Thoughts on Selling YouTube Video Library

Highlights from our discussion with Ted McKenna — researcher, author, and co-creator of some of the most influential sales frameworks of the past two decades. Ted has been behind The Challenger Sale, The JOLT Effect, and most recently, The Activator Advantage. We dive into the evolving dynamics of B2B sales, why buyers are more informed (and more hesitant) than ever, and what high-performing sellers do differently.

Highlights from our discussion with Ted McKenna — researcher, author, and co-creator of some of the most influential sales frameworks of the past two decades. Ted has been behind The Challenger Sale, The JOLT Effect, and most recently, The Activator Advantage. We dive into the evolving dynamics of B2B sales, why buyers are more informed (and more hesitant) than ever, and what high-performing sellers do differently.

Highlights from our discussion with Ted McKenna — researcher, author, and co-creator of some of the most influential sales frameworks of the past two decades. Ted has been behind The Challenger Sale, The JOLT Effect, and most recently, The Activator Advantage. We dive into the evolving dynamics of B2B sales, why buyers are more informed (and more hesitant) than ever, and what high-performing sellers do differently.

Leveraging our extensive background in sales leadership, enablement, facilitation and coaching, we help both sales teams and individuals to be more effective sellers. We work with clients to improve their mindset, their sales preparation, account and call planning. Clients create high value conversations by building business value hypotheses, and mapping their access via the influence map. Clients find that they create more, better opportunities…opportunities that move more quickly through the selling process, and close at higher win rates. End customers appreciate the high value, high impact conversations that drive positive change for their organizations and reach more of their strategic goals. A true win-win situation!

An introduction to the Acelera Group Sales Coaching and Consulting Practice

In this episode of the Thoughts on Selling podcast, Torquil Thomson, joining me from Barcelona, explore something most revenue leaders know but rarely address head-on: your go-to-market engine is only as good as the data, systems, and human judgment beneath it. Torquil brings 20+ years of experience across SaaS, sales ops, and country leadership, and today helps companies fix the messy operational foundations that stall growth — especially in the age of AI. We start with his background, his move from Scotland to Spain, and how he kept gravitating toward building systems that help people perform, no matter the role he was in. From there, we dig into what The Conversion Architects do — and why so many companies think they have a “pipeline problem” when they really have a data quality and process problem. 🔍 The Hard Truth About CRM Data Torquil shares astonishing numbers: - Many companies have 40–50% duplicate records. - Another 5–10% of contacts have no name. - In one case, a cus…

Curiosity, Character, and the Bigger Why — A Conversation with Gerhard Gschwandtner In this episode of Thoughts on Selling, I sit down with my friend and long-time sales industry pioneer Gerhard Gschwandtner — founder of Selling Power Magazine and an enduring voice in the world of sales leadership, mindset, and authenticity. Gerhard’s story is extraordinary — from growing up in Austria and stumbling into his first sales role (inventing sales enablement decades before it had a name) to creating Selling Power Magazine, one of the most influential platforms in the history of professional selling. We talk about how curiosity, creativity, and courage shape every career — and how staying in the question, not rushing to the answer, is what keeps you growing. Gerhard shares how he’s helped shape the profession through interviews with legends like Mary Kay, Zig Ziglar, Wayne Dyer, Mark Benioff, and even a few time-travel guests like “Abraham Lincoln” and “Aristotle.” This isn’t just a hist…

In this episode of Thoughts on Selling, I sit down with Lauren Bailey, one of the most dynamic voices in modern sales leadership. She’s the founder of Factor 8 (award-winning inside sales training), #GirlsClub (empowering women in revenue roles), and Legacy VIP (a community for seasoned executives who crave purpose and authentic connection). What starts as a conversation about leadership quickly turns into something deeper — a raw, funny, and inspiring dialogue about who we are and why we do what we do. Lauren shares how losing her best friend became the catalyst for creating Legacy, a space where executives can show up as their whole selves — not just their résumés. She also talks about integrity, self-awareness, and the power of human connection — lessons drawn from personal experience, Landmark Forum, and years of leading sales teams worldwide. 🧭 Key Themes & Lessons - Show up and say yes. These two rules, says Lauren, change everything — in leadership, friendship, and sales. …

In this episode of Thoughts on Selling, I sit down with Kevin Hubschmann, a former enterprise software rep turned comedian and founder of Laugh.Events — a company literally delivering “Laughter as a Service.” We dig into the parallels between improv, comedy, and enterprise sales, exploring how humor, presence, and curiosity can transform the way we connect with customers. Kevin shares his story of balancing daytime sales calls with nighttime comedy clubs, and how the two worlds collided to shape his philosophy on sales as performance and connection. Key themes: - Listening is better than Talking. Kevin breaks down why most sales calls fail because reps talk too much — and how mastering silence is the first step to earning trust - F your good idea. (Yes, really.) In improv and in sales, the goal isn’t to deliver your rehearsed pitch — it’s to respond to what’s actually happening in the moment - Yes, And… We explore how collaboration — not control — drives great sales conversati…

In this episode of Thoughts on Selling, I sit down with Jake Isham — filmmaker, creative director, and founder of Creative Minds Agency. Jake’s story is pure art-meets-entrepreneurship. He started as an actor, moved behind the camera to direct, and somewhere along the way became what he calls an “accidental marketer.” We dig deep into the intersection of storytelling, sales, and authenticity — how great art and great selling share the same purpose: to create an effect. Jake explains how the best salespeople are actually performers — not in a fake way, but in the sense that they listen, adapt, and stay present in the scene. Our conversation bounces between filmmaking, improv, and enterprise sales, but it all comes back to one central idea: sales is an art form. The goal isn’t to pitch harder or talk faster; it’s to create a feeling that sticks. A few big takeaways: 🎭 Sales and acting share the same core skill — presence. Great sellers listen, improvise, and respond in the moment. …