The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast with Mike Weinberg

In Episode 107 Mike shares a personal update on his social media sabbatical and one of his biggest observations after participating in so many Q1 sales team kickoff meetings. Listen in as Mike unpacks his frustration and confusion about how few salespeople are conducting professional, consultative, value-delivering, opportunity-creating, conversational meetings with prospects and customers. He briefly reviews his common sense outline (from New Sales. Simplified. Chapter 11) for structuring winning sales calls and then dives deeper into both how to start and end the meeting well. 1. Hear a simple technique for how sellers can take control, share their plan/agenda, get buy-in and input from the prospect/customer, reduce tension, create comfort and remove that awkward, adversarial dynamic…all while making the buyer feel that the meeting is all about them! 2. Ensure that sellers define, secure, and SCHEDULE the prospect/customer's committed-to next step! Too many salespeople are concluding sales calls with assignments for themselves but not getting agreement to (and scheduling) what the prospect/customer will do next. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The October 7-8 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event Mike's 12-year bestseller, New Sales. Simplified. 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 gets asked to read a lot of books about sales and sales management. Most recently, he read Focused – from his Canadian buddy, sales management expert, and former fantasy football adversary, Steve Rosen. Mike was so blown away that he actually asked Steve if he could provide the foreword and help promote the book. Truly, it was that good. So good, in fact, that this was Mike's visceral reaction… The Bold Statement (from Mike's foreword): FOCUSED is the single best and most helpful book for sales leaders to be published in years! If you lead a sales team, or lead leaders of sales teams, the introduction to this book will take your breath away. It will stop you in your tracks. I am serious: Do NOT read FOCUSED unless you are ready to be smacked in the face with the cold, hard truth and willing to address what is arguably the biggest challenge in sales today. Truly, by page 2 my chest tightened as the all-too-real scenarios described by Rosen perfectly depicted exactly what I see every. single. day. in companies where I speak, train, consult and coach. The Big Issue: Sales managers live in reactive mode, often overwhelmed, and are regularly distracted and diverted from their highest-payoff activities. Rosen not only calls it out, but provides practical help for overcoming this massive challenge. Enjoy this engaging conversation between Steve and Mike. But beware, if you lead a sales team, it may cause you to laugh, cry, or scream. Be sure to grab the free copy of the Foreword, Table of Contents, and the Introduction that Mike mentions in the episode! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: FOCUSED: The Leadership Discipline That Protects Performance from Distraction (on Amazon HERE) Mike's Foreword along with the Introduction that took his breath away Supercharge Your Sales Leadership October 7 event 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

Episode 105 starts with a startling proclamation as Mike reveals what feels like a seismic decision to pull the plug on LinkedIn. He transparently shares what's going on in his mind and heart, along with what he's reading and experiencing, that prompted this bold (and surprising) move. The episode concludes with a simple, practical sales management checklist that Mike will be working through during a large client's upcoming annual learning conference. Listen in as he briefly unpacks these Sales Management. Simplified. Fundamentals: Master the 1:1 Accountability Meeting (and the RPA progression) Get a True Hunter (DNA) in a Sales Hunting Role Identify and Address Underperformance Quickly (coach-up or out) Ensure Every Sales Rep Is Targeting a Strategic, Finite List Observe and Coach Your Salesperson (get your head out of the CRM & spreadsheets) RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Mike's LinkedIn post The hospice nurse's article about the final thoughts from 300 patients It's Sales Management Malpractice to Ignore Underperformance podcast episode Just Announced: October 7 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership event _____________________________ 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

Dennis Sorensen is back! A former super successful senior sales executive who has built a thriving, multifaceted sales improvement firm, Dennis is embedded inside companies doing real transformational work around sales leadership, playbooks, process-driven selling, and unlocking crazy potential through his concept of Ambition. In this episode, Dennis shares what he's seeing on the front lines — what's working, what's not, and how challenging times are forcing sales leaders to become better coaches and skill developers. We dig into talent gaps, the idea of "everboarding" (not just onboarding), strategic sales planning, and why too many teams limit their potential by focusing on how far they think they can climb instead of asking, "How big is the mountain?" Dennis also recently launched his own podcast, Think Big. Win Bigger. — and I had the privilege of being his guest on the inaugural episode. You'll want to check that out as well. Guaranteed you walk away with a handful of BIG IDEAS after listening to (or watching) our dialogue! Enjoy this powerful conversation with one of the most strategic and driven sales leaders I know. 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

