How To Sell More

If you want to sell more, you need to talk less and listen better.  Customers don’t want to deal with a pushy, aggressive salesperson–they want someone who listens to their needs and addresses their problems.  In this episode of How to Sell More, host Mark Drager and guest Derek Roberts challenge the outdated stereotype of the aggressive salesperson. They reject the image of pushy sales reps who prioritize closing deals over customer needs and rally for a smarter, more thoughtful way to sell.   In Episode 108, you’ll learn: ✅ Why sales is the only profession "defined by those who do it badly" and how to overcome this stereotype ✅ The five critical self-beliefs that can make or break a sales career ✅ Why the pressure to buy should come from the customer, not the salesperson ✅ How to sell through your customers to their customers in B2B environments ✅ The value of coaching for even your highest-performing sales team members ✅ The #1 tip for selling more effectively in today's business environment   Meet today’s guest: Derek Roberts is a Sales Leadership Expert, Speaker, and the Co-Author of Listen to Sell: How Your Mindset, Skillset, and Human Connections Unlock Sales Performance. He’s the President of Roberts Business Group and an Executive Partner with Integrity Solutions. Ready to let go of pushy strategies and supercharge your success with authentic selling? Listen to the full episode now! 🔥 Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥 Connect with today’s guest, Derek Roberts on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekroberts1  📖 Get your copy of Listen to Sell: How Your Mindset, Skillset, and Human Connections Unlock Sales Performance → https://www.amazon.com/Listen-Sell-Skillset-Connections-Performance/dp/1774583763 🔥 Learn more about Derek Roberts’s work → https://www.integritysolutions.com

Think you're in control of your sales process? Think again. “You can't force people to buy stuff they don't want to,” says today’s guest, Brent Keltner.  And that simple statement shows who’s really in charge. But it begs the question, if the customer is king, how do we guide the sales process while allowing them to remain in control? In episode 107 of How to Sell More, Mark Drager and guest Brent Keltner tackle this problem head-on. They cover why your team needs to shift from a “show up and pitch” approach to a guided approach to create a stickier sales process.   You’ll also learn: ✅ The three-part framework for structuring effective sales conversations ✅ How to move from product-centric pitching to journey-first selling ✅ Simple ways to prepare for meetings that take just 10-15 minutes ✅ Why customer stories are your most valuable sales assets (and how to collect them) ✅ How third-party customer interviews can reveal insights your team might miss ✅ How to create follow-up emails that actually move deals forward   Meet today’s guest: Brent Keltner is the President of Winalytics and the Author of The Revenue Acceleration Playbook: Creating an Authentic Buyer Journey Across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success.    Listen to the full episode now! 🔥Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥Connect with today’s guest, Brent Keltner on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkeltner  📖 Get your copy of The Revenue Acceleration Playbook → https://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Acceleration-Playbook-Authentic-Marketing/dp/1774581019 🔥Learn more about Winalytics → https://winalytics.com

Want to know what it takes to win more bids, contracts, and RFPs? In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager sits down with Alex McPhail, one of Canada’s leading bid managers with over 35 years of experience in complex government procurements for defence, cyber, aerospace, and more. Alex breaks down the realities of winning massive government contracts, as well as how to navigate the most demanding procurement processes.    In Episode 106, you’ll learn: ✅ The strategy behind winning hundred-million to billion-dollar proposals ✅ How shrewd contractors legally play the RFP "game" ✅ Why relationships don't matter in government contracting (and what actually wins contracts) ✅ What a Capture Manager does and why you need the right team in place ✅ The brutal "go/no-go" process that can dramatically improve your win rate ✅ Why making information easy to find is the #1 factor in winning proposals ✅ Who your true "customer" is during the proposal process (hint: it's not who you think)   Meet today’s guest: Alex McPhail is the President and CEO of EXA Consulting Group and the Author of Win Big The EXA Way: The Comprehensive Guide to Capture and Proposal Leadership. He is also a recognized public speaker, lecturer, and podcaster in business leadership, Canadian procurement, and government contracting processes. Ready to play a procurement process to your advantage so you can sell more? Listen to the full episode now!   🔥Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥Connect with today’s guest, Alex McPhail on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmcphail  📖Get your copy of Win Big The EXA Way → https://www.amazon.ca/Win-Big-EXA-Way-Comprehensive/dp/1774583909  🔥Learn more about The EXA Group → https://www.exa.group

You don’t have to be creative to become a successful marketer. Good marketing is systematic. In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager and guest Allan Dib explore the concept of Lean Marketing. Allan, who wrote the book on the subject, says that business owners can do less and sell more when they focus on the right things. In Episode 105, you’ll learn: ✅ Why "no marketing equals no customers" and how marketing is a skill that can be learned by anyone ✅ The importance of understanding your market deeply before creating products ✅ Why selling is the best way to build a brand (not the other way around) ✅ How attending industry conferences can teach you more in half a day than months of online research ✅ The power of focusing on one or two marketing channels instead of spreading yourself thin across many ✅ Why most success comes from subtraction (removing things) rather than addition ✅ The importance of creating "flagship assets" that work for your business over the long term   Meet today’s guest:  Allan Dib is a serial entrepreneur known for turning complex marketing ideas into actionable frameworks. He’s successfully started, grown, and exited multiple businesses across various industries. He’s also a sought-after business coach, consultant, and public speaker. He’s the best-selling author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers and Lean Marketing: More Leads. More profit. Less marketing (2024). Want to learn how to do less with your marketing and sell more? Listen to the full episode now!   🔥 Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥 Connect with today’s guest, Allan Dib on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/allandib  📖 Get your copy of Lean Marketing → https://leanmarketing.com/books/leanmarketing  📖 Get your copy of The -1 Page Marketing Plan → https://leanmarketing.com/books/1pmp  🔥 Learn more about Allan Dib → https://leanmarketing.com

You’ve heard time and time again that you need to diversify your products and services to sell more. Jack Bosch flips the script on that advice and says that narrowing your focus to one high-value offer can skyrocket sales and profits. In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager explores the downsides of the “ascension model” with Jack, and why he decided to abandon it to focus on one service. He outlines the strategy that helped him turn his $2 million home study course into an eight-figure education and coaching empire.   In Episode 104, you’ll learn: ✅ How Jack Bosch transformed his business by focusing on one premium offering instead of multiple lower-priced products. ✅ The benefits of starting with a high-end offer before developing lower-priced offerings. ✅ How higher prices allowed Jack to invest in better customer service and hit higher customer success rates. ✅ The importance of building a strong leadership team to scale beyond $2 million. ✅ How focusing on profitability enabled Jack to hire specialized talent and create a self-sustaining business. Meet today’s guest: Jack Bosch is an expert real estate investor with over 4,000 successful real estate transactions. He now helps others build sustainable wealth through his online education and coaching programs. He’s the author of Forever Cash: How to Break the Earn-Spend Cycle, Take Charge of Your Life, & Build Everlasting Wealth.   Listen to the full episode now! 🔥 Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥 Connect with today’s guest, Jack Bosch on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/jack-bosch-a923b59 🔥 Listen to the Jack Bosch Show podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jack-bosch-show/id980606803 🔥 Learn more about the Land Profit Generator → landprofitgenerator.com

The old way to lead a team (the “command and control” leadership style that says the boss can’t make a single mistake) isn’t working anymore. If you want to improve your team’s performance, you need to fail. Which means you need to be willing to fail in front of your team. In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager and guest Colin Hunter explore the power of making mistakes. Colin, the author of Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You an Outstanding Leader, says that if you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t pushing hard enough.  In Episode 103, you’ll learn: ✅ Why strong leadership seems to be missing in government and business in 2025. ✅ How embracing "Be More Wrong" can transform your leadership approach. ✅ Colin’s revolutionary four key leadership styles: Host, Energizer, Disruptor, and Catalyst ✅ How to create "playgrounds" where team members can safely experiment and learn. ✅ Why recruiting for humility, hunger, and people smarts is crucial for team success. ✅ The concept of being "antifragile" as a leader by deliberately seeking challenges. Meet today’s guest: Colin is the CEO of the global leadership development company PotentialSquared, where he’s helped leaders transform their teams for over two decades. How does he do it? By disrupting traditional approaches and inspiring new ways to think about leadership centered on purposeful practice.  Ready to build a successful team that embraces experimentation, fails on purpose, and ultimately, sells more?  Listen to the full episode now!  🔥Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥Connect with today’s guest, Colin Hunter on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/colinhunter 🔥Get Your Copy of Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You an Outstanding Leader amazon.com/Be-More-Wrong-Failure-Outstanding/dp/177458039X 🔥Learn more about PotentialSquared → potential2.com

