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Anxiety in negotiating is timeless. In this episode, I tell a story written in 1907 about a salesperson who lacked courage as it relates to delivering and negotiating price. It has so many lessons that are still so applicable today.

This 115+ year old problem matters more today than ever. Today, we're still treating negotiating like it's the peak of the selling engagement, versus the early milestone it truly is. We are taught to defend, explain, and concede, eroding trust right at the goal line instead of negotiating on a sound foundation that builds trust.

If negotiation feels like the moment everything goes sideways, this episode will help you understand why and how to change it.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

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Picture this. A sales conference featuring the then-sitting president of the United States as the keynote speaker. It happened in July of 1916.

It wasn’t because the president had nothing going on that day, happened to be in town, and decided to swing by. A world war was raging in Europe. What we now know as World War 1.

It was because Woodrow Wilson had an important message for the sales world that day. It was the United States' opportunity to establish itself as a world superpower…and it depended largely on salespeople to make it happen. He had four lessons he wanted every salesperson to hear clearly and embrace.

It was the most significant sales keynote speech of all time… these are the lessons.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This may sound crazy, but I truly believe that government legislation has had a larger impact on changing the sales profession than has technology or the proliferation of information available to buyers.

Legislation changed things more significantly. Legislation changed things faster.

The sales profession has consistently pushed the boundaries since the 19th century, driven by greed, and it is the government that has created the rules by which we've all had to play. In this episode, I take you through those significant pieces of legislation and how they immediately and wholly changed the way we sell.

(Lots of research went into this episode...hope you enjoy it!)

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now.

Support the show