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_outlineIn this solo episode, host Fred Copestake conducts a live, first-reaction review of the My Sales Coach “State of Sales Coaching in 2026” Report.
Fred reads the executive summary, explores the data, and offers unfiltered commentary on what the findings mean for sales leaders, salespeople, and the future of coaching - human and AI.
He dives into coaching frequency, quality, barriers, performance impact, the role of AI, who salespeople trust as coaches, and why tenured sellers may be the most underserved group of all.
If you want to deepen your coaching culture, rethink how you support reps, and understand where the industry is heading in 2026, this is the episode for you.
Key Takeaways
- Coaching remains the most powerful but underused lever in sales performance.
- There is a growing disconnect between leaders who believe they coach more and salespeople who feel under-coached.
- Regular, structured coaching dramatically increases quota attainment, with weekly-coached reps 1.6× more likely to hit target.
- Human coaching is still preferred over AI-only solutions-trust and care still matter.
- Experienced sellers are the most neglected when it comes to coaching, despite being some of the hungriest for improvement.
- Sales managers often rate their own coaching highly, yet few have a coach themselves.
- A winning formula for modern sales teams: AI-powered, human-led, relentlessly consistent coaching.
00:00 Introduction to The Sales Today Podcast
00:26 Live Review of the State of Sales Coaching 2026 Report
01:36 Executive Summary by Kevin Beales
03:38 Survey Participants and Respondent Breakdown
04:37 Chapter 1: Changes Since 2025
06:06 Chapter 2: Coaching Frequency and Barriers
08:27 Chapter 3: Coaching Drives Performance
09:56 Chapter 4: Coaching in the Age of AI
12:05 Chapter 5: Who Do Salespeople Want to Be Coached By?
13:41 Chapter 6: The Rise of AI in Sales Coaching
14:56 Chapter 7: Experienced Salespeople and Coaching Neglect
17:08 Chapter 8: Who Coaches the Coaches?
18:21 Key Themes and Final Thoughts
Links and Resources
Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake
Download The State of Sales Coaching in 2026 Report
Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J3RfU28wapg
Watch my FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers