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  • Stop Chasing More Leads: Turn Your Quote Backlog Into Revenue

    Stop Chasing More Leads: Turn Your Quote Backlog Into Revenue
    2026/09/22
    Sales organizations often assume that revenue growth starts with finding more leads. Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey challenge that assumption in this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales. For manufacturers, distributors, and other B2B companies that generate a high volume of quotes, substantial revenue may already sit in the existing pipeline—buried under unanswered proposals, unclosed opportunities, and customers whose buying behavior has never been analyzed. Kevin and Sean break down how disciplined sales management, internal service-level agreements, quote follow-up, and wallet-share analysis can turn an overlooked quote backlog into a practical revenue generation strategy. Key Topics Discussed Sometimes You Don't Need More Leads—You Need to Manage the Ones You Have — 01:01 Before spending more money on lead generation, examine the opportunities already sitting inside the business. Existing customers and prospects have already raised their hands, requested pricing, or engaged with the sales process. Sean explains why even modest improvements in follow-up and wallet share can create meaningful sales success without adding another prospect to the top of the funnel. The issue may not be lead volume. It may be sales process discipline. Sending a Quote vs. Presenting a Quote — 02:21 Not every quote deserves the same sales strategy. A simple transactional request may warrant sending pricing and establishing a follow-up reminder. A larger opportunity involving a buying committee, multiple stakeholders, or a more complex decision should be handled very differently. Sean argues that sellers should present significant proposals rather than merely emailing them, using the conversation to reinforce value selling, business impact, and the reasons the customer should choose their company. Most importantly, the AE should leave that conversation with the next meeting already scheduled. Build Internal SLAs Around Quote Response and Follow-Up — 05:09 Kevin challenges sales leaders to establish clear internal service-level agreements for quote handling. How quickly should an inbound request be acknowledged? When should the salesperson respond? At what dollar value does a quote require a presentation instead of an email? When should operations, delivery, or finance become involved? These rules create measurable sales processes instead of relying on individual habits. With CRM, email, and phone activity connected through the sales tech stack, leaders can measure response time, conversion, staffing requirements, pipeline velocity, and coaching opportunities rather than managing by anecdote. Stop Being a Quote Factory: Measure the Cost of Customers Who Rarely Buy — 08:43 One of Kevin's favorite measurements exposes a hidden revenue management problem: customers who consume enormous quoting resources but rarely purchase. He describes a client whose supposedly valuable customer requested roughly 30 quotes per day, each requiring about 15 minutes of work, while converting only a tiny percentage into orders. That data changed the conversation. Instead of assuming the account was valuable because it was active, leadership could see the administrative burden it created and ask the customer how the supplier could become a stronger vendor partner. This is exactly the kind of analysis that can expose opportunities to reduce non-selling activities while improving revenue. Use Quote Win Rates to Estimate Wallet Share and Find Growth Opportunities — 10:52 Many companies cannot answer a basic account-management question: what percentage of the customer's category spend do we actually receive? Sean builds on Kevin's example to show how quote activity can provide an important clue. If a customer asks for dozens of quotes but awards very few orders, competitors are probably capturing much of that spend. At the opposite extreme, if the company wins nearly every opportunity it receives but is never invited to quote other product categories, that can signal another kind of growth opportunity. Both conditions deserve deliberate account strategy from the VP of Sales or sales leader. Turn Quote Data Into Better Sales Leadership Decisions — 12:20 The objective isn't merely cleaner CRM data. Quote conversion patterns can tell a sales leader where coaching is needed, which customers deserve more attention, which accounts consume disproportionate resources, and where cross-sell opportunities may exist. That creates a more informed approach to enterprise sales and account development: identify the anomaly, understand why it exists, and decide what the sales team should do differently. Key Quotes Kevin Lawson — 01:01 "Sometimes you don't need any more leads. Let that sink in. Sometimes you don't need more leads. Sometimes you need to do a better job of managing the ones you have." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 02:44 "There's a big difference between sending a quote and presenting a quote." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 03:42 "You do ...
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    18 分
  • Why Qualified B2B Deals Still Fall Apart: MEDDPICC, Economic Buyers, and Buying Committees

    Why Qualified B2B Deals Still Fall Apart: MEDDPICC, Economic Buyers, and Buying Committees
    2026/09/15
    Filling every box in MEDDPICC does not mean you actually understand the deal. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey dig into one of the most dangerous problems in B2B sales: confidently believing you have identified the economic buyer, decision process, decision criteria, and business impact—only to discover late in the cycle that your assumptions were wrong. From complex deals and buying committees to stalled proposals and hidden influencers, Sean and Kevin explain why qualification is not a CRM exercise. It is an ongoing discipline that demands business acumen, better questions, and the willingness to challenge what you think you know. Key Topics Discussed MEDDPICC Is Only as Good as the Answers You Put Into It — 00:23 Sean explains why qualification frameworks such as MEDDPICCC, BANT, and SPICED can create false confidence. Completing the fields is not the same as validating them. In Enterprise Sales and other complex deals, getting one critical assumption wrong—especially the economic buyer or decision process—can derail the entire opportunity. The Economic Buyer vs. the Person Managing the Budget — 04:59 Kevin explores the distinction between someone who manages a budget and someone who can actually authorize a purchase. Using examples ranging from fleet fuel to professional services, he shows why strong sales strategies require follow-up questions about authority, contracting, procurement, and how decisions actually get made. Discovery Does Not End When the CRM Stage Changes — 08:20 Sean challenges the conventional sales process assumption that discovery is an early-stage activity. Effective salespeople keep testing their assumptions throughout the opportunity. The goal is to continually verify that the information remains accurate as the buying committee and deal evolve. Follow the Business Impact to Find the Real Power — 08:58 The economic buyer may control the money, but the executive or department receiving the business benefit can have enormous influence over the purchase. Sean explains how metrics such as reduced selling time, increased deal size, lower supply-chain costs, or stronger ROI can show which stakeholders need to join the conversation. This is where value selling and business acumen become essential. When the Deal Stalls, Reopen Qualification — 12:05 A proposal has been sent. A week passes. Then another. Silence. Kevin explains why being ghosted should trigger a review of the opportunity rather than another generic follow-up email. Reassess the person, the impact, and the decision process—and have the courage to admit that you may have missed something. Getting Better Sales Coaching Outside the Forecast Call — 13:11 Sean discusses the value of having experienced salespeople and sales leaders available to challenge assumptions before a deal falls apart. For AEs, sales managers, and VPs of Sales, stronger coaching can improve qualification discipline, pipeline velocity, and ultimately sales success. Key Quotes Sean O'Shaughnessey — 01:16 "If you know the correct answer, you almost always will know if you can win the deal, if you will win the deal, and also if you shouldn't win the deal because you're not a good fit." Kevin Lawson — 07:41 "Mastering it can take a lifetime." Kevin compares professional selling to golf: the basic mechanics are easy to understand, but consistently executing the right sales processes and asking the next question takes years of disciplined practice. Sean O'Shaughnessey — 08:20 "Discovery happens throughout the sales process." That distinction matters. Discovery is not something you complete and leave behind. In complex B2B opportunities, every new stakeholder, metric, objection, and approval step can change your understanding of the deal. Kevin Lawson — 13:05 "Take the 30 seconds of courage and ask the question." Sometimes deal acceleration does not require another sales tool or a more sophisticated message. It requires asking the uncomfortable question that exposes what you missed. Additional Resources MEDDPICCC — A qualification methodology frequently used in Enterprise Sales and complex deals to examine metrics, the economic buyer, decision criteria, decision process, pain, champions, competition, and other critical elements of an opportunity. BANT — A simpler qualification framework focused on budget, authority, need, and timing. SPICED — Another structured approach to understanding customer situations, pain, impact, critical events, and decision-making. B2B Sales Lab — A community where sales professionals and sales leaders can discuss real opportunities, sales management challenges, sales strategies, and execution issues with other practitioners. Visit b2b-sales-lab.com. September 22 B2B Sales Lab Office Hours — Sean and Kevin invite listeners to attend this session without becoming a member, giving salespeople and sales leaders an opportunity to bring ...
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    18 分
  • Hit 120% of Quota: Manage Your Sales Territory Like a Business

    Hit 120% of Quota: Manage Your Sales Territory Like a Business
    2026/09/08
    What if the biggest obstacle to hitting your sales quota isn't your territory, your product, or even your competition, but the way you manage yourself? In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey challenge sales professionals to stop thinking only like employees and start managing their territories like businesses. They break down the numbers every seller should know, explain why CRM discipline directly affects sales success, and show how average deal size, selling effort, close rates, and opportunity quality should drive daily decisions. For B2B sellers who want stronger business acumen, better sales processes, faster pipeline velocity, and more predictable revenue, this episode offers a practical framework for becoming the manager your territory needs. Key Topics Discussed Being Your Own Sales Manager — Not Just Your Own Boss (00:00) Kevin and Sean draw an important distinction between thinking like a business owner and actually managing yourself like one. Sean introduces the idea of treating your sales territory as your own franchise: the company provides the products and infrastructure, but you are responsible for how effectively that territory produces revenue. That mindset changes sales management from something your VP of Sales does to you into something you actively do for yourself. Define What a Successful Day Looks Like Before It Starts (02:48) Before the first call, email, meeting, or prospecting activity, Sean argues that a salesperson should know exactly what must happen for the day to count as successful. Sometimes that means completing an important proposal or responding to customer questions. Other days require prospecting, building pipeline, or starting new conversations. Effective sales strategies start with consciously allocating limited time and attention to the activities that matter most. Know Your Numbers—and Manage Beyond 100% of Quota (03:56) Kevin connects strong sales management to systems and controls: the system determines how the work gets done, while the controls tell you whether it is working. Sellers should know their quota, compensation structure, average deal size, close rate, customer concentration, territory concentration, and other performance metrics. More importantly, Kevin makes the case for planning toward 120% of quota rather than 100%, because salespeople can't fully control when complex deals close. That buffer is risk management, not optimism. Understand the True Cost of Winning a Deal (07:01) Sean goes beyond average deal size and introduces the idea of the "average transaction"—the total selling effort necessary to create that deal. How many meetings were required? How much time did those meetings consume? Did the opportunity begin through a referral, inbound inquiry, networking connection, or cold prospecting? When sellers understand the actual investment required to generate revenue, they can begin making better ROI decisions about where their selling time belongs. If the current activity model mathematically cannot produce quota attainment, working harder is not the answer. The assumptions or sales processes need to change. CRM Data Hygiene as a Competitive Advantage (10:41) CRM administration is often treated as an annoying non-selling activity. Kevin challenges that assumption directly. Good CRM data helps sellers understand where deals stall, where they lose, how often opportunities convert from particular stages, and whether the next step actually advances the buying process. Better information creates better coaching, stronger opportunity qualification, and potentially significant sales productivity gains. In that sense, reducing sales administrative burden should never mean eliminating the information needed to manage the business intelligently. The Next Step Must Describe Progress—not Just Another Meeting (13:22) "Schedule another meeting" is not a meaningful next-step opportunity. A legitimate next step describes what needs to be accomplished: confirm several requirements before preparing a proposal, identify the economic buyer, re-scope the solution, or determine whether a proof of concept makes sense. That level of specificity creates accountability and helps sellers manage complex deals based on evidence, not enthusiasm. Key Quotes Kevin Lawson (00:00): "Being your own manager is not the same as being your own boss." Sean O'Shaughnessey (02:12): "You are a franchisee of your territory, selling those products… You own it. You need to run it." Kevin Lawson (05:50): "You should always be planning to exceed your quota, not just hit it, 'cause you're managing risk." Sean O'Shaughnessey (09:23): "If you cannot make your number by working hard and doing all the things correctly… then you gotta change some of those assumptions." Kevin Lawson (11:16): "If you're in the camp of saying, 'I don't wanna put information in my CRM,' you're gonna get outsold by your competition." Additional Resources B2B ...
