Shows / Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.
Introducing Sales Tales - a podcast for people who want to: Grow their sales performance Increase their income Learn to cope with failure Challenge the traditional-selling mindset This is for sellers, those who manage sellers, or those who lead organizations toward future revenue outcomes.
Episodes
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 96 - 3 Places Your Buyers Are Using AI in the Sales Process
In the early 2000s, baseball teams still signed players the way they always had: experienced scouts watched them play and made the call. Billy Beane and the…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 95 - 3 Moments Sellers Talk Themselves Out of a Sale
By 1971, Blue Ribbon Sports had spent years building an American market for Onitsuka’s Tiger running shoes. Then Onitsuka came to Phil Knight with an…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 94 - 4 Questions That Expose a Fake Sales Opportunity
In April 2020, Quibi launched with $1.75 billion raised, Jeffrey Katzenberg (Disney, DreamWorks) as founder, Meg Whitman (eBay) as CEO, and a lineup of short…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 93 - 4 Brutal Truths Sales Managers Don't Want to Face
On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger sat on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on a cold January morning. The people closest to the problem had…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 92 - Four Emails Every Salesperson Should Have Ready to Send
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of Canada geese minutes after leaving LaGuardia and lost both engines. Captain Chesley "Sully"…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 91 - The Kodak Rule: Why Sellers Hold On to Deals They Should Let Go
In 1975, a Kodak engineer built the first digital camera. Kodak had the invention, the knowledge, and the cash, and still shelved it because it threatened the…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 90 - The Four Types of Bad Sales Emails (That We're Still Sending)
Some sales emails are bad because they're too long. Others are bad because they're too salesy. And some are bad because they act like you and the prospect are…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 89 - The Attention Budget: What Apollo 13 Taught Josh About Cold Calls
In 1970, Apollo 13 was heading home with a problem. To re-enter the atmosphere, the crew had to power the command module back up, but they had an extremely…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 88 - The Pizza Tracker Rule: Why I Retired From Following Up
In 2008, Domino's had a problem. Customers kept calling to ask where their pizza was. The obvious fix was answering the phone faster. Instead, Domino's asked a…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 87 - 4 Steps to Turn Vague Buying Signals into a Real Commitment
In 1961, President Kennedy didn't tell the nation he'd like to try to get to the moon sometime. He said the country would land a man on the moon before the…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 86 - The New Coke Mistake: Why You Can Win the Taste Test and Still Lose the Account
In 1985, Coca-Cola had the data. Thousands of blind taste tests, all pointing in the same direction: people preferred the sweeter formula over both Pepsi and…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 85 - 3 Signs You're a Boss, Not a Leader (And How to Fix It)
In 1998 a Navy captain named David Marquette got his dream assignment pulled out from under him. He'd spent six months studying every wire on what he thought…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 84 - The Four-Week Plan to Get Out of a Sales Slump
In 1997 Tiger Woods won the Masters by 12 strokes, the largest margin in tournament history. Then he rebuilt his entire swing anyway. Everybody thought he'd…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 83 - The Watergate Rule: Why Explaining Yourself Makes It Worse
In 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee's offices to fix bugging equipment that wasn't even working. The break in itself barely…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 82 - The three Best Places to show Value in a Discovery Call
In 2000, Netflix offered to sell itself to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster passed. They even had their own streaming idea years before Netflix…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 81 - The Inbound Lead Trap: Why Interest Doesn't Mean They're Ready
You're stranded on the side of the road. Three tow truck companies get the call. One answers right away. One takes four hours. One doesn't call back until next…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 80 – The KARE Framework: A System for Managing Every Account in Your Territory
80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers. Most sellers already know this. What they don't have is a system for managing the other 80%. In this…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 79 – Three Pressure Points That Make or Break the Meeting
Steve Jobs had a working iPhone prototype weeks before launch. His engineers said ship it. He switched to Gorilla Glass at the last minute, causing an…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 78 - 4 Phrases That Kill Sales Deals (And What They're Really Telling You)
Some deals don't die with a rejection. They just disappear. Everything looks right. The conversations were good, the fit was real, the buyer seemed engaged…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 77 - 5 Things Sellers Do That Make Buying Harder (And How to Stop)
