The Secret Behind 'Discovery Prospecting'

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

Take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/ Winning new customers is only half the story. The real commercial advantage comes from helping customers achieve the outcomes they were promised, long after the contract has been signed. In this episode of Sales Today, Fred Copestake is joined by customer success expert Anika Zubair to explore what sales professionals can learn from one of the fastest-growing disciplines in modern business. Together they discuss why customer success isn't simply account management, why discovery remains the most valuable commercial skill, and how focusing on outcomes rather than products creates stronger customer relationships and longer-term growth. Whether you work in sales, account management or customer success, this conversation is packed with practical ideas you can apply immediately. In this episode you'll discover: • What Customer Success really means and why it is much more than post-sales support • Why keeping existing customers is often far more valuable than constantly chasing new ones • The importance of selling outcomes rather than features and functionality • Why discovery remains the foundation of every successful commercial conversation • How customer success teams proactively create value instead of reacting to renewal opportunities • Why executives don't buy products, they buy business improvement • How "value amnesia" causes organisations to forget why they purchased solutions in the first place • Why connecting the dots is one of the most valuable commercial skills today • How sales and customer success should work together to create better customer experiences • Why AI makes human curiosity and commercial conversations even more valuable One idea worth remembering Customers don't wake up thinking about your product. They wake up thinking about their business. The organisations that consistently win are those that help customers understand their problems more clearly before explaining their solutions. About Anika Zubair Anika Zubair is the CEO of Customer Success Pro, an international customer success consultant, coach and podcast host. She helps organisations improve customer retention, drive growth and build customer success teams that create measurable business value. Connect with Anika ·         LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/anikazubair ·         Website: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com   Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake   Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/Ja_mTyZjTCQ    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/    

Free Collaborative Selling Scorecard If you would like to assess how your sales approach aligns with today's buying environment, you can take the free Collaborative Selling Scorecard: https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/   In this final episode of the Sales Today mini series, Fred brings the threads of the series together and explains the deeper issue sitting underneath many of the challenges explored in the previous episodes. Deals stall. Price becomes the focus. Conversations stay too low in the organisation. Teams struggle to engage senior stakeholders. Sales training makes sense, but behaviour doesn't really change. At first glance, these can look like separate problems. Fred argues they are not. They are symptoms of one core issue: Misalignment between how we sell and how customers buy. In this episode: Why so many common sales frustrations are connected The hidden cost of misalignment in B2B and engineering sales How stalled deals, price pressure and low-level conversations often share the same root cause Why "this is how we do things around here" can quietly hold teams back What it means to realign your sales approach to the customer's buying journey How the five core elements of selling work together Why customers buy outcomes, not products Key Insight Across the mini series, Fred has explored a range of common sales problems: entering the conversation too late getting trapped in tenders and RFPs allowing value to sit too low stalled deals that never quite say no struggling to engage senior stakeholders overwhelming customers with expertise instead of creating clarity sales training that never really sticks The key point in this final episode is that these are not isolated issues. They all stem from the same gap: a mismatch between the way sales teams are operating and the way customers are actually making decisions. The Real Opportunity: Realignment If the issue is misalignment, the opportunity is not to do more. It is to realign. Fred explains that this means stepping into the customer's world earlier, understanding what is driving their need, and shaping your sales approach around how they think, decide and buy. The Five Core Elements of Selling Fred frames this through five connected elements: The right opportunities The right research The right conversations The right solutions The right outcomes Each one builds on the next. When you focus on the right opportunities, you can do better research. That leads to better conversations. Those conversations shape better solutions. And better solutions create the outcomes the customer actually wants. Key Takeaway Customers do not buy products. They buy outcomes. They are trying to move from where they are now to somewhere better. When sales teams start from that point — rather than from product, process, or internal habits — everything becomes more aligned: conversations become more relevant value becomes clearer decisions become easier sales feels less forced and more natural Questions to Consider Are the challenges in your sales process actually separate issues, or symptoms of one bigger problem? Are you aligned to how your customers buy, or expecting them to align to how you sell? Are your opportunities, research, conversations and solutions all connected around customer outcomes? Is "this is how we do things around here" helping or limiting progress?     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:  https://youtu.be/5mxHxtT4VxM