Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Surviving Sales Leadership
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You Can't Motivate Your Sales Team. Here's What Works | 02 sept. 2026 | 00:36:12 | |
You cannot motivate an unmotivated sales rep, because motivation is self-generated. What a leader can do is work out what "unmotivated" is actually hiding. A rep who is not making enough calls might lack the skill, might have the skill but not the confidence, or might not have the process support to do the job properly. Those are three different problems that look identical from the outside, and most leaders act on the label instead of the cause. Steve Myers is a sales leadership coach at MySalesCoach with 19 years of coaching behind him. Tim Ogle is a MySalesCoach coach with 30 years in sales, split between selling and turning businesses around. In this episode, host Tom Boston sits with them to discuss why trying to motivate people usually fails, how to tell a motivation problem from a skill problem, and what to do long before a PIP enters the conversation. 📥 Download the Modern Revenue Leader's Sales Coaching Manual
Steve Myers Steve spent 20 years in global IT sales before moving into coaching, and started his career selling Encyclopaedia Britannica door to door. He works with sales leaders on structured goal setting, accountability, and the process for getting reps to act outside their current belief system. Connect with Steve Myers on LinkedIn 🔗 Tim Ogle Tim has split his career roughly evenly between selling directly and leading, transforming and changing businesses. He works with leaders on setting expectations, holding people accountable without tipping into micromanagement, and using assessment data to have the conversations most leaders avoid. Connect with Tim Ogle on LinkedIn 🔗 Surviving Sales Leadership sessions help sales leaders tackle their biggest sales challenges in short, focused bursts. We aim to get most episodes done in 30 minutes or less. New episodes every two weeks. Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Follow MySalesCoach on LinkedIn | |||
| Why Sales Leaders Keep Making Bad Hires (And How to Stop) | 08 juil. 2026 | 00:42:06 | |
Most sales leaders hire on gut feel. Gut feel only predicts top performers 20% of the time — and the cost of a mis-hire goes far beyond a wasted salary. It drains coaching energy, damages team morale, and locks leaders into developing the wrong person instead of their best people.
In this episode, Bryan Mulry sits with them to discuss why sales hiring keeps going wrong — and what a structured, low-risk hiring process looks like from talent pool to first 90 days. You'll learn:
Elaine Tyler is the CEO and founder of Venetrix, placing sales talent into fast-growth SaaS, cybersecurity, and fintech businesses in London and the US. With 20+ years of experience, she helps hiring managers build processes that cut mis-hire risk from the first conversation. Tim Ogle is a sales coach and transformation specialist at MySalesCoach. He works with companies to hire the right people, develop the ones they already have, and build the coaching habits that turn new starters into consistent performers. Surviving Sales Leadership sessions help sales leaders tackle their biggest sales challenges in short, focused bursts - we aim to get most episodes done in 30 minutes or less. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Brought to you by MySalesCoach.
Surviving Sales Leadership is brought to you by MySalesCoach. | |||
| AI in Sales Leadership: Where the Hell Do I Start? | 11 juin 2026 | 00:38:14 | |
Most sales leaders know AI is changing how teams sell. The ones falling behind aren't short on ambition - they're short on a starting point. Research shows sales reps spend 75-80% of their time on admin rather than selling, and AI is the fastest route to flipping that ratio. The three highest-impact places to start are prospect research, personalised outreach, and call analysis. 📥 Download the Modern Revenue Leader's Sales Coaching Manual: https://bit.ly/3QTbqsJ Tom Ridley is a Sales Coach at MySalesCoach with deep expertise in sales leadership transformation, AI-enabled performance, and GTM strategy. Richard Smith is Head of Growth at MySalesCoach and brings a practitioner's honest perspective on where most sales teams actually are with AI adoption. In this episode, host Ollie Whitfield sits with them to discuss the three AI use cases sales leaders should prioritise right now - and exactly how to start.
