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

Most salespeople say they want to improve, but never actually change—and sales leaders let them off the hook. Kelly explains how mindset, repetition, and the absence of deadlines are sabotaging your team's potential.

You hear it all the time: “I want to get better at sales.” But the truth? Most salespeople won’t change—and most sales leaders don’t know how to make them. In this episode, Kelly breaks down the harsh reality of why sales training fails: because it relies too heavily on exposure and doesn’t build in accountability, coaching, or clear expectations.

He outlines the three root causes behind the failure to change—momentum, mindset, and lack of confidence—and why vague coaching like “get serious” or “make more calls” won’t move the needle. You’ll hear the role of repetition, specific practice, and why deadlines matter just as much as the skill itself.

Sales managers, if you're frustrated by your team’s lack of follow-through, this one’s for you. Kelly pulls no punches as he lays out how to actually build a sales team that improves week over week—not just one that listens to another training video.

Plus, he opens up limited slots to book 30-minute calls for anyone facing a specific sales challenge. It’s real talk for real change—and your wake-up call to rewire your sales brain.

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

Three out of four salespeople are falling short, despite having mountains of available training content at their fingertips. In this episode, Kelly is joined again by Jeff Bajorek to tackle the real issue: why sales organizations fail to execute—even when they know what to do.

ChatGPT joins the show (yes, literally) to offer insight into how AI can help close the “knowing-doing” gap. Jeff discusses how he uses ChatGPT to uncover blind spots, rehearse tricky calls, and pressure test sales strategies before taking them to market. Kelly and Jeff go beyond the hype to show how AI isn't just another tool—it can become a true thinking partner.

You'll hear exactly how to set up ChatGPT for cold call roleplay, overcome price objections, and get reps consistent, meaningful practice in the final 15 minutes of every workday. Plus, Kelly lays out what separates strong sales leaders from the rest—and how they can use AI to build a culture of continuous improvement.

This episode is packed with tactical advice and mind-bending ideas. Whether you're a VP of Sales or a frontline manager, this one’s worth a listen.

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 training fails when it becomes a box to check instead of a culture to create. Kelly explains how sales leaders set the tone, and why your team’s lack of engagement might just be your fault.

Three out of four salespeople are missing quota. But it's not always because they're lazy, unmotivated, or disinterested—often, it’s because sales leadership is dropping the ball.

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly pulls no punches. He lays out why traditional sales training often turns into a total dumpster fire, how sales leaders are enabling it, and what it actually takes to build a high-performance sales culture. From setting clear expectations during hiring, to eliminating excuses for skipping training, to understanding the difference between exposure and behavior change—Kelly breaks down why engagement starts at the top. You'll hear exactly what role coaching plays, why notebooks should be mandatory, and how to create real accountability around learning. He even offers a pro tip for using books to level up your team (without boring them to death).

If you’ve ever said “we tried training, but it didn’t work,” this episode is a wake-up call. Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about clarity, standards, and consistency. And it starts with you.

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

You won the deal. Now what? Kelly explains why execution—not the close—is what separates pros from amateurs, and how being present after the sale sets you up for the next one.

You did the hard work. You prospected, qualified, presented, and closed. But if you think the job’s done, think again.

In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly sounds the alarm on one of the biggest threats to future business: poor execution after the deal is done. Winning the sale means nothing if your delivery and implementation process falls apart. Kelly walks through the critical steps every salesperson must take after the contract is signed—from maintaining contact during execution, to handling hiccups without throwing teammates under the bus, to building a branded delivery process that competitors won’t touch.

You’ll also hear why your customer’s experience matters more than the quality of your solution, and how salespeople can turn great execution into repeat business and internal referrals. If you're checking out after the signature, you’re lighting your next deal on fire.

🔑 In this episode:

• Why being “present” during delivery drives loyalty

• How to brand and sell your execution process

• What most reps get dead wrong about post-sale ownership

• The magic of proactive communication and follow-up

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

Why are so many sales teams built around underperformers? Kelly breaks down the hard truth behind marginal reps, the hamster-wheel excuses that keep them on payroll, and what it really takes to fix it.

Every sales leader has faced it: the likable but ineffective rep who never quite makes quota—and never quite gets fired. In this episode of Sales [UN]Training, Kelly hits the uncomfortable truth that most managers don’t want to confront: your loyalty to marginal performers is killing your team's performance.

Kelly walks through the excuses sales leaders give—“I don’t have time,” “They’re not that bad,” “I haven’t done enough”—and tears them down one by one. He explains how this inertia traps you on a hamster wheel of constant reactivity, leaving little time for what actually grows the business: developing A players and building a high-performance culture.

Got a specific sales challenge you can’t solve in a Slack thread or weekly meeting?

I’m opening up a few 30-minute, no-pitch consults to talk shop—off the record, outside the chain of command, and 100% focused on your world.

• No fluff

• No selling

• Just you, me, and the problem that’s costing you time and margin

📅 Book your time now at BLKR.co/30

Let’s fix what’s stuck.

You’ll also hear four hard diagnostic questions that reveal whether a rep belongs on your team, and a 3-step framework to ensure your development process actually drives results. Kelly doesn’t just talk sales strategy—he challenges you to lead like your job depends on it.

If you're ready to build a team that sells and stop babysitting those who don't, this is the episode you’ve been avoiding—and absolutely need to hear.

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