WINNING AT SELLING

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.