Sales [UN]Training

Your weekly sales strategy guide that will rewire your sales brain to bust bad habits and crush your number. The way that companies train salespeople is broken. Host Kelly Riggs discusses what ACTUALLY works in sales with leading experts in our industry. Forget what you think you know about sales. It's time to train hard and play to win. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. His third book is the award-winning Counter Mentor Leadership: How to Unlock the Potential of the 4-Generation Workplace, co-written with his Millennial son, Robby Riggs. It was selected as the 2019 Gold Medal winner in the leadership category by Axiom Business Books Awards. Note: No trophies were awarded during the writing of this book. For more information, visit www.BizLockerRoom.com.

Create Buyer URGENCY: The 7 Critical Psychological Steps You Must Master to Close Any Deal 08/11/2025

Create Buyer URGENCY: The 7 Critical Psychological Steps You Must Master to Close Any Deal Stop overwhelming prospects with information; it isn't persuasive and it's killing your deals. Discover the seven critical psychological steps you must guide a buyer through to build trust, prove value, and create urgency. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs tackles one of the most common and costly mistakes in sales: believing that giving prospects more product information will win the deal. Drawing from decades of observing sales calls, Kelly dismantles the “show up and throw up” approach and replaces it with a proven, customer-focused framework. Listeners will learn the Seven Critical Steps to a Sale, a process that goes beyond features and functions to address the real decision-making drivers in a prospect’s mind. Kelly walks through each step in detail: identifying or creating a perceived need, helping the buyer see the loss of inaction or the gain from change, building trust in your solution, making change feel manageable, minimizing risk, ensuring value exceeds price, and creating genuine urgency. With practical insights, real-world examples, and the reminder that “information isn’t persuasion,” Kelly shows how the best salespeople connect emotionally, align with personal agendas, and move deals forward without stalling. Whether you lead a sales team or close deals yourself, this episode will help you replace product dumping with a strategic, emotionally intelligent sales approach that wins more business—faster. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37753790

Is Your VALUE Even Valuable? How to leverage your competitive advantages. 08/04/2025

Is Your VALUE Even Valuable? How to leverage your competitive advantages. Everyone throws around “value,” but most salespeople can’t actually communicate it. Kelly explains why credibility comes first—and how selling ROI without trust is just noise. “Value” might be the most overused and misunderstood word in sales. Sales leaders preach value propositions, ROI claims, and solution-based selling—but when your reps hit the field, are they actually communicating value or just tossing around buzzwords? In this episode, Kelly breaks down what value really is: something perceived, not proclaimed. He shares stories of companies with solid ROI pitches that failed to connect, and exposes the disconnect between what sales teams promote and what customers care about. You’ll hear why “the first sale is your credibility,” how trust is the gateway to value, and why selling features instead of outcomes leads to missed targets. Kelly also walks through the phases of a true value conversation—from establishing credibility, to diagnosing pain, to aligning your offering with exactly what the buyer needs. He even explains how to address the real objection behind “your price is too high”: fear of change. If you’re tired of sales training that leads to reps talking past their prospects, you need this episode. It’s time to rewire your sales brain. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37642645

Sales Dumpster Fire #6: The ONE Thing Most Salespeople Sell is the ONE Thing Customers Don't Buy 07/28/2025

Sales Dumpster Fire #6: The ONE Thing Most Salespeople Sell is the ONE Thing Customers Don't Buy Salespeople are taught to sell product features, yet prospects almost never buy them. This episode breaks down why this common sales tactic fails and reveals how to connect with what customers actually want. Still leading sales calls with product features? Kelly says that's not just outdated—it’s losing you deals. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, we tackle Sales Dumpster Fire #6: the mistake of selling what prospects don’t care about. Kelly walks through the truth most salespeople avoid: buyers aren’t sold on specs, they’re sold on results. Time saved. Headaches avoided. Personal wins that make them look good at work. This episode breaks down why features are just noise unless you clearly tie them to meaningful outcomes. You’ll learn: Why buyers tune out product specs (even the flashy ones) What you should be leading with on a sales call How emotion—not logic—actually drives purchasing decisions The 3 things you should always be selling: results, value, and risk reduction Kelly also shares a killer question that opens the door to your buyer’s personal motivation—and why that matters more than any one feature. Plus, hear what science says about how people decide and how to use that to your advantage. If your team is getting ghosted or struggling to close, this is required listening. Quit pitching. Start connecting. And watch your sales performance shift. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37568410

STOP Blaming Salespeople! 4 Leadership Fails That DESTROY Accountability | Fix Sales Performance 07/14/2025

STOP Blaming Salespeople! 4 Leadership Fails That DESTROY Accountability | Fix Sales Performance Why do salespeople struggle with accountability? Kelly shows how the real problem often starts at the top—and what you can do to change it. If your reps aren’t owning their results, you might be looking in the wrong direction. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly pulls no punches: “It’s not them—it’s you.” From vague expectations to weak training and poor hiring choices, he breaks down the four most common ways leaders accidentally create a culture of excuse-making. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining This is not about coddling your reps. It’s about facing the reality that accountability doesn’t magically appear—it’s built, modeled, and reinforced from the top down. Kelly walks through the damaging effects of unclear communication, underdeveloped skills, low motivation, and hiring without grit—and then shows how to fix each one. He also shares what not to do if you want accountability to take root: blame your people. If you make excuses as a leader, your team will too. But if you’re serious about performance, it starts with extreme ownership. ✅ 4 leadership mistakes that kill accountability ✅ Why salespeople “not getting it” is often your fault ✅ The #1 behavior that shuts down coaching before it starts Whether you're managing a team or preparing to build one, this episode will challenge you to rethink how you lead, train, and build trust. Let’s rewire your sales leadership brain—one hard truth at a time. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37261670

6 Sales Phrases That DESTROY Credibility with Prospects | How to Fix Your First Impressions 07/07/2025

6 Sales Phrases That DESTROY Credibility with Prospects | How to Fix Your First Impressions If you sound like a salesperson, you're toast. Kelly walks through six dead-giveaway phrases that kill your credibility before you ever get a shot at the deal. This week, Kelly calls out one of the most common—and costly—mistakes salespeople make: sounding exactly like every other salesperson your prospect’s ever met. If your opener screams “commission breath,” the shades come down, the windows close, and your prospect is already looking for the eject button. Kelly breaks down five behaviors that scream “salesperson” and follow them with six phrases that almost guarantee resistance, ghosting, or a polite brush-off. From asking a prospect to “tell me about your business” (without doing your homework) to the classic “I’m just calling to follow up,” this episode is a must-listen if you’re tired of stalled deals and prospects going cold. Instead of resorting to generic claims and weak openers, Kelly offers hard-earned insights on how to build credibility, earn attention, and extend the conversation. The real first sale? Your trustworthiness. If you don’t land that, the product pitch doesn’t stand a chance. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37212730

How Sales Leaders Can Use ChatGPT Roleplay to Fix Sales Training Fails and Boost Cold Call Wins 06/30/2025

How Sales Leaders Can Use ChatGPT Roleplay to Fix Sales Training Fails and Boost Cold Call Wins Sales reps don’t get enough reps—and it’s killing performance. Kelly and guest Jeff Bajorek show how ChatGPT can simulate high-stakes cold calls and discovery sessions so your team doesn’t practice on prospects. Three out of four salespeople are failing. Why? Because most sales training stops short of actual practice. In this episode, Kelly is joined again by Jeff Bajorek to demonstrate a live, unscripted roleplay using ChatGPT. No scripts, no retakes—just real-time practice that mirrors the real world. They start with a cold call simulation and then shift into a face-to-face discovery meeting, each designed to uncover and overcome the two big obstacles every sales team faces: lack of pipeline and stalled deals. You’ll hear exactly how ChatGPT can be used to rehearse permission-based openers, work through objections, and tailor questions based on buyer psychology. You’ll also hear how to level up AI roleplay sessions with contextual prompts from real earnings calls or buyer research, and why this approach beats traditional practice methods—hands down. This isn’t theory. It’s tactical, repeatable, and ready to use. If you're managing a sales team or trying to sharpen your own skills, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37213125

Why Salespeople REFUSE to Change | Fixing Sales Coaching, Training & Team Development 📈 06/24/2025

Why Salespeople REFUSE to Change | Fixing Sales Coaching, Training & Team Development 📈 Most salespeople say they want to improve, but never actually change—and sales leaders let them off the hook. Kelly explains how mindset, repetition, and the absence of deadlines are sabotaging your team's potential. You hear it all the time: “I want to get better at sales.” But the truth? Most salespeople won’t change—and most sales leaders don’t know how to make them. In this episode, Kelly breaks down the harsh reality of why sales training fails: because it relies too heavily on exposure and doesn’t build in accountability, coaching, or clear expectations. He outlines the three root causes behind the failure to change—momentum, mindset, and lack of confidence—and why vague coaching like “get serious” or “make more calls” won’t move the needle. You’ll hear the role of repetition, specific practice, and why deadlines matter just as much as the skill itself. Sales managers, if you're frustrated by your team’s lack of follow-through, this one’s for you. Kelly pulls no punches as he lays out how to actually build a sales team that improves week over week—not just one that listens to another training video. Plus, he opens up limited slots to book 30-minute calls for anyone facing a specific sales challenge. It’s real talk for real change—and your wake-up call to rewire your sales brain. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/37137840

Roleplay Sales Calls With ChatGPT? Yes—and Here's Why It Works 06/09/2025

Roleplay Sales Calls With ChatGPT? Yes—and Here's Why It Works Three out of four salespeople are falling short, despite having mountains of available training content at their fingertips. In this episode, Kelly is joined again by Jeff Bajorek to tackle the real issue: why sales organizations fail to execute—even when they know what to do. ChatGPT joins the show (yes, literally) to offer insight into how AI can help close the “knowing-doing” gap. Jeff discusses how he uses ChatGPT to uncover blind spots, rehearse tricky calls, and pressure test sales strategies before taking them to market. Kelly and Jeff go beyond the hype to show how AI isn't just another tool—it can become a true thinking partner. You'll hear exactly how to set up ChatGPT for cold call roleplay, overcome price objections, and get reps consistent, meaningful practice in the final 15 minutes of every workday. Plus, Kelly lays out what separates strong sales leaders from the rest—and how they can use AI to build a culture of continuous improvement. This episode is packed with tactical advice and mind-bending ideas. Whether you're a VP of Sales or a frontline manager, this one’s worth a listen. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36896030

75% of Your Team is Failing—Here's Why Sales Training Doesn't Stick (and What to Do About It) | Sales Dumpster Fire #5 06/02/2025

75% of Your Team is Failing—Here's Why Sales Training Doesn't Stick (and What to Do About It) | Sales Dumpster Fire #5 Sales training fails when it becomes a box to check instead of a culture to create. Kelly explains how sales leaders set the tone, and why your team’s lack of engagement might just be your fault. Three out of four salespeople are missing quota. But it's not always because they're lazy, unmotivated, or disinterested—often, it’s because sales leadership is dropping the ball. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly pulls no punches. He lays out why traditional sales training often turns into a total dumpster fire, how sales leaders are enabling it, and what it actually takes to build a high-performance sales culture. From setting clear expectations during hiring, to eliminating excuses for skipping training, to understanding the difference between exposure and behavior change—Kelly breaks down why engagement starts at the top. You'll hear exactly what role coaching plays, why notebooks should be mandatory, and how to create real accountability around learning. He even offers a pro tip for using books to level up your team (without boring them to death). If you’ve ever said “we tried training, but it didn’t work,” this episode is a wake-up call. Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about clarity, standards, and consistency. And it starts with you. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36793500

Are You Neglecting the Most CRITICAL Part of the Sale? MASTERING Delivery Will Revolutionize Your Sales Team 05/26/2025

Are You Neglecting the Most CRITICAL Part of the Sale? MASTERING Delivery Will Revolutionize Your Sales Team You won the deal. Now what? Kelly explains why execution—not the close—is what separates pros from amateurs, and how being present after the sale sets you up for the next one. You did the hard work. You prospected, qualified, presented, and closed. But if you think the job’s done, think again. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sounds the alarm on one of the biggest threats to future business: poor execution after the deal is done. Winning the sale means nothing if your delivery and implementation process falls apart. Kelly walks through the critical steps every salesperson must take after the contract is signed—from maintaining contact during execution, to handling hiccups without throwing teammates under the bus, to building a branded delivery process that competitors won’t touch. You’ll also hear why your customer’s experience matters more than the quality of your solution, and how salespeople can turn great execution into repeat business and internal referrals. If you're checking out after the signature, you’re lighting your next deal on fire. 🔑 In this episode: Why being “present” during delivery drives loyalty How to brand and sell your execution process What most reps get dead wrong about post-sale ownership The magic of proactive communication and follow-up Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36702680

Sales VP Mistakes COSTING Growth | Fix Marginal Reps or Let Them Go? | 3 Keys to Development Plans 05/19/2025

Sales VP Mistakes COSTING Growth | Fix Marginal Reps or Let Them Go? | 3 Keys to Development Plans Why are so many sales teams built around underperformers? Kelly breaks down the hard truth behind marginal reps, the hamster-wheel excuses that keep them on payroll, and what it really takes to fix it. Every sales leader has faced it: the likable but ineffective rep who never quite makes quota—and never quite gets fired. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly hits the uncomfortable truth that most managers don’t want to confront: your loyalty to marginal performers is killing your team's performance. Kelly walks through the excuses sales leaders give—“I don’t have time,” “They’re not that bad,” “I haven’t done enough”—and tears them down one by one. He explains how this inertia traps you on a hamster wheel of constant reactivity, leaving little time for what actually grows the business: developing A players and building a high-performance culture. Need Real Sales Feedback? Let’s Talk. Got a specific sales challenge you can’t solve in a Slack thread or weekly meeting? I’m opening up a few 30-minute, no-pitch consults to talk shop—off the record, outside the chain of command, and 100% focused on your world. No fluff No selling Just you, me, and the problem that’s costing you time and margin 📅 Book your time now at Let’s fix what’s stuck. You’ll also hear four hard diagnostic questions that reveal whether a rep belongs on your team, and a 3-step framework to ensure your development process actually drives results. Kelly doesn’t just talk sales strategy—he challenges you to lead like your job depends on it. If you're ready to build a team that sells and stop babysitting those who don't, this is the episode you’ve been avoiding—and absolutely need to hear. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36588240

Can ChatGPT TRAIN Sales Reps? | Coaching, Objections & Why Role Play MATTERS 05/12/2025

Can ChatGPT TRAIN Sales Reps? | Coaching, Objections & Why Role Play MATTERS Kelly and Jeff Bajorek team up with a unique guest—ChatGPT—to explore how AI can actually train sales reps. From role play to resilience, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about sales development. Together, the trio breaks new ground, asking whether AI can play a real role in sales development and coaching. Spoiler alert: the answer isn’t what you think. The conversation pulls no punches. Kelly challenges ChatGPT on what it really knows about sales, drilling into topics like emotional intelligence, tactical skills, and the glaring flaws of traditional corporate sales training. Jeff puts ChatGPT to the test with questions about roleplay, personalization, and feedback loops—and is surprised by what he hears in return. You’ll hear real insights into: How AI can help reps prep for cold calls, improve objection handling, and analyze conversations post-call. Why most sales training misses the mark by focusing on product instead of people. The irreplaceable human elements—empathy, intuition, timing—that AI can’t mimic. If you're a sales leader who’s tired of hearing the same tired strategies and wondering how to get actual results from your team, this episode is for you. Stick around to hear Kelly’s plan for future roleplays with ChatGPT—and how sales pros can use this tool without losing their edge. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36504500

Sales Leaders: STOP Solving the Wrong Problem | 3 Sales Root Causes You're Ignoring 05/05/2025

Sales Leaders: STOP Solving the Wrong Problem | 3 Sales Root Causes You're Ignoring Why do so many salespeople miss their numbers—even after training, reporting, and CRM rollouts? Because too often, sales leaders are solving symptoms instead of real problems. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly shares a powerful metaphor that starts with chronic back pain but lands squarely on why your team isn’t performing. You’ll hear the three root causes that are likely sabotaging your revenue—people, planning, and prospecting—and why each one matters more than any new tactic, tool, or motivation play. Kelly unpacks why visibility reports and CRM systems don’t move the needle unless your team is having the right conversations with the right people. He breaks down why objection handling, product knowledge, and closing skills won’t matter if your reps aren’t doing great discovery or consistently prospecting. Plus, he challenges the feel-good “action bias” that tricks sales managers into thinking they’re leading when they’re really just papering over cracks. If you’re tired of investing time and money into training that doesn’t move the needle—or frustrated by a team that has a few stars and too many underperformers—this is the episode for you. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36419680

3 Things Sales Leaders MUST Do in Uncertain Economic Times | Tariffs, Recession & Quotas Still Due 04/22/2025

3 Things Sales Leaders MUST Do in Uncertain Economic Times | Tariffs, Recession & Quotas Still Due The market’s unpredictable—but your sales team still has a number to hit. Kelly outlines 3 must-do actions for sales leaders navigating tariffs, inflation, and buyer hesitation. Interest rates. Tariffs. Economic chaos. Sales leaders are facing real headwinds—but does that give your team a free pass? In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly lays it out plain: leading in tough economic conditions requires more than empathy. It demands clarity, consistency, and the kind of mindset that refuses to let external chaos derail performance. If you're fielding complaints about supply chains, pricing pressure, or budget freezes, this episode is your wake-up call. Kelly breaks down 3 non-negotiables every sales leader must put into practice when uncertainty is high: Spend more time in the field – drop the spreadsheets, hit the calls. Get obsessive about planning – strategy is oxygen in a downturn. Audit your language – stop feeding excuses and start setting tone. You’ll also hear a story from Kelly’s media sales days that proves a simple change in meeting cadence and mindset can completely change results—even in a down market. The bottom line? You’re either reinforcing a culture of ownership or enabling one of excuses. This isn’t a motivational speech. It’s a tactical guide for leaders who don’t want to get left behind. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36258190

Training Your Tech Team to Sell, Lessons in Trust and Real Sales Leadership | Crush Your Number #4 04/15/2025

Training Your Tech Team to Sell, Lessons in Trust and Real Sales Leadership | Crush Your Number #4 Sales managers often dream about turning their best technical minds into sales machines—but more often than not, it falls flat. Why? Because it takes more than product expertise. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sits down with Kermitt Francis, a former auditor and coder turned Director of Business Development, who shares exactly what makes that rare technical-to-sales transition actually work. Kermitt didn’t just memorize the features. He built relationships by caring more about the person than the pitch. His story is packed with practical insight: how to identify technical folks with sales potential, the three traits to look for before making the leap, and why most “big personality” reps crash and burn. You’ll also hear how Kermitt trains his team, how he uses personal experience to connect with clients, and how to keep your emotional energy steady through the highs and lows of sales. This isn’t theory. It’s a masterclass in how empathy, listening, and genuine care create trust—and trust closes deals. If you’re looking for a new approach to building a sales team from your technical bench, this is your playbook. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36139640

