarity to complexity.
In this episode of Sales Today, I explain what ‘insight’ actually means in modern B2B sales - and why it’s more than just sharing clever stats or flashy trends.
The conversation explores how sales professionals can shift from simply offering options to actually reframing how customers view their own challenges and opportunities.
I share a simple yet powerful framework - Trend, Impact, Action - that enables sellers to deliver insights that are timely, relevant, and genuinely useful.
I also share actionable strategies for uncovering these insights without turning into a full-time researcher.
Whether it's spotting patterns in current customer activity, tracking competitor moves, or understanding industry shifts, there are practical ways to surface meaningful ideas that drive value.
Of course, delivering insight effectively is just as important as the insight itself.
This episode breaks down five golden rules for sharing insights with humility, clarity, and empathy. These include asking for permission, making it specific and personal, tying insights to both emotional and business impact, and inviting collaboration - always positioning the customer as the hero of the conversation.
When used well, insight becomes a catalyst for trust, momentum, and truly differentiated sales conversations.
WEEKLY CHALLENGE:
Ahead of the next sales call, sales professionals are encouraged to identify one insight that could shift the customer’s current perspective. Using the Trend–Impact–Action framework, prepare how it will be introduced, and ask for permission to share it. The result? A conversation that feels less like a pitch - and more like progress.
Connect with Fred:
📘 Author of Selling Through Partnering Skills, Hybrid Selling, and Ethical Selling
🔗 https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake
Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard
https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube