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What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

The McDonald’s Lesson: Why a Diverse Sales Team Matters for Small Businesses

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

In the annals of American business history, few stories are as captivating as the rise of McDonald’s, immortalized in the 2016 biographical drama film “The Founder.” The story of Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake machine salesman who transformed a local drive-in into a global fast-food empire, is a classic tale of ambition, innovation, and, controversially, ruthless business acumen. However, behind the gripping narrative lies a valuable lesson for small businesses today. The McDonald brothers, Richard… The McDonald’s Lesson: Why a Diverse Sales Team Matters for Small Businesses

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Sales Leadership Mastery: How to Coach, Not Micromanage, Your Team – Episode 44

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this engaging episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Sean and Kevin don’t just identify the problems associated with micromanagement but provide actionable insights and solutions for how to evolve into an effective leader. Whether you’re just beginning in sales or leading a team, their candid conversation will offer you strategies to avoid micromanagement, build trust within your team, and create a culture of success. Don’t miss this chance to learn from two seasoned sales veterans – tune in to this episode and take your sales leadership skills to the next level!

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Building and Scaling Successful Sales Teams: A Conversation with Tim Warren of Helium SEO – Episode 27

In this podcast, Kevin and Sean talk to Tim Warren, the founder, and CEO of Helium SEO. Tim talks about his background and how he got into sales. He discusses his experience building technical engineering-focused SEO and SEM campaigns for mid-size and enterprise clients. He also explains how his company has been able to drive higher ROI for its clients. Tim shares his leadership journey as a sales leader and how he has learned that… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Building and Scaling Successful Sales Teams: A Conversation with Tim Warren of Helium SEO – Episode 27

March Madness Teaches Us Great Coaching Techniques

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

March Madness teaches us great coaching techniques Posts Subscribe March Madness teaches us great coaching techniques Published: Tue, 03/14/23 I hope that you enjoy my latest newsletter View the online version of this email. It is time for March Madness! I hope that your favorite team wins. In addition to doing a bracket pick, you may want to consider supporting a charity. Two of my adult children do a squares-based (i.e., total luck – no… March Madness Teaches Us Great Coaching Techniques

The Pay Is High and Jobs Are Plentiful, but Few Want to Go Into Sales

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

According to ZipRecruiter and the Wall Street Journal, people are hesitant to go into sales for a career. ZipRecruiter shows the number of sales roles advertised has risen steadily this year, up 65% to more than 700,000 open positions around the U.S., after big layoffs decimated the field at the outset of the pandemic a year ago. Many young workers erroneously assume that sales work means convincing customers to buy with high-pressure tactics and are… The Pay Is High and Jobs Are Plentiful, but Few Want to Go Into Sales