Shows / Building Your Sales Engine
Building Your Sales Engine
A show where Mark McGraw, a top Sandler Sales Trainer and David H. Sandler award winner, interviews salespeople and sales managers to discover their successes and how they got to be the people they are today. We break down the elements of selling success and share mindsets, habits and techniques that help salespeople and managers build a proven, reliable, transferable system for sales.
Episodes
Building Your Sales EnginePlan Your Entire Week in 25 Minutes
Weekly planning doesn't need two hours — Mark McGraw walks through the timed 25-minute process he's run every week for years to get fully prepared for the week…
Building Your Sales EngineKaizen: The one meeting we've run religiously for 9 years
The Kaizen meeting is the one 90-minute block Mark McGraw has protected for nine years — and it's the reason his sales operation stopped running on…
Building Your Sales EngineProspecting Is Not Urgent Until It Is: Build the Consistency Habit
Sales prospecting is never urgent until your pipeline is empty — Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford break down the habits, blocks, and manager moves that make…
Building Your Sales EngineGetting Your CS Team to Sell /w Steve Popp
Getting your CS team to sell starts with mindset, not skill — Steve Popp breaks down how customer success and service teams are being handed revenue…
Building Your Sales EngineRecognizing Head Trash Cures 70% of Your Selling Problems
Head trash — the self-limiting beliefs salespeople carry — quietly kills more deals than any competitor, and simply recognizing it cures about 70% of the…
Building Your Sales EngineMark McGraw's Sales Manager Workshop: The Habits of the Elite
The habits of elite sales managers, unpacked in a full workshop replay — how the best sales leaders control their day, coach strategically, and build systems…
Building Your Sales EngineThe 5 Stages of Mastery: From Awareness to Empty Mind w/ Rob Fishman
Sales mastery isn't luck — Rob Fishman breaks down the 5 stages every top performer moves through, from first awareness to the "empty mind" of a seasoned pro…
Building Your Sales EngineRelationship Curiosity: The Secret to Connecting With Anyone w/ Rich Isaac
Relationship curiosity is the secret to connecting with anyone — Sandler's Rich Isaac reveals how making the conversation about them makes you unforgettable…
Building Your Sales EngineTurning Customer Success Into a Revenue Engine w/ Kelly Ross & Steve Popp
Customer success is the new revenue engine — Mark McGraw, Kelly Ross, and Steve Popp unpack how to turn CS teams into commercially-minded contributors without…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Six Facets of Sales Management: A Manager's Playbook w/ Pete Fasulo
A 38-year sales management veteran breaks down his six-facet framework for building and running a high-performing sales team. In this episode of Building Your…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Movable Middle: How to Elevate Your 60% w/ Kelly Ross
The movable middle — that 60% in the center of every sales team — is where leaders win or lose the year, and Kelly Ross joins Mark McGraw to unpack exactly how…
Building Your Sales EngineAI Use Cases For Sales
A friendly, no-pressure tour of practical AI use cases for sales -- shared not by self-proclaimed experts, but by fellow learners passing along what's actually…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Win at Team Selling
In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, I sit down with Josh Pitchford to discuss the intricacies of team selling. We delve into strategies for managing…
Building Your Sales EngineDriving Adoption of Initiatives Through Sales Organizations w/Steve Popp
In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, I sit down with Steve Popp to delve into the critical topic of driving adoption within sales organizations. We…
Building Your Sales EngineOne Question From the Truth: Fix Your Sales Forecast With Clear Futures
Discover why sales forecasts miss the mark -- and how curiosity, skepticism, and clear future commitments can fix your pipeline accuracy for good. Happy ears…
Building Your Sales EngineDesire vs. Commitment: Why Your Sales Goals Are Failing You
"If you're not committed to doing the work to get to a goal, don't set the goal. Because all you do is hurt your self-esteem and hurt your confidence."…
Building Your Sales EngineStop Winging It: Why Every Seller Needs a System
"If you don't have a system, it's backyard football, after Thanksgiving dinner, everybody go out there and get open. You score touchdowns every now and then…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Cost of Doing Nothing: How to Create Urgency in Every Deal
Learn how to put a dollar amount on any sales problem -- the skill that justifies investments, creates urgency, and helps buyers sell internally. Quantifying…
Building Your Sales EngineHidden Weaknesses: What Assessments Reveal About Hiring Your Next Seller w/ Andy Miller
Discover the hidden weaknesses that sabotage sales hires -- and how assessments reveal the sales DNA that resumes can't show. Hiring the right salesperson is…
Building Your Sales EngineWhy Salespeople Skip Discovery
In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, I delve into the significance of conducting effective discovery calls. Joined by my colleague Josh Pitchford, we…
Building Your Sales EngineDon't Wimp: Achieve Your Goals This Year
Master WIMP Junction—the Sandler concept that separates top sellers from those who give away leverage—with a 5-step framework to stay in control of every deal…
Building Your Sales EngineInversion Thinking: How to Fail Before You Fail
Inversion thinking helps sales professionals anticipate failure before it happens, creating prevention rules that guarantee goal achievement. What if the…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Six-Point Sales Checklist: Start Your Year Strong w/ Josh Pitchford
Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford reveal the six essential checkpoints every seller needs to crush their goals and start the new year with confidence. Are you…
Building Your Sales EngineStop Failing at Goals: The REACH Method w/ Dustin Schadt
A proven 5-step framework for setting and achieving goals—from removing clutter to celebrating success along the way. Most people fail at goals because they…
Building Your Sales EngineReRun: 7 Lies Salespeople Tell Themselves
Summary: The 7 biggest lies that keep salespeople stuck—and how to replace them with a winning mindset that closes more deals. Description: Mark McGraw sits…
Building Your Sales EngineWinning With Indirect Sales: Driving Results Through Third-Party Partners w/ John Rosati
How to build a repeatable channel sales engine—from partner selection to enablement to metrics—with a 30-year channel sales veteran. Selling through channel…
Building Your Sales EngineDissolving Limiting Beliefs: The Neuroscience of Getting Unstuck Fast w/ Rochelle Carrington
Why traditional therapy can make emotional triggers worse—and how neuroscience-based techniques dissolve limiting beliefs in minutes, not years. What if…
Building Your Sales EngineBeyond Your Main POC: Build New Relationships That Protect Your Accounts w/ Josh Pitchford
How to expand relationships in your accounts, identify all the influencers, and protect yourself before your main contact leaves or competitors wedge in. If…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Lead When You Don't Manage: Influence, Trust & Career Growth w/ Darryl Stromberg
How to build influence and lead without a title—from an individual contributor to recognized leader in your organization. Can you be a leader without managing…
Building Your Sales EngineSetting Vision With Your Sales Team: Making SKOs Work w/ Lisa Gosselin
How to run sales kickoffs that actually work—align, enable, inspire—from a CCO who's transformed 3+ organizations. Most sales kickoffs overwhelm teams with…
Building Your Sales EngineMindset During Adversity: Turning Brain Cancer Into a Blessing w/ David Karp
How a brain cancer diagnosis became the best thing that ever happened—and what it teaches us about responding to adversity in business and life. "It was one of…
Building Your Sales EngineQuality Over Quantity: Prospect with Purpose w/ Rich Simons
How to build a sustainable sales career by prioritizing quality prospecting, strategic partnerships, and giving value—without burning out on empty activity. 🔗…
Building Your Sales EngineQ4 Urgency: Fewer Selling Days, Faster Decisions w/ Josh Pitchford
Why Q4 isn't 92 selling days — and how to keep deals from slipping to January. 🔗 Download exclusive sales resources at: buildingyoursalesengine.com/giveaway…
Building Your Sales EngineManage the Exceptions: Build the Right Sales Dials w/ Chris Blum
How to build validated sales dashboards, manage exceptions, and make better decisions—without flying by gut feel. To find our handout for this episode, click…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Use Assessments to Hire & Coach Sales Teams w/ Rachel Chang
How to hire, place, and coach sellers with assessments—so you avoid hunter/farmer mis-hires and reduce burnout. Assessments aren't paperwork—they're how you…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Manage Change with Heather Martin
How to lead sales teams through change with KPI discipline, psychological safety, clear cadence, and a risk register so signal beats noise. Change doesn't…
Building Your Sales EngineMastering Long Sales Cycles wth Brian Hayes
Long sales cycles aren't a patience test—they're a process. In this episode, Mark McGraw and guest Brian Hayes break down how to win 12–24-month capital deals…
Building Your Sales EngineBe Elite: From Mindset to Technique w/ Rob Vaka
Elite selling isn't hype — it's standards. In this episode, Mark McGraw talks with sales leader and master connector Rob Vaka about how to link mindset to…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Reframe Stress to Improve Sales Performance With Rebecca Heiss
Stress isn't the enemy — it's energy. In this episode, Mark McGraw talks with Dr. Rebecca Heiss, stress physiologist, keynote speaker, and author of…
Building Your Sales EnginePivot Like a Pro: What to Do When the Sales Call Goes Sideways w/Emily Yepes
