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Sales Today

Sales Today

De : Fred Copestake
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 'What a time to be in sales' People say this various times in many different ways – excited, exasperated, worried, pessimistic, optimistic, happy, sad, confused – the whole range of human emotions. This is an exciting time to be in sales, if you are selling B2B complex solutions. It's a time when you can bring huge value to your customers; it's a time to thrive. But you need to know how, as it is a time unlike any before. The rules have changed and as a sales professional you can have a hand in redefining how the game is played. Challenges salespeople face are: · 'Busy Busy Busy' – being ineffective; it results in wasted opportunities, is tiring and stressful and means the focus is on the wrong activities to deliver results · 'Olde Worlde' – being old-fashioned; when salespeople are self-centred rather than customer-focused, too technical in their approach or use bad techniques better suited to a bygone era of selling · 'Muddled Mindset' – being misaligned; it can happen at organisation, management and individual level and the confusion leads to frustration and wasted effort. By using a more collaborative approach salespeople can make a difference and sales can become a force for good and fight against the negative image it can often be associated with. The Sales Today podcast explores how sales professionals can adapt and futureproof themselves by using the best practice shared by host Fred Copestake and the guests of the show. What a time to be in sales! Host Fred Copestake is Founder of Brindis, a sales training consultancy, and bestselling author of 'Selling Through Partnering Skills' and 'Hybrid Selling'. Connect with Fred on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. www.linktr.ee/fredcopestake2020 Economie
Épisodes
  • LinkedIn Is Not a Template Factory (Here's What Actually Works)

    LinkedIn Is Not a Template Factory (Here's What Actually Works)
    Feb 26 2026

    Fred is joined by Mark Young, whose LinkedIn headline says it all: "A cat person helping technical AI founders earn trust before the first call."

    This episode is a lively (and refreshingly sceptical) conversation about why so much LinkedIn advice is formulaic, outdated, or simply irrelevant - especially for technical founders and specialists who need trust, not vanity metrics.

    What you'll learn

    • Why a lot of LinkedIn "best practice" is recycled templates and pseudoscience
    • The danger of chasing quick wins like "20,000 followers in 90 days" claims (and what's actually behind them)
    • What LinkedIn's algorithm shift has changed (and why "do every format every week" can hurt reach)
    • Why the people who "do best" on LinkedIn are often… the ones selling LinkedIn
    • How to build trust with the right audience without trying to game the platform

    The LinkedIn Audit: what Mark looks at

    Mark explains the simple profile elements that matter most if LinkedIn is going to work as a sales tool:

    • Banner (top real estate): quickly signals "you're in the right place"
    • Headline: follows you everywhere—comments, search, connection requests
      • should clearly show who you help + how you help
      • and can include a small "human hook" (yes, like cats or Mary Poppins)
    • About section: should read more like a landing page than a CV
      • clear ICP, clear outcomes, easy to contact you
    • Credibility signals: proof, continuity, trust markers (without making it all about you)
    • ICP clarity: pick a focus for your campaign (even if you can sell wider)
    • Call-to-action strength: what you want people to do next, made simple

    Trust on LinkedIn: what actually works

    • Engage properly (not spam comments, not "AI parroting")
    • Use LinkedIn like a real-world networking event: show up, contribute, be relevant
    • Build familiarity and credibility before you ask for time or a call
    • Avoid "potato-style" engagement hacks that create noise, not trust

    Connect with Mark Young

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyoungsocial
    • Email: Mark.young@lovesocialmedia.com
    • Want an audit? Comment POTATO 🥔

    Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

    Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KTJSIrxcHWY

    Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

    Useful resources

    • Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free
      Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
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    43 min
  • Do Salespeople Need FBI Hostage Negotiation Skills?

    Do Salespeople Need FBI Hostage Negotiation Skills?
    Feb 19 2026
    In this episode of The Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by Sebastian Hidalgo, co-founder of DURINDAL and creator of the SWAT method - a sales framework influenced by hostage negotiation principles. Fred admits he's often sceptical when crisis negotiation gets blended with commercial sales, so this becomes a lively, grounded conversation: what genuinely transfers, what doesn't, and how to use "hostage" techniques ethically to improve trust, discovery, and positioning. What you'll hear in this episode Sebastian's unusual origin story: becoming a certified hostage negotiator at 18 The persistence it took to get accepted into training as a civilian and young applicant How later PSYOPs (psychological operations) training triggered an "aha" moment: he'd been applying negotiation principles in business without realising it Why Sebastian believes there's a gap between negotiation books (e.g. Never Split the Difference) and practical sales structure Fred's perspective: crisis negotiation ≠ commercial negotiation - and why that matters The SWAT Method in a nutshell Sebastian explains SWAT as a four-stage sales method designed to: Earn trust faster Create positioning in real time - not just against competitors, but against the buyer's past failed attempts with similar solutions The four stages are: Influence Diagnosis Failure Mapping Value Alignment (what most people would call "the close", though Sebastian avoids that framing) Influence + Diagnosis + Failure Mapping sit mainly in what traditional sales calls "discovery", but with more emphasis on trust, relevance, and reducing friction. Where the "hostage" skills show up (without the Hollywood nonsense) Sebastian's view: you don't need dramatic tactics - you need fundamentals executed well. Key transferable skills include: Listening (with intent - often reinforced by taking notes) Active listening + mirroring (what intelligence work calls elicitation: helping people talk themselves deeper into the real issue) Staying calm under pressure Reading the person in front of you (tone, pacing, reactions) rather than hiding behind slides He also highlights the need for flexible creativity - adapting your knowledge to the buyer's reality in the moment. Key takeaway The value isn't "hostage negotiation theatre." It's using proven human skills - listening, trust-building, uncovering blockers early, and positioning through relevance to make sales feel less "gross" and more like service. Connect with Sebastian · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-dp-hidalgo Email: sebastian@durindal.com Website: https://www.durindal.com Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-IP6Z7zU9Rg Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
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    34 min
  • Surprisingly simple ways to use AI in sales

    Surprisingly simple ways to use AI in sales
    Feb 12 2026
    In this episode, Fred is joined by Tom Ridley, an AI sales coach, for a refreshingly grounded conversation about AI in sales. Instead of racing through a list of tools, Tom makes a different point: AI isn't the story - being human is. The real value of generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) is that it removes the admin-heavy work salespeople hate and frees them up to do what matters most: have better conversations, build stronger relationships, and help customers make sense of complex decisions. They explore how to use AI to research accounts, focus on the right opportunities, prepare sharper conversations, and even critique proposals through the lens of different stakeholders (CRO, CFO, Procurement). Along the way, they also tackle a real risk: AI can create a false sense of confidence if you stop at surface-level answers, which is why critical thinking and comprehension matter more than ever. This episode is all about making AI feel accessible and giving listeners permission to start simple, build confidence, and improve one step at a time. What You'll Learn Why AI in sales isn't "about tools" - it's about freeing time to be more human What generative AI actually means (and how it differs from older AI like recommendations/analytics) How AI helps with the "admin" tasks salespeople avoid: CRM, account research, note tracking How to use AI to narrow 300 accounts into a focused "top 20" priority list The danger of "AI confidence" without real understanding (Dunning–Kruger in the AI era) Why you need to keep probing deeper instead of accepting the first AI response How to use AI as a memory + insight engine across long enterprise sales cycles Simple ways to use AI to: generate questions find non-obvious insights critique proposals roleplay stakeholder objections Treating AI like an "employee" you manage - and why prompt clarity matters A practical way to measure ROI: did it move you forward and improve the quality of the activity? "AI can do the tasks salespeople don't like… so you can focus on great conversations." If AI feels overwhelming, this episode is your reset. Start simple. Use what you already have. Focus on better conversations, not shiny tools. And if you want to go deeper, Tom shares how he helps teams build AI into sales workflows from SDR to CRO level. Connect with Tom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomridley Website: https://amplify-consultancy.com Podcast: The Business and Bots Podcast (with Dexter Winters) YouTube: Spotify: Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FnyRVZdj5Xc Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers Useful resources Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/
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    50 min
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