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Author: Jeb Blount Jr

Sales has always been hard. Cold calling was hard decades ago, and it’s still hard today. You still have to find people, start conversations, build trust, and ask for commitments. What separates average reps from consistent performers isn’t resilience alone. It’s structure. Top performers know exactly what they’re chasing and why it matters. They protect themselves from bad-fit customers. They slow down when it counts. And they use tools strategically to preserve energy for selling. They still get rejected. They still lose deals. They still have months where nothing goes right. But they don’t drift. They don’t panic. And they don’t quit when the work gets uncomfortable. That discipline is what sustains sales motivation long after the initial excitement wears off. If you want a clearer target to aim at when sales gets hard, download the FREE Sales Gravy Goal Guide. It will help you define the goals that actually keep you focused, disciplined, and motivated—especially when rejection starts piling up. Sales Gravy is the number one sales training company founded by Jeb Blount

4 Ways Top Performers Stay Motivated and Close More Deals (Even When Sales Gets Hard)

How Do Top Performers Stay Motivated When Sales Gets Hard? You know the feeling when you close a big deal.The rush. The quiet satisfaction of updating your pipeline. Maybe a quick high-five with your manager. And then, almost immediately, it…

Performance coach Giselle Ugarte said that on a recent episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, and it might be the most liberating thing you'll hear about LinkedIn personal branding this year. Because somewhere between building your profile and hitting publish on that post, you've started making decisions based on what your college roommate might think. Or your former boss. Or yes, your mom. The hard truth? None of them are writing you commission checks. You already know who matters: current clients, prospective clients, and people who can refer you to clients. Your former colleague who always has something snarky to say about your posts? They've never sent you a referral. Your friend from college who thinks sales is beneath them? They're not signing contracts. Your family member who wants you to be more buttoned up? They're not in your market. Have the clarity to know that you can't build an effective LinkedIn personal branding presence while trying to please everyone. You'll end up pleasing no one, least of all the people who could actually benefit from working with you. You cannot build effective LinkedIn personal branding while trying to please people who don’t impact your business. Before you write that post or record that video, remind yourself: someone would be lucky to hear from me today. You have something valuable to offer — and the courage to show up as a real human. The salespeople winning on LinkedIn aren’t the most polished. They’re the most human. They make it easier for the right people to decide they want to work with them. Send the videos. Start the conversations. Show up as the person your clients actually want to buy from. That’s how you win on LinkedIn — and everywhere else.

Stop Worrying About What Your Mom Thinks of Your LinkedIn

Is Your LinkedIn Personal Branding Built for Buyers or Bystanders? "Respectfully, you are not my audience." Performance coach Giselle Ugarte said that on a recent episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, and it might be the most liberating thing you'll…

Being coachable gets you in the room. Being humble keeps you there. You can study every methodology, attend every training session, and absorb every leadership book. But if the goal is proving how great you are instead of elevating how great your team can become, you’re building on sand. The sales leaders who last, who build high-performing cultures and develop reps who grow into leaders, all understand one truth: success was never a solo act. Stay coachable so you keep growing. Stay humble so your team grows with you. Your people will feel the difference. So will your results. Listen to the full Episode on the Sales Gravy Podcast, the number one sales training podcast by Jeb Blount

Why Being Coachable Isn’t the Same as Being Humble in Sales

You’re Coachable, But Are You Truly Humble? You’ve been coachable your entire career. You take feedback, adjust your approach, read books, listen to podcasts, and implement what works. Yet being coachable doesn’t automatically make you humble—and that gap may be…

The work you do as a sales leader matters. The people on your team matter. And the small moments where you choose to show up and recognize their effort—those matter most of all. Your team isn’t waiting for the next corporate initiative or the annual awards ceremony. They’re waiting for you to notice. They’re waiting for you to care enough to say something about the work they’re doing right now. Stop outsourcing what should be human. Lead with authentic appreciation today, and watch your team thrive.  Listen to the full episode on the Sales Gravy Podcast, the number one sales training platform

Using Authentic Appreciation to Drive Sales Team Success

The automated "Great job, team!" email blasted to 47 people at 4:37 PM on a Friday isn’t authentic appreciation. Neither is the generic gift basket ordered by someone in HR who’s never met your top performer, or the corporate recognition…

The SDR graveyard isn’t full of lazy people; it's full of frustrated talent who were put on a treadmill when they needed a ladder. By month four, a high-performer has mastered the basics and is staring at the ceiling. Same script. Same job. Same quota. They burn out from futility, not from effort. Tim Hester's approach stops this cycle. He proves that the only way out is up. Clear metrics keep the focus sharp. Tiered levels create propulsion. A performance-driven roadmap ensures reps know they control their destiny. The question every sales leader must ask is: "What message does our system send on day one?" Empower your reps with a plan they can believe in, and your top talent will be busy working toward their next title, not updating their resume. Your roadmap gives your SDRs the path, but they still need the tactics to fill their calendar and earn that promotion. Download Sales Gravy's 25 Ways to Ask for the Appointment on a Cold Call guide.

Why Your Best SDRs Burn Out by Month Four — And How to Stop It

To a sales leader, it’s a familiar story.Month one: Your new SDR is on fire. Energy through the roof. They’re excited about cold calling.Month two: Still strong. Meetings are getting booked. Dashboard looks good.Month three: Cracks appear. Rejections pile up.…

Sales Mindset of An American Ninja Warrior

The Sales Mindset Lessons from an American Ninja Warrior

Every salesperson knows that feeling, the one right before the big meeting when confidence wavers and doubt creeps in. Alex Weber knows it, too. He’s one of the few people to go from hosting American Ninja Warrior to competing on…

Sales Horror Stories

16 Sales Horror Stories That Prove You’re Not Alone

Every sales professional has a horror story that still makes them break out in a cold sweat years later. The deal that imploded spectacularly. The customer interaction that went sideways in ways you couldn't predict. The moment you sat in…

Sales Skills That Still Matter in the Age of AI

The Sales Skills That Matter Most When AI Handles Everything Else

AI in sales isn't coming soon. It's already here, and it's quietly separating the salespeople who will thrive from those who won't. On the Sales Gravy Podcast, sales expert and author Victor Antonio shares this quote: "You won't lose your…

How to Build Sales Teams That Actually Want to Show Up, Sales Gravy

Building Sales Teams That Actually Want to Show Up

Your sales team has the tools. They know the pitch. The CRM is full of leads. So why are half your reps still missing quota? The real issue? Most sales leaders are managing activity instead of developing people. They're applying…

5 Battle-Tested Strategies to Finish the Sales Year Strong, Q4 Advice

5 Battle-Tested Sales Strategies to Finish the Year Strong

The gap between average salespeople and elite performers lies in process. While most reps chase quick wins and hope something sticks, top producers follow proven sales strategies that consistently deliver results. They've mastered the fundamentals that turn prospects into customers…

  • Jeb Blount Jr
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Jeb Blount Jr. (JBJ) helps organizations leverage the intersection of human psychology and modern sales technology to scale revenue.

A sales trainer and marketing strategist at Sales Gravy, Jeb Jr. is an expert in the Fanatical Prospecting methodology, specifically tailored for the digital age.