Tom Ridley is a Sales Coach at MySalesCoach specialising in sales leadership transformation, AI-enabled performance, and GTM strategy. He works with B2B sales leaders across SaaS and technology businesses to build high-performing teams and coaching cultures that scale. Connect with Tom Ridley on LinkedIn 🔗 Rich Smith is Head of Growth at MySalesCoach and an experienced B2B sales leader who posts daily on LinkedIn about sales, leadership, and what's actually working in modern selling. Connect with Rich Smith on LinkedIn 🔗 Surviving Sales Leadership sessions help sales leaders tackle their biggest sales challenges in short, focused bursts - we aim to get most episodes done in 30 minutes or less. New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Watch this on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/SCXTO5V0H3E Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Follow MySalesCoach on LinkedIn | |||
| How Sales Leaders Are Using LinkedIn to Build Their Own SQL Machine | 28 mai 2026 | 00:36:43 | |
Most sales leaders treat LinkedIn as a brand exercise. Post a few times a week, get some likes from colleagues, move on. But the reps who are actually self-sourcing pipeline are using it completely differently - they're building their own SQL machine, turning engagement signals into warm conversations before they even pick up the phone. 📥 Download the Modern Revenue Leader's Sales Coaching Manual https://bit.ly/3QTbqsJ Will Aitken built his entire outbound motion around LinkedIn across three different companies. Niraj Kapur has done 220+ videos and converts inquiries directly from them. Between them and host Tom Boston, there are over 170,000 LinkedIn followers on this episode. In this episode, Will and Niraj sit down with our host Tom Boston to get into what that actually looks like in practice - the content strategy, the video outreach, and the personal vs professional balance that most reps get wrong. In this episode:
About Surviving Sales Leadership: New episodes fortnight. Subscribe so you don't miss one.
About Will Aitken Will Aitken is a sales content creator and coach based in Canada, originally from Milton Keynes. He built his personal brand while working as an account executive and used it to generate his own pipeline - taking that audience with him across three different companies. He's known for honest, direct content about what actually works in sales. About Niraj Kapur Niraj Kapur spent 25 years in sales before founding Everybody Works in Sales, a coaching business working with teams across the UK, Europe and North America. He's done over 220 LinkedIn videos and converts them directly into coaching clients. | |||
| The Questions You're Not Asking That Kill a Forecast in 5 Minutes | 14 mai 2026 | 00:34:37 | |
Most sales leaders have sat across from a rep who's fully convinced a deal is closing. Richard Smith sits down with Chris Lingenfelter (VP Sales & CS, Level Up) and Nigel Arthur (former MD and SVP Sales, enterprise SaaS - now coach at MySalesCoach) to show exactly what separates pipeline from forecast - and how fast the difference becomes obvious when you ask the right questions. They cover why emotion is the single biggest killer of forecast accuracy, what entry/exit criteria your CRM stages are probably missing, and why a rep who "feels really good" about a deal is a red flag, not a green light.
The deal doesn't make the forecast. Find out which questions did it. | |||
| We Analysed 5117 Sales Coaching Calls - Here's Why Your Deals Are Stalling | 22 avr. 2026 | 00:41:16 | |
Want to be a great coach for your team and drive results in the time you DO have for coaching? --- Ever had that feeling where your pipeline looks busy… but nothing’s actually moving? Sales leaders think stalled deals are a pipeline problem. Sales reps are experiencing something very different. In this episode, Ollie Whitfield sits down with Steve Myers, and John Richardson to unpack insights from analysing 5117 real sales coaching calls and what they reveal about why deals lose momentum. The conversation exposes a gap between what salespeople ask for in coaching and what’s actually holding performance back. While most conversations focus on pipeline, deal progression, and “tips and tricks,” the real blockers often sit deeper—in decision process clarity, mindset, and how sales teams think about control in the deal. The episode explores why decision process dominates coaching conversations, why “closing” is often misunderstood, and how over-reliance on tactics masks underlying behavioural and mindset challenges. It also highlights the disconnect between prospecting responsibility and pipeline ownership, and how this impacts quota attainment and sales velocity. This episode is essential listening for: VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales, Sales Managers and Revenue Leaders who are trying to improve sales coaching effectiveness, increase deal velocity, and build a stronger coaching culture that goes beyond surface-level tactics. Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support leaders in building elite sales teams with our Sales Coaching Operating System: www.mysalescoach.com | |||
| The Comp Plan Mistakes That Push Good Reps Out | 09 avr. 2026 | 00:35:16 | |
Simple comp plans are easy to explain. Bad comp plans are easy to regret. This episode gets into the real damage sales leaders create when compensation becomes unclear, unfair, too clever, or easy to game. Want to be a great coach for your team and drive results in the time you DO have for coaching? In this sales leadership lesson, Mike Pritchett of BuzzTrail and David Wilkins unpack what actually happens when comp plans drift away from the behaviours the business needs.
