Mindset, Skillset, Toolset: What Really Makes a Great Salesperson?

What really makes someone great at sales? In this episode, Fred is joined by Nigel Gracie to explore the three elements he believes sit behind sales performance: mindset, skillset and toolset and why mindset needs to come first. They discuss why self-awareness and emotional intelligence matter, whether empathy can really be taught (or faked!), and why understanding the person behind the buyer is just as important as understanding their business needs. They also look at why so much sales training fails to create lasting behaviour change and why simply giving people another methodology, tool or process isn't enough. In this episode: Why mindset comes before skillset and toolset The importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence Why you can't fake empathy Understanding the personal wins behind buying decisions Why great salespeople don't necessarily make great sales leaders Why sales training needs to change behaviour, not just transfer knowledge The link between enjoyment, repetition and performance A fascinating conversation about developing salespeople from the inside out, rather than simply giving them more things to do. Connect with Nigel ·         LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelgracie Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/9qDLGXx27XQ   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

What really stops salespeople from making the call, asking the question or starting the conversation? In this episode, Fred talks with Christer B. Jansson about sales call reluctance and why it goes much deeper than simply not wanting to pick up the phone. They explore the thoughts and behaviours that can quietly limit sales activity, why fear of being "too salesy" can actually make sellers less useful to customers, and why doing lots of activity isn't enough if the conversations themselves aren't meaningful. They discuss: Why knowing what to do doesn't mean you'll actually do it The psychology behind sales call reluctance Why fear of being pushy can hold good salespeople back The difference between activity and meaningful customer contact How call reluctance can become part of a sales culture Why both skills and mindset need attention A fascinating look at what might really be happening when a salesperson knows exactly what they should do…but still hesitates   Connect with Christer ·         LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/christerbjansson ·         Contact: [email protected]   Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/gKusr1Bdy5w   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

Manufacturing and engineering businesses do brilliant work. But are they always brilliant at explaining why customers should choose them? In this episode, Fred is joined by Andrea Wilson, MD of Support UK Manufacturing and founder of ManufacturingUK.org, to explore how manufacturers can communicate their value, build stronger relationships and ultimately win more business. In this episode: Why manufacturers need to talk about more than what they make How to communicate why customers should choose you Why relationships and collaboration can be a genuine differentiator The importance of having better commercial conversations Why technical expertise alone doesn't automatically create great salespeople Why AI should support human conversations rather than replace them Why shifting from product to problem creates better customer conversations The big takeaway? Stop assuming customers will work out why you're different. Understand what matters in their world, communicate the problems you can help solve and give them a reason to choose you. Because great engineering deserves to be understood as well as admired. Listen now: Win More Business in Manufacturing Connect with Anndrea ·         LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-wilson-supportukmfg ·         Website: https://manufacturinguk.org Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/Tjts5LDOXt0 Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

What if salespeople understood what procurement teams are actually trained to do? In this episode, Fred is joined by returning guest Mark Schenkius, procurement expert and author of The Other Side of Sales and The Art of Spending Money Wisely, to look at sales from the buyer's side of the table. They discuss why procurement isn't simply about squeezing suppliers on price, why buyers think about risk as well as cost, and why something a salesperson sees as exciting - like innovation —-can look very different through procurement's eyes. In this episode: Why buyers and sellers can approach negotiations very differently Why procurement thinks beyond price and cost savings Why innovation can look like risk to a buyer How procurement uses silence as a negotiation tool Why understanding a buyer's objectives changes the conversation Why salespeople need to understand the buyer's world, not just their own How trust can change the relationship between sales and procurement The big takeaway? Step into the buyer's shoes. Understand what they're measured on, what they're worried about and how they see the decision - and selling becomes a very different conversation. Connect with Mark ·         LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/markschenkius ·         Website: https://roi-10.com/en ·         Books:   https://amzn.eu/d/05nyfs8e                         https://amzn.eu/d/09Ge9mPq   Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/K0DRtC8K-Gw   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

What if discovery started before the first sales meeting? In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by David Kreiger, founder and president of SalesRoads, to explore why many salespeople are getting prospecting wrong and how a discovery-led approach can completely change the conversation. Rather than rushing to pitch, David argues that great prospecting starts with research, intelligent assumptions and genuine curiosity about what is happening inside the customer's business. With the information now available particularly through AI - there's increasingly little excuse for going into a prospecting conversation cold. In this episode: Why discovery should start during prospecting Using research to create intelligent problem hypotheses Why you don't always need to start with the decision-maker How frontline conversations can uncover valuable insights Earning the right to move higher within an account Why permission-based openers can work The importance of slowing down and getting your tonality right Why great prospecting should feel more like consulting than selling The big idea? Stop prospecting to pitch. Start prospecting to discover. Do that well and you become someone customers actually want to speak to - because you're bringing knowledge, perspective and insight rather than simply pushing a solution.   Connect with David ·         LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkreiger ·         Website: https://salesroads.com   Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/Igka5Za7SQI   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

