“Why Every HR Leader Is in Sales” with Brendan McAdams, B2B Sales Coach & Consultant and author of ‘Sales Craft’

“Why Every HR Leader Is in Sales” with Brendan McAdams, B2B Sales Coach & Consultant and author of ‘Sales Craft’

From Future of HR by JP Elliott

May 12, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 192

About this episode

Brendan McAdams discusses why HR leaders should view themselves as salespeople and how to effectively engage stakeholders.

How can HR leaders learn to sell without selling? Why should every HR leader think of themselves as a salesperson? My guest on this episode is Brendan McAdams, B2B Sales Coach & Consultant and author of ‘Sales Craft’ During our conversation Brendan and I discuss the following: Why every HR leader is already in sales, whether they call it that or not How sales is really the work of helping someone make a better decision that is right for them Why status quo is often the strongest competitor to any HR initiative, and what to do about it. How surfacing objections out loud ("killing the deal") builds trust and accelerates real buy-in Why "if we do this, who loses?" is one of the most useful questions an HR leader can ask Connecting with Brendan: Connect with Brendan on LinkedIn Learn more about Brendan’s company Kiinetics Download Brendan’s Stakeholder Meeting Prep Worksheet Episode Sponsor: Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career. Succession Planning…

People in this episode

Host: JP Elliott

Guest: Brendan McAdams

Topics covered

  • HR leadership
  • sales skills
  • decision making
  • trust building
  • stakeholder engagement

Keywords

  • HR leaders
  • sales
  • decision making
  • trust
  • stakeholder engagement
  • objections
  • succession planning

Sponsors

Next-Gen HR Accelerator

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kiinetics

Products: Sales Craft, HR Leader’s Blueprint, Succession Planning Playbook

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