We explore the art of being genuinely interested in others—both in social settings and sales conversations. Inspired by observations at recent holiday parties, Art shares how most people fail to listen effectively, turning conversations back to themselves instead of encouraging others to share. This behavior isn’t just socially frustrating—it’s costly in sales. Learn to recognize critical "problem/trigger words" like “We’re noticing…” or “The problem is…,” and discover simple, powerful questions...
Dec 17, 2024•10 min•Ep 306•Transcript available on Metacast MK Mueller has changed lives worldwide with her "8 to Great" simple methodology for having a positive attutude, ALL of the time. As salespeople, we know that our attitude has more of an effect on our results, and income, than any sales process or technique. MK shares tips, stories, and how-to exercises than anyone can implement right now to get and keep our attitude at high levels.
Nov 25, 2024•48 min•Ep 305•Transcript available on Metacast The election is over. Some are ecstatic, others angry. Those who rely on the results to determine their happiness and success will be greatly disappointed. Ultimately, if you want change, YOU need to change. No outside influence affects your destiny like you do. In this episode you'll hear how to take control of your own success. And, if this message resonates, get notified of my new coaching program that covers this very necessary aspect that is absolutely required to be the Ultimate Sales Prof...
Nov 06, 2024•8 min•Ep 304•Transcript available on Metacast Asking someone "Why?" they do or say something has the potential to put someone on the spot and feel like they need to defend themselves. A scientifically-proven better option is to word questions with "How?" In this episode you hear the reasoning, and specific examples of how to use "How?" to get more and better information, build relationships, and make more sales.
Oct 23, 2024•9 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast Probably the biggest roadblock to success for most salespeople is the fear of rejection. But, rejection doesn't actually exisit. It is the story that someone attaches to an experience. When we take control, and tell ourselves different, better, and positive stories, rejection doesn't happen. You'll hear exactly how to do this, and how to never be rejected again.
Oct 11, 2024•7 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast Someone who is always the victim has little chance to succeed in professional sales. Sales, when done at the highest level is all about taking responsibility, ownership, and leading. If someone is not getting the results they want, it is on them. Not because of anything, or anyone else. In this episode you'll hear what to do to identify victim tendencies, and specific actions to take full ownership, all of the time.
Sep 30, 2024•6 min•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast An objection some salespeople hear is, "I only want to pay if I get the results you say we'll get." Art shares how he suggested a fellow coach handle that actual objection that she received from a prospect, and the exact process that you can use to prepare for and address your own objections. And it's not by using silly, adversarial objection "rebuttal" techniques, but instead getting someone talking and explaining the reason behind their belief. The process is covered more in-depth in Art's fre...
Sep 17, 2024•7 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast A famous saying is that "You can't NOT communicate." Meaning that everything you do or say that is observed by someone, whether it is intentional or not, is creating feelings in others. We can be much more successful in sales, and in life, by focusing on how we can make more of those feelings positive. Art shares contrasting examples from a recent vacation to Cabo San Lucas where he experienced both great and negative feelings from simple interactions. You'll also hear simple things you can do r...
Sep 05, 2024•16 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast Many prospects don't want to abide by our timetable. They want to know what the price is, before we are ready to go there. How you respond makes the difference between annoying them, giving them a price that seems unreasonable for them, OR helping them realize you need to learn more about what they really want so that you can give them the best price. In this episode you'll hear several examples of exactly what to say to get them talking, so you can present price in a way where you have develope...
Aug 22, 2024•9 min•Ep 298•Transcript available on Metacast An even bigger problem than losing out to a competitor is losing a deal due to no decision. James Muir wrote an entire book on how to prevent deals from getting stuck in the first place, and then how to get them unstuck. In this episode he shares what to do to prevent stalls, the five issues that cause deals to stick, and exactly what to do and say to get them unstuck.
