Q3 Summer Sales Gut Check (Money Monday)
On this Monday it’s time for a third quarter gut check. It’s mid-summer and we are halfway through the year. You have just three months to set up a strong Q4 and build up
Welcome to the Sales Gravy blog, where salespeople and sales leaders get better every week. We publish new sales training articles and podcast episodes three times a week, covering prospecting, cold calling, objections, negotiation, and leadership, written by Jeb Blount and the Sales Gravy trainer team.
On this Monday it’s time for a third quarter gut check. It’s mid-summer and we are halfway through the year. You have just three months to set up a strong Q4 and build up
How many times do you actually attempt to reach out to a prospect before you give up? On the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jessica Stokes calls out a common sales reality when prospecting: “We all
Here’s the hard truth about social media for sales: You’re already behind, and it’s going to be a grind. That’s the reality Margarita from Dallas discovered when she called into our podcast. She’s a
You think you’re being helpful. Your clients think you’re being annoying. Early in his career, Justin Goldstein learned this lesson the hard way. He admits, “I thought that picking up the phone and calling
Here’s a question that’ll keep you up at night: What do you do when your emotions are sabotaging your sales performance? That’s the exact challenge posed by Kurt O’Donnell and the sales team from
The second quarter of 2025 delivered some incredible conversations on the Sales Gravy podcast. From discipline strategies that separate winners from wannabes to the psychology of selling that most reps completely miss, here are
Here’s a question that’ll make your blood boil: Why do most sales leaders spend their pipeline reviews asking about dollar amounts and close dates while completely ignoring whether their reps actually have real deals?
Ben Hogan, who was arguably the greatest ball striker the game of golf has ever known, taught that if you wanted to improve your swing you should focus on the cause rather than the
You know the drill. The quota clock is ticking, the pressure is mounting, and there’s that relentless urge for a quick win. Every sales professional has felt that impulse to rush the process, to
That’s the question every sales leader, CEO, and HR department is wrestling with as AI tools flood the market with promises to automate everything from prospecting to closing deals. Meanwhile, salespeople are panicking, wondering
Growing up, I was easily the shyest girl in the room. Not just quiet—debilitatingly shy. I was so shy that I wouldn’t even ring the bell to get off the bus. I’d simply ride
Is there such a thing as natural sales talent? Are top-level sales professionals born that way? Do they possess a gift from God that powers their ability to close sales? On this Money Monday,
The Power of the Pause When you pause before you speak, it compels your prospect to listen, open up, respond, and engage. Pausing is one of the best kept secrets to influencing buyer behavior.
Three Turnarounds to Common Insurance Sales Objections In inusrance sales, there are three objections that you will face when engaging prospects and customers. You gain a competitive advantage when you prepare in advance and
Your Prospect’s Attention Span is Short It is super easy to lose your prospect’s attention on a cold call. When you do, click . . . the call is abruptly over. When you make
Gatekeepers Are Not The Enemy It may seem like the gatekeeper’s primary job is to keep you out. But they can be your ally if you learn how to enlist their help. Knowing best
How To Use Texting For Follow-Up When sending a follow-up message to a prospect, use texting wisely and don’t abuse it. Here are five examples of impactful follow-up texts that can advance a sale.
Long Emails Are Bad Emails These 5 tips will make your emails more actionable and more likely to receive a response so that you can streamline your sales process and close more deals. Why
How To Survive A Summer Sales Slump It can be disconcerting when summer sales are slow. Especially if you feel that you are in a sales slump. These five tips will help you survive
Leveraging The Prospecting Winds It all comes down to your mindset. Prospecting sucks. But, with determination, perseverance, and the prospecting winds at their backs, they are able to leverage and overcome challenges to close
How to Have Better Conversations With Gatekeepers Use these techniques for engaging in productive sales conversations with gatekeepers and you’ll have a better chance of differentiating yourself from the hundreds of other sales reps
Prepare For Your Next Sales Call Sales professionals everywhere set themselves up to fail by neglecting proper sales call preparation. Don’t be one of them. Here are ten of the most important things you
The Dreaded “I Am Not Interested” Objection Nothing, absolutely nothing, cuts a conversation with a prospect shorter than a brusque, “I am not interested.” Knowing how to respond to this objection can make selling
Successful Sales Negotiation Made Easy It’s important to be intentional during every step of the sales process, but especially at the negotiation table. Even after you close the deal, the discussions you have during
The Status Quo Objection A common objection you might run into when prospecting is the status quo objection. Your prospect will tell you that they’re happy with their current provider, or that they simply
‘Busy’ Does Not Mean ‘Productive’ The best account managers know how to stay busy doing the sales activities that are the most productive. Being ‘busy’ only matters if you are taking actions that move
Are You Really Listening To Your Prospects? Active listening is a crucial sales skill that so many salespeople overlook. The truth is, if you aren’t actively listening, you are holding yourself back from building
Fear is nothing more than a lack of knowledge. In order to survive any challenge that negatively impacts your selling career, you need to be prepared. Investing in self-improvement is the best way to
Three Turnarounds to Common Insurance Sales Objections In inusrance sales, there are three objections that you will face when engaging prospects and customers. You gain a competitive advantage when you prepare in advance and
Gatekeepers Are Not The Enemy It may seem like the gatekeeper’s primary job is to keep you out. But they can be your ally if you learn how to enlist their help. Knowing best
We live in a society that thrives on the 24 hour news cycle where there always seems to be an endless stream of stories about leaders gone bad. In the midst of this barrage,
On this Sales Gravy Quick Tip, Jeb Blount introduces you to the five levers of effective leaders. This is how you get people to follow you!
On this Sales Gravy Quick Tip, Jeb Blount explains why leadership is personal, and why leaders must engage their people at the human level.
On this episode Jeb Blount and Kevin Eikenberry give you best practices and actionable tactics for leading and managing remote employees.
Sales cultures scoring low in emotional intelligence are filled with old sales dogs that refuse to learn new tricks. They sit on the porch of denial, refusing to adapt new approaches to selling. How
So what’s your team’s Sales EQ? Here are three emotional intelligence skills to look for in your next hire. You’ve met this person. They are brilliant. Their ideas are creative. Yet no one wants
For leaders, nothing is more important or critical than trust. If people do not trust you, they will not follow you.
On this podcast episode learn the keys to leading and coaching ultra-high performance from respected sales thought leaders, Jeb Blount and Alice Heiman.
On this podcast episode, Jeb Blount and sales leadership guru, Ken Thoreson, discuss how and why modern sales management has changed and where sales leaders need to place their focus to be successful.