Breaking Sales
Behind the scenes with one of America’s leading sales renegades, Dan Lappin, and his fanatic crew of disruptors from Lappin180. Listen as Dan, his sales training team, and their guests destroy everything you thought you knew about selling. A nonconformist take on rejecting the status quo, Lappin180 annihilates the tried-and-died sales tactics and techniques that have failed you, and your prospects. Here is your chance to break free of convention and tedious sales rules top earners never follow. In interviews with business leaders and industry insiders, Dan will inspire you to think different, stop selling, and break the sale. Join Dan on his unorthodox mission to shatter the dull monotony of performance stagnation.
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Familiarity Kills Performance
10/14/2024
Familiarity Kills Performance
Have you reached your full potential? If you’re a high performer, the answer should be a resounding "not yet." There's always room for growth, always another level to reach. Personal growth is a never-ending journey where we are constantly working toward becoming the next version of ourselves.The secret is learning how to embrace that change. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam dive deep into the power of change and experimentation. They’ll explore why experimentation is crucial for personal and professional growth, and how it can help you reach that next level of performance. We'll break down the mindset shifts needed to embrace change, and why being willing to make mistakes is essential for learning and growth. You'll learn how to approach change as a game of creation, and discover practical exercises to visualize and work towards your future goals.
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High Performers Need to Rejuvenate
10/07/2024
High Performers Need to Rejuvenate
It's no secret: many people in high-performance careers pride themselves on their work ethic. At first, the late nights, early mornings, and minimal sleep feel exciting and fulfilling. But as time goes on and they advance further in their careers, many begin to realize this approach isn't sustainable, or even productive in the long run. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam explore the critical importance of rejuvenation and grounding for high achievers and why taking time to recharge isn't just a luxury—it's a necessity for maintaining clarity and avoiding burnout. You'll discover how small, intentional habits can make a big difference in your overall well-being and productivity, the hard choices that come with prioritizing rejuvenation, and why being deliberate is so critical to avoiding burnout. Dan and Pam even share their personal methods of mental and physical rejuvenation, from evening walks and classical music to early morning workouts and prioritizing sleep, as inspiration on how you can make a change in your life. Tune in if you're ready to transform your mindset and boost your performance without sacrificing your well-being.
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SNIPPET: Demos Are Often a Crutch
09/30/2024
SNIPPET: Demos Are Often a Crutch
Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a sales conversation with your product demo ready. You’ve rehearsed your presentation to perfection, knowing every line and figure by heart, only to find your prospect is disengaged and uninterested in your production. There’s a reason this didn’t work: You made the conversation about yourself. Instead of approaching the prospect with curiosity and asking questions about their business, you relied on a rehearsed demo presentation that didn’t require you to step out of your comfort zone and engage with the prospect on their level. So how do we fix this? In this snippet, Dan shares why relying on your demo, though tempting, can hurt your ability to connect with your prospects and close the deal. We’ll explore why this leads to missed opportunities and misaligned solutions, and how you can adjust your mindset to better serve your prospect’s needs, not your own need for comfort and security. Listen to this snippet, and if you liked it, scroll back to to hear the full conversation.
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If You’re Selling, You’re Not Differentiating
09/23/2024
If You’re Selling, You’re Not Differentiating
Sales leaders often stress the importance of differentiation. But what if I told you that the conventional wisdom on how to stand out in sales conversations actually makes you sound more like everyone else? When have you ever heard a competitor of yours say to the prospect, “our resources aren’t that good?” Differentiation isn't about having the most offices, the smartest people, or even the best product. True differentiation has to come from within you - how you show up mentally. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Kristie dive deep into what it takes to stand out in a crowded marketplace. They’ll challenge the conventional wisdom about differentiation and explore why your mindset matters more than any feature or benefit you can tout. How it’s often your ability and willingness to ask the questions others are afraid to ask.
