Why do salespeople struggle with accountability? Kelly shows how the real problem often starts at the top—and what you can do to change it.

If your reps aren’t owning their results, you might be looking in the wrong direction. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly pulls no punches: “It’s not them—it’s you.” From vague expectations to weak training and poor hiring choices, he breaks down the four most common ways leaders accidentally create a culture of excuse-making.

Follow the audio podcast and watch OR listen wherever you are: https://linktr.ee/salesuntraining

This is not about coddling your reps. It’s about facing the reality that accountability doesn’t magically appear—it’s built, modeled, and reinforced from the top down. Kelly walks through the damaging effects of unclear communication, underdeveloped skills, low motivation, and hiring without grit—and then shows how to fix each one.

He also shares what not to do if you want accountability to take root: blame your people. If you make excuses as a leader, your team will too. But if you’re serious about performance, it starts with extreme ownership.

✅ 4 leadership mistakes that kill accountability
✅ Why salespeople “not getting it” is often your fault
✅ The #1 behavior that shuts down coaching before it starts

Whether you're managing a team or preparing to build one, this episode will challenge you to rethink how you lead, train, and build trust. Let’s rewire your sales leadership brain—one hard truth at a time.

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

If you sound like a salesperson, you're toast. Kelly walks through six dead-giveaway phrases that kill your credibility before you ever get a shot at the deal.

This week, Kelly calls out one of the most common—and costly—mistakes salespeople make: sounding exactly like every other salesperson your prospect’s ever met. If your opener screams “commission breath,” the shades come down, the windows close, and your prospect is already looking for the eject button.

Kelly breaks down five behaviors that scream “salesperson” and follow them with six phrases that almost guarantee resistance, ghosting, or a polite brush-off. From asking a prospect to “tell me about your business” (without doing your homework) to the classic “I’m just calling to follow up,” this episode is a must-listen if you’re tired of stalled deals and prospects going cold.

Instead of resorting to generic claims and weak openers, Kelly offers hard-earned insights on how to build credibility, earn attention, and extend the conversation. The real first sale? Your trustworthiness. If you don’t land that, the product pitch doesn’t stand a chance.

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

Sales reps don’t get enough reps—and it’s killing performance. Kelly and guest Jeff Bajorek show how ChatGPT can simulate high-stakes cold calls and discovery sessions so your team doesn’t practice on prospects.

Three out of four salespeople are failing. Why? Because most sales training stops short of actual practice. In this episode, Kelly is joined again by Jeff Bajorek to demonstrate a live, unscripted roleplay using ChatGPT. No scripts, no retakes—just real-time practice that mirrors the real world.

They start with a cold call simulation and then shift into a face-to-face discovery meeting, each designed to uncover and overcome the two big obstacles every sales team faces: lack of pipeline and stalled deals. You’ll hear exactly how ChatGPT can be used to rehearse permission-based openers, work through objections, and tailor questions based on buyer psychology.

You’ll also hear how to level up AI roleplay sessions with contextual prompts from real earnings calls or buyer research, and why this approach beats traditional practice methods—hands down.

This isn’t theory. It’s tactical, repeatable, and ready to use. If you're managing a sales team or trying to sharpen your own skills, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.

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