Why Sales Feels Harder Than It Should (Especially in Engineering Businesses)
Sales Today
In this first short episode of the Sales Today Mini Series, Fred Copestake explores a challenge many sales teams are currently facing: Why does it feel like sales teams are doing everything “right” - yet deals still move slowly, margins tighten, and opportunities stall? Fred explains why the issue often is not capability, effort, or product quality. Instead, the real friction comes from a growing gap between how organisations sell and how customers actually buy. In this episode: Why traditional sales processes no longer align with modern buying...
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Trade Show Follow-Up - The 3 Biggest Mistakes That Cost You Sales
Sales Today
You’ve just come back from a trade show. You’re exhausted, your feet hurt, but you’ve got a list of leads. It feels like progress. But here’s the uncomfortable truth most of those people are not going to buy. Not because they’re bad leads. But because that’s not why most people attend trade shows. They’re there to explore, learn, compare, and figure things out. And that single shift in perspective changes everything about how you should follow up. The real problem with trade show follow-up Most follow-up doesn’t fail because of lack of effort. It fails...
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7 Ways to Close More Sales… Ethically
Sales Today
This episode of The Sales Today Podcast is a little different - a live webinar recording where Fred Copestake breaks down a practical approach to closing more sales without compromising how you do business. At the heart of it is a simple idea: ethical selling isn’t about being “nice” or “soft”… and it’s definitely not about making things complicated. It’s about finding the balance - what Fred calls the Goldilocks dilemma. Too hard? People assume ethical selling is expensive, slow, and requires a complete overhaul of processes and training. Too soft? Others worry it means...
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How to Stand Out When Every Seller Sounds the Same
Sales Today
In this episode, Fred is joined by Gearoid Cox, founder of Sales Pipeline, to explore why selling feels harder in a world full of noise, new vendors, and empty promises. From early-stage founders doing all the selling… to the challenge of building trust when buyers are more cautious than ever, this conversation digs into what actually helps sales teams stand out today. The big theme running through the episode is simple: Trust matters more than ever. And screaming value is not the same as creating it. Key Takeaways Buyers are more educated, more...
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Stepping up to Sales Leadership
Sales Today
What really happens when a top salesperson gets promoted into leadership? In this episode, Fred is joined by Amanda Downs, Director of Commercial at The Uspire Partnership and author of Step Up to Sales Leader, to explore the challenges of moving from individual contributor to sales leader. From letting go of old habits… to leading former peers… to creating the right structure for growth, this episode is packed with practical insight for anyone stepping into sales leadership or supporting others to do it. Key Takeaways Great salespeople do not...
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Why Slowing Down Is the Fastest Way to Win Sales
Sales Today
What if selling wasn’t about speed… but about timing? In this episode, Fred is joined by Mark Kempf, author of Unfurl Your Sales, to explore a different approach to selling -one that is gradual, progressive, and deeply personalised. From slowing down to speed up… to building relationships that last decades, this conversation challenges the pressure to rush and reframes what effective selling really looks like. Key Takeaways Slow down to speed up in sales Focus on quality over quantity Personalisation is about the conversation - not just research ...
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Are You Prepared for The Buyer Revolution?
Sales Today
The way buyers buy has changed - but most sellers haven’t. In this episode, Fred is joined by Steve Knapp (co-founder of PLAN.GROW.DO) to explore what the Buyer Revolution really means for modern sales. From buyers being 83% through their journey before speaking to you… to why most sellers are preparing for the wrong conversation - this episode challenges traditional thinking and offers a more practical, buyer-led approach. Key Takeaways Buyers are further ahead than you think Your first job is to validate, not qualify Preparation must match the buyer’s reality ...
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3 Steps to Combat Struggles in Sales (and Life)
Sales Today
In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by Marc Baladi, sales and senior leadership coach, and co-host of the podcast Beyond Enough. Together, they explore a challenge many people in sales quietly face: feeling overwhelmed, behind, or not good enough - even when they’re capable and putting in the effort. Marc’s argument is simple but powerful: You are probably not struggling with capability or effort. You are struggling with cognitive load - and not knowing what “good enough” looks like. In this episode Why...
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The Overlooked Sales Tactic That Builds Trust Fast
Sales Today
In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Ollie Whitfield of Slingshot Content to explore a sales tactic that surprisingly few salespeople use: running webinars themselves. While marketing teams often lead webinars, salespeople can use them as a powerful way to stand out, demonstrate expertise, and create valuable conversations with prospects. The key is doing them well. Not product demos. Not long introductions. And definitely not disguised sales pitches. Instead, the best webinars focus on insight, useful ideas, and real problems your...
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The Overlooked Sales Tactic That Builds Trust Fast
Sales Today
In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Ollie Whitfield of Slingshot Content to explore a sales tactic that surprisingly few salespeople use: running webinars themselves. While marketing teams often lead webinars, salespeople can use them as a powerful way to stand out, demonstrate expertise, and create valuable conversations with prospects. The key is doing them well. Not product demos. Not long introductions. And definitely not disguised sales pitches. Instead, the best webinars focus on insight, useful ideas, and real problems your...
info_outlineThis live recording of Sales Today: Procurement Special goes back to fundamentals as Fred Copestake breaks down the anatomy of a great sales conversation so procurement professionals can spot the good ones, steer the wobbly ones, and borrow the best bits for their own internal selling.
With 25+ years in the field, three books (including Ethical Selling), and over 10,000 salespeople trained across 38 countries, Fred shares a practical, step-by-step structure you can use immediately - whether you’re evaluating a supplier’s approach or building support for your own initiatives. In this episode, you’ll discover:
• Why objectives matter: set a primary and secondary outcome before the meeting, then signal preparedness with a short agenda.
• “Ask before tell”: why prescription without diagnosis is malpractice and how great sellers make it about you before talking about themselves.
• Reading the room: tailoring style to personalities (analytical, amiable, driver, expressive) and how tools like DISC profiling can help you prepare.
• AIDA done right: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action as a clean flow that mirrors how people think.
• Strong openings: craft an attention-grabber (value proposition) that hooks into your world—industry issues, goals, and likely friction points.
• High-gain questioning: use open, probing, and TED prompts (“Tell me… Explain… Describe…”), thoughtful hypotheticals, strategic summaries, and silence.
• Consultative depth: map current state vs desired state, then explore impact and consequences to build a compelling case for change.
• From ask to tell: when to pivot from questions to a tailored response - not a boilerplate pitch - linked to the problems uncovered.
• Progress checks: small “trial closes” to confirm fit and keep momentum without pressure.
• The Perfect Close (James Muir): “Does it make sense for us to… [next step]?”- an elegant, ethical way to agree the action or surface the right alternative.
• Internal use: how procurement can repurpose the same structure to win support for projects and decisions inside the business.
Expect straight-talking guidance, usable language patterns, and a simple framework you can run tomorrow- whether you’re buying, selling, or building alignment across stakeholders.
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https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake