The Rural Sales Show

What separates good performers from high performers? According to James Laughlin, it comes down to your BS - your belief systems - and most of us are running ones that hold us back. James is a seven-time world champion drummer from Belfast who became one of New Zealand's leading high performance coaches, working with Canterbury Rugby, the NZ Army, the Antarctic programme, business leaders and form...

Most sales managers think they don't have time to coach. Steven Rosen says that's not a time problem - it's a priority problem. Steven spent 25 years in pharmaceutical sales leadership before becoming one of North America's most-referenced sales management consultants. His book Focused makes a simple argument: the number one activity that drives sales performance is also the first thing that disap...

What separates a consistently great salesperson from a consistently mediocre one - when they work for the same company, sell the same product, and operate in the same market? Bestselling author David Brock returns to the show to answer exactly that. After writing the Sales Manager Survival Guide, David spent years trying to crack what was missing from the conversation around sales performance. The...

Before David Galbraith ever set foot in an elite sporting environment, he spent years inside New Zealand's criminal justice system - working with serious offenders, child abuse teams, and men trying to break multi-generational cycles of violence. That foundation, he says, is what separates everything he does today from almost anyone else in his field. David is a registered clinical psychologist an...

He closed a single deal worth $1 billion. Named one of the world's top sales consultants two years running. And he reckons most salespeople are still doing it completely wrong. This week on Rural Sales Success we sit down with Mark Cox. Here's what we get into: → Why modern selling has nothing to do with pitching or persuading → The one question every farmer will ask you - and how NOT to answer it...

Most sales training gets forgotten before the rep even gets back in the truck. Jeff Bajorek has spent his career figuring out why - and more importantly, what to do instead. Rather than arriving with a polished playbook and telling teams how it's going to be, Jeff listens first. He co-creates training from the inside out, built on what the best reps in the room are already doing well. The result?...

Hall of Fame speaker, best-selling author and business strategist Meridith Elliott Powell joins St John Craner to deliver one of the most direct, no-nonsense conversations about sales leadership we've had on the show. Meridith has built her career helping sales leaders turn uncertainty into competitive advantage - and in 2026, that message has never been more relevant. In this episode she shares w...

David Thomson left school at 16 with no qualifications, worked in a boot factory for £130 a week, and joined the army because there was nothing else. By the time he was done, he was the #1 financial advisor in the UK - doing 7 mortgages a week while others struggled to do that in a month. In this episode of Rural Sales Success, David breaks down the exact system behind elite sales performance - th...

What does elite sales performance actually look like - and why are most teams nowhere near it? This week St John sits down with Gabe Lullo, CEO of Alleyoop - the company behind 11 million cold calls a year for billion-dollar brands like Adobe and ZoomInfo. Gabe doesn't hold back. He breaks down exactly why most sales teams fail before they even make a call, why he fired his best performer, and wha...

+++ Grab your copy from Amazon⁠ here: https://www.amazon.com.au/365-Days-Rural-Sales-Mastery/dp/B0F1489HH4/ (or join our Facebook Group below to get a free online copy). Want to make more rural sales? Get your FREE copy of my first book “How To Succeed In Rural Sales” ⁠Ebook: www.ruralsalessuccess1.com/ebook Connect with or Follow me on LinkedIn: nz.linkedin.com/in/stjohncraner Subscribe to my wee...

Great sales results aren’t accidental — they’re built on mindset, persistence, and trust. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Tony Meredith to unpack the fundamentals of effective sales training, leadership, and long-term performance. Tony shares hard-earned insights on what separates average salespeople from exceptional ones — from handling objections with confi...

Great selling isn’t about pushing product — it’s about reframing conversations, building trust, and creating real value. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Tony Hughes, one of the most respected voices in modern sales, to unpack what selling looks like in a world being reshaped by technology, changing buyer expectations, and AI. With decades of experience at the...

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with — it’s something you build through awareness, communication, and what you tell yourself every day. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Anthony Laye, a mentalist, behavioural expert, and keynote speaker, to explore how understanding human behaviour can dramatically improve the way you lead, sell, and show up. Anthony sha...

Growth doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built through standards, action, and the willingness to reflect honestly. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner takes time to reflect on the past year, sharing the lessons, challenges, and insights that shaped his thinking on leadership, performance, and progress. From team dynamics and setting high standards to the growing role of AI in b...

Culture isn’t something you copy — it’s something you create. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Conrad Smith, former All Black and renowned leader, to explore what it really takes to build a team culture that lasts. Drawing on his experience inside one of the most successful sporting teams on the planet, Conrad shares why authenticity matters more than imitatio...

Leadership isn’t about doing more — it’s about leading better. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Jess Weiss, a leadership coach and organisational culture specialist, for a powerful conversation on what truly drives engagement, performance, and sustainable success inside teams. Together, they unpack the rising issue of employee and manager disengagement — the s...

Understanding people isn’t a soft skill — it’s a sales skill. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Melina Palmer, an applied behavioral economist who has made it her mission to bring real-world behavioral science into everyday business and sales conversations. Together, they explore Melina’s unexpected journey into behavioral economics and the powerful lessons it...

Sales success in rural markets isn’t about product — it’s about people, leadership, and knowing your patch inside out. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner sits down with Trevor Dennis, Managing Director of Haifa Australia, for a grounded and insightful conversation on what’s really shaping rural sales performance today. Together, they explore the fundamentals of great selling a...

Selling with confidence isn’t about being pushy — it’s about people, performance, and purpose. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner heads across the ditch to Sydney to chat with Yvonne Hilsz, an award-winning sales trainer and coach who helps teams sell with confidence and leaders lead with clarity. Together, they explore what really drives sales success — from mindset and motiv...

Selling isn’t about pressure — it’s about positioning, psychology, and trust. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner speaks with Blair Enns, world-renowned sales trainer and author known for helping creative professionals master the art of selling expertise. Together, they unpack what truly drives sales effectiveness — and how mindset, framing, and confidence shape every client co...

What does it take to go from farm life to becoming a top rural sales performer? In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner talks with Jade Sklenars of Power Farming, New Zealand, who shares his inspiring journey from a dairy farming background to thriving in agricultural machinery sales. Jade opens up about the lessons he’s learned along the way — from finding structure in routines to...

CRM systems fail not because of the technology, but because sales teams never buy in. In this episode of The Rural Sales Show, St John Craner talks with John Golden, Chief Marketing Officer at Pipeliner CRM and host of SalesPOP! podcast. John shares how sales leaders can successfully implement CRM systems, avoid common pitfalls, and turn them into true performance drivers. You’ll learn: - Why defi...

What does it really take to succeed in rural sales? In this feature episode of The Sales Podcast with Wes Shaeffer, St John Craner shares his journey from a corporate marketing background to becoming one of Australasia’s leading rural sales trainers. He explains why rural selling demands a different mindset, one grounded in psychology, consistency, and service over pushy sales tactics. You’ll lear...

In this podcast episode, I share 54 valuable lessons I wish I had learned in my 20s, covering a wide range of topics including personal development, health, resilience, sales strategies, time management, and the importance of relationships. We emphasize the significance of continuous learning, self-awareness, and creating a supportive environment for success. Each lesson is designed to provide ins...

In this conversation, Steve Benson, CEO of Badger Maps, shares his journey from a field salesperson to an entrepreneur, discussing the challenges faced in territory management and the inefficiencies in field sales. He highlights the importance of technology in optimizing sales routes and improving productivity. The discussion also covers the significance of fair territory distribution and how Badg...