Here’s a shocking fact, reps don’t have to be nice in order to make a deal. Unconsciously, your need to be liked is turning you into a pushy salesperson. Listen to this episode with my guest Chris Caldwell to help you stop making this sales mistake. 

Chris Caldwell’s Background

• Chris Caldwell is a sales trainer and expert who runs “Sell As You Are,” a company that helps sales professionals succeed by embracing their authentic selves.
• With experience coaching youth soccer and leading sales retreats, Chris has deep insights into human behavior and the psychological needs that drive success.
• He focuses on aligning beliefs and behaviors with genuine intent, offering practical strategies to foster personal power, authenticity, and commitment in sales teams.

Unmet Needs in Sales

• How do sales reps manifest their unmet needs in sales contexts? Chris provides an analogy of parents at a youth soccer game, demonstrating how people often project their unfulfilled emotional needs onto external situations or people. This behavior negatively impacts sales performance and client relationships.

The Power of Setting the Frame

• To set clear expectations and agendas with prospects, try using Chris’s framework for sales conversations. His framework allows you to stay confidently in control throughout the sales process.

The Importance of Getting to the Truth

• The primary objective of every first discovery call should be to uncover the truth of the prospect’s needs and situation. Chris stresses the significance of ensuring honest exchanges to facilitate genuine progress and decision-making.

“It is in the nature of executives to get distracted because they have a hundred things they’re responsible for, and the problem you’re solving is likely one of fifty they’re trying to address. At the same time, if you do not keep them on the leash, if you do not keep them on your calendar, it is in their nature to deprioritize you. And you cannot blame them; you can only blame yourself.” - Chris Caldwell.

Resources

Chris Caldwell on LinkedIn

sellasyouare.com 

Email: chris@sellasyouare.com 

LinkedIn Prospecting Course

Cold Call Openers

Sponsorship Offers

1. 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.