Sales [UN]Training

Many sales leaders spend countless hours tracking calls, proposals, meetings, pipeline movement, and CRM activity. But what if that focus is actually limiting sales performance instead of improving it? Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges one of the most common assumptions in sales management: that more activity automatically leads to better results. Drawing inspiration from a youth baseball coaching story and lessons popularized by Moneyball, Kelly explores the difference between managing outcomes and managing the inputs that actually influence those outcomes. You'll hear why an obsession with metrics can create unnecessary pressure, anxiety, and disengagement among sales teams. Kelly explains how sales managers often make the mistake of looking at historical numbers and trying to force future performance through activity mandates, only to discover that more calls, more proposals, and more presentations don't necessarily create more sales. Instead, Kelly makes the case for focusing on what sales leaders can truly influence. He breaks down the difference between outputs and inputs, explains why quality matters more than quantity, and shares the two characteristics he believes have the greatest impact on long-term sales success. You'll learn why learning is a critical driver of growth, how curiosity improves customer conversations, and why both should become foundational elements of a high-performance sales culture. If you're a sales VP, sales manager, business owner, or team leader looking for a more effective way to develop people and improve results, this episode provides a practical framework for managing what matters most. Here is the link to the article that Kelly references in this episode: https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-simple-fix-for-americas-broken-youth-sports-machine?author=Gates+Garcia&category=News&elementPosition=0&row=0&rowType=Vertical+List&title=The+Simple+Fix+For+America's+Broken+Youth+Sports+Machine Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Are your people there to sell a product...or are they there to help a customer? Ever wonder if your sales reps are completely killing deals in the first five minutes of a call ? In this episode, host Kelly shows you how to stop running cringeworthy product pitches and transform your team into elite, consultative professionals who actually solve buyer problems . In this episode of Sales on Training, host Kelly exposes a critical flaw in modern corporate sales strategies: the tendency for salespeople to give their true motives away at the very beginning of a call . Kelly breaks down the three distinct types of salespeople—the professional visitor, the product pusher, and the consultative professional—explaining why the elite top 10 percent fall into the final category . Many sales teams suffer from an inherent conflict of interest because they are explicitly trained to pitch product features rather than uncovering genuine client needs . This product-first focus triggers a buyer's defense mechanisms, erecting immediate walls that stall deals before they even get started . Kelly demonstrates that sequence is everything during customer discovery . By prioritizing strategic dialogue over rigid product questions, sellers can build real rapport and unearth challenges that clients might not even know exist . The episode also highlights how standard company onboarding actually creates bad habits by overemphasizing product training over conversational mastery . You will walk away with actionable insights on how to execute a perfect close using frameworks from author James Muir, alongside specific "setup questions" designed to naturally shift conversations toward client efficiency and profitability . Additionally, Kelly explores the psychology behind buyer skepticism and compares invasive interrogation styles to meeting an overly forward stranger at a restaurant . Elevate your management approach and transform your sales pipeline today. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Selling has always been a high-pressure profession, but not all pressure is created equal. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs examines the fine line between productive urgency and the kind of stress that quietly erodes sales performance, confidence, and consistency. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly explains how pressure affects the brain, why a little can sharpen performance, and why too much leads to cognitive decline, poor decisions, and erratic selling behavior. You'll learn the early warning signs that stress is damaging execution—including skipping steps in the sales process, rushing to quote, incomplete discovery, and increased ghosting from buyers. For sales leaders, this episode delivers a clear challenge: stop passing pressure straight downhill. Kelly outlines why reinforcing executive stress only magnifies performance problems and how filtering pressure is a core leadership responsibility. He also addresses one of the most common leadership failures—vague, nonspecific direction—and explains why clarity around expectations, behaviors, and outcomes is essential when urgency increases. The episode closes with a powerful insight drawn from real leadership experience: confidence comes from capability. Kelly shares how training, coaching, and time in the field equip salespeople to handle pressure without breaking down—and why teams with higher capability outperform others when the stakes are highest. If you lead a sales team and want stronger execution without burnout, this episode delivers practical guidance you can apply immediately. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Are you accidentally sabotaging your sales culture by promoting your top producer into a management role they aren't ready for? It's a classic B2B sales blunder: taking your best Account Executive off the field and expecting them to suddenly excel at sales coaching, performance management, and strategic leadership without a playbook. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges the industry-standard "battlefield promotion" and explains why traditional sales leadership hiring consistently produces poor results. If you're a Sales Director looking to scale or a Sales Manager struggling with the transition from "doing" to "leading," this episode is your wake-up call. Inside This Episode: The Gallup Gap: Why research shows that most organizations promote the wrong people into leadership roles 80% of the time—and the specific "talent vs. skill" trap you need to avoid. The Firefighter Blueprint: A look at the unconventional leadership model fire departments use to ensure their leaders can perform under pressure before they get the badge. Building Your Sales Management Framework: How to create a Sales Leader Guidebook that defines clear expectations, role-based coaching scenarios, and measurable performance assessments. The Individual Contributor Pivot: Understanding the fundamental shift in mindset required to move from hitting a personal quota to driving team-wide revenue growth. Stop "recycling" underprepared managers and start building a high-performance sales culture based on preparation and process. Whether you are currently leading a team or have your sights set on a VP of Sales role, Kelly provides the roadmap to ensure your next promotion is a success, not a statistic. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Why do so many capable salespeople fall short of their revenue goals—even after extensive sales training? In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs challenges the idea that success in selling is driven primarily by personality, charisma, or natural talent. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining While selling skills matter, they only produce results when supported by three foundational habits that consistently successful salespeople share. First, elite performers plan everything. From prospecting to discovery calls to territory management, they don't leave outcomes to chance. A clear plan creates focus, efficiency, and more time in front of customers. Second, they execute that plan with discipline. Kelly explores why time—not effort—is a salesperson's most valuable asset and how distractions quietly sabotage results. He outlines how intentional execution, not longer hours, leads to predictable quota attainment and confidence in the number. Finally, the habit that sustains long-term success: continuous learning. The most consistent producers are relentless learners who reflect on every call, catalog lessons, and build a deep base of real-world expertise. They don't rely on product knowledge alone—they bring insights, best practices, and perspective clients actually value. This episode is a practical reset for sales professionals and leaders who want consistency instead of peaks and valleys. If you're building a sales culture—or trying to level the playing field against more "naturally gifted" competitors—this conversation delivers a clear roadmap for sustained performance. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs tackles one of the most costly and overlooked problems in sales leadership: unprepared sales calls. He opens with a jarring truth that most leaders already suspect—salespeople are practicing on customers because they aren't being coached consistently, and the price companies pay for that lack of preparation is enormous. Kelly breaks down the real role of a sales leader, contrasting true coaching with the technical "support work" that consumes so many managers' calendars. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Kelly shares the lessons he learned from one of the most impactful sales managers in his career, illustrating why every call needs a clear objective, planned questions, and anticipated obstacles. He explains how great reps think ahead, rehearse their approach, and walk into conversations ready for objections, emotional curveballs, and the unexpected. You'll hear why rapport isn't the same as trust, how discovery should create genuine dialog, and how preparation helps salespeople remain calm, confident, and consultative. The episode also highlights the importance of curbside coaching after calls—how to reinforce what went well, isolate areas for improvement, and teach reps to observe signals they currently miss. Ultimately, Kelly shows why preparation and coaching aren't optional—they're the foundation for developing capable, independent performers who no longer need a manager to "run the call." Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs takes sales leaders inside the real engine of sales performance: coaching that creates meaningful adjustments in real time. Rather than simply teaching new skills and hoping they stick, Kelly explains how true coaching mirrors elite athletics — observing, correcting, and refining behaviors as they occur in the "game" of a sales call. He walks through the difference between training new concepts and coaching during live execution, highlighting why most salespeople fall into repetitive habits without someone watching closely enough to help them change course. Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining Drawing from both sports and decades of front-line sales leadership, Kelly breaks down four essential adjustments every sales leader should look for during calls. These include helping salespeople become proactive with common objections, pushing them to explore beyond surface-level answers, preventing them from flipping into "selling mode" too early, and strengthening their emotional intelligence so they can maintain composure when conversations turn tense. He also shares personal stories of coaching that shaped his own career — from game-planning calls to the powerful "curbside coaching" method that accelerates a salesperson's growth immediately after the meeting. Sales leaders will gain practical steps for raising their credibility, increasing their influence, and building trusting relationships that make real coaching possible. If you want more consistent performance, better conversations, and salespeople who adjust instead of repeating the same mistakes, this episode delivers the roadmap. Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales. Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com. Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019. Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson