Breaking Sales

This week on Breaking Sales, we conclude our eye-opening conversation on the psychology of high performance with Dr. Eric Potterat and Alan Eagle, authors of "Learned Excellence: Mental Disciplines for Leading and Winning from the World's Top Performers." In this final installment, we'll challenge some common misconceptions about excellence, explore the power of your social circle in shaping your...

What do Navy SEALs, professional athletes, and top sales professionals all have in common? On the surface, it may not seem like much.  However, when you dig a little deeper, you'll notice a crucial commonality: They actively cultivate and practice learned mental disciplines to optimize their performance under pressure. In part two of our conversation with Dr. Eric Potterat and Alan Eagle, authors...

For the 150th episode of Breaking Sales, we're welcoming "Learned Excellence" co-authors Dr. Eric Potterat, a leading performance psychologist who has worked with everyone from professional athletes to Navy SEALs; and Alan Eagle, a former Managing Director at Google and an executive communications consultant, to explore how excellence can be learned and is absolutely accessible to all of us, regar...

Have you ever found yourself walking a tightrope between being perceived as too aggressive or not assertive enough in the workplace? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Pam and Kristie share their perspective on assertiveness in the workplace. Drawing from their extensive experience as female leaders in male-dominated industries, they challenge common gender biases and explore the difference betwee...

Have you ever wondered why some salespeople consistently outperform others, even those who, on the surface, appear equally talented? High performance is not just about natural ability - it's also about the intensity and quality of preparation. Chances are, these top sales professionals are spending more time and energy preparing for their meetings than their peers.  In this Snippet, Dan sits down...

Have you reached your full potential? If you're a high performer, the answer should be a resounding "not yet." There's always room for growth, always another level to reach. Personal growth is a never-ending journey where we are constantly working toward becoming the next version of ourselves. The secret is learning how to embrace that change. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam dive de...

It's no secret: many people in high-performance careers pride themselves on their work ethic. At first, the late nights, early mornings, and minimal sleep feel exciting and fulfilling. But as time goes on and they advance further in their careers, many begin to realize this approach isn't sustainable, or even productive in the long run. In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam explore the cr...

Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a sales conversation with your product demo ready. You've rehearsed your presentation to perfection, knowing every line and figure by heart, only to find your prospect is disengaged and uninterested in your production. There's a reason this didn't work: You made the conversation about yourself. Instead of approaching the prospect with curiosity and aski...

Sales leaders often stress the importance of differentiation. But what if I told you that the conventional wisdom on how to stand out in sales conversations actually makes you sound more like everyone else? When have you ever heard a competitor of yours say to the prospect, "our resources aren't that good?"  Differentiation isn't about having the most offices, the smartest people, or even the best...

When was the last time you actually enjoyed responding to an RFP? The harsh reality is that buyer expectations are through the roof. The old playbook just doesn't cut it anymore. But what if there was a way to completely flip the script on RFPs? To turn them from a soul-crushing exercise into a chance to truly connect with your prospects? In this episode, Kristie and Dan dive into the mindset shif...

Are you brave enough to ask a prospect if they've tried fixing their problem with their current provider? Or does the risk that you could potentially lose a deal fill you with dread?  Sales professionals often struggle with getting too attached in these situations, especially when they're excited about closing a deal. If you want to improve your sales conversations, you have to become very self-aw...

Have you ever felt a rush of excitement when a prospect says something positive about your sales conversation? That moment when you are sure you have it in the bag? Not so fast. In this episode, Dan and Pam explore a dangerous pitfall in sales - the temptation to hear what you want to believe, not what your prospect is actually saying. They'll dive into why labeling interactions as "good" or "bad"...

Most salespeople approach rapport-building wrong, and here's why: they rely on superficial small talk that prospects can see right through, they abruptly switch from "rapport mode" to "sales mode," creating a jarring experience, or they assume rapport is only about finding common ground, when it's really about creating a much deeper connection. These mistakes don't just fail to build trust – they...

What if the key to your success is hidden in the words you probably dread hearing most: "Can I give you some feedback?" For most people, those six words might cause your defenses to rise and your mind to race. But what if your mindset around feedback is actually a predictor of your future success? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam challenge the way professionals respond to feedback. W...

Think about the most valuable feedback you've ever received, or that question that really helped you solve a problem by thinking both objectively and differently. Was there some level of discomfort at first? Did you have to lower your guard a little bit so you could objectively receive and debate either the feedback or the question? And more importantly, how did the experience impact how you felt...

Are you comfortable asking the tough questions? Or do you find yourself holding back, afraid to rock the boat? That hesitation can be counterintuitive, as the ability to ask challenging questions may be the difference between closing a deal and watching it slip away.  So how do you develop the confidence to push past your comfort zone and take the conversation into uncharted waters? In this snippe...

What would happen if excuses and insecurities no longer held you back, and you were able to approach your prospecting with calm, confidence, and conviction? In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam talk about how you can evolve your mindset and minimize annoying insecurities that hold you back. They cover conviction and how it can transform your performance, including why waiting for externa...

In this Snippet, Pam and Dan explore the power of process in transforming your sales results. You'll learn how to scale your prospecting efforts and build a consistent, high-performing sales machine. We'll break down how to tackle prospecting in an organized, consistent way, and why daily habits reduce stress.   If you're ready to take your sales game to the next level, listen to this snippet, and...

More and more salespeople are spending too much time and energy trying to find the perfect prospecting message—a silver bullet that guarantees success. The truth is that the real key to effective prospecting is not in the message itself, but in how we frame our goals and expectations.  You can't control most things in life, including how your prospect responds to your messaging. However, there are...

Are you spinning your wheels, feeling like you never have enough time? Think having a wide-open calendar would mean more freedom? Think again. Dan and Pam are about to challenge everything you thought you knew about managing your time.   Resident time-management expert Pam sits down with Dan to unpack two crucial questions:  1. Does your schedule represent where you are today, or where you want to...

There will be a time where enough is enough. When all of us in sales look back and say, "What were we thinking?" And we ask, "Why would anyone accept a 20 percent win standard from 20 percent of the population?"    Let's start questioning the sales norms and redefining how we measure success. It will be up to you to decide what level you'll play at.    Will convention and the current misguided "ex...

If you had one chance to build trust with someone, would you choose the path of sharing your competency or seeking to understand their point of view?    Common sense would dictate that most will choose "seeking their point of view," but why then during conversations does it so often switch? How many times have you caught yourself telling the other person what they should do, or sharing your expert...

It's no secret: many salespeople dread participating in RFPs (request for proposals). Many feel they are unfair, unclear, inefficient, and otherwise difficult. However, with more businesses adopting RFPs as part of their decision-making process, it's crucial that sales professionals know how to approach them.    More importantly, the problem may be less about the process and more about your mindse...

While control provides us with a sense of comfort and security, it doesn't benefit us to keep an iron grip on every aspect of our lives. If you want to create something new, different, or special in your life, you'll have to learn to embrace things that you can't control and trust what you can.    In this episode of Breaking Sales, Kristie and I discuss different perspectives on control, and how t...

How do we make sure we remain accountable to ourselves and our commitments when faced with discomfort?   Continually evolving ourselves and our mindset is essential to propelling our lives, careers, and businesses forward. Sustainable change requires a steady adherence to processes and principles that may sometimes be uncomfortable, but encourage long-term personal growth.    In this episode of Br...