Imagine landing a large contract with a Fortune 500 company without having to pitch for the business. That’s what happened to Feras Alhlou when Google referred Salesforce to his company.  In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager and seasoned entrepreneur and business advisor Feras Alhlou explore how strategic partnerships can unlock higher-quality leads, increase deal size, and create premium positioning to differentiate your company from competitors. In Episode 102, you’ll learn: ✅ The power of starting small and persisting through difficult times ✅ How a growth mindset helps you continuously move upmarket to larger, more profitable clients ✅ Why niching down your business can drive massive growth ✅ Why you must treat partnerships like a primary marketing channel  ✅ The power of becoming an evangelist of your partner’s products or services ✅ How to build valuable and strategic relationships so partners refer qualified leads ✅ The crucial difference between passion and skill and why passion isn’t enough Meet Today’s Guest: In 2004, Feras Alhlou drained his 401(k) to start a digital marketing company. In 2019, he sold that same company for eight figures to Dentsu, one of the world's largest marketing firms. His company’s success didn’t come down to luck—growth came from making strategic decisions, taking consistent action, and building lasting relationships. Are you ready to build and leverage partnerships to get high-quality referrals and sell more? Listen to the full episode now!  🔥 Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → hi.switchy.io/markdrager 🔥 Connect with today’s guest, Feras Alhlou on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/ferasalhlou 🔥 Learn more about Startup With Feras → startupwithferas.com

Can a great marketing strategy make up for a damaged brand reputation? In today’s market, the answer might surprise you. In Episode 101 of How To Sell More, Dave Fulk, CEO of Reputation Rhino, reveals why even brilliant marketing falls flat when your brand's reputation is compromised. He shares why leaving your online presence unmanaged isn't just risky—it hands the control to others. Listen to learn: Why the first moments of online research make or break customer relationships—and what that means for your business The essential three-pillar approach to reputation management: building, protecting, and repairing How aligning trust across company, product, and personal levels creates authentic connections that drive sales Whether you're wrestling with negative reviews, working to reshape your corporate image, or safeguarding your hard-won reputation, this conversation is for you. Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager  

Do you remember your first concert? The buzz of the crowd. The kinetic energy in the air. Thousands of people singing in unison. Your people. Your tribe. What if your company could foster that type of connection? What if you could create your own fanbase? A group of customers who love what you do and how you do it so much that they advocate on your behalf. What would these connections allow your company to do? What would that kind of fanbase free you up from? Could you stop chasing customers? Stop competing on price? In this landmark 100th episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager sits down with customer experience expert Brittany Hodak to unlock the secrets of turning customers into superfans—the kind who don't just buy, but evangelize. Along with being a wildly popular speaker, Brittany is the author of Creating Superfans: How To Turn Your Customers Into Lifelong Advocates. In this episode, we cover: How to transform your business from "just another option" into a movement people want to be part of The psychology behind why some brands inspire undying loyalty while others remain forgettable A proven framework for creating experiences so remarkable, your customers can't help but talk about them If you're ready to stop chasing customers and start attracting advocates who champion your brand, this conversation is your backstage pass to making it happen.   Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Content is everywhere. And that makes attention, especially our prospects’ and customers’ attention, a hot commodity. Because every company and brand is competing for the same, very limited set of eyes.   In this episode, Mark Drager explores uncomfortable truths about paid advertising with Steve Pratt, the author of Earn It: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers. Steve shares why your team needs to leverage unconventional marketing strategies to earn attention - rather than trying to buy it.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why traditional advertising isn’t working How Dell transformed its brand perception without relying on ads Why you need to take bold, unconventional steps to gain a loyal audience The unexpected impact of long-form content Why providing value is more important than visibility  How you can harness creativity and storytelling to compete with major brands    Steve Pratt is the co-founder of The Creativity Business, which offers speaking, workshops, and consulting to help companies develop differentiated content, marketing, and messaging that earns attention. He’s also the co-founder of the world’s first branded podcast agency, Pacific Content, named one of Entrepreneur’s 100 Brilliant Companies.    Ready to earn your audience’s attention and see real results from your marketing? Listen now! Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager