In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly Riggs tackles a critical yet often overlooked question for sales leaders: How long does it actually take to bring a new salesperson up to speed? Riggs argues that most leaders have no real metrics or benchmarks for the ramp-up period, often relying on vague estimates like “two weeks” to six months. However, he points out that understanding the true time frame is vital—not just to meet revenue goals but to protect the significant investment made in hiring and training new reps. From mastering product knowledge and industry vocabulary to understanding CRM systems and internal processes, Kelly outlines four key “buckets” of learning that every new salesperson must navigate to reach functional independence in the field.

Getting a salesperson to a “break-even” point—where they’re generating enough margin to cover their salary and benefits—requires a structured onboarding process. Building a detailed timeline that spans weeks and months, involving regular testing, field training, and continuous coaching ensures steady progress. For sales leaders, Kelly offers a hard truth: If sales performance falters, it’s often due to flawed onboarding rather than market conditions or the quality of sales hires. He advises leaders to think like business people, understanding the financial impact of turnover and designing onboarding strategies that minimize downtime and maximize confidence and competence in new hires. For those struggling with onboarding, Kelly also highlights his consulting services to support structured and predictable ramp-up plans.

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

In Part 3 of the Crush Your Number series, Kelly sits down with Rich Gaffney, VP of Commercial Operations at Sentry Equipment, to explore how aligning sales with operations can drive both short-term wins and long-term success. Rich shares his insights from over 20 years of experience leading sales teams, emphasizing the critical role of integrating sales with backend functions like engineering and manufacturing. In this episode, Rich and Kelly discuss why sales teams often fail when they operate in silos and how building business acumen—rather than just focusing on sales tactics—can transform a team from good to great.

Throughout the conversation, Rich breaks down the importance of empathy, communication, and ownership in the sales process. He shares strategies for developing salespeople who think like business leaders, not just closers, and how delivering on promises after the sale is just as important as securing the deal. Whether you're a sales leader or a sales professional, this episode is packed with actionable advice on how to create a holistic, customer-centric approach that fosters trust and future opportunities.

Key Topics:

• Breaking down the silos between sales and operations for better results
• The importance of business acumen in creating well-rounded salespeople
• How empathy and communication can prevent deals from going sideways
• The value of staying engaged with customers post-sale to ensure delivery success
• Developing a robust training program that includes internal collaboration and business-wide understanding

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

In this third installment of the “Sales Training Dumpster Fires” series, Kelly Riggs dives deep into one of the most persistent and problematic issues in sales management: promoting top salespeople to management roles without proper training or preparation. Kelly argues that many companies are making a critical mistake by assuming great salespeople will naturally make great managers. As he puts it, “You lose your best salesperson and, most of the time, you get a mediocre sales manager.”

Kelly explores the reasons behind this common misstep, from the lack of training to the drastic difference between the skillsets needed for sales success and leadership success. He emphasizes the need for proper assessment and development before promoting salespeople into leadership roles. “To be a great salesperson is completely different than being a great sales leader,” Kelly explains, urging companies to change their approach and invest in leadership training. Tune in for actionable strategies to avoid this dumpster fire and build strong, effective sales leaders.

Key Topics:

• The common mistake of promoting top salespeople to management without training

• The significant differences between the skillsets of a great salesperson versus a great sales manager

• The detrimental impact of promoting the wrong person, including losing top salespeople and creating ineffective managers

• Why many top salespeople struggle to transition into leadership roles (e.g., lack of patience, coaching skills, and time investment)

• The importance of assessing leadership capabilities before making promotions

• How companies often fail to provide proper leadership training and development

• Effective coaching and team development as critical responsibilities of a sales manager

• The necessity of setting clear expectations and offering leadership training in advance

• The importance of sales managers developing a team culture of excellence and accountability

• Strategies for identifying and hiring talent, with a focus on training managers to effectively recruit and develop their teams

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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly delves into the crucial role of goal setting in driving sales performance. He explains how setting high, specific goals that align with personal motivators can significantly outperform the traditional approach of simply assigning sales quotas. Drawing on his early experiences with iconic sales figures like Zig Ziglar and personal anecdotes, Kelly highlights the power of written goals and their ability to elevate performance. His unique approach to letting salespeople set their own goals not only encourages ownership but often leads to exceeding expectations.

Kelly also stresses the importance of breaking down long-term goals into short-term, manageable steps, comparing it to the incremental progress needed to train for a marathon. He shares insights on the value of short-term objectives and well-structured sales contests as effective tools to keep teams motivated and focused. If you’re seeking ways to engage your sales team more effectively, this episode provides actionable strategies on how personal goals and clear planning can transform sales outcomes.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to the problem of poor sales performance
01:23 - Why sales training often fails
02:20 - Kelly’s early sales influences: Zig Ziglar and Tom Hopkins on goal setting
04:00 - How modern sales teams have abandoned proper goal setting
06:00 - Why quotas aren’t true goals
09:10 - The importance of letting salespeople set their own goals
13:00 - Personal story about marathon goal setting as a metaphor for sales
15:45 - Smart goals: The formula for success
17:30 - The importance of a written goal and a plan
21:10 - Breaking annual goals into manageable chunks
22:44 - Why sales contests are still valuable in keeping salespeople engaged
24:00 - Conclusion and final thoughts on goal setting for sales success

Enjoy the episode, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share! For more information, visit businesslockerroom.com or email Kelly at kelly@businesslockerroom.com.

In Part 2 of the Sales Dumpster Fires series, Kelly tackles one of the most common and frustrating mistakes in sales: talking too much. As he explains, this issue is often a result of poor sales training that focuses too heavily on product knowledge and not enough on creating meaningful customer engagement. Kelly argues that salespeople are trained to fill every silence with information, overwhelming prospects with facts and data rather than listening and asking insightful questions. He breaks down why this approach not only frustrates buyers but also fails to build rapport or address the buyer's true needs.

Throughout the episode, Kelly offers practical strategies to shift from an information dump to a dialog-based approach that encourages real conversation. He emphasizes the power of asking thoughtful, curiosity-driven questions to better understand the buyer's challenges and motivations. For sales leaders and teams, this episode highlights the importance of rethinking training methods and focusing on what truly drives success—effective communication that uncovers real needs.

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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly examines one of the most common yet flawed approaches to sales training: training for the sake of training. He explains how many sales organizations rush to implement training as a quick fix for low revenue or flat sales without properly identifying the root causes. Kelly emphasizes that tactical sales training—like learning how to handle objections or close more deals—barely addresses deeper systemic issues. To create real, sustainable change, companies need to focus on foundational problems, such as ineffective sales processes, lack of leadership involvement, and unclear behavioral objectives.

Throughout the episode, Kelly makes it clear that the goal of sales training should not be just to “get better,” but to enact specific, measurable behavior changes that will ultimately drive results. He challenges listeners to dig deep into their own sales processes, ask the right questions, and identify core issues before attempting any tactical training. This episode is essential for sales leaders who want to stop wasting time and money on ineffective training and start seeing real results.

Inside the episode:

• The mistake of scheduling sales training without identifying systemic issues
• Why tactical training fails without addressing foundational problems
• The critical importance of behavior change in effective sales training
• Identifying root causes using the "Five Whys" method
• The role of leadership in reinforcing training and creating lasting change

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

This episode originally aired on April 22nd, 2024

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs talks with Graham Hawkins, founder of SalesTribe, about why traditional sales training often misses the mark. Hawkins explains how his extensive research into modern buyer behavior revealed that most sales training programs are outdated and ineffective. He highlights the need for a shift toward microlearning and continuous development, rather than the conventional one-size-fits-all approaches. According to Hawkins, sales training must evolve to meet the changing expectations of today’s buyers, who are more informed and prefer to bypass salespeople when they don't add value.

The conversation also focuses on the importance of sales leaders moving from a directive style to a coaching approach. Hawkins shares his experience working with organizations to map the buyer’s journey and tailor sales strategies accordingly. By focusing on delivering value at every touchpoint, sales teams can create better outcomes and lasting relationships with their customers. This episode challenges listeners to rethink traditional methods and embrace more customer-centric strategies that align with modern sales dynamics.

Key topics discussed:

• The Ineffectiveness of Traditional Sales Training and Why It Fails
• The Changing Role of Buyer Behavior and Its Impact on Salespeople
• The Shift from Product-Centric to Customer-Centric Sales Approaches
• The Importance of Microlearning for Modern Sales Teams
• Why Coaching Is Essential for Driving Long-Term Sales Success

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

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, host Kelly Riggs kicks off the "Dumpster Fire" series by addressing one of the biggest issues in sales training: generic claims. Riggs highlights how generic, unprovable statements like "we have the best quality" or "our service is unbeatable" erode trust and credibility with potential clients. Through his direct and engaging style, Riggs explains why these claims fail and shares a much more effective approach—using real success stories from clients to build authenticity and rapport.

He dives into how social proof, or what he calls "third-party selling," can replace these empty claims with concrete, believable narratives. By teaching salespeople to focus on real customer success stories, Riggs argues that you can differentiate your company, establish trust, and create more meaningful sales interactions. If you’re tired of watching your sales efforts go up in smoke, this episode provides actionable strategies to put out that "dumpster fire" and improve your team’s approach to selling.

This episode is packed with practical advice for salespeople and sales managers alike, encouraging listeners to rethink their approach to customer conversations and leverage real-world examples to boost credibility.

In this episode:

Why clients don’t believe your people's sales claims, and how it backfires

Understanding the concept of social proof and third-party selling

How to effectively leverage success stories in sales conversations

The difference between a generic claim and a compelling story

Next-level sales training: immersing salespeople in customer success

The importance of capturing and using client testimonials in sales training

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