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Tag: Sales Success

Sales coasting is the quiet career killer no one talks about. Jeb Blount Jr. shares how ice skating — and getting lapped by a six-year-old — broke him out of a sales slump and delivered his best quarter ever. Read the full blog by the number one sales training company

I Was Coasting in Sales Until a Six-Year-Old Humbled Me on the Ice (Money Monday)

Summary Sales coasting is a silent career killer: it feels fine on the inside, but slowly drains the skills you've built. The "expert trap" convinces experienced reps there's nothing left to learn. It's wrong, and it's dangerous. Picking up a…

Have you ever had a moment where the answer you were looking for was right in front of you? I'm talking about a giant neon sign moment where you realize that a strategy is working, and the proof is undeniable. Today, I want to share a quick story about an unexpected moment of validation that I recently had, and the valuable lesson that every top producer needs to keep front of mind. The Annual Sales Summit That Changed Everything I have a client that I've worked with for several years now. Each month, I deliver virtual training workshops focused on different areas of sales. Some months our topic will be on prospecting best practices, and other months we may focus on things like sales negotiation skills or how to advance deals in the pipeline. These workshops are optional for the sales team to attend at this particular company. So recently, I was invited to attend their annual sales summit. It was the first time that I'd be putting faces to names and shaking hands with the people who showed up to my sessions, month after month. It was a pretty big event. There were hundreds of members of the sales team from around the US. After grabbing my badge at the registration desk, I walked towards the main event space, and the sound of hundreds of conversations filled the room. It was that feeling of energy and the buzz of excitement when you're surrounded by people who are having fun together. As I walked through the mingling crowds, I saw it. There was a giant board, I'm guessing about five feet tall, and at the top it read "Top Producers of the Year." Now, if you're in sales, you know what these boards represent. It's ultimate recognition. It's a testament to consistency, grit, and incredibly hard work. It's the top of the mountain. I found myself looking through the photos and the names. These were my clients' top producers, the ones who really earned their spot. And as I looked at each photo, a pattern started to emerge. I noticed a face that I recognized and then another. And then another. I couldn't help but start to smile as I kept scrolling through this list of the fifteen names on the wall. All but one of them were people who were showing up to the monthly workshops month after month. I was shocked. Not just proud, but genuinely humbled. Now, I'd like to believe that our training played a part in their success. But the truth is, they earned it. Their spot on that board, their results, their massive recognition—it was a direct reflection of the continuous investments that they had been making in themselves. They didn't wait to be great. They were proactively working on stepping up their skills one month at a time. The One Thing You Need to Remember Now, if you take one thing from this article, let it be this: top producers don't wait for success. They prepare for it. That board wasn't just a list of the most talented sales reps. It was also a list of the most intentional. It was a direct consequence of four behaviors that they had displayed: Showed up to the monthly workshops even though they were optional. Asked hard questions in these workshops. Applied new techniques and tools and put them into action immediately. Treated sharpening their skills as a non-negotiable. Here's the truth: the person who dedicates one hour a week to getting better will always beat the person who's naturally gifted, but a little lazy. Intention beats talent every single time. 6 Best Practices to Inject Intention Into Your Week So how do you inject that kind of intention into your own week? Here are six best practices to help you: 1. Show Up Before You Need To These top sales reps on the board didn't wait for their production to dip before they started investing in training. They were already winning, and they still kept showing up. Skill building is like compounding interest. Small, consistent investments create exponential returns. 2. Treat Sales Training Like a Workout You don't go to the gym once and expect to be in shape. You show up three times a week for a year. That's how you need to approach your professional development. Consistency is greater than intensity. Every session you attend adds a new tool, a perspective, or an edge to sharpen your game. 3. Decide That You Are Always a Learner The reps who excelled weren't afraid to ask questions that other people might consider basic. They were seeking clarity, not just validation. Remember, ego is expensive. Curiosity is profitable. Never stop being the most curious person in the room. 4. Don't Confuse Activity for Growth Many sales reps are busy; they're active. But how many are truly intentional about growth? Top producers set aside uninterrupted time for professional development even when their schedule is getting full. So block out time to get better, not just to do more. 5. Implement One Thing Immediately After attending a workshop or even listening to a podcast episode, challenge yourself to pick one tactic to put into action within twenty-four hours. Knowledge is power. Implementation is what turns that knowledge into results. 6. Surround Yourself with Other Top Performers It's easy in sales to get frustrated when we lose a deal or when things are not going our way. By surrounding yourself with other top performers, you're going to help lift yourself up in those moments when you need a little extra support and motivation. Why This Moment Mattered Seeing that board of top performers, that physical printed validation, it really struck me—the emotion of realizing that the reps who had quietly and consistently invested in themselves all year long, had literally risen to the top. It was a powerful moment and reminded me why not only I do the work that I do, but it absolutely confirmed that top performers are the ones disciplined enough to invest in themselves. I encourage you to commit to just one of these six tips that I shared today. Write it down and put it into action within twenty-four hours. Momentum doesn't come from waiting. It comes from action. Listen to the full episode on the Sales Gravy Podcast, the number one sales training podcast.

4 Behaviors That Put You on the Top Sales Producer Board (Money Monday)

Have you ever had a moment where the answer you were looking for was right in front of you? I'm talking about a giant neon sign moment where you realize that a strategy is working, and the proof is undeniable.…

Marcus Chan, CEO of Venli Consulting and recent guest on the Sales Gravy podcast, learned to sell in the trenches of commoditized selling: uniforms, facility services, telecom. Industries where you're locked in multi-year contract cycles, competing against five other vendors who offer the exact same thing, and selling at two to three times the market price. Listen to the full episode with Jeb Blount Jr on The Sales Gravy Podcast, the number one sales training podcast.

Why Commoditized Selling Builds Better Salespeople

If you've only sold sexy products with cool demos and unique features, you're probably missing the fundamentals that separate good salespeople from great ones. Marcus Chan, CEO of Venli Consulting and recent guest on the Sales Gravy podcast, learned to…

The world's oldest customer complaint was carved in stone 4,000 years ago. Here's what 4 millennia of B2B sales history teaches modern sellers. Listen to the full Sales Gravy Podcast episode with Jeb Blount Jr and Ashley Blount

Stone Tablets, Trade Shows, and Telephones: 4,000 Years of Sales History

Imagine that you're so angry about a business deal gone wrong that you grab a chisel, find a slab of stone, and spend hours carving your complaint. That's exactly what a Mesopotamian merchant did in 1750 and made sales history. …

How to Uncover Untapped Markets Before Your Competition Does with Nicholas Lalla & Jeb Blount, Jr. on the Sales Gravy Podcast, the number one sales training podcast

How to Uncover Untapped Markets Before Your Competition Does

Most salespeople waste their careers fighting over the same crowded prospects. Meanwhile, untapped markets are sitting in plain sight. These are the industries, segments, and territories your competitors don’t take seriously—or don’t even notice. They’re wide open, and they reward…

success secret income

What the Top 20% Really Make and How You Can Get There

The Six Figure Secret While being a top 20% producer and income earner is obviously a nice place to be, the next question I get is, “How do I get there?”  The answer to that question might surprise you. The…

setback success

How Your Setbacks Can Set You Up For Success

Success Doesn't Come Easy For Ultra-High Performers Ultra-high performers aren't born knowing how to sell— they have just learned to adapt. Here's how your setbacks can set you up for success, and the three things you need to remember on…

sales call tips

3 Keys to Effective Sales Call Planning

How To Design An Effective Sales Call Plan You are supposed to sell in such a way that people would prefer to work with you over anyone else. You need to be known, liked, and trusted. Look at your last…

rules in sales

The 8 Rules That Will Guide You To A Successful Career In Sales

There Are No Quick Fixes In Sales We live in a quick-fix society so it's no wonder that many salespeople look for the magic cure or band-aid solution to increase their sales. However, I believe that success in sales follows…

successful sales career

These 3 Things Will Guarantee You A Successful Sales Career

Success In The Brave New World of Sales Sales is a profession, and unfortunately, it’s a profession that many people fall into or default to as a last resort. So what does it take to be successful in sales? Is…

sales job interview

30 Questions To Ask Before Accepting A New Job Offer

30 Questions That Could Determine Your Success As the candidate, typically you answer questions during a job interview. But to guarantee your success in a new role and to make sure that you are taking the right opportunity that will…