Most deals don't die because of bad products, bad pricing, or bad timing. They die because of what the seller did, or didn't do, in the room. In this episode…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 76 - 6 Sales Metrics That Look Good But Mean Nothing
Your pipeline is full. Your metrics look great. So why isn't anything closing? In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh Shirley and Tom Niesen, aka the Conjurer…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 75 - 7 Discovery Questions Buyers Secretly Hate (And What to Ask Instead)
Your buyers have heard your questions before. And they have answers ready. In this milestone 75th episode of Sales Tales, Josh Shirley and David Doherty pull…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 74 - The $200K Deal That Ended in Handcuffs: Real Sales Horror Stories with Tom Niesen
What happens when you're so sure you have a deal that you stop selling, and then everything falls apart? In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh Shirley sits down…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 73 - Why Your Deal Went Dead, And What You Did to Kill It
Most salespeople blame the deal. The real problem is what happened in the cockpit. In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh Shirley and David Doherty break down a…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 72 - How to Get More Referrals Using LinkedIn (The Rule of Seven)
Most salespeople treat referrals like luck... something that just happens to them. But what if you could build a repeatable process to generate referrals on…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 71 – 7 Email Fails That Are Costing You Deals (And What to Do Instead)
Most sales emails don't fail because of bad timing or the wrong list. They fail because of small, fixable mistakes sellers make every single day, and often…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 70 – The 5 Biggest Lies in Sales (That We're Still Teaching Each Other)
What if the advice that launched your sales career is the same advice that's been slowing you down? In this milestone 70th episode of Sales Tales, Josh Shirley…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 69 - RACI: The Framework That Fixes Your Decision-Making Blind Spots
Serious sellers: if deals are stalling, it might not be your pitch. It might be that you don't actually know who you're selling to. In this episode of Sales…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 68 - How to Protect Deals After Agreement
Some of the biggest problems in sales actually begin after the agreement. Many sales professionals think the job is done when the buyer says yes. In this…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 67 - Overcoming Discomfort Talking About Price
Talking about money can feel uncomfortable, even for experienced sales professionals. Our personal beliefs about money often shape how confidently we discuss…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 66 - The Cold Call Opening Framework
The first 30 seconds of a sales conversation often determine everything that happens next. Curiosity or resistance. Trust or skepticism. Conversation… or…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 65 - When Your Prospect “Forgets” the Meeting
What do you do when you show up for a meeting… and your prospect says they have no idea who you are? It’s one of the most uncomfortable moments in sales — and…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 64 – Timeline Trouble: How Vague Dates Kill Deals (and What to Do Instead)
Serious sellers — vague timelines feel harmless… until they quietly kill your deal. In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh and Dave tackle one of the most common…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 63 – Make It Easier to Buy: Improving the Buyer Experience Without Over-Selling
Serious sellers — buyers don’t remember every detail of the sales process, but they always remember how it felt to buy from you. In this episode of Sales…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 62 – Pattern Interrupts: How to Stay in Control When Buyers Push the Process
Serious sellers — buyers have a process, too. And if you’re not careful, they’ll run it. In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh and Dave break down one of the…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 61 – Rapport Isn’t Relationship: How Trust Fuels Better Sales Conversations
Serious sellers — rapport isn’t about being liked. It’s about being trusted. In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh and Dave break down one of the most…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 60 – Selling with Intent: Fundamentals That Drive Consistent Results
Serious sellers — great sales outcomes don’t happen by accident. In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh and Dave break down the core fundamentals that drive…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 59 - 6 Sales Books That Make You Better at Prospecting, Mindset & Questions
In this episode, Josh and Dave share a sales reading list — six books designed to help you grow your sales performance, increase your income, cope with…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 58 - Why Sales Objections Are Usually Your Fault (And How to Fix Them)
In this episode, David and Josh break down one of the biggest challenges in sales: objections—and why most of them are actually self-created. The conversation…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 57 - Pain, Fear, and the Sales Mind: How to Create Real Urgency and Drive Decisions
