Kelly celebrates two years of transforming how professionals think about sales — and tackles one of the biggest questions in the business world: why is selling so hard? Drawing from decades of experience, Kelly unpacks the long list of skills every salesperson must master — from systems and product knowledge to industry fluency, customer psychology, and competitive strategy.

Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining

But it doesn't stop there. Kelly explains how companies unintentionally make the job harder through poor onboarding, unrealistic expectations, and one-off "event" training that quickly fades away. He highlights how many organizations still perpetuate outdated sales stereotypes — focusing on product pitches instead of developing professionals who listen, adapt, and solve problems.

Sales is not a fallback career — it's one of the most complex, performance-driven roles in business. And while great salespeople thrive on challenge, true success depends on leaders who prepare and support them the right way. If you lead a sales team or want to understand what separates elite performers from the rest, this episode is a must-listen.

Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.

Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com.

Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019.

Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Stop pitching at the first buying signal and learn the real secret to effective selling: listening. Discover the critical questions you're not asking—like "how do you feel?"—that unlock the motivations, emotions, and information needed to build trust and win the deal.

Salespeople are trained to talk, not to listen. We load them with product knowledge and then wonder why they commit the ultimate amateur mistake: pouncing on the first potential buying signal with a full-blown product pitch. This approach doesn't build trust; it breaks it.

In this finale of a three-part series on listening, Kelly Riggs exposes the real secret to becoming a great listener. It's not just about asking good questions; it's about having the emotional intelligence to explore the details behind the first answer. You will learn that the ability to be a truly effective listener is predicated on one overlooked skill: preparation. When you are prepared, you can get out of your own head and stop thinking about what to say next, allowing you to genuinely tune in.

This episode provides concrete examples of the powerful questions most salespeople are afraid to ask—including the simple shift from "what do you think?" to "how do you feel?"—to uncover a prospect's true motivations. Finally, learn why making assumptions is so dangerous and why clarification is the critical final key to understanding what your prospect really means.

Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining

Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.

Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com.

Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019.

Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson

Most salespeople think they're great listeners—but Kelly Riggs says they're wrong. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly explores the critical difference between "hearing" and "listening to learn." Using lessons from psychology and real-world sales experience, he reveals why too many reps focus so hard on pitching that they miss what's actually being said.

Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining

Kelly draws from "The Invisible Gorilla" experiment to illustrate how attention blindness ruins sales calls, then shares the concept of "staying in the moment"—a key sales competency proven to predict success. You'll learn why amateur salespeople ask fact-based questions, how pros create dialogue instead of interrogation, and why curiosity and empathy are the true foundations of effective selling.

From sidewalk coaching to trade show mistakes, Kelly breaks down the traps every salesperson falls into—and exactly how to avoid them. If you've ever wondered why your prospects go silent or why your "great product pitch" fell flat, this episode is a masterclass in what to actually listen for. Tune in, take notes, and start rewiring your sales brain today.

Kelly Riggs is an author, speaker, and business consultant for executives and companies throughout the United States and Canada. He has written two books: 1-on-1 Management: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don't and Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.

Get more Kelly: www.BizLockerRoom.com.

Widely recognized as a powerful speaker and performance coach in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning, Kelly is a former sales executive, a two-time national Salesperson-of-the-Year, a business owner, and a member of the Forbes' Coaches Council since 2019.

Music and Editing by Pod About It Productions @dougbranson