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    17 分
  • Stop Chasing More Pipeline: How to Win More B2B Sales Deals

    Stop Chasing More Pipeline: How to Win More B2B Sales Deals
    2026/09/01
    Most salespeople do not lose because they cannot make the spectacular play. They lose because they miss the layups. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey challenge the conventional wisdom that sales success requires ever-larger pipelines and more activity. Instead, they make the case for disciplined sales processes, tighter qualification, faster follow-up, stronger business acumen, and a relentless focus on the opportunities you should actually win. If your sales management system assumes that closing 20% or 30% of your pipeline is normal, this conversation may force you to rethink the math. Key Topics Discussed 00:25 – Stop Missing the Sales "Gimmes" Sean uses basketball free throws and layups to illustrate one of the simplest—and most expensive—problems in B2B sales: failing to execute the obvious fundamentals. Responding quickly to a prospect, writing a compelling follow-up email, providing requested information, and introducing the right customer reference are not advanced sales strategies. They are basic execution. Consistently missing them creates unnecessary friction, slows pipeline velocity, and costs revenue generation. 03:04 – Build Your Pipeline Around High-Probability Opportunities Kevin introduces an 80%, 90%, and 95% framework for thinking about ICP fit and opportunity quality. Salespeople often become enamored with "whale" opportunities that resemble half-court shots while neglecting the prospects with strong product-market fit, clear buying signals, and obvious need. Whether you are an AE, SDR, VP of Sales, or working inside RevOps, the question is the same: how much of your pipeline consists of deals you genuinely have a right to win? 06:27 – Rationalize the Pipeline and Get Out of Bad Deals Pipeline management should not be an exercise in protecting inflated opportunity counts. Kevin argues for something more disciplined: determine whether you belong in each deal. Do you understand the economic buyer, the decision process, the decision criteria, the goals, and the fit? If not, either develop that understanding or leave the opportunity. Better sales management means removing bad deals rather than pretending weak opportunities will somehow convert. 08:28 – Why 3X, 4X, and 5X Pipeline Coverage Can Hide a Bigger Problem Sean challenges one of the most common assumptions in revenue management: that every salesperson needs three, four, or even five times quota sitting in the pipeline. Five-times coverage implies an expected close rate of roughly 20%. Instead of celebrating pipeline volume, sales leaders should ask why such a low conversion rate is considered acceptable. Better qualification, value selling, messaging, and ICP discipline can create a smaller but dramatically more productive pipeline. 11:26 – A 90% Close Rate Is Not Fantasy—If You Measure It Correctly Kevin draws an important distinction: the close-rate calculation should begin after meaningful discovery and qualification. A prospect should not move into proposal or scoping simply because someone wants a quote. If you do not understand the economic buyer, business goal, impact, and buying conditions, the deal has not earned advancement. This is where sales enablement and process discipline become more valuable than simply increasing activity. 12:40 – Improve Your Close Rate Before Lunch Tomorrow The episode finishes with highly practical execution. Define the next step. Prepare properly for the next meeting. Document customer goals. Brief internal participants. Send the buyer an agenda. Clarify what must happen next. In complex deals involving a buying committee or an Enterprise Sales environment, seemingly small actions build trust, surface weak opportunities earlier, reduce non-selling activities later, and improve B2B sales pipeline predictability. Key Quotes Sean O'Shaughnessey – 02:25 "Are you doing the simple things well?" That question cuts through a tremendous amount of sales-tech noise. Artificial intelligence, workflow automation, conversational intelligence, predictive analytics, and an increasingly complicated sales tech stack can improve sales productivity—but none of them compensate for poor execution of the fundamentals. Kevin Lawson – 06:27 "Am I in the right deals or am I in the wrong deals?" That may be one of the most important questions in pipeline management. Better revenue management begins by distinguishing real opportunities from deals that merely make the CRM look healthy. Sean O'Shaughnessey – 08:28 "I like lazy salespeople." Sean's point is deliberately provocative: great salespeople should not have to brute-force their way to quota. They know what they sell, who should buy it, the value it creates, and which opportunities deserve their time. That clarity creates a better ROI from every hour sold. Kevin Lawson – 12:02 "What we're talking about here is discipline to the selling process, not trying to rush to the quote." That ...
