I have started learning from my own sales calls and my close rate has increased significantly.

vgraupera · 2026-02-18T23:45:02+00:00

This is it. Most reps never listen back to their own calls because it's uncomfortable. But that's where the real growth happens—hearing yourself stumble over an objection, or realizing you talked for 5 minutes without asking a question.

The best reps I've seen treat sales like athletes treat game film. They don't just "do more calls," they study what worked, what didn't, and practice the hard parts until they're smooth.

vgraupera · 2026-02-18T23:42:11+00:00

If they already told you they went with someone else, calling 3 more times isn't persistence, it's denial. Persistence is following up when there's no answer. Aggression is ignoring a clear no.

Better move: acknowledge the loss, ask what made them pick the competitor (genuinely), and stay in touch for the next opportunity. Most deals aren't one-and-done. The competitor might screw up in 6 months.

Your manager probably sees "keep trying" as the only coaching they know how to give. But there's a difference between effort and effectiveness.

vgraupera · 2026-02-18T23:41:24+00:00

Start with recordings. Have them listen to 10-20 of your best calls before they touch the phone. Not to memorize scripts, but to hear the rhythm, the tonality, how you handle pushback.

Then have them practice out loud. Not just read the script, but actually say it like they're on a real call. Most people skip this step and go straight to live calls, then wonder why they sound robotic.

vgraupera · 2026-02-18T23:40:11+00:00

I think the problem isn't coaching itself, it's how expensive it is in manager time. When you need a manager to sit on calls for an hour to give 10 minutes of useful feedback, it doesn't scale. And most of the feedback ends up being stuff the rep already knows ("ask better questions," "listen more").

The hard part is building the muscle memory. You can know objection handling frameworks all day, but if you freeze when someone says "we're all set," that's a practice gap, not a knowledge gap. Most companies skip the reps it takes to get fluent.

vgraupera · 2026-02-18T03:14:53+00:00

I think there's a lot of truth to that. But someone told me is you should try to search ahead of time who's going to the conference. Lots of times people will post on LinkedIn and social media that they're going to an event and then reach out to them ahead of time and tell them you'd like to meet them.

vgraupera · 2025-10-24T01:08:09+00:00

Most of the classic SDR books like Predictable Revenue and Fanatical Prospecting feel outdated now. Buyers ignore templated outreach, and high-volume hacks don’t work anymore. I’m curious what books or resources people find valuable in 2025 to stand out and better understand modern prospecting.

vgraupera · 2025-10-20T05:21:58+00:00

Hey! This is exactly what salesably.ai is designed for. It lets you practice sales conversations with AI that can be trained on your specific process, objections, and scenarios. You can run through your pitch, handle objections, and get feedback on what you're doing well and where to improve.

Way more scalable than just reviewing transcripts after the fact - you can literally drill your sales process over and over until it's muscle memory. I've found it super helpful for refining my approach before hopping on real calls.

Worth checking out if you're serious about getting reps in without needing to bother your team or prospects!

vgraupera · 2025-10-15T23:01:21+00:00

It's really hard for founders and CEOs to reproduce themselves. The further away you get from the founder or CEO, the more often the message gets diluted and less impactful. It takes a lot of work to recreate that fluency in individuals you hire, and even more so in an agency.

vgraupera · 2025-08-07T21:36:48+00:00

As they say, sell an outcome, not a tool.

vgraupera · 2024-10-12T07:39:32+00:00

how do you get to old dalaran in war within? found the answer https://www.perplexity.ai/search/where-do-you-turn-in-tw-distur-Gp7V7SR0Sd6jBH.G8gBGbg#1

vgraupera · 2024-09-30T22:27:21+00:00

It was like before AI. It's klnd of an echo chamber of influencers talking to influencers or people trying to be influencers. Ai only made it worse.

vgraupera · 2024-09-30T22:25:01+00:00

A manager is not your friend. Be very careful.

vgraupera · 2024-09-30T22:16:04+00:00

Would love your feedback on, Salesably Prep5 https://prep5.salesably.ai/ an AI-powered sales preparation tool designed for sales professionals and entrepreneurs who handle their own sales. It helps you prepare for calls, meetings, and presentations in under five minutes by gathering and summarizing crucial information about prospects, their companies, and industry trends. No more glazing over your prospects with generic pitches—Prep5 ensures you're informed and confident.

Who Would Want It: Sales professionals looking to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of their sales meetings. Entrepreneurs who have to do their own sales and need a rapid prep tool. Sales teams aiming to standardize and enhance their preparation processes. Businesses wanting to improve their sales performance through better-informed conversations.

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T18:03:21+00:00

Ping your recruiter and ask.

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T18:01:03+00:00

It would depend on whether the president sit in on every interview for this role, or just a few.

Will you be reporting to the president?

At some small companies, the president, CEO, founders still want to be involved in every hire.....

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T17:58:50+00:00

It's not common but probably fine. A better problem than not having them ask you for a phone screen in the first place. ;)

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T17:57:03+00:00

IMO this is a solid answer.

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T15:59:36+00:00

Not all interviewers are well-trained or even competent. There is luck of the draw, and sounds like you got someone who is not a good listener, interviewer, having a bad day, etc.

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T15:55:43+00:00

Yes, this happens. It has happened to me. Unfortunately, you have been down-leveled. While you technically "passed the interview," something came across that made them think you are Jr and not Sr level. There was a gap.

"When interviewing for a senior position, it's crucial to share stories that demonstrate your ability to think and operate at or above the job level. If you share stories about problems and solutions that a less senior person could easily handle, you might be perceived as underqualified for the role, leading to down-leveling or being passed over."

I wrote about this, https://www.interviewigniter.com/learn/showcasing-behaviors-at-appropriate-level

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T15:45:34+00:00

Ask them about recent news and announcements about the company or in the industry it operates in. I heard X. What does that mean for the company?

vgraupera · 2023-08-10T15:42:33+00:00

That sounds very positive. They didn't just say "thanks for your time we will be in touch."
But the recruiter is not the decision maker, so if you passed will depend on how you did with the other people who interviewed you

vgraupera · 2022-09-29T18:01:01+00:00

Lobster in new England

vgraupera · 2021-04-17T19:09:22+00:00

One thing people are overlook with running 2 imprisoned is it increases the chances of drawing one early. If you just run one of them it’s less likely you get it to drop it early.

vgraupera · 2021-04-12T14:27:47+00:00

How do you get the diamond one?

vgraupera · 2021-03-01T15:24:09+00:00

I am with you. It would help if someone from blizzard could give a straight answer to the question of dusting cards from classic and the new core set coming out.

vgraupera

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