WINNING AT SELLING

Are you letting sales be done to you or are you planning and accounting for them so there are less surprises? With proper planning you can effectively have each quarter WON by the time it starts instead of waiting to see what happens at the end! Golden Nugget: "By failing to prepare you're preparing to fail." Benjamin Franklin Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: reachdev.com Bill Hellkamp email: [email protected] Erik Haugen LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikrhaugen Erik Haugen Contact: [email protected] PROP Coaching and Consulting website: www.propcoachingandconsulting.com

One of the simplest things salespeople can do to improve their meetings is also one of the most overlooked: a well-planned agenda. In less than two minutes, you can establish credibility, show you're prepared, involve the prospect in shaping the conversation, and set expectations for what happens next. The agenda isn't just about organizing a meeting, it's about earning the right to lead it. Golden Nugget:  "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day."   ~ Jim Rohn.   In this episode: Brian Maas LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianmaas Brian Maas Contact: [email protected] Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: www.reachdev.com

Most salespeople quit after one or two touches. But research says most decisions happen after five to twelve. This episode is about what to say on follow-up #3, #5, and #7.  How do you add value instead of "just checking in". Sales Follow-up Strategies Discussion Stefani discussed the importance of effective follow-up in sales, emphasizing that it's not about being pushy but about serving the client by staying relevant, adding value, and deepening trust. She shared a structured follow-up methodology using her "convert method" where each touchpoint should achieve one of three goals: staying relevant, adding value, or deepening trust. Bill shared his approach of directly asking prospects to confirm their decision to either move forward or end the conversation, which Stefani praised as giving prospects permission to be honest about their intentions. Golden Nugget:  "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." -- Confucius In this episode: Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: www.reachdev.com Stefani Havel LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/stefanihavel Stefani Havel Website: www.stefanihavel.com

As a salesperson it's easy to get excited about your product or service. So much so that you can find yourself explaining about the great benefits before you even know much about the prospect. In essence, we want to tell our story before we listen to their story. Instead, resist the urge to tell and allow their stories to guide you to a valuable solution. Active Listening in Sales Techniques Jimmy discussed the importance of active listening in sales, emphasizing the need to listen to understand rather than to respond. He explained how asking clarifying questions and showing genuine curiosity can help build rapport with clients. Bill agreed with these principles, sharing his advice to prepare good questions in advance and practice techniques like "tell me more" to encourage clients to share more information. Building Client Rapport Strategies Jimmy and Bill discussed the importance of building rapport and making genuine connections with clients. Jimmy emphasized the need for preparation, active listening, and focusing entirely on the other person to establish trust and gather honest information. He shared his approach of building a "bridge of influence" through asking questions and inviting clients to share their values and future goals. Bill shared a personal anecdote about his mother's experience of feeling overlooked, highlighting the importance of full attention and focus in conversations.  Golden Nugget: "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply."  Stephen R. Covey  In this episode: Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: reachdev.com Jimmy Z LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimmyzugschwert Jimmy Z Website: JimmyZSpeaks.com 

Have you ever finished what you thought was a great sales call only to hear, 'This looks good, but I need to run it by my boss?' Most salespeople breathe a sigh of relief because they think the deal is still alive. Sometimes it is. But what usually happens is you've just been removed from the most important part of the sales conversation." In this episode, Bill is joined by guest host, Brian Maas. They discuss winning strategies and key questions to avoid getting trapped by a prospect who needs to take the proposal to be approved by others.  Book Club: Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy – Chapter 2 Where the Wild Things Are: Pride and Fear and the Center of the Universe Golden Nugget: "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar In this episode: Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: reachdev.com Brian Maas LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianmaas Brian Maas Website: www.intentionalselling.com

Most salespeople who struggle with confidence think it's a personality problem. It's not. It's a structure problem. When you don't know what comes next, your brain fills the gap with anxiety, and that anxiety shows up as hesitation, over-explaining, or caving on price. Here's what I want every listener to hear: confidence is not something you either have or you don't. It's not a personality type. It's not a gift some people are born with. Confidence is manufactured, through preparation, repetition, and having a process you trust. The salespeople who look naturally confident in a room? They've usually just internalized a structure so deeply it looks effortless. Take that structure away and watch what happens. Golden Nugget: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." — Abraham Lincoln In this episode: Bill Hellkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billhellkamp Bill Hellkamp Website: reachdev.com Stefani Havel LinkedIn: linlinkedin.com/in/stefanihavel Stefani Havel Website: www.SalesStrategyNetwork.com CONVERT Guide: www.SalesStrategyNetwork.com/Convert    

On Tuesday January 13, 2026, Scott "The Professor" Plum, my good friend, business partner and the co-host of the Winning at Selling podcast died suddenly. After 5 years and over 300 weekly conversations a great advocate for the selling profession went silent. In this episode I attempted to find some of the fun and interesting conversations and diatribes that give the best profile of what he believed and stood for.

Responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) can be a powerful way to win new business—but only if it's the right opportunity. RFPs often demand considerable time, resources, and cross-functional coordination, so blindly responding to every one can lead to wasted effort, low win rates, and team burnout. Look up your RFP win rates as Scott and I question, Should You Respond to an RFP? and other magnificent musings on Episode 677 of the Winning at Selling podcast. Episode 675 with Jason Talley - Quote vs. Proposal and RFP's Our next book – The Power of Purpose by Mitch Larsonhttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Purpose-guide-discover-yours/dp/1960111280/ref=sr_1_1  Bill Hellkamp – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: http://www.reachdev.com/ Scott "Professor Plum" Plum – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: https://www.mnsales.com

Scott and I have been pouring our knowledge and experience into this podcast for over 5 years with the hope that sales professionals would be able to use this information to sell more and win at selling. And that sales leaders would be able to augment their own training with the ideas presented in our podcast. While we've spoken to many of our listeners we finally decided to let one of them share his results. So prepare to hear an echo of your own experience as Scott and I welcome sales leader Jason Talley to examine how he is Using Podcasts to Supplement Training and other idealistic impressions on Episode 675 of the Winning at Selling podcast. Our next book – The Power of Purpose by Mitch Larsonhttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Purpose-guide-discover-yours/dp/1960111280/ref=sr_1_1  Bill Hellkamp – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: http://www.reachdev.com/ Scott "Professor Plum" Plum – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: https://www.mnsales.com

Does your sales process advocate emailing your proposal to the prospect and then calling in a few days to see what they think? If so, YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND! Whoops, got a little strident there! What I meant to say was, we think there is a better way. So, move your had away from that SEND button as Scott and I discuss the Advantages of Interactive Delivery of a Proposal and other discerning details on Episode 667 of the Winning at Selling podcast. Bill Hellkamp – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: http://www.reachdev.com/ Scott "Professor Plum" Plum – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: https://www.mnsales.com Link to Jimmy Z's book on Amazon. 

Does your sales process advocate emailing your proposal to the prospect and then calling in a few days to see what they think? If so, YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND! Whoops, got a little strident there! What I meant to say was, we think there is a better way. So, move your had away from that SEND button as Scott and I discuss the Advantages of Interactive Delivery of a Proposal and other discerning details on Episode 667 of the Winning at Selling podcast. Bill Hellkamp – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: http://www.reachdev.com/ Scott "Professor Plum" Plum – See my LinkedIn profile and send me an invite Visit my website: https://www.mnsales.com Link to Jimmy Z's book on Amazon.