PODCAST · business
The Sales Evangelist
by Donald C. Kelly
I believe in doing BIG THINGS! You should be earning 6 figures easily as a sales rep. But chances are you are not...yet! Sales is the most important department in every company but many sellers are never taught how to effectively sell, much less how to earn their way to high-income status. My own career limped along until a company I worked for invested in sales training to help me succeed. Immediately afterward, I closed a deal worth 4X what the company spent on me and saw hockey-stick improvement in my performance. So I started a podcast to “Evangelize” what was working. Today I interview the world's best sales experts, successful sellers, sales leaders and entrepreneurs who share their strategies to succeed in sales right now: folks like Jeffrey Gitomer, Jill Konrath, Bob Burg, and Guy Kawasaki to name a few. They share actionable insights and stories that will encourage, challenge, and motivate you to hustle your way to top income status. If you’re someone looking to take o
Episodes
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4 Steps to Systematic Sales Growth | Jimmy Burgess - 2045
"Broke, rich." That's the two-word test Jimmy Burgess uses to explain whether a sales career is working: phone up to your ear, you're rich; phone down, you're broke. Pulled from our archive, Jimmy, Chief Growth Officer at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida, is with me as…
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The Top Three Issues Killing Your Sales Deals | George Bronten - 2044
You did everything right, or at least you thought you did, and the deal still fell apart anyway. This one is coming from the archives, and the principles hold up just as well today as they did when we first recorded it. George Brontén, founder and CEO of Membrain and author of Stop Killing Deals,...
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How to Reach Decision-Makers When Selling to Enterprises | Erik Kostelnik - 2043
125 billion B2B emails go out every single day, and that number is exactly why decision-makers have stopped noticing any of them. This one is coming from the archives, and honestly it feels even more relevant now than when it first aired, because reaching the right person inside an enterprise has...
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How I Handle Every Price Objection | Donald C. Kelly - 2042
“It’s too expensive” may be the answer a prospect gives you, but it may not be the reason they are saying no. The real issue could be that they do not see the value, they already have another solution, or they have another concern they have not told you yet. In this objection-handling…
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How to Future Proof Against Getting Ghosted | Donald C. Kelly - 2041
Nearly half of all B2B sales conversations end with no decision at all, and that number keeps climbing. This solo episode breaks down the discovery call framework built over years of carrying a bag as a software sales rep, now taught to clients to stop deals from going quiet. The Real Cost of No...
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Selling a Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have: How to Win in a Competitive Market | Mark Van Oppen - 2040
Selling a must-have product sounds easier than selling a nice-to-have. But even when your solution is critical to a customer’s business, you still have competitors fighting for the same deal. So, what makes a buyer choose you? In this episode, I talk with Mark van Oppen, CRO of SecureAuth, to…
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Is It You or Your Product? The Truth About Product-Market Fit | Collin Stewart - 2039
Product-market fit isn't a yes or no question, and treating it like one is what trips up most founders and sales leaders. That's the core idea Collin Stewart, co-founder and CEO of Predictable Revenue and host of the Predictable Revenue Podcast, brought to this episode, and it reshaped how I…
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AI Didn't Kill Sales Strategy. It Exposed Who Never Had One | John Stopper - 2038
AI is changing sales fast. But is it actually replacing salespeople, or is it exposing the sellers who never developed real strategy skills? That’s the question I explore in this conversation with John Stopper. John and I get into the difference between sales tactics and sales strategy, why AI…
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Your Connection Rate Dropped 80% and Nobody's Talking About It | David Zeff - 2037
Connection rates have dropped roughly five times since before COVID. If ten percent of your calls used to turn into a conversation, you're probably closer to two now. David Zeff, CEO of Whistle, runs an agency that makes cold outreach work for 350-plus B2B clients, and he broke down exactly…
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How to Know if Your Deal is Going South Sooner than Later | Andee Harris - 2036
Sometimes the best way to close more deals isn't by adding new people to your pipeline (though that's always a good thing.) Instead, the best thing is to address the issues that make a deal fail before they fail. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, I joined the CEO of Challenger, Andee...