This first release of 2026 features talent guru, coach, and leadership team expert, Mike Goldman, who played a formative role in Mike Weinberg's life on a college campus 39 years ago! Goldman's most recent book, The Strength of Talent, is a USA Today National Bestseller, and packed with wisdom and practical advice for sales leaders. In this engaging dialogue, Mike and Mike touch on everything from the stupidity of annual performance reviews, to the importance of re-recruiting our highest performers. Listen in as Goldman challenges leaders who declare "our people are our most valuable asset," when their actions belie that statement and he makes the compelling case that the #1 driver of profit (and sales) growth is people growth! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Strength of Talent book Mike-Goldman.com _______________________ 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 celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of Sales Management. Simplified. with a free, live "THANK-YOU" web session for sales leaders. Episode 102 is the audio recording of that session where Mike shared his biggest lessons and takeaways from the past decade working to increase sales management effectiveness and answered 15 questions submitted by leaders who registered for the session. He also announced a special limited time promotion on the Sales Management. Simplified. Video Coaching Series. If you'd prefer a video recording of the session, you can WATCH HERE. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Sales Management. Simplified. - the book The Sales Management. Simplified. Video Coaching Series - special promotion Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event – April 8th info and registration _____________________________ 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 101 Mike brings back a favorite phrase (procurement weenies) from his book #SalesTruth and shares a fresh story about one of his own sales situations to challenge sales leaders on the topic of CLARITY. Do your sellers have absolute clarity on… Your company's mission/purpose/why? Whom they're supposed to be targeting for new business? Exactly what they should be selling (your offerings)? Their messaging (sales story) and the value your solution brings to the market? YOUR sales process and rules of engagement? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Sales Management. Simplified. December 12 Free Web Session #SalesTruth February 3 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event ____________________________ 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

Episode 100 is epic as Mike combines celebrating the 10th anniversary of the book, Sales Management. Simplified. and the 100th episode of this podcast! Mike opens with a HUGE THANK YOU to the sales leadership community for making Sales Management. Simplified. what it's become, and as a token of appreciation, closes with a 30-minute, power-packed, lighting-fast summary of the book sharing a key takeaway from each of the 26 chapters. Use this episode as a quick review or scorecard on your current sales management effectiveness, and deploy it as a guidebook for identifying areas to focus that will radically improve your sales team leadership, culture, and results. Mike also announces that on Friday morning, December 12th he will be hosting a special, free, one-hour web session as a thank-you and in celebration of the book's ten years and the podcast's 100th episode! Join him as he shares the biggest lessons he's gleaned from the past decade working around the globe to increase sales management effectiveness. Register at mikeweinberg.com/sms10 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Free Web Session: The Biggest Sales Management Effectiveness Takeaways from the Last 10 Years February 3, 2026 – Supercharge Your Sales Leadership event Sales Management. Simplified.– the highest-rated sales management book of the past decade Table of Contents, Foreword, Introduction and Sample Chapter from Sales Management. Simplified. _____________________________ 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 this episode, Mike ties together observations from his past month's work with sales leaders and sales teams in a variety of industries — all of whom seem to be struggling with the same challenges. Reviewing these "common reasons" salespeople are not winning new business at the desired rate prompted Mike to get in the way-back machine and pull out the tried-and-true list from Chapter 2 in his first book, New Sales. Simplified. If your salespeople are not creating, advancing, and closing as much new business as you'd like, share this episode and the free PDF of Chapter 2 with them! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Free PDF of Chapter 2: The "Not-So-Sweet 16" Reasons Salespeople Fail at New Business Development New Sales. Simplified. book 5 "Buckets of Blame" Podcast Episode The Fastest Way to Increase Sales Podcast Episode YOUR SALES STORY with AI Assist

In Episode 98, Mike excitedly reveals something he's been teasing for several months. Listen in as he hosts his former client, dear friend from Ireland, and now partner, Fergal O'Carroll. After 35 successful years in sales and sales leadership, Fergal launched Supercharge Your Sales Velocity in 2024 with the mission of empowering sales teams to drive MORE OPPORTUNITIES, BIGGER DEALS, & FASTER WINS. Among his many passions, Fergal was an early adopter of generative AI, and he is the catalyst behind the launch of the massively upgraded offering they are announcing today, YOUR SALES STORY with an AI Assist. You may never hear Mike as passionate about a topic as he is in this episode, reminding sales leaders that their messaging, their sales story, is the team's most critical sales weapon. When your team's sales story is great, EVERYTHING is easier, you secure more meetings, face less resistance, decommoditize the conversation, justify premium pricing, and increase margins and win rates! NOTHING increases a sales team's confidence or effectiveness more (or faster) than empowering them with compelling, customer issue and customer outcome-focused, differentiated sales messaging. Enjoy Fergal and Mike's conversation, and here's to sharper messaging and MORE NEW SALES! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: YOUR SALES STORY with AI Assist February 2026 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event 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

