Sales [UN]Training

Sales managers often dream about turning their best technical minds into sales machines—but more often than not, it falls flat. Why? Because it takes more than product expertise. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sits down with Kermitt Francis, a former auditor and coder turned Director of Business Development, who shares exactly what makes that rare technical-to-sales transition actually work. Kermitt didn’t just memorize the features. He built relationships by caring more about the person than the pitch. His story is packed with practical insight: how to identify technical folks with sales potential, the three traits to look for before making the leap, and why most “big personality” reps crash and burn. You’ll also hear how Kermitt trains his team, how he uses personal experience to connect with clients, and how to keep your emotional energy steady through the highs and lows of sales. This isn’t theory. It’s a masterclass in how empathy, listening, and genuine care create trust—and trust closes deals. If you’re looking for a new approach to building a sales team from your technical bench, this is your playbook. 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

Most sales kickoff meetings are a massive waste of time and money — and worst of all, they’re not actually training your team. Kelly breaks down why we keep getting it wrong and what sales leaders can do to finally make these meetings matter. Sales kickoff meetings have become a staple in the corporate world — packed hotel ballrooms, slick presentations, motivational speakers, product updates... but very little actual sales development. In this episode, Kelly calls out the elephant in the room: these meetings are often a “sales dumpster fire,” with little thought given to real learning, retention, or performance improvement. Kelly shares personal stories from his early days in sales that show just how little real training takes place — and how easy it is to confuse product knowledge with sales skills. He challenges sales leaders to stop patting themselves on the back for content crammed agendas and start asking the hard questions: What are we trying to achieve? Where’s the actual skill development? Why is there no plan before or after the event? But this isn’t just a rant. Kelly offers a practical, high-impact strategy: bring in your top reps to share real success stories — complete with Q&A — so the entire team learns from the field, not just the front of the room. You’ll walk away with a simple but powerful idea that can instantly upgrade your next kickoff meeting and actually move the needle on sales performance. 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

Most salespeople never get the real information they need to close deals—and it's not their fault. In this episode, Kelly breaks down how poor discovery training sabotages your team and what to do instead. Discovery is the most important phase of the sales process—and the one most salespeople get totally wrong. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly explains why most reps don’t get the depth of information they need to win deals and how sales leaders are unintentionally setting them up to fail. Kelly explains how typical sales training programs overwhelm reps with product knowledge but never teach them how to have meaningful conversations. The result? Salespeople lead with product, fire off a list of generic questions, and turn discovery calls into interrogations. The prospect feels like a target, not a partner—and the deal dies right there. You’ll hear why the answer behind the answer is the real key to closing deals, how curiosity and emotional intelligence drive effective discovery, and why most reps struggle to ask deeper follow-ups. Kelly also shares a practical example of how to turn a basic “we’re having a challenge with X” response into a full, trust-building dialogue. If you’re a VP or manager responsible for a team, this episode is a masterclass in rewiring your sales training approach. Learn how to equip your reps to create real conversations, uncover personal and professional motivators, and win in competitive markets. 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

Most salespeople are using AI wrong—and it's showing. Kelly and guest Jeff Bajorek of Outbound Squad unpack how to stop getting generic junk from ChatGPT and start using it to actually improve your sales game. Salespeople love shortcuts—but AI isn’t one. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly is joined by Jeff Bajorek to dismantle the lazy approach most reps are taking with ChatGPT. Spoiler: If your prompts are weak, your outputs will be worse. Jeff shares how he pulled the most common AI prompts from sales pros—and why they’re failing to move the needle. You’ll hear the top 10 things reps are asking AI to do (hint: it’s mostly their job), and the smarter way to leverage the tool. They break down why ChatGPT is not a better Google and how it can become your best practice partner. Jeff walks through how he’s using AI for personalized role play—complete with real-time feedback, tone analysis, and escalating difficulty levels. No awkward team huddles, no judgment—just pure reps. Kelly jumps in with stories from the field, how he’s spotting AI in job candidate submissions, and why using AI to "act human" might backfire if you’re not ready for the follow-up questions. If you're a VP of Sales or a frontline manager wondering how to integrate AI into your training without dumbing things down—this episode is your roadmap. Plus, Kelly closes with a reality check: AI is here to handle the tasks that aren’t human, so your people can do what only humans can—build real trust and relationships. 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

Most companies completely ignore their best sales tool—one that’s right in front of them. In this episode, Kelly breaks down why sales success stories are the key to effective training and how they separate top sellers from the rest. Instead of training sales reps to memorize product specs and generic value statements, companies should be arming them with real-world wins. Kelly explains why success stories boost confidence, increase credibility, and make salespeople far more effective in conversations with prospects. He shares how companies are wasting this invaluable tool and gives a step-by-step approach to making it a core part of sales training. You’ll learn how to: Use success stories to accelerate onboarding and training Differentiate yourself from the competition without sounding like every other salesperson Turn real wins into powerful closing tools Shift sales meetings from complaining sessions to confidence-building opportunities If you want to help your sales team break out of the cycle of generic pitches and start winning more deals, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t keep making the same sales training mistakes from 40 years ago—fix it now. 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

Salespeople love to say that selling is all about relationships—but they’re wrong. In this episode, Kelly breaks down why trust, not just relationships, wins deals and what salespeople must do differently to stop losing on price. For years, sales trainers have drilled the idea that "selling is all about relationships." But what if that’s not just misleading—it’s outright wrong? In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs dismantles one of the most overused and abused concepts in sales: the relationship myth. Yes, relationships matter—but they’re not what closes deals. Trust is. Kelly explains why most salespeople confuse rapport with real relationships and why being “liked” isn’t enough. If you’re still relying on small talk and common interests to build relationships, you’re already losing. What actually creates trust? Kelly lays out a proven approach to building credibility and expertise in sales conversations. He reveals why most salespeople fail—they jump straight to pitching without first establishing real value. You’ll learn how to flip the script and make your conversations about the customer, not about you. Plus, Kelly shares the biggest trust-killers in sales, why most managers avoid addressing underperformance, and the simple mindset shift that will change how you sell forever. If you’re tired of losing deals on price, this episode is a must-listen.   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

Sales leaders often claim they don’t have time for one-on-one meetings—but what if skipping them is costing you more time and revenue? In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down why structured 1:1s are a game-changer for coaching, accountability, and building a high-performance sales culture. Time is the number one excuse sales leaders give for avoiding one-on-one meetings with their team—but what if these meetings could actually save time and dramatically improve performance? In this episode, Kelly Riggs challenges the common objections sales managers have about 1:1s and makes the case for why they are an essential (and often overlooked) leadership tool. He shares insights from his own sales management journey and explains why reactive leadership—constantly putting out fires—only creates more chaos. Kelly walks through the key elements of an effective 1:1, including the critical questions you should ask to drive pipeline growth and performance. He also warns against turning these meetings into simple status updates, instead emphasizing their potential for coaching, problem-solving, and relationship-building. If you're tired of underperformance and firefighting, this episode is for you! Plus, Kelly offers a free copy of his book One-on-One Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t. 🎧 Listen now and start leading smarter. 📩 Want a free book? Email Kelly at kelly@bizlockerroom.com 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

Promoting top salespeople into leadership roles often backfires when they continue to close deals instead of developing their team. In this episode, Kelly Riggs breaks down why this common mistake stifles growth and shares a powerful strategy to turn new sales managers into effective leaders. Why do so many great salespeople struggle when they become sales leaders? Because they keep doing what got them promoted—selling—when they should be coaching, mentoring, and developing their team. In this episode, Kelly Riggs dissects one of the biggest “sales dumpster fires” plaguing organizations: the self-limiting sales leader. He explains why closing deals for your team is not only unsustainable but also cripples long-term sales performance. Kelly lays out the three major pitfalls of this leadership trap, from burning out managers to stalling team growth and frustrating sales reps. He also reveals a game-changing 4-part strategy to ensure new sales managers start off on the right foot—an in-depth, 30-day assessment process that helps them understand their team’s strengths and weaknesses. Instead of being the star performer, a sales leader’s job is to create an entire team of high performers. If you're a VP of Sales or a new sales manager, this episode is packed with insights to help you build a scalable, high-performing team. 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

Brandon White, VP of Sales & Marketing at Multivac, shares his 22-year sales journey from administrator to executive, offering firsthand insights on what it really takes to ramp up new sales reps effectively. Learn why most sales training fails, the critical role of leadership in development, and how to transform your sales team into high performers. Bringing new salespeople up to speed is one of the toughest challenges in any organization, yet many companies still expect reps to perform without a solid foundation. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs sits down with Brandon White, VP of Sales & Marketing at Multivac, to discuss the realities of onboarding and training sales reps effectively. Brandon started his career as a sales administrator and worked his way up over 22 years, giving him a unique perspective on talent development, sales training, and leadership. Brandon and Kelly dive into the common mistakes companies make in sales training, why new reps need at least 3-6 months to become productive, and how organizations can accelerate learning while ensuring long-term success. They also discuss the importance of leadership in guiding new salespeople, why face-to-face selling still matters in a digital world, and the critical skills that separate top-performing sales leaders from the rest. If you're a sales VP, sales leader, or sales trainer, this episode is packed with actionable insights to rethink how you develop your team and create lasting sales success. 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

Is selling just another form of manipulation, or is it about real influence? In this episode, Kelly unpacks the fine line between persuasion and deception, exposing the biggest mistakes in sales training that are ruining trust and results. Are salespeople manipulative? It’s a question that makes most sales pros uncomfortable, but the truth might surprise you. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly breaks down the real difference between influence and manipulation—why some sales tactics push prospects away, and what actually builds trust. Too many sales teams are failing because they’ve been trained the wrong way. Instead of building credibility, they’re making exaggerated claims, forcing relationships, and talking way too much. Kelly explains why these common habits feel manipulative to prospects and how to fix them. Plus, he reveals the one thing that separates a true sales professional from a con artist—it’s not what you think. Sales training has become a broken system, and it’s time to rewire the way we approach it. If you’re tired of hearing the same old sales advice that doesn’t work, this episode will challenge everything you know about selling. And for sales managers: Are you afraid to confront underperformance? Kelly explains why ignoring low performers is the fastest way to kill your sales culture—and what to do instead. If you want to sell with integrity, build real relationships, and actually close more deals, don’t miss this one. 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