The Luxury Of Choice - Sales Skills Podcast

In this episode of The Luxury of Choice , Steve Vaughan is joined by George James trainers Jonathan Slasinski and Christian Walter to explore one of the biggest challenges in sales development: making learning stick. The team discusses why even excellent training can fail to deliver lasting results without coaching, reinforcement and leadership support. They share practical ideas for creating new...

In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan and Christian Walter are joined by Hamid Ghanadan, founder of The Linus Group and author of Not Buying It- The art of selling to scientists, doctors, and other professional skeptics.   Drawing on his background as a biochemist and commercial strategist, Hamid explains why scientists and technical buyers are often described as the world's...

n this episode of The Luxury of Choice , Steve Vaughan is joined by Jonathan Cooper and Pascal Le Floch to explore one of the biggest challenges facing sales managers: knowing when to coach and when to direct. The discussion covers:  What coaching really means—and why it is not giving advice or telling people what to do.   The difference between coaching, directing, supporting, and delegating.   W...

Most salespeople and leaders face Imposter Syndrome in sales - the feeling of self doubt and of being " a fraud". In this episode, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow George James trainer Jonathan Cooper and special guest Rupa Ark, a Senior Sales Director from Azenta Life Sciences. The panel discuss why salespeople can suffer from Imposter Syndrome, how to cope with it, and why it sho...

Can technical sales people in B2B sales be TOO technical?  And can their technical knowledge be a comfort zone crutch in the sales call, to the detriment of understanding and satisfying customer needs? In this episode of the Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan and Jonathan Slasinski are joined by Matt McCormack, International Sales Manager of Natus Sensory to discuss: The role of technical knowledge i...

LinkedIn is a phenomenal resource for B2B sales professionals to research, and then connect with potential customers. Even the free version of LinkedIn has powerful search tools to help you search for your perfect customer. In this episode, Steve is joined by Christian Walter, Pascal le Floch and Jonathan Slasinski for a face to face recording of The Luxury of Choice, following a team strategy mee...

 Cold calling has a reputation—and not a good one. In this episode of The Luxury of Choice , Steve Vaughan is joined by the George James training team and special guest Manel Berga to explore a simple but powerful question: How do we make cold calling… warmer? From rejection and low pickup rates to the rise of LinkedIn, AI, and changing buyer behaviour, this conversation unpacks what modern prospe...

What do top performing sales people do when they leave the customer? And how can spending just a little time after a visit reflecting how the meeting went improve performance and results? Steve Vaughan is joined to discuss this important topic by regulars Christian Walter and Jonathan Slasinski, and also by a special guest - Kate Sanders, Sales Manager for UK and Northern Europe for Biosero. Steve...

Knowing how (and when) to walk away from a sales opportunity is a difficult, but important skill for a technical salesperson to learn. Great sales people lose fast and lose early! In this episode of the Luxury of Choice, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski to discuss when a salesperson should walk away, and how to do it professionally.  Steve Vaughan,...

All the training team of George James have been delivering training programmes  flat out across North America and Europe, so here is a chance to listen back to a show from 2025.  Ensuring you have a working relationship with your customers purchasing department is vital if you are able to receive a purchase order at the right price and the right time. In this episode Jayne Green and Jonathan Coope...

The George James training team have been flat out since the start of 2026 and are at the time of uploading delivering sales and leadership training across the continents and time zones. So, here is the chance to listen back to a previous show from 2024 all about handling customer objections - and why, in fact customer objections aren't necessarily bad news. This episode has proved to be one o...

For this first episode of the Luxury of Choice Podcast, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Jayne Green and Pascal le Floche. Since the pandemic, getting face to face meetings with prospects has become more difficult, with an increase in virtual, remote meetings instead. Whilst sales calls over Teams, Zoom, etc have their place, there is no substitute for visiting the customer. Meeting...

For this last show of 2025, host Steve Vaughan is joined by the "two Jonathan's" - Cooper and Slasinski to delve into the critical topic of sales forecasting. The team discuss the definition of forecasting, its importance in sales management, and the best practices for achieving accurate predictions. Topics include the role of data, the challenges faced in forecasting, and the dynam...

In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host Steve Vaughan and his colleagues Jonathan Slasinski, Christian Walter and Pascal Le Floch  discuss the importance of managing stakeholder groups in B2B sales, particularly in the life sciences sector. They explore the necessity of engaging with multiple stakeholders beyond just the end users, including decision-makers in various departments suc...

In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, host Steve Vaughan and guests Christian Walter and Jonathan Slasinski discuss the essential needs and expectations of customers in the laboratory equipment sector. They explore the importance of understanding customer workflows, the value of face-to-face interactions in building trust, and the role of emotional intelligence in sales. The conversation emphas...

Getting appointments with key customers and prospects is vital in successful B2B sales. It's never been easy, and it is only getting more difficult! In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host and Senior Sales Trainer Steve Vaughan is joined by two fellow members of the George James training team to discuss approaches, best practice and strategies in getting more face to face meetin...

In this episode of the Luxury of Choice Podcast Steve Vaughan and Jayne Green and joined by Jonathan Slasinski for his first podcast with the team to discuss the inevitable aspect of rejection in sales. They explore how to cope with rejection, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the learning opportunities that arise from these experiences. A key takeaway that rejection is not personal bu...

In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve is joined by Jayne Green and Christian Walter to discuss the concept of corridor conversations in sales, exploring their significance, appropriate topics, and the potential pitfalls.  They emphasize the importance of professionalism, curiosity, and relationship-building during these informal interactions, whether in-person or virtual. The conversation...

In this episode, Steve is joined again by fellow sales trainers Pru Layton and Christian Walter, to discuss product demonstrations. All too often in technical B2B sales, salespeople are too eager to book a product demonstration with a customer, without properly qualifying the opportunity. Steve, Pru and Christian discuss timing of the demonstration, how to prepare, and why the demonstration is par...

The Luxury of Choice is back for Series 3! In the episode, host Steve Vaughan and trainers Pru Layton and Christian Walter discuss the critical importance of preparation before sales calls. They explore various aspects of preparation, including mental, physical, and technical readiness, as well as the significance of researching customers to bring value to meetings. The conversation also touches o...

In this  bonus episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host Steve Vaughan introduces Jonathan Slasinski, a new member of the George James training team based in the United States. Jonathan shares his diverse career journey from being a high school science teacher to a successful sales professional in the life sciences industry. He discusses his transition into training and enablement roles, empha...

After 22 episode of the Luxury of Choice Podcast, we are taking a short break for the summer. We will be back in September 2025 with our next series of sales and sales leadership topics.  In this short message Steve Vaughan looks back on our 2nd series of the podcast, outlines the plans for Series 3, as well as giving a little teaser of something new and exciting coming in September. Steve Vaughan...

In this episode of The Luxury Choice podcast, hosts Steve Vaughan, Jayne Green, and Pru Layton reflect on their personal journeys into sales, sharing insights and lessons learned throughout their careers. They discuss the importance of preparation, the value of sales training, and the significance of building strong customer relationships. The conversation also touches on the challenges of rejecti...

In this episode of The Luxury Choice podcast, Steve Vaughan, Pru Layton, and Jayne Green discuss effective strategies for managing large sales territories. They emphasize the importance of planning, identifying key accounts, maximizing efficiency in customer visits, and leveraging support roles. The conversation also highlights the use of technology and tools to enhance sales efforts and the need...

Many sales people in technical sales are comfortable talking about the latest features of their instrument or consumable product. After all, they are in the role they have due their technical or scientific knowledge. However, it is an old adage in sales that customer don't buy features, they buy benefits. In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host Steve Vaughan is joined by Jayne G...