Aug 14, 2024•32 min•Ep 297•Transcript available on Metacast The best way to get voice mails responded to, and create instant interest on prospecting calls is to make your messaging relevant to them by personalizing and customizing it. And the best source of intel to do that is other people who will give it to you. You ask questions, doing Social Engineering. You'll get the simple, proven, four-step process, with word-for-word messaging you can use and adapt to begin collecting that information today. And once you have it, you can plug it into the Smart C...
Aug 08, 2024•11 min•Ep 296•Transcript available on Metacast When a sales rep is told, "Just be yourself" on calls, instead of being totally prepared, that is some of the worst advice ever. Unless the rep is a skilled, knowledgeable, experienced, prepared person already, just being themself can result in disaster. Maybe you've been there. Art breaks this down, and discusses what we DO need to do in order to become the best version of ourselves, who is authentic, smooth, and connects at a human level. Also he references the newly revised site, with lots of...
Jul 17, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is a difference between simple price comments, like, "Wow, that's more expensive than I thought," and real price objections, like, "We don't have that in the budget." The problem for a lot of salespeople, is that at the first sound of a price comment, they begin dropping price. Unnecessarily. You'll hear Art's experience with a tree service owner who cut his profit in half, and what you can and should do when you hear simple price statements and comments. And, to get's Art's free mastercla...
Jul 09, 2024•8 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast Most sales training on objections contradicts how normal people think and speak. Because, it suggests you tell someone they are wrong. And what is the result of that? The opposite of the intended result: they become more defensive. And it feels sleazy for the person saying it. In this episode Art gives the professional, conversational process to help lead someone through a process, so they will first be open to your ideas, and eventually change their mind, feeling like it is their idea. And he o...
Jul 01, 2024•6 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast The old mantra is that the ABC's of sales are "Always be closing." Not only is that wrong, but it adds to the negative stereotype of salespeople. The beneficial, real ABC of closing is "Always be curious." Art explains why, and what you can do to enhance your curiousity muscle.
Jun 18, 2024•5 min•Ep 292•Transcript available on Metacast Success in sales, and life for that matter, does not rely on having more information. Everyone has access to that. It always relies on the person. Their identity and values. One of the many components that go into BEing a truce sales professional is being others-focused. In this episode Art shares a three-letter acronym, that when you use it to remind yourself of one key concept about every human interaction, will change your life and that of others you speak with.
Jun 05, 2024•8 min•Ep 281•Transcript available on Metacast Voice mail can help make a positive impression, create curiosity and interest, or kill any chance of speaking with a prospect. Likewise with the greeting you leave for those who call you. Art shares tips on what to say and avoid on voice mail so that you are perceived like the professional you are.
May 21, 2024•8 min•Ep 290•Transcript available on Metacast If you browse LinkedIn, you'll see lots of -new-to-the-scene "gurus" trying to pump up their Likes and Comments by saying things are old, outdated, dead, and don't work anymore. Then they suggest what is "new." Art breaks this down, and shows that what supposedly is new, always worked, and always will, and what specifically we need to do as sales pros to show consistent success.
May 09, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast If a salesperson avoids placing the prospecting or sales calls, in addition to the typical guilt they experience, and the potential lost opportunities, they are actually being selfish. That's because they are depriving possible future customers of the value they could receive. In this episode Art explores this more, the causes of call avoidance, ane what to do to get rid of it, and quit being selfish.
Apr 25, 2024•8 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast Think about the last time you spoke with someone whose words were so foreign to you that you had no idea what they were saying. And by foreign, that could be being overly technical, or using jargon that you never use in your world. That's what some salespeople do, and it kills sales. In this episode you'll hear examples of how that happened with Art, and specific what-to-do's in order to be sure you are speaking their language so you connect at a high level.
Apr 16, 2024•9 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast A very simple--but not always followed--principle is that those who expect to win, do so more often than those who think they don't have a chance. This applies to sports, and sales. Art shares a story about what George Brett had to say about this, and explains how it applies to all of your calls, and how you can win more of them.
