The Advanced Selling Podcast

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You didn't lose that deal on price. You lost it because your positioning wasn't strong enough to make you the obvious, can't-do-without-you choice.
Bill and Bryan dig into a claim that gets argued in every sales meeting: is price really the reason deals slip away, or is it a symptom of weak positioning? They walk through a real audit of lost deals — 22 gone in six months, four of them deals that should have been won — and use it to unpack what separates a vendor from a "we can't do without you" partner.
You'll learn the four ingredients of unshakeable positioning: naming the beliefs your customer has to shift before your value can land, getting explicit about what you don't do, choosing whether you're a problem-solver or a destination (or both), and painting the real cost of standing still. Plus, why the best time to build this is when business is good — not when you're desperate.
It's the 20th anniversary of the show, and Bill and Bryan want to hear from you — send a short voice memo to listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com for their September anniversary celebration.
The Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
If you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin
Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.com

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Every person you've worked with has a story you probably never asked about — and sometimes you don't find out until it's too late.
In Part 2 of their series on the people of sales, Bill and Bryan honor a handful of people who shaped their careers — a neighbor and airline pilot, a mentor who connected without ego, a customer who never delayed a decision, and a prospect Bryan gave up on too soon. 
Each story carries a lesson you can use this week: ask people about their actual lives, don't wait to reconnect with old friends, decide fast, and don't give up on a prospect after just one or two tries.
It's the 20th anniversary of the show, and Bill and Bryan want to hear from you — send a short voice memo to listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com for their September anniversary celebration.
The Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
If you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin
Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.com

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Twenty years in this business means running into a lot of characters. This week Bill and Bryan riff on the people — bosses, clients, gatekeepers, baristas — who taught them something they never forgot, whether the lesson was about sales or just about being human.
You'll hear about "Leisure Suit Larry," the grocery store manager who refused to acknowledge salespeople existed, and what he taught Bill about never forcing yourself on someone who doesn't want to talk.
They also talk about the trap of looking down on younger salespeople — and what a 20-year-old Starbucks employee named Joey reminded Bryan about assuming too much, even when the assumption seems like a compliment.
It's the 20th anniversary of the show, and Bill and Bryan want to hear from you — send a short voice memo to listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com for their September anniversary celebration.
The Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
If you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin
Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.com

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You're six months into the year. Do you actually know what's working in your sales process — and what you quietly stopped doing back in February?
Bill and Bryan borrow a trick from football coaches: self-scouting. Before the next game, coaches review their own film to find what their team does well (so they can do more of it) and what they do poorly (so the other team can't exploit it). Bill and Bryan apply that same exercise to your sales year — build a 20-point scorecard, grade yourself honestly, and use it to plan a strong back half.
Subscribe, leave a review, and send us your "how I found the show" story to our FAN Mail at the top of the show notes for a shot at our 20th anniversary coaching event.

The Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
If you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin
Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.com
Ready to stop competing on price? Join Bill's Insider coaching program at advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider.

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Imprecise language is quietly sabotaging your sales process — and most sellers don't even notice it happening. This week, Bill and Bryan dig into the art of precise communication and why "what they hear" matters more than "what you meant."
Bryan shares a real example from his own sales process: his team retired the vague word "calendars" as the last item on a sales agenda in favor of the more direct "get calendars out." They also cover why stating up front how many points you're about to make makes you easier to follow and easier to buy from, and why tired open-ended questions like "what keeps you up at night?" should be replaced with sharper, stack-ranked questions that force a real answer. 
Plus: details on ASP's 20th anniversary celebration and how to get your ticket to the live September event.
Send us your story (audio, video, or just a note): listener@advancedsellingpodcast.com
The Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
If you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin
Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.com