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    18 分
  • When to Walk Away From a Sales Deal: Stop Wasting Time on Bad Opportunities

    When to Walk Away From a Sales Deal: Stop Wasting Time on Bad Opportunities
    2026/08/25
    There is a hidden cost in every sales pipeline: the deals that consume time, attention, and internal resources without a compelling reason to remain there. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey challenge B2B salespeople to stop treating every opportunity as something that deserves to be won. They examine how strong sales management starts with deciding where your time creates the greatest return, recognizing opportunities outside your "deal box," and knowing when walking away can actually improve revenue generation and pipeline velocity. If you are an AE, SDR, VP of Sales, or sales leader trying to improve sales productivity and B2B sales pipeline predictability, this conversation provides a disciplined way to distinguish a difficult deal worth fighting for from a bad deal that should never have been in the pipeline. Key Topics Discussed 01:46 – Your Prospects Must Earn the Right to Be in Your Pipeline Kevin introduces a powerful reversal of the traditional sales mindset: salespeople are trying to earn a buyer's business, but prospects must also earn the seller's time investment. A large opportunity is not automatically a good opportunity. Strong sales strategies require evaluating whether the potential customer fits the company's capabilities, economics, customer mix, and broader revenue management priorities. 03:02 – Understanding Your "Deal Box" Not every revenue-generating opportunity fits the business. Kevin describes the "deal box"—the characteristics that define the opportunities your company is best positioned to win, serve, and grow. An account buying only a peripheral product may appear attractive because of margin, but if maintaining that customer consumes disproportionate resources or offers little expansion potential, the ROI may be poor. Effective sales processes require looking beyond the initial transaction. 05:32 – Evaluate the Account, Not Just the Current Opportunity Sean expands the discussion from deal planning to account planning. Is this a company with which you want a long-term relationship? Can the account support additional revenue generation? Does pursuing this opportunity advance your territory strategy, or is it simply consuming time that could be better spent on higher-value prospects? Business acumen and value selling require evaluating both the immediate deal and the economic potential of the relationship behind it. 07:51 – Use the One-on-One Sales Meeting for Deal Decisions A salesperson should not quietly abandon a questionable opportunity. Sean explains why these situations belong in a one-on-one sales management conversation. Bring the evidence to your manager, explain why the opportunity may no longer justify the investment, and ask whether you are missing any strategic information or coaching. A strong VP of Sales or sales manager may confirm that the opportunity deserves more resources—or agree that those resources should be redirected elsewhere. 08:47 – How to Withdraw Without Burning the Relationship Walking away does not require an adversarial conversation. Sean describes a direct approach: tell the buyer you are questioning whether your company is truly the best fit and invite them to explain why you should remain involved. That creates an unusual moment of honesty. The prospect may confirm that you should exit—or reveal information about the buying committee, competitive position, internal priorities, or stalled decision process that changes your understanding of the opportunity. 11:14 – Divide Your Pipeline Into Three Categories Kevin closes with a practical pipeline exercise. Identify the deals you most want to win, the deals you want but have the lowest probability of winning, and the opportunities that have no legitimate reason to remain in your pipeline. Those groups require three different responses: deal planning, sales coaching, and an exit strategy. That discipline improves pipeline velocity, sales productivity, and ultimately sales success. Key Quotes Kevin Lawson – 01:46 "Your prospects need to earn the right to be in your pipeline." That statement reframes pipeline management. Opportunity volume is not the objective; productive allocation of selling resources is. Sean O'Shaughnessey – 06:33 "Your job as a salesperson is to maximize the revenue coming from your territory, however you define your territory." That means evaluating opportunity cost, not merely asking whether a particular deal could eventually close. Sean O'Shaughnessey – 08:47 "I'm not sure that we're a perfect fit for what you're trying to accomplish." Sometimes the most effective messaging is a willingness to disqualify yourself. The buyer's reaction can expose information that months of conventional follow-up failed to uncover. Kevin Lawson – 11:33 "Which of these do I most want to win? And which of these deals do I think are least likely for me to win?" Those are different questions, and confusing them leads ...
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    17 分
  • How to Run a One-on-One Sales Meeting That Actually Improves Sales Performance

    How to Run a One-on-One Sales Meeting That Actually Improves Sales Performance
    2026/08/18
    A one-on-one sales meeting should not be a passive status report where the salesperson waits for the manager to ask questions. Done correctly, it becomes one of the most valuable tools for improving sales performance, removing obstacles, strengthening skills, and accelerating revenue generation. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey explain how salespeople can take greater ownership of these conversations—even when their sales manager has not created an effective structure. From forecasting the deals you expect to close to asking for resources, coaching, and candid feedback, Sean and Kevin lay out a practical framework for turning recurring one-on-ones into working sessions that support better sales processes, stronger sales management, and ultimately greater sales success. Key Topics Discussed Take Ownership of Your One-on-One Sales Meeting — 01:18 The salesperson should arrive prepared rather than treating the meeting as something the manager owns. Know the details of your opportunities, understand where you need help, and be ready to direct attention toward the issues that could materially affect your results. Kevin describes the meeting as an enablement resource: your job is to own the deal, while your sales leader can help mobilize marketing, technical, consulting, or other internal resources needed to win it. Start With the Scoreboard: Dollars, Deals, and Obstacles — 03:23 Sean recommends beginning with a clear statement of what you expect to close during the relevant sales period—whether that is the week, month, quarter, or another cadence appropriate to the business. Then identify the concerns surrounding those opportunities. Where is the deal blocked? What support is missing? What could prevent the projected revenue from becoming real revenue? This moves the discussion beyond vague pipeline updates and toward concrete decisions that can improve Pipeline Velocity and deal execution. Use the Meeting to Close the Loop on Commitments — 06:32 Kevin breaks the meeting into a scoreboard followed by the outstanding to-do items from prior conversations. That accountability runs in both directions. Salespeople should report on what they committed to doing, but they should also appropriately "lead up" by asking managers about resources, introductions, or assistance that was previously promised. Doing this prevents half-completed initiatives from accumulating and ensures the AE or salesperson receives the Sales Enablement support needed to move Complex Deals forward. Your Pipeline Is Not the Entire Meeting — 08:28 Pipeline matters, but Kevin warns against allowing pipeline inspection to consume the entire conversation. A productive one-on-one should also address problems, resources, execution, and development. A sales management system that does nothing more than repeatedly ask, "When is this deal closing?" leaves enormous value on the table. The meeting should help the salesperson improve the business, not merely describe it. Run Your Territory Like a Business—and Ask to Be Coached — 09:11 Sean suggests thinking of yourself as the CEO of your territory, with your sales leader serving as the chair of your board. You are responsible for the performance of that business, but you should also expect the leadership team to provide resources and guidance. That includes skills development. Ask your manager to review recorded calls, presentations, and customer conversations and provide specific coaching about what could have been done better. Demand Useful Feedback, Not Empty Praise — 11:01 Sean tells the story of challenging a newly promoted VP of Sales who accompanied him on customer calls but initially offered nothing beyond praise. Sean had already identified five things he could have done better and pushed his manager to provide equally substantive feedback. The lesson is not to imitate Sean's rather dramatic airport maneuver; rather, experienced salespeople still need coaching, and leaders have an obligation to help them improve. Key Quotes Sean O'Shaughnessey — 01:18 "You should have the philosophy of this is your meeting." Salespeople who take responsibility for the preparation, agenda, and desired outcomes of their one-on-one put themselves in a far stronger position to get the resources and coaching they need. Kevin Lawson — 02:47 "Your name's on the deal, and so it's up to you to figure out how you're going to win the deal and reach your quota." The manager can provide resources, coaching, and organizational support, but ownership of the opportunity remains with the salesperson. Kevin Lawson — 08:52 "Pipeline is not the only content for a pipeline meeting." Forecasting matters, but simply reviewing opportunity stages and expected close dates does little to develop the salesperson or remove the problems preventing deals from advancing. Sean O'Shaughnessey — 13:09 "You need your leadership to help you get better, and you need to ...
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    17 分
  • 200 Episodes of B2B Sales Advice - The Lessons That Still Drive Sales Success

    200 Episodes of B2B Sales Advice - The Lessons That Still Drive Sales Success
    2026/08/11
    For the 200th episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Sean O'Shaughnessey and Kevin Lawson do something they have never done before: record together, in person, with a live studio audience asking the questions. What follows is less a celebration than a wide-ranging examination of what actually drives B2B sales success. Sean and Kevin tackle the resurgence of human relationships in an AI-enabled selling environment, the discipline required to define an ideal client profile, how artificial intelligence and Workflow Automation should eliminate non-selling activities, why great salespeople do not necessarily need industry experience, and what sales management must do differently to coach rather than rescue. They also dig into compensation, value selling, sales productivity gains, and the danger of single-threading Complex Deals. It is 200 episodes of experience compressed into one candid conversation about building sales processes that work when the sales leader is not in the room. Key Topics Discussed 04:04 – What 200 Episodes Have Revealed About Sales Fundamentals Sean and Kevin reflect on the recurring problems they continue to see across sales organizations: unclear ideal client profiles, weak Messaging, inconsistent prospecting, and critical sales knowledge that exists in someone's head instead of in a documented process. Kevin makes the case that documentation turns tribal knowledge into an operating system that can connect sales, marketing, customer service, and delivery. A repeatable sales process must actually be written down before it can be taught, measured, or improved. 14:27 – The Return of Real Relationships in an AI-Enabled Sales World Asked what has changed most over the life of the podcast—other than AI—Kevin points to the renewed importance of authentic, in-person relationships and value realization. Sean pushes the idea further: when prospects are overwhelmed by email, social outreach, and text messages, effective Sales strategies may sometimes look surprisingly old-fashioned. Knock on the door. Attend the event. Send a thoughtful physical note. The technology may be new, but trust still separates signal from noise. 17:45 – Using AI to Create More Selling Time James Sayer asks how salespeople should think about artificial intelligence right now, and Sean immediately frames AI as a productivity tool rather than a novelty. Research, CRM administration, account preparation, and other non-selling activities consume enormous amounts of a salesperson's day. The objective is not to use Generative AI because it is fashionable; it is to use AI, automation, and better tools to create additional opportunities for actual selling. Kevin recommends identifying the most time-intensive task inside prospecting, selling, or customer retention and finding a way to automate it. That is where meaningful sales productivity gains begin. 23:30 – Curiosity, Business Acumen, and Solving Problems Instead of Selling Products When the audience asks what young sales professionals should learn, Kevin argues that sellers need to stop concentrating on what they want to sell and start understanding the problem the customer needs solved. Sean adds curiosity as a foundational skill: understand the customer's business, how it makes money, and—critically—how it loses money. That becomes especially important when selling to a CFO or defending ROI. Later, Sean connects the same curiosity to relationship building: ask open-ended questions, stop talking about yourself, and give the prospect room to reveal what is actually driving the opportunity. 33:43 – Hiring Salespeople, Defining the ICP, and Building a System They Can Enter The discussion turns to one of the most expensive mistakes a business owner can make: hiring a salesperson for an industry Rolodex instead of hiring someone who knows how to sell. Kevin argues that salespeople should be hired into a documented system with clear expectations, onboarding, knowledge checks, and a defined sales process. Sean makes the complementary case that industry knowledge can often be taught far faster than genuine selling skill. The conversation then moves into ICP development: study your friendliest or favorite customers, identify what they have in common, understand their buying signals and psychographics, and use those insights to improve prospecting, Messaging, hiring, and pipeline quality. 49:53 – Sales Leadership, Compensation, Trust, and Multi-Threading Complex Deals Mary Tutton asks what capability matters most for a sales manager, prompting Kevin to identify consistency and analytical thinking. At the same time, Sean draws a sharp distinction between coaching and taking over the salesperson's job. The discussion expands into compensation design—simple enough that the seller should be able to estimate the payout mentally—and then into the realities of Enterprise Sales. In a significant B2B opportunity, one relationship is rarely enough. Sean warns against...
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    1 時間 18 分
  • Stop Losing Deals: Map the Buying Committee Before You Sell

    Stop Losing Deals: Map the Buying Committee Before You Sell
    2026/08/04
    Salespeople rarely lose complex deals because they forgot to follow up. They lose because they never developed a clear hypothesis about how the decision would be made, who would influence it, and what each stakeholder needed to believe. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey explain how a practical deal plan helps an AE move beyond the purchasing contact, understand the full buying committee, anticipate competitive threats, and coordinate the internal resources required to win. Using examples from sports, construction, manufacturing, and distribution, they show how disciplined planning improves sales execution, pipeline velocity, and long-term account growth. Key Topics Discussed Why Every Important Opportunity Needs a Deal Plan — 00:00 Kevin compares deal planning to the preparation elite athletes complete before taking the field. Great players do not simply understand their own position; they study their competition, anticipate likely reactions, and enter the game with a strategy. The same principle applies to B2B sales. A written deal plan increases the likelihood of closing the opportunity faster, executing more effectively, and avoiding preventable losses. Turning Assumptions into a Written Sales Hypothesis — 01:23 Sean explains that salespeople function as the quarterback of the opportunity. They must determine what they will do, how their teammates will contribute, and how the overall sales process should unfold. A sales hypothesis makes those assumptions visible: who will buy, what problem they are trying to solve, who benefits, and what conditions must exist for the deal to advance. If the hypothesis is not written down, it cannot be tested, improved, or consistently executed. Looking Beyond the Transactional Buyer — 02:32 A purchasing contact may control the transaction without receiving the greatest value from the product. Sean uses an HVAC compressor example to illustrate the broader stakeholder network: procurement, contractors, electricians, installers, building owners, maintenance teams, and eventual occupants may all influence the decision. Effective value selling requires messaging that addresses each stakeholder's priorities—not merely the requirements of the person issuing the purchase order. Understanding Decision Criteria and Stakeholder Influence — 05:05 Kevin expands the discussion through construction and engineered-specification sales. Manufacturers may need to influence architects, engineers, distributors, contractors, materials managers, and procurement teams long before an order is placed. Product specifications, installation requirements, availability, regional codes, service levels, and delivery capabilities can all become decision criteria. Strong business acumen allows a seller to connect those operational details to the buyer's desired outcome and measurable ROI. Mapping the Buying Committee and Informal Relationships — 08:32 Studying competitors is not enough. Salespeople must understand everyone "on the field," including the individuals who benefit from the solution, those who may resist it, and those who influence one another behind the scenes. Sean recommends creating a simple visual stakeholder map: write down the names, circle them, and connect the people who communicate, have worked together, attended school together, or maintain trusted relationships. Mapping the buying committee helps expose the informal decision network that a CRM contact list alone may not reveal. How Deal Plans Evolve into Account Plans — 10:45 A single stakeholder map supports one opportunity. Repeated deal plans reveal patterns across the account. Over time, the seller develops a record of who influenced previous decisions, why stakeholders supported or resisted the solution, and how internal relationships affected the outcome. That knowledge becomes the foundation of an account plan, giving sales management and Revenue management teams a stronger platform for expansion, retention, and more predictable revenue generation. Key Quotes Kevin Lawson — 00:57 "If you're not doing deal plans for your next deal, you're probably missing an opportunity to either close faster or more effectively, or you might even be increasing the chances that you're going to lose." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 01:44 "You are the quarterback of the team. Your job is to figure out what all of your teammates are going to help you do, but also what you're going to do." Kevin Lawson — 05:41 "It's just your opinion about who's going to buy, who it's going to benefit—which may be a different person—and then what are the other related people that could have influence over the deal?" Sean O'Shaughnessey — 09:15 "You need to understand everybody on the court, everybody on the pitch, everybody on the field." Sean O'Shaughnessey — 12:02 "Before long, your deal plans are becoming account plans." Additional Resources B2B Sales Lab The B2B Sales Lab is a ...
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