1. Why I Built this Program (some vulnerable admissions);
The Problems, Struggles, and Challenges Salespeople Face (and create)

At last, after over a year in planning and production, I am ready to welcome the first Founding members in the Smart Calling Ultimate Sales Pro Mastery training and coaching program.

What this will mean for those who become part of it–possibly you– is that together we will go on a journey that transforms them from some degree of just “doing sales” to becoming the sales professional who fearlessly, confidently, and masterfully does the things to achieve extraordinary results for themselves, and their customers.

Because this is not just a one-off course, book, or casual training, and it will most certainly not be for everyone, I’m using a series of messages to communicate the why, the how, the what, the who for and more over the next few days. 

If you decide it is for you, and are willing to commit to doing what it takes to become that Ultimate Sales Pro, and we decide that together, you will be invited to participate. 

And, oh, by the way, kudos to you, because most people have not even taken this first step to even show possible interest in becoming the best version of their sales self!

Why I Built This

For over 40+ years I’ve had the opportunity and honor to help salespeople worldwide get better results. Seems like a week doesn’t go by where I’ll get a message telling me what a difference using my material made for them. A former IT consultant a couple of weeks ago said he was able to comfortably retire using my methods. 

And a 22-year old, new to sales and prospecting, messaged me last month saying how Smart Calling has changed his life and the way he prospects.

But after doing over 1500 in-person training programs and getting really tired of the headaches of business travel (I loved the being there; the getting there and back is awful) right around Covid, and as the Third Edition of Smart Calling came out,  I got really comfortable and dialed things down quite a bit.

Sure I was still serving… doing my podcast, working with my boutique membership group, keeping sharp, but not really going after it, business-wise, like I was used to.

Playing lots of golf, traveling, living part-time on the beach in Mexico is great (and I don’t plan on giving that up), but I always felt that I had so much more in the tank. A lot more to give. And I was doing a disservice by not continuing to contribute more.

And to coincide with those feelings, I began building on what started as a spark of a theory that I felt was a reality: most sales training is woefully inadequate in providing what people really need to achieve at the highest levels.

Sales onboarding training, and any ongoing training–if provided at all–was often one-off, surface level, and not followed up and coached on. 

And usually, it just consisted of a collection of fluffy “should do” platitudes (i.e. “talk about benefits”) salesy techniques, and other messaging that people aren’t comfortable actually saying.

During this time, I was also working with a transformational coach, Jim Fortin, since I am a lifelong learner and always looking to improve in lots of areas. As a result of the work we did there, and my own changes, it struck me that much of what we worked on was missing from the training salespeople receive. And it is absolutely necessary.

What it really boils down to is, if someone does not identify as BEING a sales professional, they will not consistently do what it takes to be successful. 

It’s like, right now as I write this on January 2nd, lots of people have “resolved” to go to the gym, eat better, lose weight, get healthy, etc. 

However, as we all know–and maybe have experienced–most of those same people will soon fail at achieving, resort to where they were before–or worse– because they are not that person.

It’s the exact same thing with people in the sales profession.

So I began exploring this more, and how it showed up with salespeople, both the super rockstar achievers, those who just get by, and those who get fired, or decide sales is not for them.

The Problems, Struggles, and Challenges Salespeople Face (and create)

I identified the problems, struggles, and challenges that salespeople experienced. Often unnecessarily, as I’ll get to.

It began to crystallize as I gave it lots of deep thought, recollection, observation, and using myself–sometimes painfully– as an example.

There are several areas that really formed themselves. Think of how these might apply in your own life and sales.

Fear of Rejection

What we do as salespeople is actually counterintuitive to how most people are wired. Most everyone wants to be liked, and reaching out to strangers asking for something is not typically natural behavior. Therefore, fear often consumes people, resulting in,

• Call Reluctance: Salespeople avoid outreach, fearing negative responses and rejection.
• Limiting Beliefs and Self-Doubt: Constantly questioning their abilities and worth, leading to feeling stuck in a cycle of underachievement, even paralysis.
• Emotional and Physical Burnout: Taking rejection personally creates mental fatigue, draining energy and enthusiasm. Which also can lead to physical ailments.
• Missed Opportunities: Fear inhibits bold actions, like reaching out to high-value prospects, going for a commitment, following up effectively, and more.

Not Being Others-Focused

One of our most basic instincts is survival. Meaning we are focused on ourselves most of the time. Which is a major problem in sales. It results in,

• Creating Resistance and Objections: Most objections and resistance are a direct result of a salesperson being “me-focused” and pitching, instead of collaborating.
• Eroded Trust: Prospects can sense when they’re being treated as a transaction, leading to resistance and disengagement.
• Superficial Relationships: Without genuine connection, long-term client loyalty is difficult to achieve.
• Internal Frustration: Salespeople may feel disconnected from their work, sensing that their approach lacks purpose or authenticity.

Misguided Habits

While a lot of personal development and self-help gurus will say that you can “believe and achieve,” what is often left out is the WORK part. Everyone is where we are at right at this moment because of our choices and our habits. When these are not aligned correctly, for salespeople it results in…

• Disorganization: Without structure, critical tasks like prospecting and follow-ups fall through the cracks.
• Lost Revenue: Opportunities are missed due to lack of preparation or inconsistent effort.
• Overwhelm and Stress: A reactive approach to work leads to chaos and feelings of being out of control.
• Victim Mentality: underachievers who lack discipline and productive habits often blame outside influences, such as the economy, the leads, management, the territory… everything but themselves. 

Not Following–and Mastering–a Proven Prospecting and Sales Processes and Messaging

Sales, at its core, is about connecting with other humans. However, sales professionals are made, not born. Unfortunately, today there is an overwhelming amount of misguided advice on “what to say,” much of which actually creates resistance. It’s one of the reasons I often avoid scrolling through LinkedIn.

And don’t even get me started on the obsession with impersonal high-tech shiny objects that struggling salespeople chase. This not only damages the reputation of our great profession but also leads to self-sabotage.

To make matters worse, many companies and managers fail to provide adequate coaching and development for their reps. It’s disappointing—and it’s why so many salespeople face challenges like,

• Low Confidence: Constantly winging it during sales calls erodes confidence and increases anxiety about engaging with prospects.
• High Failure Rates: Frequent negative responses from prospects result from bad messaging or poorly structured conversations. And this leads to the feelings of “rejection” mentioned in the first point.
• Poor Overall Results: missing quota, not making adequate money, possibly getting fired (or going broke if one is selling their own services.)

And, I didn’t even cover everything here. 

I’m sure you likely can identity with some–or a lot–of these. I know I have at varying points in my career. Even recently. As humans, we call do.

The great news?

That’s what I decided to address with the Four Pillars of being the Smart Calling Ultimate Sales Professional. 

This was a lot to cover and digest today. I’ll cover those with you tomorrow.

I’m going to do some more thinking and writing out by the Sea of Cortez later this afternoon.

Talk to you tomorrow

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