In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, Mark McGraw sits down with Emily Yepes to explore the tension between sales theory and real-world execution…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Build Trust and Sell More with Reflective Listening with Matt Detjen
In this episode of Building Your Sales Engine, Mark McGraw welcomes Matt Detjen—North American Training Manager at Michelin and author of 'REFLECT: The Art of…
Building Your Sales EngineWhy Sales Teams Fail at Cross-Selling (And How to Fix It) With Matt Martella
Mark McGraw sits down with Matt Martella, a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in tech, media, and digital advertising sales. They dive into…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Have a Tough Conversation (And Why We Avoid Them)
Mark McGraw shares the four steps for having a tough conversation with someone. He explains why most of us avoid conflict, how fear distorts reality, and what…
Building Your Sales EngineKey Account Management: Being an Excellent Key Account Manager with Emily Yepes
Mark McGraw sits down with Emily Yepes to unpack the world of account management and what it really takes to succeed at the key account level. They dive deep…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Sell to the C-Suite with Scott Foernsler
Mark McGraw sits down with Scott Foernsler to discuss what it really takes to sell to the C-suite. They talk about building champions inside a company, how to…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Truth About Value-Based Selling That Most Salespeople Never Learn
Mark McGraw sits down with Josh Pitchford to unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in sales: Value. You'll learn what it actually means to deliver…
Building Your Sales EngineBreaking Into New Markets with Harris Fogel
Mark McGraw sits down with Harris Fogel, founder of TechCPG—a company that helps organizations break into the U.S. market and work with consumer packaged goods…
Building Your Sales EngineThe 3 Rules That Transformed My Sales Career — And My Life — with Terry Turley
Mark McGraw sits down with Terry Turley, the Senior National Sales Director at Primerica. Terry shares the habits and principles behind his extraordinary rise…
Building Your Sales EngineGrow Your Pipeline Through Strategic Partners with Sheri Spencer Bachman
Mark McGraw sits down with Sheri Spencer Bachman to unpack what really makes business partnerships work. Sheri shares practical insight on how to choose the…
Building Your Sales EngineInside the Mind of Top Salespeople with Tim Geisert
Mark McGraw sits down with Tim Geisert to break down how to be a great salesperson in today's ultra-competitive market. To find our handout for this episode…
Building Your Sales EngineDealing with Difficult Conversations with Markku Kauppinen
Mark McGraw sits down with Markku Kauppinen, an expert on conversations and behavioral styles, particularly the DISC model. To find our handout for this…
Building Your Sales EngineUsing the BAT Framework to Accomplish Any Goal with Carlos Garrido
Mark McGraw sits down with Carlos Garrido, founder of Miami Absolute, who's nearly 100 pounds down and credits Sandler principles for the transformation. To…
Building Your Sales EngineHow to Become the Unselfish Salesperson with Brian Kavicky
Mark McGraw sits down with Brian Kavicky, the most recent David H. Sandler Award winner. They dive deep into the concept of the unselfish salesperson and why…
Building Your Sales EngineThe Power of Curiosity to Grow Sales with Andy Sherman
Mark McGraw sits down with Andy Sherman to discuss curiosity and why it's a superpower in sales. They cover how curiosity helps you stay grounded when…
Building Your Sales EnginePre-Call Planning Your Next Sales Call with John Rosso
Mark McGraw is joined by sales legend and longtime friend John Rosso for a deep dive into the critical (and often overlooked) discipline of pre-call planning…
Building Your Sales EngineUsing the Sandler System in Interviews with John O'Brien
Mark McGraw talks with John O'Brien, Founder of Sales Talent Group and a legend in the world of recruiting top-tier salespeople. They dive into what it really…
Building Your Sales EngineUsing Sandler in Everyday Life with Glen Carey
Mark McGraw chats with Glen Carey, a seasoned Sandler practitioner and SVP of Sales, about applying Sandler rules beyond sales. Glen shares insights on how…
Building Your Sales EngineSelling Through Channels with Peter Ashley
Mark McGraw chats with Peter Ashley, the VP of Business Development at Applied Information, about the keys to selling through distribution. Peter shares…
Building Your Sales Engine7 Lies Salespeople Tell Themselves
Mark McGraw sits down again with Josh Pitchford to break down the 7 biggest lies that keep salespeople stuck—and how to replace them with a winning mindset…
Building Your Sales EngineManaging Through Channel Partners and Third Parties
Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford are back together, and discuss the key components of distribution sales, how to train distribution reps effectively, and the key…