Sales [UN]Training

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs sits down with Steven Rosen, author of Focused: A Leadership Discipline for Sales Managers Under Pressure, to tackle one of the biggest frustrations in sales leadership—why training so often fails to produce results. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs opens with a hard truth: most sales managers are overwhelmed, undertrained, and pulled in too many directions to focus on what actually drives performance. Steven builds on that idea by explaining how lack of focus—not lack of effort—is the real issue holding teams back. The conversation highlights a critical flaw in most organizations: sales training is treated as an event instead of a system. Without reinforcement, coaching, and accountability, even the best training quickly fades. Kelly emphasizes that leaders who fail to reinforce training are essentially wasting their investment. Steven also breaks down the danger of "hero managers"—those who step in to close deals instead of developing their people. While it may feel productive in the moment, it ultimately creates dependent teams that can't perform without constant intervention. Another key theme is the idea of "exposure vs. mastery." Too many organizations mistake introducing a concept for actually building skill, skipping the repetition and practice required for real improvement. Finally, the episode explores the power of focus through Steven's "Three Things" framework, helping sales leaders prioritize what truly matters in a high-pressure environment. If you're a sales leader looking to improve performance, build stronger teams, and stop wasting time on ineffective training, this episode delivers a clear path forward. 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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sits down with Adam Boyd to challenge one of the most common beliefs in sales: that teams struggle because they can't close. The reality is far more complex—and far more fixable. Kelly opens the conversation by exposing a hard truth: most "closing problems" are actually symptoms of deeper breakdowns earlier in the sales process. From weak discovery to poor qualification, sales teams often fail to uncover what truly matters to the buyer. When that happens, deals stall, objections rise, and price becomes the only remaining lever. Adam expands on this by explaining how discounting is often a signal—not a solution. When salespeople haven't built a compelling reason to buy, they default to cutting price, eroding both margin and perceived value. The discussion also highlights how many reps ask too few questions, miss key stakeholders, and fail to understand risk from the buyer's perspective. The conversation then shifts to talent and leadership. Adam makes the case that training alone won't fix performance issues if the underlying talent isn't there. Kelly reinforces this by pointing out the critical role of coaching, noting that even the best training fails without strong sales leadership. Finally, they tackle the importance of process—why hiring better people won't help if there isn't a clear, consistent system for execution. 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

On this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs sits down with influence and buyer-psychology expert Robin Burr explore why traditional sales tactics often fail. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Many sales professionals rely on product knowledge, statistics, and persuasive arguments to win deals. But as Kelly and Robin explain, the real barrier in most sales conversations isn't information—it's human psychology. Buyers resist change, protect their identity, and often reject ideas when they feel pressured or "sold." In this conversation, Robin explains why the first sale is not the product or service—it's helping the buyer decide that change is necessary in the first place. When salespeople skip that step and push features or logic, they often create resistance that shows up later as objections. Kelly and Robin also unpack why many sales teams unintentionally sabotage themselves. From overloading prospects with information to relying on scripts and closing tactics, salespeople frequently treat symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of buyer hesitation. You'll also hear Robin break down his PERFECT objection framework, which focuses on prevention, exploration, reframing, facilitation, empathy, closing, and transition—an approach designed to resolve concerns without turning the conversation into a debate. If you lead a sales team or carry a quota yourself, this episode will challenge how you think about persuasion, objections, and the real drivers behind buyer decisions. 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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly looks at a sales scenario to outline the real challenges in identifying what's ailing most sales teams today. Link to the post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kriggs_a-sales-team-has-13-salespeople-all-have-activity-7434938240450727936-Pqdj Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly challenges sales leaders to confront one of the most damaging patterns in sales organizations: focusing on what's outside their control. Economic headwinds. Marketing gaps. Customer service issues. Tariffs. Competition. While all of these factors are real, Kelly makes the case that allowing them to dominate conversations creates a culture of excuses. And once excuse-making permeates a team, performance declines and accountability disappears. Instead, Kelly outlines four critical areas every salesperson and sales leader can control: decisions, influences, habits, and circumstances. From daily prospecting choices to the people your team surrounds themselves with, these controllable factors shape mindset, skill development, and ultimately win rates. He explains why role play matters, why learning initiative should be non-negotiable in hiring, and why improving win rates even slightly can dramatically impact revenue. But the responsibility doesn't stop with the sales rep. Kelly emphasizes that the sales leader is the "thermostat" of the culture. If leaders commiserate, make excuses, or tolerate negativity — even from top producers — they risk being held hostage by poor behavior that erodes the team. This episode is a practical blueprint for sales V.P.s and frontline managers who want to eliminate excuse-making, reinforce accountability, strengthen culture, and build a team capable of performing regardless of external conditions. 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 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kriggs_a-sales-team-has-13-salespeople-all-have-activity-7434938240450727936-Pqdj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADrbl1kBpztm1p7QkSPYfPv1romvcsi1FTk

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges sales leaders to confront one of the most damaging patterns in sales organizations: focusing on what's outside their control. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Economic headwinds. Marketing gaps. Customer service issues. Tariffs. Competition. While all of these factors are real, Kelly makes the case that allowing them to dominate conversations creates a culture of excuses. And once excuse-making permeates a team, performance declines and accountability disappears. Instead, Kelly outlines four critical areas every salesperson and sales leader can control: decisions, influences, habits, and circumstances. From daily prospecting choices to the people your team surrounds themselves with, these controllable factors shape mindset, skill development, and ultimately win rates. He explains why role play matters, why learning initiative should be non-negotiable in hiring, and why improving win rates even slightly can dramatically impact revenue. But the responsibility doesn't stop with the sales rep. Kelly emphasizes that the sales leader is the "thermostat" of the culture. If leaders commiserate, make excuses, or tolerate negativity — even from top producers — they risk being held hostage by poor behavior that erodes the team. This episode is a practical blueprint for sales V.P.s and frontline managers who want to eliminate excuse-making, reinforce accountability, strengthen culture, and build a team capable of performing regardless of external conditions. 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

Most sales teams operate on "tribal knowledge"—a set of unverified assumptions about why customers choose them. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs sits down with Jeff Bajorek to challenge these assumptions and expose a systemic failure in sales leadership. Research suggests that 80% of salespeople would be shocked to learn the real reasons their best customers buy from them . This gap in understanding often leads to generic messaging and missed opportunities for growth. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Jeff introduces a tactical Five-Question Framework designed to bridge this gap through vulnerability and specific discovery. By asking customers exactly why they chose the company the first time—and why they keep coming back—salespeople can refine their go-to-market strategy and slash time spent on maintenance by 50% without losing revenue. Beyond the technicalities of selling, the conversation explores the human element of leadership. Kelly and Jeff discuss the "coin-operated" management trap, where leaders assume throwing money at a problem replaces the need for genuine relationship-building . They emphasize that while systems and processes require efficiency, people require empathy and time. If you are a Sales VP looking to move beyond "good luck" management and start building a high-performance team grounded in mutual trust and verified value, this episode provides the blueprint for your evolution. 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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs tackles one of the most misunderstood — and most powerful — drivers of sales performance: culture. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Many sales leaders blame poor results on weak selling skills, flawed compensation plans, or lack of process. But Kelly makes a compelling case that culture — defined simply as the commonly accepted behaviors inside your organization — is often the true root cause of underperformance. It's not what you post on the wall. It's what you allow. Kelly shares research showing how strong cultures outperform the market, improve profitability, reduce turnover, and increase engagement. More importantly, he explains why leaders are the thermostat of culture — not just observers of it. If mediocrity, gossip, entitlement, or poor accountability exist on your team, leadership tolerance is likely the reason. Through a real-world case study, Kelly outlines a practical blueprint for transforming a toxic environment into a high-performance culture. The steps include defining a clear and elevating vision, hiring and retaining the right people, eliminating toxic behaviors, implementing consistent skill development, and building a culture of accountability. If you want to attract A-players, reduce turnover, and dramatically improve sales performance, this episode provides a leadership framework you can implement immediately. 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