Your Annual Sales Meeting is NOT Sales Training | Sales DUMPSTER FIRE #5 04/07/2025

Your Annual Sales Meeting is NOT Sales Training | Sales DUMPSTER FIRE #5 Most sales kickoff meetings are a massive waste of time and money — and worst of all, they’re not actually training your team. Kelly breaks down why we keep getting it wrong and what sales leaders can do to finally make these meetings matter. Sales kickoff meetings have become a staple in the corporate world — packed hotel ballrooms, slick presentations, motivational speakers, product updates... but very little actual sales development. In this episode, Kelly calls out the elephant in the room: these meetings are often a “sales dumpster fire,” with little thought given to real learning, retention, or performance improvement. Kelly shares personal stories from his early days in sales that show just how little real training takes place — and how easy it is to confuse product knowledge with sales skills. He challenges sales leaders to stop patting themselves on the back for content crammed agendas and start asking the hard questions: What are we trying to achieve? Where’s the actual skill development? Why is there no plan before or after the event? But this isn’t just a rant. Kelly offers a practical, high-impact strategy: bring in your top reps to share real success stories — complete with Q&A — so the entire team learns from the field, not just the front of the room. You’ll walk away with a simple but powerful idea that can instantly upgrade your next kickoff meeting and actually move the needle on sales performance. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/36013965

Why Most Sales Teams Fail at Discovery and What Sales Leaders MUST Do to Fix It - The Answer BEHIND the Answer 03/31/2025

Why Most Sales Teams Fail at Discovery and What Sales Leaders MUST Do to Fix It - The Answer BEHIND the Answer Most salespeople never get the real information they need to close deals—and it's not their fault. In this episode, Kelly breaks down how poor discovery training sabotages your team and what to do instead. Discovery is the most important phase of the sales process—and the one most salespeople get totally wrong. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly explains why most reps don’t get the depth of information they need to win deals and how sales leaders are unintentionally setting them up to fail. Kelly explains how typical sales training programs overwhelm reps with product knowledge but never teach them how to have meaningful conversations. The result? Salespeople lead with product, fire off a list of generic questions, and turn discovery calls into interrogations. The prospect feels like a target, not a partner—and the deal dies right there. You’ll hear why the answer behind the answer is the real key to closing deals, how curiosity and emotional intelligence drive effective discovery, and why most reps struggle to ask deeper follow-ups. Kelly also shares a practical example of how to turn a basic “we’re having a challenge with X” response into a full, trust-building dialogue. If you’re a VP or manager responsible for a team, this episode is a masterclass in rewiring your sales training approach. Learn how to equip your reps to create real conversations, uncover personal and professional motivators, and win in competitive markets. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35911805

Unlocking ChatGPT for Sales Training, Role Play & Prospecting: The REAL Value of AI for Salespeople with Jeff Bajorek, Outbound Squad 03/24/2025

Unlocking ChatGPT for Sales Training, Role Play & Prospecting: The REAL Value of AI for Salespeople with Jeff Bajorek, Outbound Squad Most salespeople are using AI wrong—and it's showing. Kelly and guest Jeff Bajorek of Outbound Squad unpack how to stop getting generic junk from ChatGPT and start using it to actually improve your sales game. Salespeople love shortcuts—but AI isn’t one. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly is joined by Jeff Bajorek to dismantle the lazy approach most reps are taking with ChatGPT. Spoiler: If your prompts are weak, your outputs will be worse. Jeff shares how he pulled the most common AI prompts from sales pros—and why they’re failing to move the needle. You’ll hear the top 10 things reps are asking AI to do (hint: it’s mostly their job), and the smarter way to leverage the tool. They break down why ChatGPT is not a better Google and how it can become your best practice partner. Jeff walks through how he’s using AI for personalized role play—complete with real-time feedback, tone analysis, and escalating difficulty levels. No awkward team huddles, no judgment—just pure reps. Kelly jumps in with stories from the field, how he’s spotting AI in job candidate submissions, and why using AI to "act human" might backfire if you’re not ready for the follow-up questions. If you're a VP of Sales or a frontline manager wondering how to integrate AI into your training without dumbing things down—this episode is your roadmap. Plus, Kelly closes with a reality check: AI is here to handle the tasks that aren’t human, so your people can do what only humans can—build real trust and relationships. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35824825

Why Your Best Sales Tool Is Going to Waste – Fix This Common Sales Training Mistake 03/17/2025