Episode 97 addresses one of Mike's hot-button topics: structuring and conducting effective early-stage sales calls. As he often bemoans when leading workshops, salespeople have to work so stinking hard today to secure an initial meeting with a target prospect, and then they show up and miss the mark by conducting completely ineffective meetings. If your (or your team's) sales calls could use a boost, dive into this compelling interview with sales differentiation expert, Lee Salz, who crafted a fantastic resource titled "The First Meeting Differentiator." Lee doesn't hold back, declaring that traditional discovery meetings must die because buyers no longer tolerate one-sided sales interrogations that serve the seller and provide no value to them! After listening you'll understand why Mike boldly declared in his front cover endorsement, "I cannot think of a salesperson, regardless of tenure or industry, who wouldn't experience a transformative breakthrough from implementing the powerful approach outlined in The First Meeting Differentiator!" Here's to more effective first meetings and to MORE NEW SALES! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The First Meeting Differentiator ___________________________________________ 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 went right from leading a virtual sales management workshop into recording this episode while he was still fired up from tackling two critical, yet often overlooked, sales management functions…. 1. Accountability for results, pipeline health, and activity (when necessary) 2. Strategic targeting of accounts Listen in as Mike shares exactly what he reviewed with this favorite client's sales leaders. LAST CALL for the LAST Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event of 2025! There are five spots remaining for the final sales management fundamentals full-day intensive at the Porsche Experience Center next to Atlanta's airport on September 4th. If you'd like to get recharged while ramping-up your sales leadership effectiveness, join Mike for a powerful day with a packed agenda at a premium venue. More info and register at mikeweinberg.com/events RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: September 4th Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event The Five Foundational Keys to Winning More New Sales Episode/Webinar 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

Feedback from Jeff Hancher's story in Episode 94 of how a sales manager powerfully impacted his life compelled Mike to focus again on...The Life-Changing Impact of an Intentional Leader. After receiving so many stories from listeners about leaders who changed the trajectory of their lives, Mike shares a few of his own — highlighting the intentional investment others made in him that left a lasting impact — along with a reminder from Chapter 9 in his latest book: Managers (particularly sales managers) take up way more emotional and mental bandwidth in their people's hearts and minds than they typically realize or appreciate. Mike concludes the episode with a few takeaways from recent conversations with senior sales leaders in tech and SaaS companies — most notably that the days of "Fantasy Land" sales management are over, and that both managers and sales reps need to stop looking longingly back to 2021 and 2022 wishing things were easier. Those days are over (and have been for a while), and it is past due time to replace fantasizing with a focus on the fundamentals. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Episode 95 with Jeff Hancher Firm Feedback in a Fragile World (now a National Bestseller!)

Episode 94 is a special one for several reasons, not the least of which is that it's the first show where the guest made Mike cry! You will be challenged listening to this interview with Mike's friend, sales executive extraordinaire and leadership guru Jeff Hancher, who shares his personal journey from pain and poverty to powerful purpose. Jeff's story of resilience and how sales changed the trajectory of his life will remind many listeners of why we got into the sales profession in the first place. And every sales leader will benefit hearing about Jeff's rise through the ranks and the transformational leadership lessons learned along the way – particularly the critically important ability for leaders to give Firm Feedback in a Fragile World (which also happens to be the title of Jeff's amazing new book). Be sure to take particular note of the segment (starting at the 17:30 mark) that Mike refers to as the greatest five-minute leadership sermon he's ever heard as Jeff expands on the book's promise: "how to build a winning culture with critical conversations." Lean in as Jeff exhorts listeners on the resulting benefits when leaders properly balance making deep deposits that earn the right to make big withdrawals. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Firm Feedback in a Fragile World: How to Build a Winning Culture with Critical Conversations Jeff Hancher 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

Today's special guest, Ahson Wardak, made such an impression at a recent Supercharge Your Sales Leadership event that Mike had to have him on the show! Ahson was recently promoted to regional vice president after an incredible run as a top-performing individual contributor. Listen in to hear what a true large account, large deal sales rockstar sounds like. Enjoy Ahson's contrarian take on the widely accepted sales adage that "people buy from people they like" and pay particular attention how he balances two critical, yet contradictory, success factors for enterprise selling: being patient AND proactive. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: How "Hannah the Hunter" Achieved a Blowout Year and Breakthrough Sales Success episode Mike's 12-year bestseller, New Sales. Simplified. The September 4-5 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership event 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 92 Mike doesn't hold back sharing two takeaways from a recent multi-day speaking and sales training engagement in Las Vegas and then he absolutely unloads on the recent changes at Southwest Airlines. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine Freedom Story featuring Mike The Upcoming September 2025 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Event New Sales. Simplified. Chapter 14 - Planning & Executing the New Business Development Sales Attack 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 91 Mike unpacks two recent personal experiences and one seller/buyer "conflict" to demonstrate that PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING! RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Micah Project Honduras The June 3 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership event ______________________________________ 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

The response to "Hannah the Hunter" sharing the simple tweaks she made to transform her results in the previous episode was so overwhelming (30% more listens/downloads in the first week after release than any other episode), Mike was compelled to dedicate Episode 90 to further unpacking the sales gems Hannah so beautifully articulated. Listen in as Mike shares his take (and takeaways) on these three critical areas where Hannah's slight adjustments produced outsized results: Better Mindset (and motivation) Better Ownership of Sales Process (particularly during sales calls, demos, and presentations) Better Control of the Calendar In addition, Mike challenges sales leaders with the examples Hannah shared about how her managers pushed her, challenged her, calmed her, encouraged her, prepared her, and practiced with her — all of which contributed to her breakthrough success. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The free guide with the fastest way to increase accountability, reduce complacency, and build a high-performance sales culture New Sales. Simplified. - Mike's 12-year bestseller __________________________________ 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