Selling has always been a high-pressure profession, but not all pressure is created equal. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs examines the fine line between productive urgency and the kind of stress that quietly erodes sales performance, confidence, and consistency. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly explains how pressure affects the brain, why a little can sharpen performance, and why too much leads to cognitive decline, poor decisions, and erratic selling behavior. You'll learn the early warning signs that stress is damaging execution—including skipping steps in the sales process, rushing to quote, incomplete discovery, and increased ghosting from buyers. For sales leaders, this episode delivers a clear challenge: stop passing pressure straight downhill. Kelly outlines why reinforcing executive stress only magnifies performance problems and how filtering pressure is a core leadership responsibility. He also addresses one of the most common leadership failures—vague, nonspecific direction—and explains why clarity around expectations, behaviors, and outcomes is essential when urgency increases. The episode closes with a powerful insight drawn from real leadership experience: confidence comes from capability. Kelly shares how training, coaching, and time in the field equip salespeople to handle pressure without breaking down—and why teams with higher capability outperform others when the stakes are highest. If you lead a sales team and want stronger execution without burnout, this episode delivers practical guidance you can apply immediately. 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

Most sales professionals believe relationships drive revenue—but too many confuse familiarity with credibility. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs sits down with keynote speaker and sales veteran Chris Cummins to unpack why credibility is the first and most important sale every salesperson makes. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly and Chris challenge the idea that knowing a prospect's hobbies or personal details equals trust. Instead, they outline a practical, disciplined approach to earning credibility by doing meaningful homework, asking better questions, and demonstrating a real understanding of a prospect's world. From researching industries and competitors to using personalized video outreach, Chris shares the exact methods he uses to stand out before a sales conversation even begins. The conversation also tackles a major blind spot in sales: what happens after the deal closes. Chris explains why most salespeople disappear post-sale—and how showing up anyway creates stronger relationships, more referrals, and expanded opportunities. Kelly reinforces why sales leaders should rethink how they train teams to lead with credibility instead of product pitches. This episode is packed with real examples, sharp contrasts to common sales behavior, and practical insights sales VPs can apply immediately. If you want your team to stop sounding like everyone else and start being seen as trusted partners, this conversation will reframe how you think about selling. 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

Are you accidentally sabotaging your sales culture by promoting your top producer into a management role they aren't ready for? It's a classic B2B sales blunder: taking your best Account Executive off the field and expecting them to suddenly excel at sales coaching, performance management, and strategic leadership without a playbook. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges the industry-standard "battlefield promotion" and explains why traditional sales leadership hiring consistently produces poor results. If you're a Sales Director looking to scale or a Sales Manager struggling with the transition from "doing" to "leading," this episode is your wake-up call. Inside This Episode: The Gallup Gap: Why research shows that most organizations promote the wrong people into leadership roles 80% of the time—and the specific "talent vs. skill" trap you need to avoid. The Firefighter Blueprint: A look at the unconventional leadership model fire departments use to ensure their leaders can perform under pressure before they get the badge. Building Your Sales Management Framework: How to create a Sales Leader Guidebook that defines clear expectations, role-based coaching scenarios, and measurable performance assessments. The Individual Contributor Pivot: Understanding the fundamental shift in mindset required to move from hitting a personal quota to driving team-wide revenue growth. Stop "recycling" underprepared managers and start building a high-performance sales culture based on preparation and process. Whether you are currently leading a team or have your sights set on a VP of Sales role, Kelly provides the roadmap to ensure your next promotion is a success, not a statistic. 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