Ray Black didn’t plan a career in sales.

Growing up in the village of Sanquhar, Ray began his career studying print before moving into technical design. Working at a drawing table long before CAD existed, he started out designing packaging and production samples by hand. That early exposure to the industry eventually led him into packaging, sales and business development.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Ray Black, Managing Partner of Think Partnership, to talk about Ray’s career journey and what he has learned from more than 30 years in the packaging and sales industry.

Ray shares how he moved from design into packaging sales after watching sales representatives visiting the business and realising he could do the same. He explains how his career progressed through roles in production and packaging companies before eventually becoming a Sales Director after decades in the industry.

Together, they explore the realities of modern sales, the role of process and discipline, and why strong relationships remain at the heart of successful business development.

Key moments: ✔️ Ray growing up in Sanquhar and his early background ✔️ Studying print and starting out in technical design ✔️ Designing packaging before CAD technology ✔️ Moving from design into the packaging industry ✔️ Building a 36-year career in packaging ✔️ Progressing through sales roles and becoming Sales Director ✔️ Ray’s view on what makes a great salesperson ✔️ Why trust and relationship-based selling matter ✔️ The importance of work ethic in sales ✔️ Planning questions and preparing for client meetings

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Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Ray Black

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayblackuk/

Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Ray Black [00:00:40] James welcomes Ray to the podcast [00:00:59] Ray shares his background growing up in Sanquhar [00:02:00] Studying print and starting in technical design [00:02:28] Designing packaging before CAD [00:03:00] Moving into the packaging industry [00:04:40] Ray’s long career in packaging and sales [00:05:00] Becoming a Sales Director [00:05:10] Ray’s view on what makes a great salesperson [00:07:00] Relationship-based selling and trust [00:08:00] Work ethic and sales process [00:09:00] James and Ray discuss preparing questions for sales meetings