Sales Gravy: Jeb Blount

Let’s kill the myth: sales coaching isn’t just for newbies or underperformers.  It’s for closers, leaders, and the ones who want more—more pipeline, more wins, more control over their career. If you're in sales, you need coaching. Period. This isn’t feel-good fluff. Sales is a performance sport. Every high-performance athlete has a coach, and every inspiring performer has a mentor for a reason. Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs a coach. From the elite to the desperate, everyone can benefit from guidance. 1. The Desperate: The Bottom 20% You know who you are. You’re missing quota—again. Every call feels heavier, your confidence is tanking, and you’re out of answers. Here’s the truth: you don’t need more time—you need better habits, tighter processes, and someone to call out your excuses. You need guidance. Sales coaching forces you to stop guessing and start fixing. A good coach will rip the blinders off: Are you dodging the phones? Are you hesitating at the close? Are you talking too much and listening too little? You're not going to claw your way out of the bottom 20% by working harder. You get out by working smarter, with someone who’s done it before and won’t let you off the hook. Find yourself a coach—do it now—before the hole you’ve dug gets any deeper. 2. The Mediocre Middle You’re not bottom of the pack, but you’re not standing out either. You’re just … fine. Quietly average. Here you are, coasting on a couple of decent months, dodging attention, not making waves, paying your bills but treading water accomplishment-wise. And that should scare you. This is not where you want to be. This is where most reps stay stuck—not because they don’t care, but because they don’t change. Coaching breaks the cycle of complacency. It’s the flashlight in the dark that shows you exactly what’s holding you back. Weak discovery? Inconsistent follow-ups? Soft closes? You don’t need a miracle. You need fresh eyes and someone who pushes you past the edge of “fine.” Seek out a coach who’s been there and knows how to break through the ceiling you’re trapped under. 3. The Ultra High Performer You’re already top tier. You’ve pushed your way into the 5%. President’s Club. You’ve got the trophies, the income, and the T-shirt to prove it. So why do you need coaching? Because the best never stop training. They don’t rest on wins—they refine, seek out marginal gains, and build muscle when others relax. Coaching helps you identify the 2mm adjustments that turn a winner into a legend. The ultra-high performers I’ve seen who get coaching consistently shorten deal cycles, multiply referrals, and close with precision. The ego stays in check, the mindset stays sharp, and the momentum stays up. They’re breaking into enterprise-level sales on the regular. The moment you stop chasing growth is the moment someone else starts catching up. Your ideal coach has climbed to the top of the mountain themselves and is willing to help you scale it, too. 4. The Solopreneur You’re running a business, selling the service, delivering the product, and following up with the clients. You’re building the plane mid-air. But let’s be real—most solopreneurs need some help to truly master sales. With your passion, you’re the best sales rep for your product you’ll ever have—but right now, you’re winging it. “Coaching helps you build a real sales process—consistent outreach, confident pricing, and predictable revenue.  You can’t afford wasted time or wasted energy. A coach helps you cut distractions, stop chasing bad-fit leads, and finally build the kind of pipeline that scales with you. If you want to play a bigger game, you’ve got to start selling like a pro—not an amateur. Go land a coach who’s as committed to making you a top-tier sales rep as you are to your business. 5. The Sales Leader You coach your team, run the numbers, and lead the meetings. You’re trying to hit your own number while calling all...

Listen as a field sales rep shares his challenges of prospecting on the go, juggling meetings and proposals from his truck. The host offers insight on shifting focus from rigid time blocks to achieving daily activity goals, emphasizing the importance of micro-prospecting sessions throughout a hectic schedule. Tips abound on maximizing efficiency with scheduling techniques, logging calls, and using 'platinum hours' effectively. It's all about being persistent and adaptable in the fast-paced world of outside sales!