Why Your Best Sales Tool Is Going to Waste – Fix This Common Sales Training Mistake Most companies completely ignore their best sales tool—one that’s right in front of them. In this episode, Kelly breaks down why sales success stories are the key to effective training and how they separate top sellers from the rest. Instead of training sales reps to memorize product specs and generic value statements, companies should be arming them with real-world wins. Kelly explains why success stories boost confidence, increase credibility, and make salespeople far more effective in conversations with prospects. He shares how companies are wasting this invaluable tool and gives a step-by-step approach to making it a core part of sales training. You’ll learn how to: Use success stories to accelerate onboarding and training Differentiate yourself from the competition without sounding like every other salesperson Turn real wins into powerful closing tools Shift sales meetings from complaining sessions to confidence-building opportunities If you want to help your sales team break out of the cycle of generic pitches and start winning more deals, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t keep making the same sales training mistakes from 40 years ago—fix it now. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35661355

Enough Already with "Sales is About Relationships"! Here's the REAL Key to WINNING Deals 03/10/2025

Enough Already with "Sales is About Relationships"! Here's the REAL Key to WINNING Deals Salespeople love to say that selling is all about relationships—but they’re wrong. In this episode, Kelly breaks down why trust, not just relationships, wins deals and what salespeople must do differently to stop losing on price. For years, sales trainers have drilled the idea that "selling is all about relationships." But what if that’s not just misleading—it’s outright wrong? In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs dismantles one of the most overused and abused concepts in sales: the relationship myth. Yes, relationships matter—but they’re not what closes deals. Trust is. Kelly explains why most salespeople confuse rapport with real relationships and why being “liked” isn’t enough. If you’re still relying on small talk and common interests to build relationships, you’re already losing. What actually creates trust? Kelly lays out a proven approach to building credibility and expertise in sales conversations. He reveals why most salespeople fail—they jump straight to pitching without first establishing real value. You’ll learn how to flip the script and make your conversations about the customer, not about you. Plus, Kelly shares the biggest trust-killers in sales, why most managers avoid addressing underperformance, and the simple mindset shift that will change how you sell forever. If you’re tired of losing deals on price, this episode is a must-listen. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35579290

Why Sales Leaders Must Prioritize 1:1 Meetings – The Secret to Coaching & Building Stronger Teams 03/03/2025

Why Sales Leaders Must Prioritize 1:1 Meetings – The Secret to Coaching & Building Stronger Teams Sales leaders often claim they don’t have time for one-on-one meetings—but what if skipping them is costing you more time and revenue? In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down why structured 1:1s are a game-changer for coaching, accountability, and building a high-performance sales culture. Time is the number one excuse sales leaders give for avoiding one-on-one meetings with their team—but what if these meetings could actually save time and dramatically improve performance? In this episode, Kelly Riggs challenges the common objections sales managers have about 1:1s and makes the case for why they are an essential (and often overlooked) leadership tool. He shares insights from his own sales management journey and explains why reactive leadership—constantly putting out fires—only creates more chaos. Kelly walks through the key elements of an effective 1:1, including the critical questions you should ask to drive pipeline growth and performance. He also warns against turning these meetings into simple status updates, instead emphasizing their potential for coaching, problem-solving, and relationship-building. If you're tired of underperformance and firefighting, this episode is for you! Plus, Kelly offers a free copy of his book One-on-One Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t. 🎧 Listen now and start leading smarter. 📩 Want a free book? Email Kelly at Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35442145

The Biggest Mistake New Sales Leaders Make & How to Fix It | Sales DUMPSTER FIRE #4 02/24/2025

The Biggest Mistake New Sales Leaders Make & How to Fix It | Sales DUMPSTER FIRE #4 Promoting top salespeople into leadership roles often backfires when they continue to close deals instead of developing their team. In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down why this common mistake stifles growth and shares a powerful strategy to turn new sales managers into effective leaders. Why do so many great salespeople struggle when they become sales leaders? Because they keep doing what got them promoted—selling—when they should be coaching, mentoring, and developing their team. In this episode, Kelly Riggs dissects one of the biggest “sales dumpster fires” plaguing organizations: the self-limiting sales leader. He explains why closing deals for your team is not only unsustainable but also cripples long-term sales performance. Kelly lays out the three major pitfalls of this leadership trap, from burning out managers to stalling team growth and frustrating sales reps. He also reveals a game-changing 4-part strategy to ensure new sales managers start off on the right foot—an in-depth, 30-day assessment process that helps them understand their team’s strengths and weaknesses. Instead of being the star performer, a sales leader’s job is to create an entire team of high performers. If you're a VP of Sales or a new sales manager, this episode is packed with insights to help you build a scalable, high-performing team. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35318235

Sales Training Secrets: How to Ramp Up New Sales Reps for Success with Brandon White, VP of Sales at Multivac 02/17/2025

