Why do sales professionals burn out quickly? The missing piece: mindset. In this snippet, Dan and Pam reveal the key to consistent, successful outreach. They share approaches for how to adapt your mindset for success.  If you enjoyed this Snippet, listen to the full conversation in Episode 89 - Your Mindset Impacts Your Results Part 1.  

Achieving the right mindset is one of the most important factors in business and sales, and yet sales professionals frequently misunderstand and underutilize it. In this episode, Dan and Pam break down what goes into activating that next-level mindset, sharing real-world examples and actionable tips in the process.

In this Snippet, we explore the art of asking powerful questions. We'll see how these questions can guide your prospects on a journey of self-discovery, helping them gain a clearer understanding of what they gain or risk in their change or no change debate.  If you enjoyed this episode, scroll back to Episode 80: The Power of Questions to hear the full conversation.

Abrasive outreach might capture your prospect’s attention, but it dramatically reduces the chances that they will respond positively. In this 180 Conversation, Dan shares with Pam an off-putting cold outreach email that he received. The two discuss why this tactic is reflective of scarcity and a low-intent mindset

Author and speaker Stephen Shedletzky joins Dan for a discussion on benevolence, creating successful and long-lasting business relationships, and building a “Speak-Up Culture” in part two of this interview.

In this episode, Dan explores the attributes that define successful leadership with author and speaker Stephen Shedletzky. Stephen is an expert on building “Speak Up Cultures,” which is the idea that a team is most successful when its members are willing to share their ideas openly and without fear. Stephen and Dan discuss this philosophy, as well as why self-awareness, benevolence, and curiosity are critical to successful leadership.

One of the most common reasons that sales professionals struggle to reach their full potential is that many often confuse their own arrogance with being confident, and aren’t self aware enough to see the difference between the two.   Listen in as Pam and I break down what arrogance and confidence are in practice, and share ways to help avoid falling into this pitfall yourself.   If you enjoy this snippet, scroll back to Episode 87, “3 Unique Barriers to High Performance”, to hear the full conversation.  

In this episode of Breaking Sales, Dan and Pam discuss the concept of mindset as a setting. Expanding upon a definition provided by David Yeager and Andrew Huberman, which describes mindset as the way we collect, filter, and codify information, Dan and Pam take a deep dive into mindset and how it relates to routine, control, and safety. Listeners will also learn how to avoid common pitfalls that can lead us into a poor performance mindset, as well as why we need to practice the three foundations of a high-performance mindset regularly to make it a competitive strength.

You can develop and strengthen the muscle and skill of resilience, but many people don’t know how. Simply saying “I need to be more resilient” isn’t enough. So how do you become more resilient to achieve that next level of success?   In this snippet, Pam shares why commitment is important to building resilience, and shares a personal story about how she was able to achieve a goal despite a major setback.   Listen to this snippet, and if you enjoy it, scroll back to episode Ep. 83: “3 Ways to Build Resilience” to hear the full conversation.  

Professionals struggle with creating work-life balance. How do we find it, and Is it even possible? In this snippet, Pam shares her own experience trying to create harmony between her personal and professional lives, and shares the tactics she uses to stay in the moment and make focused, quality time.   Listen to this snippet, and if you enjoyed it, scroll back to episode 62, The Myth of Work-Life Balance, to hear the full conversation.  

Here’s a scenario that happens all too often: somebody reaches out to me without doing any prior research, engages with me in a low-intent manner, and then makes a big ask of me. No effort was made to deepen our relationship or make a genuine connection, and I’m instantly turned off. Why do so many people conduct their outreach this way, and how can you ensure you don’t fall into this trap? Enter Chris Tuff, Author of “Save Your Asks” and “The Milennial Whisperer.” Chris is an expert in building connections with high-intent, and shares his methodology to help you deliver value and build authentic relationships. Listen in as Chris and I discuss the give and take relationship that you need to master in order to maximize your network’s value, and why “saving your asks” is a the cornerstone of activating your network effectively.

Every relationship requires the effort of both parties to work together effectively. While I’m not a big fan of customizing approaches to a particular generation, the reality is often that each generation’s set of values (in business and personal life) require professionals of all ages to understand one another and navigate differences.    Enter Chris Tuff, Author of “Save Your Asks” and “The Milennial Whisperer.” Chris and I don’t come from the same philosophy, and we have diverging opinions on numerous topics. However, by engaging in this debate, we explore new avenues of thinking that open us up to disagreement, but also allow us to learn from one another.   Listen in as Chris and I discuss millennial and Gen Z perspectives on technology, family, and interpersonal relationships, and share why you need to understand these to be effective in your business.  

