Super-Simple, Common Sales Management Mistakes

Mike is thrilled to host long-time friend Jeff Bajorek for this fun, unplanned, impromptu episode. They had a blast over two days of golf and catching up on business, and when Delta delayed Jeff's return flight home from St. Louis, Mike made the most of the opportunity and got Jeff in front of the mic.

If you like blunt truth about sales and sales management, you will LOVE this conversation between Mike and sales leadership expert and author, Kelly Riggs. Enjoy hearing these truth-tellers finish each other's sentences as they tackle several biggies, including… The fact that "the system" sales managers are dropped into is often what gets in the way of success The crime that so many successful sellers get promoted into management roles with exactly ZERO preparation, training, or clarity about their new roles Why newer leaders are not leading, but instead becoming what Kelly calls "SuperDoers" jumping into every sales call, presentation, negotiation, etc. This may sting but listen in as Kelly declares that just about every problem in corporate America is a leader problem – the type of problem that cannot be solved with tactical solutions and flavor-of-the-day initiatives! Near the conclusion of the episode, Mike has Kelly share why he wrote his captivating new book, The Five Power Moves: How Struggling Sales Managers Become Transformational Sales Leaders. It's short, powerful, entertaining, and packed with both truths that hurt and the fixes (power moves) to overcome many of today's toughest sales management challenges. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Kelly's book, The Five Power Moves _________________________________ This episode is sponsored by Pursuit Sales Solutions. If you are looking for help adding A-player talent to your team, contact Mike's friends at pursuitsalessolutions.com/weinberg

Mike is back after a break and as blunt as ever in Episode 112. Listen in as he shares his concerns that way too many sellers are defaulting (or acquiescing) to the buyer's process or getting trapped playing to procurement people. The consequences are devastating, particularly when you sell premium offerings at a premium price! As Mike often reminds sales teams, THERE IS NO LAW that the prospect/customer gets to dictate our relationship terms or rules of engagement. Just because a buyer (or procurement weenie) asks you to do something that does not mean it's the right thing to do or the right time to do it. Professional, mature, consultative sellers OWN THEIR PROCESS and do everything in their power to come across as true advisors and value creators, not as yes-men/women, order takers, vendors, or commodity sellers. As teased in the episode title, Mike shares that one of the big keys to defeating procurement and winning bigger, tougher deals is for the salesperson to get close to, and demonstrate as much value as possible to, the senior stakeholders who care deeply about (and likely own) the outcomes that your solutions produce. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Episode 19 (originally released December 1, 2021): Salespeople Who Act Like Obedient Order-Takers and Yes-Men/Women Don't Win More Business. Listen on Mike's site at https://mikeweinberg.com/podcast/episode19/ or find the episode on your favorite platform. Mike's book Sales Truth

In Episode 111, Mike offers a "stream of consciousness" delivering observations and takeaways from leading recent cohort sessions for sales leadership teams implementing the RPA accountability framework. A senior executive asked: "As we roll out the RPA meeting as prescribed, what are two pieces of advice (the two keys) that will guarantee success? Without hesitating, Mike responded with: Cadence Consistency Mike explains why the regular rhythm of the manager-salesperson 1:1 accountability meeting is what actually changes behavior (and culture), and why consistency across managers is critical. Throughout the organization, sales leaders must conduct the RPA meeting with a similar tone, progression, and rigor. Mike also cautioned leaders about confusing a "fat" pipeline with a healthy one. A pipeline packed with stale, aging, going-dark deals may at first glance appear "full," but not one that will necessarily translate into closed business. He goes on to make the case that a "fresh" pipeline may actually be more valuable than a fat one filled with stalled, old opportunities that are growing mold! And that is exactly why Mike believes the single most important accountability question sales leaders can ask every rep is: "What NEW opportunities did you create last month? What new deals are in your pipeline that were not here during our last RPA meeting?" If you are serious about strengthening accountability, (without micromanaging or demotivating sellers), improving sales management effectiveness, and driving MORE New Sales, this episode is for you. ____________________________ The final Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event of the year is October 7th at The Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. Join Mike and 55 driven sales leaders tackling the biggest topics in sales management. Learn more and register here: www.mikeweinberg.com/atlanta2026 ____________________________ This episode is sponsored by Pursuit Sales Solutions. If you are looking for help adding A-player talent to your team, contact Mike's friends at pursuitsalessolutions.com/weinberg

In Episode 110, Mike shares a sad personal update and tackles one of the most important and most misunderstood sales leadership issues: Sales DNA. Prompted by client work, fresh research, and a painfully honest post-race interview from the Indy 500, Mike challenges sales leaders to stop pretending that your "nice," relational salespeople are going to be successful hunters! Mike also breaks down several aspects of selling (the sales process/cycle) that demonstrate why top new-business salespeople must be highly resilient in the face of rejection, and comfortable with conflict. From prospecting and handling objections to negotiating, displacing incumbents, and closing, he makes the case that sales hunters face risk, rejection, and conflict every single day—and if your people aren't wired for that, no amount of coaching, compensation, or accountability will magically turn zookeepers into new business development killers. __________________________________ This episode is sponsored by Pursuit Sales Solutions. If you are looking for help adding A-player talent to your team, contact Mike's friends at pursuitsalessolutions.com/weinberg