How to Immediately Spot an Amateur Salesperson: 1 Mistake Salespeople Consistently Make

Most salespeople unknowingly make one amateur mistake that sabotages their success from the very first call. In this episode, we expose the biggest indicator of untrained selling and reveal the strategy that top sales pros use to win more deals.

Are your salespeople making the #1 mistake that instantly signals they’re amateurs? If you’ve ever sat in on a sales call and cringed as your rep jumped straight into product talk, you’re not alone. The biggest reason most sales teams underperform isn’t lack of motivation—it’s outdated training that teaches reps to pitch instead of influence. In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down the most common amateur sales mistake and how top sales leaders can spot and fix it fast.

You’ll learn how to identify when your reps are losing control of the conversation, why leading with the product is a red flag, and the psychology behind getting buyers to engage. Kelly shares real-world roleplay scenarios and proven strategies to help your team shift from product pushers to true sales professionals. Plus, we explore the power of well-designed sales contests to reinforce the right behaviors and drive lasting performance improvements.

If you’ve ever left a pipeline review wondering, Why aren’t my reps closing more deals?, this episode is for you. Kelly reveals the key question every sales leader should be training their team to ask, how to rewire their sales approach for influence over information, and why getting interest doesn’t mean getting the sale.

Don’t let amateur mistakes cost your team revenue. Tune in now and start building a salesforce that actually closes.

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