Apr 04, 2024•7 min•Ep 286•Transcript available on Metacast Richard Weylman works with businesses worldwide, helping them create customer experiences that keeps them coming back. In this episode, he shares what customers really want, that you can model in your own business, and sales. He shares a number of instantly-useable, how-to's and what-to-say messaging examples that you might not have heard before, and perhaps even correct mistakes that repel prospects and customers.
Mar 18, 2024•42 min•Ep 285•Transcript available on Metacast Today's guest, Jason Bay, specializes in helping sales pros use outbound calling to get through to, and engage more new buyers. In this episode we discussed, -The two key components for prospecting success and getting to buyers today. -How to increase your "pick up rate," which is the percentage of people actually answering your call. -How to respond when someone objects to being called on their mobile phone. -What's working now with cold email to get responses. -Plus more!...
Mar 04, 2024•34 min•Ep 284•Transcript available on Metacast Many people ask questions, then don't even listen to the answers. It's like driving somewhere, but when you arrive, don't remember anything about the drive because your mind was totally immersed in something else. This is "sleepwalking" through the communcation process, and it is dangerous for us as sales pros. You'll hear specific how-to's on how to avoid it, and what TO do to be a high level questioner and communicator.
Feb 21, 2024•9 min•Ep 283•Transcript available on Metacast Best-selling authors Bob Burg, and Jeff C. West have teamed up to write an excellent new sales parable in book form. Filled with lessons on leadership, sales skills, music, and entertainment, it’s a short, fun read, which will both new and veteran sales pros, or anyone who communicates. In this special video episode, Bob and Jeff share with Art lessons from the book, the inspiration for it, what it's like to collaborate on a book, and more.
Feb 13, 2024•38 min•Ep 282•Transcript available on Metacast The saying is that people buy from those they know, like, and trust. But, how is trust built? There isn't a standard playbook for that. But, in this episdoe Art covers 13 strategies and tactics you can use to build more trust and credibility with prospects and customers. This is an excerpt from a comprehensive training Art did for his coaching members. You can get that at http://ArtSobczak.training/Know-Like-Trust.
Feb 01, 2024•20 min•Ep 281•Transcript available on Metacast There are many things we should not assume, in life, and sales. One thing we can assume, though, is that someone is experiencing a pain or a problem (IF you have done your homework, and have targeted your prospects well.) By assuming a problem, we can avoid dumb, go-nowhere sales questions, and instead, ask great questions that get them to talk about that pain or problem. These questions are easy for them to answer, as opposed to the dumb ones that give us answers we can't use, since we asked th...
Jan 22, 2024•10 min•Ep 280•Transcript available on Metacast Most TV commercials are just plain dumb, and often annoying. However, one company understands sales and persuasive messaging, and gets it right. That's Fisher Investments. In this episode Art breaks down one of their commercials and points out the sales techniques at work, and how you can use them too.
Dec 07, 2023•7 min•Ep 279•Transcript available on Metacast The not so secret, "secret" of the top achievers in anything is that they THINK differently than those who do not come close to their levels of accomplishment. One of those important areas of thinking is having an abundance--not scarcity--mindset. In this episode you'll hear specific examples and actions you can take to model that thinking in your own life and sales profession to reach levels that are yours for the taking.
Nov 22, 2023•13 min•Ep 278•Transcript available on Metacast When someone whom you thought was a great prospect then goes silent on you, that's the sign of a problem you could have avoided. It's actually the same problem that occurs when you take an easy order from someone who just volunteers to buy quickly. It's not knowing WHY someone might, will, or does buy. In the former case, the result is evident. No sale. When they do buy, we potentially miss out on many more sales, and opportunities to help the customer. You'll hear what to do in both situations,...
Nov 09, 2023•17 min•Ep 277•Transcript available on Metacast 
