The Sales History Podcast

Send us a textIf the saying "if we don't know history, are we doomed to repeat it" is true, then why can't we use history to also predict the future? In this episode, I attempt to do just that. "Buyers know more nowadays" isn't just a quote from LinkedIn today, but also from a sales book in 1912! More information hasn't meant the demise of the profession - it's created more of a need for it!With this in mind, let's dissect the past to predict the future! Support the show

Send us a textIsn't it ironic? Today, we fret over the challenge of building and leading teams that are all remote. However, the original sales leaders in the "modern" era of sales (i.e., 1907-1920s) - were REMOTE sales leaders. And, they built, trained and motivated teams without Slack, without email, or without even the ability to talk to them on the phone!In this episode, we explore the origins of sales leadership, how it was done remotely, and attempt to tie those concepts to today's remote requirement.Support the show

Send us a text100 years ago - 1922 - the sales world encountered a year with 85% salesperson turnover. You read that right! A year when "sales executives discharged practically ALL of their salesmen"! The crazy part - just 18 months earlier, the sales world "took almost anybody into their sales forces". What happened? Could it happen again today? The lead-up is eerily familiar. Better to know so we can avoid it than bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it cannot happen, right?Support the show

Send us a textThe best podcasts give you access to top performers; salespeople, leaders & influencers, right? But, how about a top performer...from 100+ years ago?!?This week I've got a special episode for you -  where I (fake) interview Norval Hawkins (1867-1936), known as the greatest salesperson to ever work for Ford, whom Henry Ford himself referred to as "my million dollar man". Hawkin's writing is profound, just thinking about things differently - but incredibly applicable to today.So, in this interview, I play the role of podcast interviewer, and I play the role of Norval Hawkins, answering the questions using his own thoughts from ~ 100 years ago.If you have feedback, let's hear it! Reach out via www.toddcaponi.com, connect on LinkedIn, or follow on Instagram or Twitter @SalesHistorian, where I post daily with quotes from sales history's past.Support the show

Send us a textThe question: Where did the qualification construct BANT come from? In looking for the answer, I realized something...Sales processes of the early 20th century? All buyer-focused steps - what is the buyer doing? Sales processes since the 1950's, when BANT came around? All seller-focused, all the way down to our CRM stages.To be truly buyer-focused, shouldn't our processes & measures be housed in recognizing buyer behavior?Support the show

Send us a textSales compensation - commission-only until the 1900's. And, for good reason. You wouldn't pay a rep you rarely see a salary, right? Sales are face-to-face. Travel is slow, there's no real-time distance communication, and no CRM system, so it's what you did. Sell something, get paid - a lot. Don't sell something, don't get paid. The birth of salary+commission changed that, and inspired the need for quotas. In this episode, we track that progression, the original purpose of a quota, and how we've convoluted that purpose over time. Maybe we should consider going back?Support the show

Send us a textCold calling - some love it, some hate it, but when did it start? Specifically, when did salespeople start cold canvassing (in-person), and when did they start doing it using the telephone?The answers are pretty clear, and what you find in a Google search are NOT the correct answers...clearly. Let's debunk the false, and get to the truth about where our cold outreach began.Support the show

Send us a textAre you responsible for "drumming up business" in your role? Do you "carry a bag" as a salesperson? Do you know where those terms come from? They come from the traveling salespeople of the 1800s. In today's episode, I tell their story - of the hard-drinking, back-slapping "Drummer" - and of the horseback riding "Bagmen" - what it was like to be one, and where those terms came from.@SalesHistorian on Twitter or InstagramSupport the show

Send us a textMany view the past-10-plus-the-next-10-years as a period where technology is and will completely change the sales profession. But if we use history as a guide, where technology was changing an awful lot more than it is today, salespeople will ruin it again.  The rise of the telephone, email, even LinkedIn...may have done more harm than good for a profession reliant on its reputation.In this look back at the rise of technology-enabled sales from the advent of the telephone, we explore the lessons learned from sales' past as our filter for selecting the sales technologies we leverage in the future.Support the show

Send us a textIf there was a Hall of Fame of sales thought leaders & pioneers, who would you put in it? Zig Ziglar? Dale Carnegie? Brian Tracy? Who else?Arthur Sheldon needs to be on that list - I'd argue ahead of all three! Lost in the pages of sales history's past, upon his death in 1935, the Chicago Daily Tribune referred to him as “the author of more works on salesmanship than any other person” and “THE philosopher of selling.” Today, I share his story. Support the show