
Everyone sells, regardless of what your job title is, and this is your place for authentic, conversational sales and prospecting tips without the sleaze factor. Art Sobczak shares proven sales and cold calling (without the cold) tips that you'll feel comfortable using, and that get the results you want. You'll help people buy, instead of pushing them into being sold. Over the past 30 years Art has helped hundreds of thousands through his books, newsletters, audios, videos, online courses, public seminars, customized company training and keynotes, and now, this podcast.
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<p >"Send me some information."</p> <p >Those five words have probably killed billions of dollars in potential sales. Because too many salespeople hear them, happily agree, send off a deck, case study, or PDF... and then spend the next month chasing a prospect who never wanted the information in the first place.</p> <p >But sometimes they DO want it.</p> <p >So how can you tell whether "send me something" is legitimate interest or simply a polite way to get you off the phone?</p> <p >In this episode, you'll learn the specific questions to ask when you...

<p >Twice in fifteen years of desert living, I've walked out my front door and found a rattlesnake curled up in the corner. That fear taught me something about persuasion that a famous psychology experiment proved decades ago. Dr. Albert Bandura cured severe snake phobics not with facts, and not by forcing them to confront the snake directly, but by having them watch someone else do it first. He called it vicarious experience, and it's the exact same reason your best sales stories work better than your best data.</p> <p >In this episode: why a group of MBA students...

<p > Most cold call advice you see celebrated on LinkedIn has one thing in common — it starts with an apology.</p> <p > "You're going to hate me, but this is a cold call." "Did I catch you at a bad time?" "I'll be honest with you — this is a sales call."</p> <p > Justin Michael has spent 20,000 hours on the phone and written 10 books disagreeing with all of it. And in this episode, he makes the case — backed by brain science — for why permission-begging openers kill your status, trigger the wrong response in the prospect's brain, and actually cause the rejectio...

<p > What if everything you believed about sales was wrong?</p> <p > Art Sobczak sits down with Dr. Lorenzo Bizzi, professor at Cal State Fullerton and author of Myths Versus Science of Selling, to challenge the conventional wisdom that has dominated sales training for decades.</p> <p > From "always be closing" to "people buy on emotion" to "extroverts make the best salespeople" — Dr. Bizzi has spent years collecting academic research that tells a very different story. And he's not just here to tear down the myths; he's here to make you think.</p> <p > In this episode, you'll discover:</p> Wh...

<p >What if your biggest sales problem isn't closing… but everything that happens before it?</p> <p >In this episode, Art Sobczak sits down with sales trainer, speaker, and author Joe Dalton to break down what truly separates professionals from amateurs in sales.</p> <p >Joe shares how he went from "just talking to people" to mastering a proven sales process, and why he now views selling as a craft, not a transaction.</p> <p >You'll discover:</p> <p >• Why most "closing problems" are actually discovery failures<br /> • The simple shift from selling to letting people buy<br /> • How curiosity instantl...

<p > You know that kid in the produce aisle who has no idea where the dill is? The one who starts apologizing and wandering around while your brain checks out?</p> <p > That's what most prospecting calls sound like in the first 20 seconds.</p> <p > In this episode, Art breaks down exactly what's happening in your prospect's brain the moment they pick up the phone, why most common openers actually trigger the resistance you're trying to avoid, and the simple 4-part framework that makes prospects lean in instead of push away.</p> <p > You'll hear two side-by-side versions of the...

<p >Last episode I banned 26 sales words and phrases.</p> <p >But the truth is… banning the words isn't the solution.</p> <p >Because the words aren't the problem.</p> <p >They're the emotional "cover" salespeople use when they don't feel confident—apologies, permission-begging, softeners, and filler phrases that are designed to make the seller feel safer.</p> <p >Unfortunately, they do the opposite for the buyer.</p> <p >In this episode, I'll show you how to eliminate insecure language by fixing the thinking behind it—and I'll give you a simple pre-call checklist that will change how you show up on...

<p>Salespeople don't struggle because they lack tactics.<br /> They struggle because of the language they use—often without realizing what it reveals about how they're thinking.</p> <p>In this episode, Art Sobczak shares 26 sales words and phrases he's banning in 2026. Not because they sound bad—but because they quietly lower status, create resistance, and sabotage confidence before the conversation ever begins.</p> <p>You'll learn why phrases like "Sorry to bother you," "Just checking in," "Thoughts?" and "This is a cold call" don't just hurt response rates—they signal insecure thinking that prospects immediately pick up on.</p> <p>This isn't...

<p >Too many salespeople celebrate getting the meeting… and then blow it with a stiff, self-serving "discovery call" that prospects secretly dread. In this episode, Art sits down with sales differentiation strategist and bestselling author Lee Salz to rethink that critical first conversation—and turn it into a client-centric consultation that buyers actually value.</p> <p >Lee shares how to deliver meaningful value in the first meeting, why "discovery" language and agendas instantly signal "this is about me, not you," and how to use stories and emotion (not just logic) to move prospects from mere inconvenience to true problem—and action...

<p > </p> <p > Think you're a good listener? Try this: Can you remember the exact words your last prospect used to describe their biggest problem? If not, you weren't listening—you were waiting to talk. In this episode, Art reveals the Two P's framework (Purpose and Pause) that will transform how you show up on sales calls. Learn the 2-second technique that gets prospects to reveal what they really mean, not just what they're supposed to say.</p> <p > Resource mentioned: Art's coaching and training app: http://Studio.com/Art</p>