Sales Training Secrets: How to Ramp Up New Sales Reps for Success with Brandon White, VP of Sales at Multivac Brandon White, VP of Sales & Marketing at Multivac, shares his 22-year sales journey from administrator to executive, offering firsthand insights on what it really takes to ramp up new sales reps effectively. Learn why most sales training fails, the critical role of leadership in development, and how to transform your sales team into high performers. Bringing new salespeople up to speed is one of the toughest challenges in any organization, yet many companies still expect reps to perform without a solid foundation. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs sits down with Brandon White, VP of Sales & Marketing at Multivac, to discuss the realities of onboarding and training sales reps effectively. Brandon started his career as a sales administrator and worked his way up over 22 years, giving him a unique perspective on talent development, sales training, and leadership. Brandon and Kelly dive into the common mistakes companies make in sales training, why new reps need at least 3-6 months to become productive, and how organizations can accelerate learning while ensuring long-term success. They also discuss the importance of leadership in guiding new salespeople, why face-to-face selling still matters in a digital world, and the critical skills that separate top-performing sales leaders from the rest. If you're a sales VP, sales leader, or sales trainer, this episode is packed with actionable insights to rethink how you develop your team and create lasting sales success. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35276585

Are Salespeople Manipulative? The Truth About Influence & Trust in Sales 02/10/2025

Are Salespeople Manipulative? The Truth About Influence & Trust in Sales Is selling just another form of manipulation, or is it about real influence? In this episode, Kelly unpacks the fine line between persuasion and deception, exposing the biggest mistakes in sales training that are ruining trust and results. Are salespeople manipulative? It’s a question that makes most sales pros uncomfortable, but the truth might surprise you. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly breaks down the real difference between influence and manipulation—why some sales tactics push prospects away, and what actually builds trust. Too many sales teams are failing because they’ve been trained the wrong way. Instead of building credibility, they’re making exaggerated claims, forcing relationships, and talking way too much. Kelly explains why these common habits feel manipulative to prospects and how to fix them. Plus, he reveals the one thing that separates a true sales professional from a con artist—it’s not what you think. Sales training has become a broken system, and it’s time to rewire the way we approach it. If you’re tired of hearing the same old sales advice that doesn’t work, this episode will challenge everything you know about selling. And for sales managers: Are you afraid to confront underperformance? Kelly explains why ignoring low performers is the fastest way to kill your sales culture—and what to do instead. If you want to sell with integrity, build real relationships, and actually close more deals, don’t miss this one. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35167305

How to Immediately Spot an Amateur Salesperson: 1 Mistake Salespeople Consistently Make 02/03/2025

How to Immediately Spot an Amateur Salesperson: 1 Mistake Salespeople Consistently Make Most salespeople unknowingly make one amateur mistake that sabotages their success from the very first call. In this episode, we expose the biggest indicator of untrained selling and reveal the strategy that top sales pros use to win more deals. Are your salespeople making the #1 mistake that instantly signals they’re amateurs? If you’ve ever sat in on a sales call and cringed as your rep jumped straight into product talk, you’re not alone. The biggest reason most sales teams underperform isn’t lack of motivation—it’s outdated training that teaches reps to pitch instead of influence. In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down the most common amateur sales mistake and how top sales leaders can spot and fix it fast. You’ll learn how to identify when your reps are losing control of the conversation, why leading with the product is a red flag, and the psychology behind getting buyers to engage. Kelly shares real-world roleplay scenarios and proven strategies to help your team shift from product pushers to true sales professionals. Plus, we explore the power of well-designed sales contests to reinforce the right behaviors and drive lasting performance improvements. If you’ve ever left a pipeline review wondering, Why aren’t my reps closing more deals?, this episode is for you. Kelly reveals the key question every sales leader should be training their team to ask, how to rewire their sales approach for influence over information, and why getting interest doesn’t mean getting the sale. Don’t let amateur mistakes cost your team revenue. Tune in now and start building a salesforce that actually closes. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/35102700

The 1st Step in Changing the Way You Train Salespeople 01/20/2025

The 1st Step in Changing the Way You Train Salespeople Most sales training fails because it focuses on products instead of outcomes. Kelly explains how shifting to an outcome-driven sales strategy can transform your team’s performance and shares actionable steps to make this change today. “Three out of four salespeople are failing. Why? Because we’re training them all wrong.” Kelly Riggs pulls no punches as he dismantles the outdated, product-centric approach to sales training. Instead of overwhelming sales teams with product features, he urges leaders to focus on teaching outcomes and the real-world impact of their solutions. “Customers don’t buy products; they buy what the product does for them,” Riggs declares, offering a transformative framework to revamp your training process. Riggs doesn’t just diagnose the problem—he provides actionable solutions. From exercises that reshape how salespeople communicate value to analogies about coaching youth sports, this episode is packed with practical insights. Discover why starting with client outcomes and real success stories creates a high-performing sales culture, and learn how to rewire your team to think like their customers. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/34899525