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Turning RFP Presentations Upside Down
09/17/2024
Turning RFP Presentations Upside Down
When was the last time you actually enjoyed responding to an RFP? The harsh reality is that buyer expectations are through the roof. The old playbook just doesn't cut it anymore. But what if there was a way to completely flip the script on RFPs? To turn them from a soul-crushing exercise into a chance to truly connect with your prospects? In this episode, Kristie and Dan dive into the mindset shift that can help you disrupt the RFP game, challenging everything you think you know about the process. What if instead of a scripted song and dance, you could have a real dialogue? What if you could build trust by being radically honest? And what if setting clear boundaries actually led to more success? Dan and Kristie break down exactly how to approach RFPs in a whole new way. One that keeps you objective, strategic, and focused on what really matters: helping your prospects make the best decision possible. If you’re ready to throw out the old RFP rulebook and try something that might just transform your entire sales approach, listen in.
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SNIPPET: Asking Tough Questions
09/09/2024
SNIPPET: Asking Tough Questions
Are you brave enough to ask a prospect if they've tried fixing their problem with their current provider? Or does the risk that you could potentially lose a deal fill you with dread? Sales professionals often struggle with getting too attached in these situations, especially when they’re excited about closing a deal. If you want to improve your sales conversations, you have to become very self-aware about this tendency, and remind yourself that your attachments and insecurities aren’t serving anyone’s best interests. In this Snippet, Dan explores how adopting this mindset can help you build trust with insurance industry leader Danielle Lombardo. You'll learn how to shift your focus from closing at all costs to truly serving and understanding potential clients, focusing on creating long-term trust instead of short-term gains. If you're ready to challenge what you think you know about sales tactics, listen to this snippet, then scroll back to , to hear the complete discussion on avoiding these common sales conversation pitfalls.
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What Are Your Prospects Actually Saying?
09/03/2024
What Are Your Prospects Actually Saying?
Have you ever felt a rush of excitement when a prospect says something positive about your sales conversation? That moment when you are sure you have it in the bag? Not so fast. In this episode, Dan and Pam explore a dangerous pitfall in sales - the temptation to hear what you want to believe, not what your prospect is actually saying. They’ll dive into why labeling interactions as "good" or "bad" can sabotage your efforts, and how to stay objective even when things feel optimistic. You'll learn why "buying signals" might not mean what you think they do, and how to keep pushing for deeper understanding instead of settling for surface-level positivity. Dan and Pam break down real examples of sales conversations gone wrong, and give you strategies to avoid the same mistakes. Prepare to challenge your assumptions, and learn how to avoid disappointment by listening with more curiosity.
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SNIPPET: The Right Way to Build Rapport
08/26/2024
SNIPPET: The Right Way to Build Rapport
Most salespeople approach rapport-building wrong, and here's why: they rely on superficial small talk that prospects can see right through, they abruptly switch from "rapport mode" to "sales mode," creating a jarring experience, or they assume rapport is only about finding common ground, when it's really about creating a much deeper connection. These mistakes don't just fail to build trust – they actively damage it. In this snippet, we revisit Dan’s conversation with David Thompson, a master interrogator who shares his expert insights on building rapport. David reveals how to weave rapport throughout your entire conversation, how to be a human first and a salesperson second (and why this distinction matters), and techniques from high-stakes interrogations that can transform your sales approach. Plus, we'll explore the power of strategic questioning and why assuming you understand a prospect's needs is a dangerous game. After listening, scroll back to , to hear our full conversation on dialogue and trust in sales.
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Tough Questions Build Trust
08/19/2024
Tough Questions Build Trust
What if the key to your success is hidden in the words you probably dread hearing most: "Can I give you some feedback?" For most people, those six words might cause your defenses to rise and your mind to race. But what if your mindset around feedback is actually a predictor of your future success? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam challenge the way professionals respond to feedback. We're diving deep into why most people run from criticism, while the top 1% of performers crave it. You'll discover how your instinctive reaction to feedback might be sabotaging your career, why you're probably not as self-aware as you think, and how to transform criticism from a threat into your secret weapon for growth. If you're ready to embrace discomfort and unlock a new level of performance, this episode is for you. It's time to stop running from feedback and start running towards it.
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It’s Time To Create Positive Tension
08/12/2024
It’s Time To Create Positive Tension
Think about the most valuable feedback you've ever received, or that question that really helped you solve a problem by thinking both objectively and differently. Was there some level of discomfort at first? Did you have to lower your guard a little bit so you could objectively receive and debate either the feedback or the question? And more importantly, how did the experience impact how you felt about the person giving the feedback or asking the question? This experience is called positive tension. It's the art of asking questions and making observations that may be at first uncomfortable for the recipient, but the exchange is invaluable because it helps the other person to think differently about their situation, experience, and or results. If you want your prospect to make a change, the psychology would suggest that they will need to feel and work through positive tension. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam dive deep into why creating positive tension is crucial for transformative conversations. You'll learn why your prospects need to feel tension to seriously consider change, techniques for framing tough questions in a way that builds trust, and how to find your authentic voice when discussing sensitive topics. If you want to stop spending so much time chasing prospects for answers and you want to sell more, this episode is for you. Let's break down the psychology behind positive tension and how you can use it as a tool to help your prospects gain conviction toward change.
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SNIPPET: Helping Your Prospects Think Critically
08/05/2024
SNIPPET: Helping Your Prospects Think Critically
Are you comfortable asking the tough questions? Or do you find yourself holding back, afraid to rock the boat? That hesitation can be counterintuitive, as the ability to ask challenging questions may be the difference between closing a deal and watching it slip away. So how do you develop the confidence to push past your comfort zone and take the conversation into uncharted waters? In this snippet, Quinn Damon and Dan explore the art of asking tough questions, and Quinn shares a pivotal moment in his career where a single, well-crafted question turned the tide in a sales conversation. If you're ready to learn how to ask the questions that truly matter to your prospect, listen in, and then scroll back to episode 44, “” to hear our full conversation on mastering the art of tough questions.
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Mindset Should Come From Within
07/29/2024
Mindset Should Come From Within
What would happen if excuses and insecurities no longer held you back, and you were able to approach your prospecting with calm, confidence, and conviction? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam talk about how you can evolve your mindset and minimize annoying insecurities that hold you back. They cover conviction and how it can transform your performance, including why waiting for external factors to boost your confidence is a losing game, and how you can get results by manufacturing that "I don't give a sh*t" attitude. This conversation might just be the wake-up call you need to break through to your next level of achievement.
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SNIPPET: Sticking to Your Process
07/22/2024
SNIPPET: Sticking to Your Process
In this Snippet, Pam and Dan explore the power of process in transforming your sales results. You'll learn how to scale your prospecting efforts and build a consistent, high-performing sales machine. We'll break down how to tackle prospecting in an organized, consistent way, and why daily habits reduce stress. If you're ready to take your sales game to the next level, listen to this snippet, and then scroll back to Episode 12, to hear the full conversation.
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The Real Prospecting Silver Bullet
07/15/2024
The Real Prospecting Silver Bullet
More and more salespeople are spending too much time and energy trying to find the perfect prospecting message—a silver bullet that guarantees success. The truth is that the real key to effective prospecting is not in the message itself, but in how we frame our goals and expectations. You can’t control most things in life, including how your prospect responds to your messaging. However, there are four things you can control: Your mindset, effort, actions, and consistency. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Pam and Kristie dive deep into the mindset traps that hold us back, and the opportunities to change our approach—and thus, our results. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, get ready to reconsider everything you think about prospecting.
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How to Create Freedom With Your Calendar
07/08/2024
How to Create Freedom With Your Calendar
Are you spinning your wheels, feeling like you never have enough time? Think having a wide-open calendar would mean more freedom? Think again. Dan and Pam are about to challenge everything you thought you knew about managing your time. Resident time-management expert Pam sits down with Dan to unpack two crucial questions: 1. Does your schedule represent where you are today, or where you want to be tomorrow? 2. Are your calendar practices an asset or hindrance? They dive deep into how top performers use their calendars as powerful assets, common misconceptions about scheduling that might be sabotaging your success, and how to transform your relationship with time. You’ll find out why having the discipline to plan and stick to a schedule isn't just about getting more done. It's about safeguarding your promises—to yourself, your team, and your clients. Whether you're in sales, leadership, or any field where performance matters, this episode is your roadmap to next-level productivity.
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The Myth of Sales Effectiveness
07/01/2024
The Myth of Sales Effectiveness
There will be a time where enough is enough. When all of us in sales look back and say, “What were we thinking?” And we ask, “Why would anyone accept a 20 percent win standard from 20 percent of the population?” Let’s start questioning the sales norms and redefining how we measure success. It will be up to you to decide what level you’ll play at. Will convention and the current misguided “expertise” keep you stuck, or will you have the conviction to challenge and carve your own path? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Pam and Dan start to debunk the myth of sales. They move past the temptation to standardize and label prospects, push past closing ratios, and get to the heart of the matter—how to tear into that other 80 percent.
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SNIPPET: The Relationship Between Trust and Competence
06/24/2024
SNIPPET: The Relationship Between Trust and Competence
If you had one chance to build trust with someone, would you choose the path of sharing your competency or seeking to understand their point of view? Common sense would dictate that most will choose “seeking their point of view,” but why then during conversations does it so often switch? How many times have you caught yourself telling the other person what they should do, or sharing your expertise and experience hoping they adhere to your advice? This snippet revisits Dan’s conversation with Kent Grayson, an associate professor and researcher at the Kellogg School of Management and an expert on trust and authenticity in the marketplace. Kent and Dan unpack an analogy that demonstrates why competence in and of itself is not enough to build trust. To hear the full episode, scroll back to .
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Rethink RFPs
06/17/2024
Rethink RFPs
It’s no secret: many salespeople dread participating in RFPs (request for proposals). Many feel they are unfair, unclear, inefficient, and otherwise difficult. However, with more businesses adopting RFPs as part of their decision-making process, it’s crucial that sales professionals know how to approach them. More importantly, the problem may be less about the process and more about your mindset. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam discuss adopting a mindset that will help you to disrupt RFPs, and what tools and tactics can be used to help organizations in their decision-making during the RFP process.
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Your Strength Is What You Can Control
06/10/2024
Your Strength Is What You Can Control
While control provides us with a sense of comfort and security, it doesn’t benefit us to keep an iron grip on every aspect of our lives. If you want to create something new, different, or special in your life, you’ll have to learn to embrace things that you can’t control and trust what you can. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Kristie and I discuss different perspectives on control, and how to develop a healthy mindset around it. The conversation also explores how trying to control too much can cloud our judgment and prevent us from making good objective decisions.
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How High Performers Keep Accountable
06/03/2024
How High Performers Keep Accountable
How do we make sure we remain accountable to ourselves and our commitments when faced with discomfort? Continually evolving ourselves and our mindset is essential to propelling our lives, careers, and businesses forward. Sustainable change requires a steady adherence to processes and principles that may sometimes be uncomfortable, but encourage long-term personal growth. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Pam and Kristie explore what it takes to be accountable to oneself, and why this practice is one of the most important contributors to high performance.
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Language Creates Courage with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr.
05/28/2024
Language Creates Courage with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr.
Language is one of the single most important factors in shaping human behavior and psychology. The words we choose dictate how we think, how we behave, and what experiences we have, positive or negative. How do we use our words to control our own thoughts and approach new situations with clarity and confidence? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan continues his discussion with Dr. George S. Everly Jr., a highly accomplished psychologist, researcher, and author. We discuss the relationship between language and psychology: How self-talk helps us find courage and strengthen our tolerance for rejection or failure. We also discuss how questions help build trust and create new possibilities.
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Routine and Cognitive Function with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr.
05/20/2024
Routine and Cognitive Function with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr.
High performers often cite their routines and sleep habits as essential ingredients to improving cognitive ability, productivity, and other aspects of performance. It’s no different when we think of having meaningful conversations as leaders, teammates, or sales professionals. Powerful communication is no accident, and it can be learned. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan continues his conversation with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr., a prolific researcher and author. George and Dan discuss how we can maximize our conversations and interactions with strong cognitive function through routine, sleep, exercise, and support.
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Do You Make Careful or Committed Decisions? with Dr. George S, Everly, Jr.
05/13/2024
Do You Make Careful or Committed Decisions? with Dr. George S, Everly, Jr.
