The Sales History Podcast
Todd Caponi
Bringing the incredible (and sometimes strange) brains from the profession of sales' past to the 2020's - from Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale & The Transparent Sales Leader.
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Top 10 The Sales History Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Sales History Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Sales History Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Sales History Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Using History to Predict - The Future of Sales
The Sales History Podcast
03/15/22 • 13 min
If the saying "if we don't know history, are we doomed to repeat it" is true, then why can't we use history to also predict the future? In this episode, I attempt to do just that. "Buyers know more nowadays" isn't just a quote from LinkedIn today, but also from a sales book in 1912! More information hasn't meant the demise of the profession - it's created more of a need for it!
With this in mind, let's dissect the past to predict the future!
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The Nine Traits of a Successful 1913 (and current) Salesperson
The Sales History Podcast
03/23/23 • 12 min
If sales has changed so much, why haven't the #salestips? Reading a collection of the top sales tips in 1913 - and I swear I was reading a collection of the top sales tips today. There's no conflict...at all.
What's presented as revelation today on all of the socials are fundamentally the same through the eras of selling, so in today's episode, I share them. Worthington C. Holman's 9 things a successful salesperson must do, from System Magazine's February of 1913 edition.
And given that Holman was an artist with his words...they're even better back then!
@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
1 Listener
Don't Be A Dunderblitzen - a Sales Leadership Parable from 1909
The Sales History Podcast
06/20/23 • 16 min
It's the story for so many - great at selling, promoted into leadership without training or a holistic understanding of what the role actually is.
In today's episode, I share a parable written by Worthington C. Holman in 1909 about a medieval military leader named Dunderblitzen Von Shoosh. I loved this story so much, I had to share it...along with lessons for today.
@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
1 Listener
How Founder Led Sales Changed the World
The Sales History Podcast
06/27/24 • 19 min
The way we live today wasn't defined just via the invention itself. Things like the steam engine, telegraph, reaper, highways, the telephone, the automobile...and just about every other revolutionary advancement was met with extreme skepticism. They all HAD TO BE SOLD. The incredible inventors had to be ingenious salespeople, too.
Here are their stories.
In this episode, which I really enjoyed researching, I take you through the stories of so many things we just assume have always been around - and must have sold themselves...but didn't.
@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on X - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
The 1st World Sales Congress & An Admired Profession
The Sales History Podcast
06/22/21 • 9 min
105 years ago - the sales profession was not only respected & trusted, it was admired! As evidence, the first World Sales Congress was taking place in Detroit, keynoted by the President...in the middle of a world war! Here's the story of the event, my take on how we've lost our way, and how to get it back!
Stories from the 1910s - The First B2C & B2B Cold Calling Campaigns!
The Sales History Podcast
03/29/22 • 16 min
An amendment to Season 1, Episode 10's episode on "When Did Cold Calling Begin?", this episode tells of two newly found stories - of the first found (so far) B2C telephone cold calling campaign in 1910, and the first found B2B telephone cold calling campaign from 1914.
The success rate, the scripting, the analysis of numbers and the foundational technique is so amazing, given much is what we still teach today - albeit there was a transparency faux pas in the B2B story you've got to hear.
(h/t Jeffrey Blackwell)
Sales Objection Handling - Circa 1907 - 1920
The Sales History Podcast
05/24/22 • 18 min
Sales objections - they've been around since the beginning of time. But the amazing thing is, they read almost EXACTLY as they do today. What's even more amazing? The experts answers to the most common ones that come up.
In today's episode, we choose six - and the experts from 1907 to 1920s answers may actually be useful to you today!
I also dig into a new way to think about objections - transparency style. Enjoy...
Got feedback, or things you want me to research? Reach out directly at [email protected].
The OG's of Sales Leadership...were REMOTE Sales Leaders
The Sales History Podcast
03/01/22 • 10 min
Isn't it ironic? Today, we fret over the challenge of building and leading teams that are all remote. However, the original sales leaders in the "modern" era of sales (i.e., 1907-1920s) - were REMOTE sales leaders. And, they built, trained and motivated teams without Slack, without email, or without even the ability to talk to them on the phone!
In this episode, we explore the origins of sales leadership, how it was done remotely, and attempt to tie those concepts to today's remote requirement.
The Great Salesperson Purge of the 1920s
The Sales History Podcast
02/15/22 • 15 min
100 years ago - 1922 - the sales world encountered a year with 85% salesperson turnover. You read that right! A year when "sales executives discharged practically ALL of their salesmen"! The crazy part - just 18 months earlier, the sales world "took almost anybody into their sales forces".
What happened? Could it happen again today? The lead-up is eerily familiar. Better to know so we can avoid it than bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it cannot happen, right?
What History Got Right: Sales Forecasting
The Sales History Podcast
07/06/22 • 12 min
While reading and studying books and magazines on sales leadership from the late 1800s through the 1940s:
The problems of sales & leadership are almost all the same today...except for one thing. There are no articles, or even expressions of consternation, about forecasting in sales back then. I think I put my finger on why - and while it might not solve all of our forecasting issues, there's a core question that should strike everyone who listens...
Why do we try to predict when a buyer will buy via forecasts and stages that are based on seller activities?
100 years ago, their processes NEVER were "discovery", "qualification", "demo", "proposal", "close'. Never. Listen in to what was the basis of EVERY sales process and forecasting methodology 100 years ago...a systemic recognition of buyer behavior.
NOW AVAILABLE: The Transparent Sales Leader: https://www.amzn.com/1646870646
@saleshistorian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SalesHistorian
@saleshistorian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saleshistorian/
Reach out at [email protected]
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Sales History Podcast have?
The Sales History Podcast currently has 45 episodes available.
What topics does The Sales History Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Marketing, Management, Podcasts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on The Sales History Podcast?
The episode title 'Using History to Predict - The Future of Sales' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Sales History Podcast?
The average episode length on The Sales History Podcast is 16 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Sales History Podcast released?
Episodes of The Sales History Podcast are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of The Sales History Podcast?
The first episode of The Sales History Podcast was released on Jun 8, 2021.
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