How to Identify & Fix Underperforming Salespeople: Uncovering Hidden Gaps in Sales Performance 01/13/2025

How to Identify & Fix Underperforming Salespeople: Uncovering Hidden Gaps in Sales Performance Have you ever faced an underperforming salesperson whose numbers just don’t reflect their potential, and you can’t pinpoint the issue? In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs tackles one of the most frustrating challenges for sales leaders: identifying and addressing hidden performance gaps. With a no-nonsense approach, Kelly highlights the key pitfalls in coaching, from mistaking activity for productivity to the dangers of overlooking call quality in favor of quantity. He shares actionable insights to help you uncover what’s really holding your salespeople back, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning, thoughtful preparation, and executing calls with purpose. Through relatable stories and proven methods, Kelly demonstrates how leaders can elevate their team’s performance by focusing on meaningful metrics and observing salespeople in the field. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start leading your team to dramatic, sustainable improvement, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to find out how to rewire your sales brain and maximize your leadership potential. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/34795400

Best Of: Mastering Sales Predictability: Dave Kurlan on Commitment, Process & Consultative Selling 12/16/2024

Best Of: Mastering Sales Predictability: Dave Kurlan on Commitment, Process & Consultative Selling In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs welcomes back sales expert and Objective Management Group (OMG) founder Dave Kurlan to uncover the “holy grail” of sales success: predictability and consistency. Drawing on over 35 years of experience and data from assessing 2.4 million salespeople, Kurlan explains why desire and commitment are non-negotiable traits for top-performing salespeople. He shares a fascinating study demonstrating how these traits directly influence results, alongside the critical role of a well-defined sales process. “The difference between winging it and owning it is sales process,” Kurlan emphasizes, as he and Riggs discuss sequencing milestones and building sales strategies anchored in proven methodologies. The conversation dives deep into the consultative approach, highlighting its transformative potential in creating meaningful client connections and shortening sales cycles. Kurlan warns against common pitfalls, such as jumping into product pitches or skipping crucial discovery steps, which derail deals. He shares actionable advice on uncovering compelling reasons to buy and adopting a more client-centric mindset. Listeners will walk away with a clear understanding of how to align raw talent, disciplined processes, and consultative selling for scalable success. Check out Dave’s blog, “Understanding the Sales Force,” for more insights, and visit Kelly at . Don’t miss this goldmine of sales wisdom! Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/34271920

Why Salespeople Hate Practice—and Why It’s Non-Negotiable for Success 12/09/2024

Why Salespeople Hate Practice—and Why It’s Non-Negotiable for Success In this thought-provoking episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs dives into one of the most polarizing topics in sales: practice and role play. Why do salespeople, who are supposed to excel under pressure, shy away from practicing their craft? Drawing inspiration from Allen Iverson’s famous “practice” rant, Kelly dismantles common excuses sales teams use to avoid role play. He shares compelling analogies from sports, revealing how lack of preparation leads to missed opportunities, just like in football or basketball. Kelly discusses how ineffective practices or lack of a defined sales process can sabotage success. He introduces three transformative steps for fostering a culture of practice in sales teams, including breaking down processes into repeatable steps and mastering the art of discovery through role play. With anecdotes and actionable strategies, this episode is packed with insights to help leaders rewire their sales teams for success. Tune in to uncover why the results you’re getting are exactly what you’re allowing—and how to change that. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/34271885

Best Of: Unsticking Sales, James Muir’s Sales Training Secrets to Closing Deals 12/02/2024

Best Of: Unsticking Sales, James Muir’s Sales Training Secrets to Closing Deals In this insightful episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs is joined by James Muir, author of The Perfect Close, to tackle the challenges of stuck deals—a common pain point in sales. The conversation explores why traditional sales tactics often fail, particularly in complex B2B environments, and how sales training falls short in preparing reps for real-world scenarios. Muir emphasizes the importance of genuine engagement, proper discovery, and a shift from manipulation to facilitation, asserting that sales is about “helping clients make good decisions.” Listeners will learn why trust and intention outweigh competency and how adopting a consultative approach can unlock opportunities. James also previews his upcoming book, which delves deeper into identifying and resolving stuck deals. Together, he and Kelly discuss actionable strategies, such as shifting focus to minimizing client fears and improving the “muchness, soonness, and sureness” of business cases. Muir’s advice to sales leaders includes redefining training paradigms, incorporating client-side internships, and emphasizing problem-solving over product pitching. Don’t miss this episode packed with practical advice and paradigm-shifting insights! For more about James, visit or connect with him on LinkedIn. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson /episode/index/show/d4639310-300c-42aa-ba51-e1dd283dea46/id/34173005

Sales [UN]Training

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