The core message is straightforward: compensation is not just about paying people. It shapes behaviour, trust, culture, focus, and performance. When leaders get it wrong, they do not just create payroll problems. They create distraction, resentment, short-term thinking, and a sales team that starts working the plan instead of working the market. This episode is for VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales, SDR leaders, and founders trying to build comp plans that stay simple, reward the right actions, reduce internal friction, and help good reps perform without creating avoidable chaos.
Timestamps 00:00 Why simple comp plans outperform clever ones 08:35 The hidden damage of changing comp mid-year 16:42 Incentivising the wrong behaviour and how reps game the system 27:18 SDR and AE comp, quotas, territory fairness, and startup trade-offs 39:46 Why communal targets and uneven comp create resentment 48:58 Non-financial rewards, surprise incentives, and recognition that actually lands Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support leaders in building elite and consistent sales teams: www.mysalescoach.com | |||
| How To Build a High Performing Sales Team In The Chaos of SaaS | 25 mars 2026 | 00:38:56 | |
Everything feels like it’s moving—and nothing feels stable. You’re expected to build a high-performing team while the ground keeps shifting beneath you. Want to be a great coach for your team and drive results in the time you DO have for coaching? In this episode, Tom Boston and Emily Parker break down what it actually looks like to build and lead a sales team inside the chaos of SaaS—where strategy changes, expectations evolve, and pressure never lets up. This episode is for: Sales leaders who are building or scaling teams in fast-moving environments, dealing with inconsistent performance, struggling with hiring decisions, or trying to maintain control and morale while everything around them changes. Inside this sales leadership lesson:
At its core, this episode is about the reality that SaaS growth is rarely clean. Leaders are expected to deliver results while navigating constant change, incomplete systems, and evolving expectations. The ones who succeed aren’t the ones with perfect plans—they’re the ones who can create clarity, build trust, and develop teams that adapt faster than the environment shifts.
04:30 – The real challenge: constant change + managing people through it 08:00 – Building a balanced team (and why hiring “more of the same” fails) 10:30 – Leading with clarity when the business keeps shifting 16:00 – Staying calm and building confidence through uncertainty 21:30 – Trust, autonomy, and setting boundaries with your team 25:00 – Hiring realities: coachability, resilience, and what actually matters 33:30 – Managing promotions, expectations, and team progression pressure 38:00 – What messy growth really looks like—and how to keep morale high Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support leaders in building elite and consistent sales teams: www.mysalescoach.com | |||
| What Top Sales Leaders Do Differently | 12 mars 2026 | 00:38:54 | |
Many sales managers focus on pipeline, activity, and numbers. Top sales leaders focus on developing people. Want to be a great coach for your team and drive results in the time you DO have for coaching? In this episode, Tom Boston sits down with Nia Woodhouse and Ollie Sharpe to explore the leadership behaviours, coaching habits, and decision-making that separate average sales management from truly high-performing sales leadership. The conversation looks at how elite sales leaders structure coaching, build hiring processes, and create environments where reps consistently improve. Nia and Ollie explain why the best leaders separate performance management from skill development, ensuring that coaching sessions focus on mindset, skills, and long-term capability — not just forecast discussions. They also break down how top leaders set goals that are actually achievable by reverse engineering revenue targets into specific activity and performance milestones. Instead of chasing a big number without direction, great sales leaders help their teams build a clear roadmap that shows exactly how success will be achieved. The episode also explores hiring philosophy, emotional intelligence in leadership, and why the best leaders create trust by standing in front of their team when things go wrong — and standing behind them when they succeed. This episode is essential listening for VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales, Sales Managers, and Revenue Leaders who want to move beyond activity management and build teams that consistently perform, grow, and stay motivated.