Have you ever wondered what it would take to add some cognitive and behavioral horsepower to your routines and activities? Or what really influences the choices that you make? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan sits down with Dr. George S. Everly, Jr., a highly accomplished psychologist, researcher, and author whose work spans multiple scientific disciplines. The conversation explores the neuroscience behind decision-making, reframing your mindset to be more conducive to what you want to achieve, and what you can do to maximize your cognitive power.
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Meet the Lappin180 Team: Feedback Strengthens Everyone
05/06/2024
Meet the Lappin180 Team: Feedback Strengthens Everyone
How has honest but difficult feedback helped shape the individual members of the Lappin180 coaching team for the better? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Dan, Pam, and Kristie share the stories behind the toughest feedback they have ever received, and how it has helped them learn, grow, and achieve better outcomes. This conversation highlights why feedback is so essential to personal and professional growth at all stages of life.
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Stop Labeling Conversations As Bad
04/29/2024
Stop Labeling Conversations As Bad
Our innate instinct to label things as bad may have worked to protect us 20,000 years ago, but it often works against us in today’s modern world. How are people that work in the most high-stakes roles able to keep their composure despite the elevated sense of urgency? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan shares how his recent conversations with pediatricians treating the sickest children have continued to shape his thinking around the power of detachment. Dan and Pam discuss how these extreme examples of using detachment can be very useful in helping us stay calm and poised in difficult conversations. They also examine why we label potential threats through the lens of evolutionary psychology, and why this runs counter to the demands of today’s conversations and experiences.
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SNIPPET: How Do You Know That You’re Evolving?
04/22/2024
SNIPPET: How Do You Know That You’re Evolving?
How can you be certain that your day-to-day activities are helping you achieve your goals? Additionally, how do you identify opportunities that you may have missed, so you can capture them the next time around? In this snippet, Pam shares why metrics are fundamental to knowing whether or not you are growing in your business, and what metrics you need to understand whether or not you are making progress. To hear the full episode, scroll back to
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The Controversy Between Choices and Commitment
04/15/2024
The Controversy Between Choices and Commitment
High-performance is heavily influenced by your choices. There are studies that suggest that those who seek immediate gratification are less successful than those who delay gratification. Do you sacrifice the present for the future? Or do you give up the future to indulge in the present? This is not an easy question. Join Dan and Pam as they explore how our choices either promote or hinder our routines, commitments, and sense of fulfillment. In this episode, you’ll hear some interesting perspectives on the relationship between commitment and choices that will help you frame your thinking and decide what viewpoints you do and don’t agree with.
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Start Your Conversations With More Trust
04/08/2024
Start Your Conversations With More Trust
Your prospects are constantly being sold to, and as a result, they have developed a series of biases that help them filter out what conversations are going to be helpful or harmful to them. This reaction is primal, based on instinct that dates back tens of thousands of years. Even a referral from a trusted source may not be enough for them to let down their guard. What can sales professionals do to ease the prospect’s initial uncertainty and innate lack of trust? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam explore how you can level the playing field with your prospects and clients so that both parties can enter the conversation with more courage and curiosity. They’ll explore the psychology behind the beginning of human interactions and what you can do to make a positive early impact.
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Bonus Episode: Meet the Lappin180 Team
04/01/2024
Bonus Episode: Meet the Lappin180 Team
Get to know the Lappin180 team in this bonus episode of Breaking Sales. In this candid conversation, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at coaching and gain insights on how teams operate and build relationships over time. Dan, Pam, and Kristie share their journeys to becoming coaches, the dynamics that allow them to function as a team, and reminisce about some of the successes and challenges they’ve faced together along the way.
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SNIPPET: Stop Being The Main Character in Your Prospect's Story
03/25/2024
SNIPPET: Stop Being The Main Character in Your Prospect's Story
Sharing your credentials with prospects may seem like a strong way to demonstrate your value, but in reality, leaning on your past accomplishments to convey your worth stems from insecurity and scarcity. Worse, while your prospective clients may be able to gain a lot from your experience and expertise, putting it at the forefront of your conversations to prove your capability and worth may actually have a negative effect. In this snippet, Dan explores why credentialing is a common pitfall for professionals, and how pitching your solution or expertise can unintentionally trigger the wrong reaction from your prospect. To hear the full conversation, scroll back to Episode 69,” ”
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