The Hidden Cost of Selling Too Late in B2B Sales
Sales Today
In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake challenges one of the most accepted assumptions in B2B and engineering sales: That an RFP or tender represents the start of an opportunity. The reality? By the time an RFP reaches your inbox, many of the most important decisions have already been made. Fred explores why tender-led sales processes often create pricing pressure, reduce differentiation, and leave sales teams reacting rather than influencing. He explains how customers typically shape their thinking long before suppliers are...
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The Hidden Cost of Selling Too Late in B2B Sales
Sales Today
In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake challenges one of the most accepted assumptions in B2B and engineering sales: That an RFP or tender represents the start of an opportunity. The reality? By the time an RFP reaches your inbox, many of the most important decisions have already been made. Fred explores why tender-led sales processes often create pricing pressure, reduce differentiation, and leave sales teams reacting rather than influencing. He explains how customers typically shape their thinking long before suppliers are...
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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...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake challenges one of the most accepted assumptions in B2B and engineering sales:
That an RFP or tender represents the start of an opportunity.
The reality?
By the time an RFP reaches your inbox, many of the most important decisions have already been made.
Fred explores why tender-led sales processes often create pricing pressure, reduce differentiation, and leave sales teams reacting rather than influencing. He explains how customers typically shape their thinking long before suppliers are invited into the conversation - defining problems, solution structures, evaluation criteria, and sometimes even preferred vendors.
In this episode:
- Why RFPs are rarely the true beginning of the buying journey
- How customers define “what good looks like” before suppliers engage
- Why sales teams struggle to differentiate during tender processes
- The hidden reason margins become squeezed
- The difference between reacting to opportunities and shaping them
- Why the real sales opportunity happens before the tender exists
- The role of the salesperson as a “sensemaker” during complex buying decisions
Key Takeaway
If you are only engaging when the RFP arrives, you are entering a process that has already been structured by someone else.
The earlier you engage in the customer’s thinking process, the greater your ability to influence outcomes, create relevance, and avoid competing purely on price.
Questions to Consider
- How much of your pipeline is driven by tenders?
- How early are you engaging in your customer’s buying journey?
- Are you shaping opportunities - or simply responding to them?
Mentioned in this episode
The Collaborative Selling Scorecard - a free tool to assess how aligned your sales behaviours are with modern buying environments.. https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
Connect with Fred
https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake
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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CtUvzDVZmh4
Watch the full mini series playlist here