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Stop Selling and Help People Solve Their Next Biggest Problem | Keith Gillispie - 2035
A former Marine who did eight combat deployments in eight years now spends his time teaching people to stop pitching and start asking better questions. Keith Gillispie, founder of REI Automated, left the Marines in 2020 to build a real estate investing and coaching business that's helped more…
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Your Sellers Are Motivated By WAY More Than Money | Sindre Haaland - 2034
37 reps who got the least recognition on one 153-person sales team averaged 62 percent quota attainment. The team average was 107 percent. That gap is the whole argument Sindre Haaland, CEO and founder of SalesScreen, makes for why comp plans alone don't explain sales performance. Why Identical...
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Beyond the Mail Merge: How to Master True Relevance in B2B Sales | Leslie Venetz - 2033
Only 10 percent of sales messages actually explain why something should matter to the buyer. The other 90 percent are just decoration on a generic pitch. That stat comes from Leslie Venetz, who audits thousands of sales messages every year and just released her USA Today bestseller,...
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How We 2x Sales Revenue & Reduce Sales Cycle By 50% | Pieter Leenhouts - 2032
Imagine doubling your close rate and cutting your sales cycle in half. That's not a hypothetical. It's exactly what Pieter Leenhouts and his team did at Tax Guard, a Cogency Global company that sells to banks and financial institutions. Pieter walked me through exactly how they pulled it off, and...
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Are You Too Nice to Close the Deal? | Connie Kadansky - 2031
Connie Kadansky was a highly motivated, highly goal-oriented salesperson, and she was still taking naps at two in the afternoon instead of prospecting. That contradiction sent her down a research rabbit hole that turned into a 29-year career studying sales call reluctance. Connie broke down for…
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Stop Overthinking Your Sales Calls (Do This Instead)" | Adam Lowther - 2030
An architect plans every brick before laying one. An archaeologist starts digging and adjusts based on what turns up. Adam Mark Louther says most sales reps try to sell like architects when the job actually calls for an archaeologist's mindset. Adam built his first sales skills knocking on doors...
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People Buy You | Jordan Harbinger - 2029
Your prospect isn't only buying the product or the price. They're buying you. That's the idea behind one of Jordan Harbinger's most popular keynotes, and it's why we're pulling this archive conversation back out. Jordan went from a bored kid who got into trouble to a Wall Street attorney to the...
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Sales From The Street-“Cold Emails & Curiosity" | Donald C. Kelly - 2028
Less than ten percent. That's how many highly targeted emails actually get opened. In this archive episode, pulled from an old Sales From the Street segment, I'm breaking down exactly what I look for in a cold email before I'll even open it, let alone reply. If email opens are a struggle for you...
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Your Weak Pipeline Is A Disciple Issue | Donald C. Kelly - 2027
Three appointments a week. Twelve a month. If you want a consistent pipeline, you have to know exactly what it takes to get there. The problem is that most reps don't stop prospecting because they don't know how. They stop because meetings, active deals, and everything else on their calendar…
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The Essentials of Following Up No Ever Thought You | Corrie George - 2026
Most salespeople treat follow-up like an afterthought: a quick check-in email, then nothing. I sat down with Corrie George, founder of YESA and Canada First, and former president of Grant Cardone Canada, to talk about the follow-up system that's actually helped him close hundreds of millions of...
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The Real Reason Executives Are Ghosting You | Anthony Reeves - 2025
Every seller has been there. You send the perfect proposal, deliver a great pitch, and then the exec on the other end goes silent. I sat down with Anthony Reeves, a former global executive at Amazon, WPP, LVMH, and Airbnb, to talk about the real reason executives ghost you. It's not what most...
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The One Thing Most Sales Team Miss When Going Upstream | Alison Disken - 2024
Every sales leader wants to go upstream. Bigger logos, bigger checks, bigger deals. But most of what determines whether that move actually works has nothing to do with the sales team. I sat down with Alison Disken, an expert in executive alignment, to talk about the one thing most companies miss...
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Practical Ways Sales and Marketing Can Work to Increase Revenue in 2026 | Mark Kapczynski - 2023
Sales and marketing are supposed to work together, but in most companies, they don't. Not to the level your revenue actually needs. In this episode, I sat down with Mark Kapczynski, co-founder of Kontrol Media and author of Everyone Sells, to talk about practical, sometimes unconventional ways to...
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LinkedIn Response Series - Messages That Generate Responses | Donald C. Kelly - 2022
This wraps up our four part LinkedIn Response Series. Over the last few episodes, I covered your headline, your banner, and how to turn profile views into real conversations. In this final episode, I'm showing you how to take those conversations and turn them into booked appointments. Never Pitch...