As professionals, we can sometimes be put in situations where we experience a physical and/or emotional response when there is conflict between job demands and the amount of control we have over meeting these demands.This phenomenon, which Neel Doshi describes as “emotional pressure,” can be harmful to adaptive performance. Where does this phenomenon show up, and how can we recognize the signs to avoid succumbing to it?   Listen to this snippet, and if you enjoyed it, scroll back to episode Episode 24, “How Top Performers Self-Motivate with Neel Doshi,” to hear the full conversation.  

When faced with uncomfortable situations, how do you respond? Do you go on the defensive, or do you show your vulnerability and use the opportunity to make a deeper connection?   Colin Hunter is the Founder and CEO of PotentialSquared, a company dedicated to amplifying leaders’ intrinsic qualities to help them build a culture that is more thoughtful, innovative, and experimental. Colin’s approach is designed to help you overcome the discomfort of tough conversations and navigate the tension for positive outcomes.   In this episode, Colin and I dive into the nitty gritty of how leaders can accomplish this, highlighting intent and vulnerability. We also discuss how roleplaying is an essential part of leadership development, and give input on how leaders can facilitate roleplaying effectively.  

Having the right mindset and a strong sense of self is imperative to leading a team and scaling a business. Without the willingness to take risks or the tools to show up authentically, leaders and professionals can do a major disservice to themselves, their teams, and their clients.   Colin Hunter is the Founder and CEO of PotentialSquared, a company dedicated to amplifying leaders’ intrinsic qualities to help them build a culture that is more thoughtful, innovative, and experimental. Colin’s approach is designed to create relationships with purpose by getting under people’s skin and advising them at a deeper level.   In this episode, Colin shares his journey from being dissatisfied and unhappy in a corporate role to starting a business that fits with his core values: harnessing your creativity to make a difference and building playgrounds to disrupt leadership.    We’ll discuss how PotentialSquared accomplishes this, and what challenges Colin has faced in helping others reach their full potential.  

We are all creatures of habit, and all of us have our own set of thinking and reactionary routines. As a result, when someone enters a situation with a statement, question, or demeanor that rubs us the wrong way, it has a tendency to trigger scarcity and attachment. In this episode, Dan and Pam explore three common poor performance triggers (eagerness, demeanor, and competition), and discuss how to avoid the most common pitfalls that professionals experience when they encounter these triggers.

Often in life, we find ourselves comparing our accomplishments to those of others. In many cases, this takes the form of a bitter belief that we are entitled to the same things someone else has without considering if we’ve really earned them. However, if we approach this from the viewpoint of learning where we are and how we can get to that next step, there is actually a healthy way to compare ourselves to others. In this topic discussion, Dan and Pam share their thoughts on creating healthy comparisons and achieving this mindset.

When we make assumptions about things that we think we know, we deceive ourselves with a false sense of security and control. Once we begin picking apart the details, that sense of security begins to go away. What can we do to make sure that we are actively listening and learning in a way that helps us perform at a higher level? Listen to this snippet, and if you enjoy it, scroll back to episode 29, 4 Assumptions that Hurt Your Performance & Limit Trust, to hear the full conversation.

While we often discuss the shortcomings of low-intent mindsets, what does this look like in practice? Why does low intent get the better of so many professionals? In this episode, recorded live at a speaking event, Dan presents a fictional scenario to demonstrate how low intent mindset turns prospects away and lets down those who use it.

When engaging with prospects that are already inundated with computer-generated emails and phone calls, how can we give something of value without coming off like we’re asking for something in return?    In this snippet, I sit down with Jeremy Donovan, Senior VP of Sales Strategy at Salesloft, who shares a simple, actionable tip for how you can provide something of value to your prospect in your initial outreach. This will help to build trust not just with prospects, but with your clients and peers as well.  If you enjoy this snippet, scroll back to Episode 33, Start Asking and Start Giving with Jeremy Donovan, to hear the full conversation.

Benevolence is central to building trust, so why do so many professionals ruin their outreach by making it about themselves? In this 180 Conversation, Dan and Pam examine an email where the writer makes this crucial mistake and jeopardizes their potential for success, as well as other examples where outreach messaging misses the mark in putting the prospect’s interests first.

High performers have a tendency to develop attachments to their successes, failures, and clients. Attaching your personal identity to metrics and people can be a major hurdle to overcome as you try and figure out who you are as a person.    Ken Mossman has seen the catastrophic role attachment to the wrong thing can play in shaping and understanding our identity. As the head of Cirrus Leadership, Ken has been coaching men who have lost sight of their personal identity to help them realign and, as he puts it, get their mojo back.   In this episode, Dan and Ken discuss the role attachments play in the relationship between your personal identity and your professional life, and examine the different voices we listen to that influence our decision-making.  

Failure can be painful, but it’s actually one of the most important tools we have for learning. However, traditional definitions of success and failure leave little room for nuance, which prevents people from applying the knowledge they’ve learned from their failures to be more successful. Listen to this snippet, and if you enjoyed it, scroll back to episode 60, Failure: The Building Blocks of Success to hear the full conversation.   

High performers have a tendency to confuse their performance results with their identity. Labeling yourself can be catastrophic as you try and figure out who you are as a person. If you play the labeling game – you are going to lose.    Ken Mossman knows this well. As the head of Cirrus Leadership, Ken has been coaching men who have lost sight of their personal identity to help them realign and, as he puts it, get their mojo back.   In this episode, Dan and Ken talk about the game and the journey of trying to accomplish a major career milestone, and how to identify the voices that cause doubt, stress, and setbacks.  

When it comes to setting goals, the amount of effort we put in affects our outcome. However, psychological and neurochemical factors can keep us from achieving goals when gratification is far off. How do we overcome this? Listen to this snippet, and if you want to hear this full conversation, scroll back to episode 56: Why Your Process is More Important than Your Goals.

“I need to learn about you” isn’t a trendy catchphrase. It’s one of the core components of building trust. Saying this phrase and not executing on it is one of the quickest ways to deteriorate trust.    In this episode, Kristie shares a recent experience with Dan where she was the prospect being sold to. She shares how the sales professional emphasized learning, but was only concerned with sharing their expertise and demo. Ironically, the salesperson’s frustration with not being able to align their solution could have been avoided if they had done simple research and learned about Kristie’s situation. This breakdown will help you avoid making the same mistakes.  

When faced with adversity, it is common to want to retreat into our comfort zones. We revert back to what we can control. When we do this, we end up exerting more energy trying to get out of the uncomfortable situation than we would by facing it head-on. In this snippet, we’ll listen to a story Pam shares where how she realized that excuses build upon each other and directly impact the results we create. Listen to this quick snippet, and if you want to listen to the full-length conversation, scroll back to episode 20: Accomplishment or Excuses (Who's Winning?).

As we face uncertain economic conditions, many of Lappin180’s clients find themselves discussing rate increases with clients. It can be an awkward and daunting interaction, informing your client of a rate increase knowing that they might be slashing budgets, downsizing, or  placing new projects on hold. In the end, you can only control the controllables - your mindset and how you approach the conversation. In this episode, Dan and Pam discuss four tactical areas where detachment will help you perform in the clutch. 

Nobody likes to fail. But when you strip away the emotion, plenty can be learned and gained from disappointment. In this episode, Dan and Pam explore the topic of disappointment, including why we avoid it, why our expectations and attachments often betray us, and why the most seasoned professionals are often the least equipped to deal with disappointment.

If you want to avoid your prospect’s innate reaction to treat you like a salesperson, you’ll need to stop chasing results. It may sound odd, but that burning intensity that drives you to pursue that new prospect appointment often stands in the way of setting it.   Listen to this quick snippet and if you want to hear the full-length conversation, scroll back to Episode 5: Maybe It's Time to Rethink Prospecting.

You already know this, so why do you do it? The more you try and position your value and convince someone that you’re credible - the more caution and distrust you create. When trying to establish credibility, many professionals get confused about whether they should rely on demonstrating their expertise or asking good questions. In this topic discussion, Dan and Pam break down the pitfalls that sales professionals run into with credentials, as well as how salespeople can establish more credibility by asking the right types of questions in the right way.

Although scarcity is an effective sales tool, it can come off desperate and needy when utilized incorrectly. In this 180 Conversation, Dan and Pam break down three outreach messages from the same industry (outsourced prospecting - appointment setting) that are poorly written and emphasize scarcity. Listen in and learn how to spot this inferior approach from those promising to be the best at it.

Do your prospects trust you enough to invite you in, give you honest answers, or put their reputation on the line? Not all trust is the same. It varies depending on the person, environment, and situation. As a leading expert on neuroscience and the medical industry, Dr. Nicole Fisher Roberts can attest to the role our neurochemistry plays in forming real, lasting trust. Nicole is the Executive Director of Feed A Billion, an international nonprofit that feeds girls around the world to prevent food insecurity, exploitation, and trafficking, and the founder of Health & Human Rights Strategies, an international institute that works to promote the advancement of health care and human rights.  In the second installment of this two-part one-on-one interview, Nicole and Dan discuss whether all trust is the same, what is at the core of trust, and the chemical reaction that happens within our brains that causes us to feel trust.

High performers take a different approach. Dan’s work over the past 25 years has led him to the conclusion that it begins with how they think. In order to win, your prospects will need to evaluate and debate change objectively. Assessing your solution is easy – generating the courage to do something different (with you) is hard.   To hear the full-length conversation, listen to episode 4: High-Performance Mindset.

Whether the goal is to find common ground or show our merit through raw expertise, salespeople need to meet prospects at their level in order to be successful. As a senior non-profit leader and contributor to Forbes, Dr. Nicole Fisher Roberts knows this well. Nicole is the Executive Director of Feed A Billion, an international nonprofit that feeds girls around the world to prevent food insecurity, exploitation, and trafficking, and the founder of Health & Human Rights Strategies, an international institute that works to promote the advancement of health care and human rights.  In this two-part one-on-one interview, Dan continues his deep dive into the core attribute of sales—that often vague set of social behaviors we call trust. In this episode, Nicole and Dan discuss the relationship between risk and trust, the power of vulnerability, building trust through questions, and how that old sales pursuit of finding commonalities shouldn’t be your only trust tactic.

People buy from people they like, right? No. They buy from people they trust. In this snippet, Dan explores the different levels of trust that are needed to help your prospect decide on change – doing business with you. The more complex and unexpected the change – the more trust is needed. Not all trust is the same.   To hear the full-length conversation, listen to episode 2: Building Trust.

Trust is at the center of how our society functions, and nobody knows this better than Kent Grayson. Kent is an expert on trust and authenticity in the marketplace who has conducted substantial research on how consumer habits are affected by their perception of a company/industry. In this one-on-one interview, Kent and Dan discuss the origins of trust in early human society, risk tolerance, and how sales professionals can build trust in their clients or potential clients.

In this 180 Conversation, Dan and Pam break down an email outreach that attempts to use buzzwords words that reflect trust, but because of the way they are misused they end up deteriorating trust quickly and create a sleazy email outreach experience. If you have to state that you’re trying to be clear - you’re probable not being clear.

The old adage still holds true, first impressions matter. Poor outreach tells your potential customer everything they need to know about your intent and value. Remember that they’re not looking for a reason to spend time with you, they're looking for a reason not to spend time with you. Poor attention to details and mismanaged automation is the only excuse your recipient needs. Listen in as Dan and Pam debate the impact and relevance of offering gifts and freebies to solicit time with a prospect.

Filler words, rambling questions, and feelings of hesitation are just some of the symptoms you’ll experience by not being in the moment during your conversations. In this snippet, Dan revisits episode 46, where he shares a process to help you intensify your questions, improve your learning, and take your conversations to the next level. To hear the rest of this conversation, listen to Episode 46: The Power of Being in the Moment.

Your mindset impacts your results. There are a lot of people out there giving “advice” on how to be a better sales professional. But guess what? A lot of their well-intentioned advice is outcomes-based—not mindset-based. In the third and final episode of a three-part series, Dan and Pam build off the previous two episodes and discuss how much time we spend chasing prospects, our ability to compartmentalize, and our ability to manage bias.

Effective outreach is hard. You must be consistent, confident, and courageous to connect with people. The best outreach also includes honesty and transparency.   Join Dan and Pam on this week’s podcast as they break down an attempt to get Dan interested in a service, where flattery and hyperbole were used, and why it didn’t work. Remember, when it comes to outreach, you get what you put in.

Sometimes it’s easy to omit the basics in our conversations with prospects. If our standards aren’t defined, we aren’t setting ourselves up for success. In this snippet, we revisit a few of Dan’s nine conversation standards that will help you gain self-awareness and drive high-performance results. To hear the rest of the conversation, scroll back to episode 38, Prospect Conversations: How High Performers Do It Better.

Your mindset impacts your results. In this second part of a three-part series, Dan and Pam talk about how the questions you ask are a dead giveaway of the mindset you’re in. Listen in to test your own methodology for questioning your prospects against Dan and Pam’s advice, and identify whether you’re projecting scarcity or abundance with the questions you ask.

When it comes to outreach, every interaction matters. Building trust is essential if you want an invitation for a conversation. The second your outreach feels gimmicky, a high-quality prospect is out. Listen to this 180 Conversation as Dan and Pam share their reactions to a common outreach tactic – a dead giveaway for a low-intent offering.

Automation is a necessary tool in today’s world, but what happens when it’s used poorly? When it comes to your outreach, automation can destroy one of the necessary components of your relationship with your prospect: reciprocity. In this snippet, we revisit Dan’s conversation on reciprocity with Jeremy Donovan, who was formerly the SVP of Revenue Strategy at the sales engagement platform SalesLoft. If you want to revisit the full-length conversation, scroll back to episode 33, Start Asking and Start Giving with Jeremey Donovan.

Your mindset impacts your results. There’s a lot of people out there giving “advice” on how to be a better sales professional. But guess what? A lot of their well-intentioned advice is outcomes-based—not mindset-based. In the first episode of a three-part series, Dan and Pam demystify some of the myths out there around why sales professionals fail, and they begin to share the real reasons, and how to avoid them.

One of the quickest ways to discredit your outreach is to communicate assumptions about why your prospect hasn’t responded. Listen to this 180 Conversation as Dan and Pam share their critiques of an anonymous thread of email messages that reveal the author’s serious scarcity mindset.