Have you ever wondered how FBI agents can get suspects to tell them everything within seconds? Those tactics they’re using can be surprisingly practical in your sales game.

In this episode, I invite two exceptional guests, Adele Gambardella, and Chip Massey, to share their unique hybrid of sales wisdom drawn from their expansive backgrounds. Listen to discover forensic listening and effective convincing techniques to boost your sales success.

Guest Introductions

Adele Gambardella

With over 15 years of experience running her own agency, Adele shares the journey of transitioning from cold calls with limited success to securing significant clients through strategic media coverage offerings.
Adele expertly discusses how her PR and journalism background seamlessly blended into her sales tactics, making her exceptionally skilled in selling concepts and narratives.

Chip Massey

Chip details his fascinating transition from FBI special agent and hostage negotiator to business consultancy, where he met Adele. The collaboration between Chip’s high-stakes negotiation skills and Adele’s PR expertise forms the foundation for their innovative sales training firm.
His profound understanding of human behavior and negotiation lends invaluable insights into the sales process.

Forensic Listening

Definition: Forensic Listening is the art and science of analyzing conversations to understand clients' unspoken narratives and emotions.
Four Key Components

Emotion: Identifying and tracking the present emotions during the conversation.
Theme Development: Recognizing recurring themes that indicate what the client values the most.
Voice: Observing pitch, tone, and cadence to determine excitement or disinterest.
Body Positioning: Differentiating between body language and positioning to gauge the client's engagement level.

Methods to Improve Forensic Listening

Recording and Reviewing Meetings: Utilize tools like Otter AI to capture the conversation, allowing for a thorough post-call analysis.
Targeted Validation: Following up with insights gained during conversations to show genuine interest and appreciation for the client’s input.

Essentials of Convincing

Chip & Adele share the importance of convincing and how sellers can improve.
Convincing Continuum

Point of Agreement: Starting with a mutual agreement to lower initial defenses.
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD): Addressing these components comprehensively to alleviate client concerns.
Cliffhangers: Leaving clients with intriguing, open-ended statements or questions that encourage further engagement and follow-up.
Personal Convincing Styles: Identify whether you and your client are emotional or fact-based convincers and adjust your approach accordingly.

"You're listening for a deeper understanding of who you're talking to. And you get that by understanding what their emotions are. What are they passionate about? Where do they have energy?" — Adele Gambardella.

Forensic listening is the art and science of analyzing a conversation after it's happened. Because what we say is words leave clues." — Chip Massey

Resources

Book: “Convince Me"

Training So Good, It's Criminal

Sponsorship Offers

This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey . We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Mentioned in this episode:

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

La settimana phastidiosa - 31 gennaio 2026

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