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LinkedIn Response Series - LinkedIn Profile Views To Appointments | Donald C. Kelly - 2020
Getting a notification that someone viewed your LinkedIn profile can be exciting, but most sellers don't know what to do next. In this episode of the LinkedIn Response Series, I am sharing how to turn profile views into meaningful conversations that can lead to appointments and new business....
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LinkedIn Response Series - Your LinkedIn Headline | Donald C. Kelly - 2019
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the first things prospects see, yet many salespeople waste it by listing their job title and company name. In this first episode of the LinkedIn Response Series, I explain why your headline should focus on the problem you solve instead of who you work for. A…
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How to Ensure That Admin Tasks Don't Overwhelm Your Day | Anthony Iannarino - 2018
Administrative tasks are part of every sales role, but they should never take priority over selling. I'm revisiting a conversation from the archive with Anthony Iannarino to share practical ways to keep admin work from taking over your day. While this conversation first aired in 2020, the...
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Bad Mouthing Your Competitor | Donald C. Kelly - 2017
How do you handle competitor questions without sounding defensive, desperate, or unprofessional? In this solo episode, Donald C. Kelly shares three practical strategies for talking about competitors with confidence and credibility. Instead of attacking another company, he explains how to use...
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7 Steps to Making 7 Figures in Enterprise SaaS Sales | Brandon Fluharty - 2016
What separates sales professionals who earn six figures from those who consistently earn seven? In this episode, Donald sits down with Brandon Fluharty, enterprise SaaS sales leader, speaker, and author of The Seven-Figure Millennial. Brandon shares the mindset, systems, and practical strategies...
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Dream BIG: What Every Sellers Must Do To Shatter Their Dreams | Jason VanDevere - 2012
Don’t dream small as a seller. Always think bigger than what feels comfortable. My guest, Jason VanDevere, author of the bestselling book Dream Driven and founder of the Goal Crazy platform, shares an incredible story about his car dealership business and how a 90-day plan can completely shift...
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The Return of Trade Show and Human-to-Human Interaction | Yiannis Gavrielides - 2011
We’re tapping into a Renaissance era in sales. AI is changing how sellers operate, but human connection is still what builds trust and closes deals. My guest, Yiannis Gavrielides, Co-founder and CEO of Covve, shares how trade shows remain one of the strongest ways to build real relationships in a...
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Customer Success Series: Turn Customers Into Evangelist | Donald C. Kelly - 2010
In the final part of this customer success and retention series, I share how businesses can move beyond simple transactions and turn satisfied customers into true brand evangelists. The focus is on creating experiences that people remember and naturally want to talk about. The Power of Memorable...
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Customer Success Series: The 5 Pillars of Customer Success | Donald C. Kelly - 2009
It costs 5x more to attract new customers than to retain existing ones, which is why client retention matters so much. For part two of this series, I am going over the five pillars of customer success. Pillar 1: Exceptional Onboarding Strong customer success starts the moment a client says yes....
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Customer Success Series: Leaky Bucket | Donald C. Kelly - 2008
Retention of a client will take you much further than constantly being on the hunt for a new one. I’m sharing a three-part series on client retention for sellers who struggle with keeping clients for the long term. This first part focuses on how to move away from the “leaky bucket” approach and...
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Stop Quitting So Fast | Donald C. Kelly - 2007
So many sellers quit within their first few months in sales. Honestly, I think many of them give up too soon. Sales isn't easy, but success often comes down to staying committed when things aren't going your way. I'm sharing why determination matters, how to push through rejection, and why the...
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Sales Is No Longer A Numbers Game | Tom Stearns & Peter Cleary - 2006
Sales has changed dramatically in the age of AI, but success still comes down to having the right strategy. That's why I sat down with Tom Stearns and Peter Cleary, co-authors of Graphic Sales: How to Build a Prospecting Playbook. They shared how sales teams can move beyond vanity metrics and…
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Helping Customers Understand The Business Problem You Solve | Jeff Koser - 2005
One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is focusing too quickly on their product instead of understanding the deeper problem their customer is trying to solve. That’s why I wanted to bring back this conversation with Jeff Koser, founder and CEO of Zebrafy. Even though this episode originally…
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Sales Isn't Fun Anymore | Donald C. Kelly - 2004
Lately, I’ve been hearing more sellers say the same thing: “I’m losing my joy in sales.” Honestly, I get it. Selling today feels different than it did a few years ago. Cold outreach is harder, inboxes are crowded, buyers are more cautious, and deals take longer to close. When the wins slow down…
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Why So Many Talented Women Never Make It to Leadership | Erika Chestnut - 2003
Many women in sales struggle with feeling like they’re not fully qualified for leadership roles, even when they’re already doing the work. That self-doubt can make it harder to pursue promotions and career growth. To help break this down, I invited leadership coach and tech executive Erika…
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How To Help Enterprise Sellers Speak The Language of their Clients | Kevin Cope - 2002
Nowadays, there’s no such thing as easy selling. You need to know more than just product features and benefits. You also need to understand how businesses make money and how different decisions impact success. The problem is that many salespeople still lack strong business acumen. That’s why I...
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The Biggest Reason Why Your Sales Pipeline Is Not Converting As It Should | Gearoid Cox - 2001
AI can help you move faster, but it can also help you make mistakes faster. Too many sellers rely on automation while skipping the fundamentals that actually help deals close. One of the biggest problems? Poor qualification. I sat down with Gearoid Cox, CEO of SalesPipeline, to share advice on…
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What 2,000 Sales Conversations Taught Me | Donald C. Kelly - 2000
We finally made it to the 2,000 episodes! After podcasting for 13 long years on sales conversations, it taught me a few things about the industry. Sales has changed a lot since I started this podcast in 2013, and one thing became clear over the years: the people who adapt the fastest are the ones...
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The Biggest Reason Why Your Sales Pipeline Is Not Converting As It Should | Wesleyne Whittaker - 1999
Should your demo and discovery call happen in the same meeting? If you’re combining the two, it may be the reason your pipeline is not converting the way you want it to. Wesleyne Whittaker, sales professional and author of Sales Reset, joins me to challenge how most teams run demos and discovery...
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Missed Quota Series: Prospecting With A Net Rather Than A Spear! | Donald C. Kelly - 1998
40% of a seller’s time is spent on prospecting. That’s a big investment, especially when a lot of it does not lead anywhere. So how do you make sure that time actually turns into real opportunities? Let’s break down how to prospect in a way that leads to conversations and closed deals. Leverage...
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Missed Quota Series: They Were ONLY Selling 11 Hours Per Week! | Donald C. Kelly - 1997
Salesforce found that reps spend just 11 hours per week actually selling. That means nearly 70% of their time is spent on everything else. So where is it going? Let’s break down what sellers are really doing and why it’s keeping them from hitting quota. Identifying Time-Bleeding Tasks Let me show...
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Missed Quota Series: The AI Gap is Real...You Debate "It's A Fad, While Your Competitor Is 6 Months Ahead of Your | Donald C. Kelly - 1996
Salesforce found that sellers who use AI are 3.7 times more likely to hit quota. So what are they doing differently? Let’s break down how AI is helping sellers work more effectively and why it’s becoming a core part of modern sales. Maximizing Efficiency in Prep and Prospecting AI is taking a lot...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
I believe in doing BIG THINGS! You should be earning 6 figures easily as a sales rep. But chances are you are not...yet! Sales is the most important department in every company but many sellers are never taught how to effectively sell, much less how to earn their way to high-income status. My own career limped along until a company I worked for invested in sales training to help me succeed. Immediately afterward, I closed a deal worth 4X what the company spent on me and saw hockey-stick improvement in my performance. So I started a podcast to “Evangelize” what was working. Today I interview the world's best sales experts, successful sellers, sales leaders and entrepreneurs who share their strategies to succeed in sales right now: folks like Jeffrey Gitomer, Jill Konrath, Bob Burg, and Guy Kawasaki to name a few. They share actionable insights and stories that will encourage, challenge, and motivate you to hustle your way to top income status. If you’re someone looking to take o
HOSTED BY
Donald C. Kelly
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Sales Evangelist have?
The Sales Evangelist currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Sales Evangelist about?
I believe in doing BIG THINGS! You should be earning 6 figures easily as a sales rep. But chances are you are not...yet! Sales is the most important department in every company but many sellers are never taught how to effectively sell, much less how to earn their way to high-income status. My own...
How often does The Sales Evangelist release new episodes?
The Sales Evangelist releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Sales Evangelist?
You can listen to The Sales Evangelist on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Sales Evangelist?
The Sales Evangelist is created and hosted by Donald C. Kelly.
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