Win More Business in Manufacturing
Sales Today
Manufacturing and engineering businesses do brilliant work. But are they always brilliant at explaining why customers should choose them? In this episode, Fred is joined by Andrea Wilson, MD of Support UK Manufacturing and founder of ManufacturingUK.org, to explore how manufacturers can communicate their value, build stronger relationships and ultimately win more business. In this episode: Why manufacturers need to talk about more than what they make How to communicate why customers should choose you Why relationships and collaboration can be a genuine differentiator The...
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What Procurement Pros Get Trained In
Sales Today
What if salespeople understood what procurement teams are actually trained to do? In this episode, Fred is joined by returning guest Mark Schenkius, procurement expert and author of The Other Side of Sales and The Art of Spending Money Wisely, to look at sales from the buyer’s side of the table. They discuss why procurement isn't simply about squeezing suppliers on price, why buyers think about risk as well as cost, and why something a salesperson sees as exciting - like innovation —-can look very different through procurement's eyes. In this episode: Why buyers and sellers can...
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The Secret Behind ‘Discovery Prospecting’
Sales Today
What if discovery started before the first sales meeting? In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by David Kreiger, founder and president of SalesRoads, to explore why many salespeople are getting prospecting wrong and how a discovery-led approach can completely change the conversation. Rather than rushing to pitch, David argues that great prospecting starts with research, intelligent assumptions and genuine curiosity about what is happening inside the customer's business. With the information now available particularly through AI - there's increasingly...
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Why Should Customers Choose You?
Sales Today
Why should a customer choose you over your competitors? If the answer is “because we’re innovative, experienced and provide great service”… there’s a good chance your competitors are saying exactly the same thing. In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by , author of and founder of UVP Solutions, to explore what really makes a Unique Value Proposition unique. They discuss why being different isn’t enough - your difference has to matter to the customer - and how businesses can connect their strengths with the problems customers need solving and...
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Telephone selling made simple
Sales Today
Why do perfectly confident people suddenly become nervous when they pick up the phone to sell? In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by sales trainer and coach Anna Bates to explore how to make telephone selling simpler, more natural and far less intimidating. Anna shares her straightforward approach to phone conversations — from getting your mindset right before the call, to using tone effectively, asking better questions and actually asking for the sale. They also explore Anna's "corridor" analogy: rather than pushing someone towards a decision, your...
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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...
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/