On this Money Monday, we're going back to Augusta where Rory McIlroy finally won The Masters and in doing so gave us 5 lessons for chasing and achieving dreams. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t clean. It was gritty, emotional, and one of the most unforgettable moments in sports history.  Rory stepped onto the first tee looking calm, focused. Like a man who’d been here before, and this time, was ready to finish it. He was 12-under. Two shots clear. It was his tournament to lose. Then it unraveled almost immediately. A loose drive. Bad bounce. Scrambled recovery. Double bogey. That kind of start can break a player, especially at Augusta National, especially when the stakes are this high. But this year would be different. Here are five lessons we can learn from Rory Mcllroy's journey to immortality at the Masters: Lesson #1: Pressure Doesn’t Break You—It Reveals You That double bogey on the first hole could’ve crushed him. It has crushed players before. It’s crushed him before. But this time, Rory leaned into the moment. In sales, the pressure hits you just as fast. A lost deal, a missed number, or an impossible quarter. You don’t get to run from it. You fail to the level of your habits, your mindset, and your preparation. What shows up when you’re squeezed is your true game. Lesson #2: Respect the Long Game Rory didn’t panic; he recalibrated. He birdied 3, then 4. No showboating. No hero shots. Just control. He played tight through the front 9. His game wasn’t flashy—just steady. He didn’t chase. He didn’t press. Rory played smart. He trusted the process and took what the course gave him. He didn’t win with a miracle chip. He won with patience. Tempo. Smart decisions. He trusted the process. That’s how deals close. That’s how pipeline builds. You qualify. You follow up. You show up again. And you earn the right to close when the buyer’s ready—not when you’re desperate to sell. Trust the process, be consistent, and believe in your system. Lesson #3: How You Lose Matters More Than How You Win But the Augusta National did what the Augusta National always does—it tightened its grip. The 11th is long, brutal, and unforgiving. His approach caught the small bumpy hills that line the green side fairway and scuttled left. The ball screamed toward the left pond and stopped just short. Rory was able to make the save for bogey. "Amen Corner," he must have whispered to himself, exasperated. Rae’s Creek was, again, waiting on 13—and it got him. His 89-yard chip landed short and skipped into the water. Another bogey. He was slipping. You could see it in his face. The sweat. The searching for focus. The doubt that has haunted his Masters’ history creeping in around the edges. The crowd got quiet. Could it be another collapse. On the 15th, after his tee shot put him left of the fairway blocked by three Georgia Pines, Rory stood at the top of the hill—one of the last true scoring chances on the course. He pulled a 7-iron for 220 yards. A high, arching draw that tracked perfectly, landing soft on the right side of the green and rolling to within five feet of the pin. Rory bounced down the fairway to the green, walking on clouds. The crowd enveloped him in a unified chant. Then he landed another birdie on 17. Suddenly, he was back to 11-under—tied with Justin Rose, who was charging from behind with a 66 and had the crowd buzzing. 18 was Rory’s chance to seal it. But his second shot found the bunker. The blast out was clean, but the putt too strong. He missed. The gallery groaned. Another Masters heartbreak? Was this all too much to fight in one day? Did he have one more, two more, three more holes?  But Rory didn’t show frustration or melt down. He reset and walked back to the tee box for the playoff with Rose. For years, Rory has taken losses on the chin. No excuses. No drama. Just class. Grace matters. Your mindset matters. Clients see that in sales. They notice how you act when the deal doesn’t go y...

After hitting your sales target, don’t rush to splurge! Learn to manage your earnings wisely with a 50/30/20 rule for spending, savings, and debt. Build an 'Oh Crap' fund to weather the financial ups and downs of sales. Discover the importance of financial planning and regular family discussions about goals. Through personal stories, each speaker shares insights on navigating the unique challenges of sales income, emphasizing discipline and the need for a structured approach to financial stability.

Channel sales can be tricky when competing brands line the shelves. The concept of 'pull-through' sales becomes key, allowing customers to request your product directly. Educating and collaborating with engineers can create a competitive edge early on. Strong relationships with distributors and contractors help in navigating challenges, while strategic marketing boosts brand preference. Proactive support and training further enhance distributor partnerships, driving sales success in a crowded marketplace.

Sales professionals face a significant hurdle with decision deferment objections as buyers become skittish in volatile markets. Fear stemming from economic uncertainty leads stakeholders to hesitate, opting for the 'wait and see' approach. The podcast dives into effective strategies to address these objections by fostering empathy and proactive communication. It emphasizes that in times of fear, how you sell becomes more crucial than the product itself, urging salespeople to adapt their techniques to close deals successfully.

Cynthia Handel, Head of Outbound Sales at a medtech company, dives into the nuts and bolts of effective sales. She reveals that real success comes from mastering the basics, not relying on fancy tools or hacks. Cynthia emphasizes the power of cold calling and structured communication, sharing her journey from real estate to corporate sales. She discusses the importance of perseverance, consistent daily activities, and fostering a supportive sales environment. Ultimately, she champions solid fundamentals as the heart of closing deals.

Explore the struggles of selling in an age where buyers believe they know it all. Discover the essence of consultative selling, which focuses on guiding clients to recognize their true challenges. Learn how to foster trust and build relationships instead of just pushing for a sale. This approach emphasizes curiosity, informed questioning, and genuine understanding of client needs—transforming interactions into valuable partnerships. It's about listening more and talking less, ensuring you adapt to the modern sales landscape.

Economic turmoil has turned selling into a daunting task. Recent market crashes have left buyers gripped by fear, making them hesitant to take risks. In this climate, due diligence and a solid sales process are more crucial than ever. Sellers must stay true to fundamental principles rather than relying on shortcuts. Maintaining a positive attitude could help rebuild buyer confidence and navigate through this uncertainty. Mistakes can be costly, so sellers must be mindful of their approach to avoid sending prospects over the edge.

Mike Maples Jr., founding partner at Floodgate and author of "Pattern Breakers," discusses the art of rule-bending in sales. He emphasizes that top performers thrive by breaking away from conventional practices and embracing calculated risks. Maples highlights the importance of fanatical prospecting, reinventing sales strategies, and targeting innovative customers. He encourages listeners to challenge norms and redefine their routines to stand out in a competitive market, stating that success comes from those willing to change the rules and think differently.