Timestamps 00:00 - How a leader’s habits shape the whole team 00:34 - Intro: what top sales leaders do differently 00:44 - What new sales leaders wish they knew before stepping up 03:22 - How top leaders hire: structure, skills, and culture add 09:15 - Interview red flags experienced leaders spot early 12:02 - Why pipeline reviews are not coaching 14:21 - How top leaders scale coaching with frameworks, not just advice 21:03 - Motivation, commitment, and what really drives performance 27:58 - Setting expectations without micromanaging 37:00 - What top sales leaders do best Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support sales leaders in building and empowering elite teams: www.mysalescoach.com | |||
| Why Your Deals Aren’t Closing: The Gaps Reps Won’t Tell You (Until You Coach Differently) | 04 févr. 2026 | 00:24:26 | |
If deals keep stalling and the story is always “they’ve gone quiet,” the real issue usually showed up much earlier — and it often isn’t being said clearly in coaching. PS. This session with Steve Myers and Richard Smith gets into the actual reasons deals don’t close, and how deal coaching can surface the truth without turning into a forecast grilling. We break down how to diagnose what’s missing in the deal, validate what’s real vs assumed, and coach reps beyond surface-level reasons into compelling, evidence-backed buying drivers. This is for you if you're a sales leader dealing with:
Most deals don’t fail at the end — they fail because the team never got the truth early enough. Great deal coaching creates the environment where the rep can say what’s missing, get specific about the gaps, and leave with clear actions — or the confidence to walk away. Timestamps:
PS. Surviving Sales Leadership is brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support leaders in building elite and consistent sales teams: www.mysalescoach.com | |||
| The Sales Coaching Disconnect No One Wants to Admit | 14 janv. 2026 | 00:30:00 | |
Sales leaders believe they’re coaching more than ever. Sales reps are saying the opposite. Download The State of Sales Coaching in 2026 Report here In this episode, Tom Boston sits with Kevin Beales (Founder & CEO at MySalesCoach) and Richard Smith (Head of Growth at MySalesCoach) to unpack the State of Sales Coaching in 2026 and the uncomfortable disconnect between sales leaders’ intentions and reps’ lived experience. Drawing on real data from sales leaders and sales reps, we explore why coaching feels broken, why AI hasn’t fixed it, and what actually drives quota attainment in today’s sales environment. We cover why tenured reps want more coaching (not less), how pipeline reviews are being mistaken for coaching, why weekly coaching dramatically increases quota attainment, and why human coaching still outperforms AI-only approaches when it comes to mindset, behaviour, and long-term performance. This episode is essential listening for VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales, Sales Managers, and Revenue Leaders who want to build a true coaching culture - not just survive this quarter. Want to be a great coach for your team and drive results in the time you DO have for coaching? Brought to you by MySalesCoach. Learn more about how we support leaders in building elite and consistent sales teams: | |||
| Surviving Sales Leadership - Trailer | 12 janv. 2026 | 00:00:47 | |
Sales leaders! Want to build strong teams without burning out in the process? Introducing Surviving Sales Leadership, where each episode is a practical conversation with experienced sales leaders and elite sales coaches about what actually works. Coaching reps, managing pipeline, forecasting, enablement, and navigating growth without everything feeling harder than it should. No “just hold people accountable” nonsense. If you’re a sales manager, head of sales, sales director, or revenue leader who wants better results, better conversations with your team, and a little more confidence in the chaos, this show’s for you. Subscribe and start surviving sales leadership today! | |||