In this episode, Dave and Josh dive deep into the emotional core of sales strategy—the powerful forces of pain, fear, and urgency that shape every customer…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 56 - Mastering Sales Calls - Pre Plan like a Pro
In this episode of Sales Tales, hosts Josh Shirley and David Doherty unpack the power of preparation in sales calls. From setting clear objectives to…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 55 - From Pain Points to Gumballs: Sean Coyle on Sales Training That Sticks
Sean Coyle is not a people person. Today, he tells us why THIS is one of his biggest gifts in sales. In this episode of our sales training series, we’re joined…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 54 - Beyond the Booth: How to Maximize ROI at Trade Shows
Attending trade shows isn’t just about showing up—it’s a high-cost, high-opportunity form of outbound prospecting that can generate massive ROI if approached…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 53 - Avoiding the Seven Sins of Sales Appointments - Mastering Meeting Prep
In this episode of The Cowboy and The Commodore, we break down seven critical mistakes that derail even the best sales appointments. Whether you're leading a…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 52 - How to Make Sales Commitments, and making those Commitments Stick
Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fail — and what actually keeps people committed to goals? In this episode, we unpack how real commitment works: setting…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 51 - Accelerated Outcomes: How to Increase and Sustain Deal Velocity – 5 Checks for Faster Sales
In this episode of Sales Tales, learn how to speed up your deals and keep them from stalling. If you’re a sales rep, leader, or founder, use this checklist to…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 50 - Sales Fails- the best of the best from our first 50 episodes
In this episode, Dave and Josh break down their top five favorite stories over the course of the podcast (thus far) with fresh perspective and application for…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 49 - Dead Deals & Missed Signals: Diagnosing What Stalled Your Sale
Why do deals stall—and how can you bring them back to life? In this episode, we unpack the hidden reasons behind stalled sales opportunities and how to spot…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 48 - Having the ROI Conversation - How do you show "Value?"
Have you ever had a prospect disappear once you began talking about price? Have you ever been told you're expensive? How can we make it clear in the prospect's…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 47 - How to Ask Tough Questions with Aaron Prickel
Aaron Prickel is the President and Owner of Lushin, Inc. His business success and reputation in the Sandler network result from his excellent selling skills…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 46 - Buyers Don't Care what you Sell with Jim Bramlett
Jim Bramlett is an executive coach, published author, and corporate speaker specializing in understanding customer needs and the value proposition in sales. He…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 45 - How to Nail the First Two Minutes with Anyone
In this episode, Dave and Josh help you identify where you could be self-sabotaging your elevator pitch. They discuss the nuances of self-introduction in…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 44 - The Art of Active Listening and Overcoming Resistance with Tom Mulligan
In this conversation, Tom Mulligan shares his experiences and insights on sales, emphasizing the importance of preparation, building rapport, and learning from…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 43 - Breaking down the Prospecting Conversation
In this conversation, Josh and Dave delve into the "anatomy of a prospecting dialog." From hello to "yes" or "no," they give you a complete roadmap for…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 42 - Clear Purpose: Building Momentum from Meeting to Meeting
In this episode of Sales Tales, Josh and David discuss the importance of effective communication in sales meetings. They share personal anecdotes about…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 41 - Effective Prospecting Sequences with Donald Kelly
In this conversation, Josh and Dave discuss the critical elements of a successful sales process, emphasizing the importance of a structured selling system and…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 40 - How to Land the Initial Meeting and How Selling is Different for Women
This episode is for you if you want to make your first meeting with a prospect more meaningful. When you get in front of a prospect, are you trying to build a…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 39 - Four Questions to Fix your Pipeline
Have you ever felt that your sales pipeline will buckle under the weight of a couple of questions? Many reps and managers are scared their pipeline isn't…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 38 - The three factors destroying your SDRs
In this episode of Sales Tales, Dave and Josh examine the function of business development within the wider sales org. You could say BD is the hardest role in…
Sales Tales - A podcast sharing epic stories that get you through your sales adventure.Episode 37 - Email Prospecting: Subject Lines Done Right with Jay Schwedelson
Do you do email prospecting? Are you doing things that are preventing prospects from ever seeing them? EMAIL FAILS: Jay Schwedelson tells us the MULTITUDE of…