Selling is like tracking serial killers
Sales Today
Why complex sales are won by great investigators, not great presenters. Most salespeople think they've found a champion. In reality, they've found a friendly contact. In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Tom Stearns, go-to-market consultant and co-author of the bestselling book Graphic Sales, to explore one of the biggest reasons complex B2B opportunities stall. Together they discuss why relationship building alone isn't enough, how to identify a genuine champion, and why mapping buying teams is remarkably similar to investigating a crime scene. If you sell technical,...
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Training vs Coaching
Sales Today
Why telling people isn't enough to change behaviour Sales organisations spend millions every year on training, yet many still struggle to see lasting improvements in performance. In this solo episode, Fred Copestake explores one of the biggest misconceptions in sales development: the belief that training and coaching are the same thing. Using questions supplied by Bec Turton from My Sales Coach, Fred shares his approach to diagnosing sales performance, explains why "one and done" training rarely works, and introduces a simple distinction that can transform how organisations develop...
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Salespeople Can't Be Trusted to Run QBRs!
Sales Today
Why Quarterly Business Reviews should be about customer value, not sales pitches Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are supposed to strengthen relationships, demonstrate value and identify future opportunities. Too often, however, they become little more than product presentations. In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Celia Sanchez Garcia (Celia SGAR), Founder of Vendor Manager Hub, to discuss why many QBRs fail and what salespeople can do differently. Drawing on over 16 years of supplier and vendor management experience, Celia shares why customers should often take the lead in...
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What Can Sales Learn From Customer Success?
Sales Today
Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard Winning new customers is only half the story. The real commercial advantage comes from helping customers achieve the outcomes they were promised, long after the contract has been signed. In this episode of Sales Today, Fred Copestake is joined by customer success expert Anika Zubair to explore what sales professionals can learn from one of the fastest-growing disciplines in modern business. Together they discuss why customer success isn't simply account management, why discovery remains the most valuable commercial skill, and how focusing...
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A Smarter Way to Sell in Engineering Businesses
Sales Today
Free Collaborative Selling Scorecard If you would like to assess how your sales approach aligns with today’s buying environment, you can take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: In this final episode of the Sales Today mini series, Fred brings the threads of the series together and explains the deeper issue sitting underneath many of the challenges explored in the previous episodes. Deals stall. Price becomes the focus. Conversations stay too low in the organisation. Teams struggle to engage senior stakeholders. Sales training makes sense, but behaviour doesn’t...
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Why Most Sales Training Fails Engineering Teams (And What Actually Works)
Sales Today
If you would like to assess how your sales approach aligns with today’s buying environment, you can take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: In this episode, Fred explores a frustration shared by many engineering and technical businesses: You've invested in sales training. The team enjoyed it. The ideas made sense. But six months later… very little has actually changed. Fred explains why the problem is rarely the quality of the training itself. More often, it's the gap between understanding new ideas and applying them in real sales situations. In this...
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The “Ah” Moment That Changes Every Sale
Sales Today
Free Collaborative Selling Scorecard If you would like to assess how your sales approach aligns with today’s buying environment, you can take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred explores one of the most important moments in any sales conversation. It's not when the customer agrees to a meeting. It's not when they ask for a proposal. And it's not when they say yes. It's that subtle moment when they pause and say: "Ah... right, that makes sense." Fred explains why this seemingly small moment represents a major...
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Why Being Too Technical Can Cost You Deals
Sales Today
Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard: In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake explores a pattern he often sees in engineering-led sales organisations: What he calls The Engineering Super Ego. Despite the provocative name, this isn't a criticism of engineers. In fact, it comes from one of their greatest strengths: deep expertise, technical excellence, and the ability to solve complex problems. The challenge is that, in sales conversations, this strength can sometimes become a weakness. Fred explains why customers don't necessarily need more...
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Why Sales Teams Struggle to Reach Senior Decision Makers (And What to Do About It)
Sales Today
Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard: Connect with Fred: Watch Fred’s FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: Watch the full mini series playlist In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake tackles a challenge that many engineering and B2B sales teams face: Why is it so difficult to engage senior stakeholders? The common assumption is that senior decision-makers are simply too busy, too difficult to reach, or unwilling to engage. But what if the real issue isn't access at all? Fred explores why many sales conversations naturally sit...
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You've Got a Great Product So Why Aren't You Winning More Deals?
Sales Today
Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard: Connect with Fred: Watch Fred’s FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: Watch the full mini series playlist Most engineering businesses already have strong products, strong expertise, and strong technical capability. So why do so many opportunities still fail to convert? In this 5th episode of the Sales Today Mini Series, Fred explores one of the biggest misunderstandings in modern B2B sales: A strong solution does not automatically create buying confidence. Customers are not simply evaluating products in...
info_outlineWhy complex sales are won by great investigators, not great presenters.
Most salespeople think they've found a champion.
In reality, they've found a friendly contact.
In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Tom Stearns, go-to-market consultant and co-author of the bestselling book Graphic Sales, to explore one of the biggest reasons complex B2B opportunities stall.
Together they discuss why relationship building alone isn't enough, how to identify a genuine champion, and why mapping buying teams is remarkably similar to investigating a crime scene.
If you sell technical, engineering or enterprise solutions, this episode is packed with practical ideas that will help you navigate complex buying decisions more effectively.
In this episode you'll learn
· Why most salespeople misunderstand what a champion really is
· The difference between a contact and someone who can genuinely move a deal forward
· How to test whether your champion has real influence
· Why complex sales require multiple stakeholders - not just one relationship
· How account mapping helps uncover hidden decision-makers
· Why technical experts often talk too much
· How to engage finance, procurement and senior leaders more effectively
· Why understanding your customer's world matters more than knowing your own product
· How short personalised videos can help unlock stalled opportunities
Key Takeaways
✔ A champion has desire and capability.
✔ One relationship rarely wins a complex sale.
✔ Great salespeople investigate buying organisations.
✔ Customers buy differently than salespeople often expect.
✔ Technical expertise builds credibility - but curiosity wins conversations.
✔ The best salespeople understand customer problems before talking about products.
✔ Complex sales are managed, not chased.
Episode Highlights
The Champion Myth
Many salespeople mistake a friendly contact for a champion. Tom explains why genuine champions have influence, understand the buying process and are prepared to advocate internally.
CSI Selling
One of the standout moments of the episode compares enterprise selling to investigating a crime scene. By visually mapping stakeholders, relationships and influence, salespeople gain a far clearer picture of how decisions are actually made.
Technical Sellers Talk Too Much
Fred and Tom discuss why technical experts often lead with product knowledge when they should be leading with questions. Listening creates more credibility than demonstrating expertise.
Know the Buyer Before the Product
Rather than obsessing over product features, organisations should spend more time helping salespeople understand procurement, finance, operations and executive priorities.
About Tom Stearns
Tom Stearns is a Go-To-Market Consultant and co-author of Graphic Sales - a practical sales playbook presented as a graphic novel. His work focuses on helping sales teams build repeatable prospecting processes, improve account planning and navigate complex buying groups.
Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomstearns
Website: https://www.stearns.io
Get the book ‘Graphic Sales’ by Tom Stearns & Peter Cleary: https://www.stearns.io/book
About Fred Copestake
Fred Copestake helps engineering and B2B sales teams create commercially stronger conversations through Trust First Selling and the VALUE Framework.
Connect with Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3PhzTIM56ao
Watch Fred’s FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers
Useful resources
Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: Check how well your sales approach fits today’s buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/