Why should a customer choose you over your competitors? If the answer is "because we're innovative, experienced and provide great service"… there's a good chance your competitors are saying exactly the same thing. In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by John Ravaris, author of Define Value, Drive Growth and founder of UVP Solutions, to explore what really makes a Unique Value Proposition unique. They discuss why being different isn't enough - your difference has to matter to the customer - and how businesses can connect their strengths with the problems customers need solving and the success they want to achieve. In this episode: Why most value propositions aren't particularly unique The difference between being different and being meaningfully different Why customer discovery is essential How to connect your strengths to customer pain and success Why you shouldn't tell every customer everything you do John's Discover, Develop, Deploy and Delight approach Why your UVP should initially be written in pencil Turning happy customers into advocates Why sales, marketing and customer-facing teams need to tell the same story The big question to ask yourself? Why should customers choose you? And if your answer could just as easily describe three of your competitors, it might be time to rethink it. Listen now to Why Should Customers Choose You? About John Ravaris John is the founder of UVP Solutions and author of Define Value, Drive Growth, a practical guide to creating unique value propositions and using them to enable business growth Connect with John LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ravaris Website: https://uvpsolutions.com Get John's Book:  https://amzn.eu/d/0e8FDb38   Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/Y024Lz_Li3M   More from Fred Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard to see how your sales approach suits today's selling environment. https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Why do perfectly confident people suddenly become nervous when they pick up the phone to sell? In this episode of the Sales Today podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by sales trainer and coach Anna Bates to explore how to make telephone selling simpler, more natural and far less intimidating. Anna shares her straightforward approach to phone conversations — from getting your mindset right before the call, to using tone effectively, asking better questions and actually asking for the sale. They also explore Anna's "corridor" analogy: rather than pushing someone towards a decision, your role is to calmly help them move from where they are now towards the right next step. In this episode: Why people become nervous selling on the phone Why selling doesn't mean being pushy How tone of voice changes a conversation Why you don't need a clever opening line How to use structure without sounding scripted Why gatekeepers can be incredibly valuable How to recognise buying signals Why so many people simply forget to ask for the sale How better questions help customers think The big message? Stop trying to sound like a salesperson. Be human, understand the customer's world, have a useful conversation and help them decide what to do next. Connect with Anna LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bates-woodhart Website: https://www.room11coaching.co.uk     Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   More from Fred Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard to see how your sales approach suits today's selling environment. https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/6Einmxxg9EA   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers  

Why complex sales are won by great investigators, not great presenters. Most salespeople think they've found a champion. In reality, they've found a friendly contact. In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Tom Stearns, go-to-market consultant and co-author of the bestselling book Graphic Sales, to explore one of the biggest reasons complex B2B opportunities stall. Together they discuss why relationship building alone isn't enough, how to identify a genuine champion, and why mapping buying teams is remarkably similar to investigating a crime scene. If you sell technical, engineering or enterprise solutions, this episode is packed with practical ideas that will help you navigate complex buying decisions more effectively. In this episode you'll learn ·         Why most salespeople misunderstand what a champion really is ·         The difference between a contact and someone who can genuinely move a deal forward ·         How to test whether your champion has real influence ·         Why complex sales require multiple stakeholders - not just one relationship ·         How account mapping helps uncover hidden decision-makers ·         Why technical experts often talk too much ·         How to engage finance, procurement and senior leaders more effectively ·         Why understanding your customer's world matters more than knowing your own product ·         How short personalised videos can help unlock stalled opportunities Key Takeaways ✔ A champion has desire and capability. ✔ One relationship rarely wins a complex sale. ✔ Great salespeople investigate buying organisations. ✔ Customers buy differently than salespeople often expect. ✔ Technical expertise builds credibility - but curiosity wins conversations. ✔ The best salespeople understand customer problems before talking about products. ✔ Complex sales are managed, not chased.   Episode Highlights The Champion Myth Many salespeople mistake a friendly contact for a champion. Tom explains why genuine champions have influence, understand the buying process and are prepared to advocate internally. CSI Selling One of the standout moments of the episode compares enterprise selling to investigating a crime scene. By visually mapping stakeholders, relationships and influence, salespeople gain a far clearer picture of how decisions are actually made. Technical Sellers Talk Too Much Fred and Tom discuss why technical experts often lead with product knowledge when they should be leading with questions. Listening creates more credibility than demonstrating expertise. Know the Buyer Before the Product Rather than obsessing over product features, organisations should spend more time helping salespeople understand procurement, finance, operations and executive priorities.    About Tom Stearns Tom Stearns is a Go-To-Market Consultant and co-author of Graphic Sales - a practical sales playbook presented as a graphic novel. His work focuses on helping sales teams build repeatable prospecting processes, improve account planning and navigate complex buying groups. Connect with Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomstearns Website: https://www.stearns.io Get the book 'Graphic Sales' by Tom Stearns & Peter Cleary: https://www.stearns.io/book   About Fred Copestake Fred Copestake helps engineering and B2B sales teams create commercially stronger conversations through Trust First Selling and the VALUE Framework. Connect with Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/3PhzTIM56ao    Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers   Useful resources Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

Why telling people isn't enough to change behaviour Sales organisations spend millions every year on training, yet many still struggle to see lasting improvements in performance. In this solo episode, Fred Copestake explores one of the biggest misconceptions in sales development: the belief that training and coaching are the same thing. Using questions supplied by Bec Turton from My Sales Coach, Fred shares his approach to diagnosing sales performance, explains why "one and done" training rarely works, and introduces a simple distinction that can transform how organisations develop their people. If you're responsible for leading, developing or coaching sales teams, this episode offers practical ideas for creating learning that actually changes behaviour—not just knowledge. In this episode you'll learn Why product-focused teams often struggle to have commercial conversations The first thing Fred looks for when working with a new sales team Why "One and Done" training rarely delivers lasting results The simple difference between training and coaching Why coaching creates faster behavioural change than many leaders expect How to align learning with real customer opportunities Why sales development should focus on implementation, not information The importance of quick wins in building coaching momentum Why meaningful improvement always requires consistent effort Key Takeaways ✔ Great salespeople solve problems before they explain products. ✔ Training puts information in. Coaching pulls potential out. ✔ The best development programmes combine learning with real-world application. ✔ Coaching conversations should focus on results, not activity. ✔ Lasting improvement comes from consistent practice—not one-off events. ✔ There are no shortcuts to commercial excellence. Product vs Problem Thinking Fred explains why many technical sales teams already know their products exceptionally well - but become significantly more effective when they learn to lead conversations with customer problems instead. The Coaching Difference Rather than simply transferring knowledge, coaching uses questions to unlock thinking, helping salespeople discover better solutions for themselves while remaining focused on measurable business results. Why Training Doesn't Stick Too many organisations invest in isolated training events without embedding the learning into day-to-day customer activity. Fred explains why implementation is where real development begins. No Magic Wand There are no shortcuts to becoming commercially stronger. Sustainable improvement comes from deliberate practice, coaching and putting new skills to work with real customers.    Connect with Fred https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredcopestake   Subscribe to Sales Today - New episodes every week If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and share it with your network.   Watch this episode on YouTube: ttps://youtu.be/weTzIHaeNXM   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Why Quarterly Business Reviews should be about customer value, not sales pitches Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are supposed to strengthen relationships, demonstrate value and identify future opportunities. Too often, however, they become little more than product presentations. In this episode, Fred Copestake is joined by Celia Sanchez Garcia (Celia SGAR), Founder of Vendor Manager Hub, to discuss why many QBRs fail and what salespeople can do differently. Drawing on over 16 years of supplier and vendor management experience, Celia shares why customers should often take the lead in QBRs, how suppliers unintentionally damage trust, and the framework she uses to ensure every review focuses on delivering outcomes rather than promoting the latest products. Whether you're an account manager, customer success professional or sales leader, this conversation offers practical ideas for building stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships. In this episode you'll learn: Why many QBRs fail to deliver value The biggest mistake salespeople make during customer reviews Why customers often lose trust during supplier-led meetings The difference between operational meetings, QBRs and executive reviews How Customer Success and Sales can work together more effectively A proven QBR agenda that keeps conversations focused on customer outcomes Why improvement opportunities should come before innovation discussions How active listening creates better commercial relationships Why making life easier for customers is often your greatest competitive advantage   Key Takeaways ·         Customers don't buy products. They buy outcomes. ·         Great QBRs review value already delivered before discussing anything new. ·         Customer Success often understands how to maximise existing value better than Sales. ·         Trust is lost when suppliers ignore what customers have asked for. ·         The best account managers bring insight, not just information. ·         Continuous improvement creates future sales naturally. ·         The easiest way to become a strategic supplier is to make your customer's life easier.   Resources Vendor Manager Hub Helping organisations build stronger supplier relationships through better vendor management. Vendor Score It A platform for measuring supplier performance, scorecards and KPIs.   Connect with Celia SGAR LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiasgar Vendor Manager Hub: https://www.vendormanagerhub.com Vendor Score It: https://www.vendorscoreit.com   About Fred Copestake Fred Copestake helps organisations create commercially stronger conversations through Trust First Selling and the VALUE Framework. His work focuses on helping salespeople move beyond products and features to create better buying decisions through trust, curiosity and commercial thinking.   Connect with Fred https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Take the Free Collaborative Selling Scorecard How collaborative is your sales approach? Take Fred's free Collaborative Selling Scorecard and discover how your current approach compares with today's buying environment. https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gu85qPEOccA   Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers