How to Create a Customer-Centric Sales Experience
The biggest mistake sales teams make today is building their process around what they want to say instead of what the customer needs to understand. Features, benefits, demos, pitches, none of it matters if it isn’t anchored in the customer’s world. A customer-centric sales experience isn’t a tactic. It’s a strategic shift from selling to guiding, from presenting to understanding, from pressure to clarity.
Here’s how you create an experience customers actually want to be part of.
Start With Their Reality, Not Your Story
Most salespeople open with who they are, what they do, and why it matters. That’s backwards.
Customer-centric selling starts with different focus points.
Their pressures
Their goals
Their friction points
Their internal conversations
Their decision-making process
When a buyer feels understood, they’re instantly more open to being guided. Understanding creates influence. Pitchingcreates resistance.
Diagnose Before You Prescribe the Solution
Ask sharp, insight-based questions that help the buyer see their reality more clearly. Some examples of questions are below:
· “What’s the real cost of this problem?”
· “What’s slowing down your progress?”
· “What would success look like in measurable terms?”
A customer-centric sales experience makes the buyer feel smarter, not sold to.
Connect Solutions to Outcomes, Not Features
Buyers don’t buy tools, they buy transformation. Buyers care less about what your product does and more about what it improves. This means simply saying the solutions will help them be successful to here is how you see things change.
Shift your language from:
· “Here’s what this feature does…”
to
· “Here’s the problem this eliminates…”
· “Here’s the time this returns…”
· “Here’s the frustration this removes…”
· “Here’s the revenue this unlocks…”
Customer-centric selling ties every part of your solution to what the customer values most.
Build Confidence, Not Pressure
A customer-centric sales experience helps the buyer feel:
· Informed
· Supported
· Safe
· Capable of making a smart decision
· Enabled to move forward
Your role is to help them evaluate, compare, and decide without fear that you’re pushing them toward a bad choice. When buyers trust the process, they trust the decision.
Guide Them Through the Decisions They’re Already Making
Every buyer, consciously or not, is evaluating:
1. The salesperson — Do I trust you?
2. The organization — Can your company support me?
3. The product — Will this actually solve my problem?
4. The price — Is the value worth the cost?
5. The timing — Why should I act now?
A customer-centric process doesn’t fight these decisions, it supports them.
It anticipates concerns.
It removes friction.
It helps the customer feel confident at every stage.
This is how buyers move forward naturally, without being pushed.
Make the Next Step Frictionless
The moment a buyer feels confused or overwhelmed, momentum dies.
Your job as a sales professional is to make the next step:
· Clear
· Simple
· Low-risk
· Aligned with their goals
A customer-centric sales experience reduces decision fatigue and keeps progress effortless.
A customer-centric sales experience transforms selling from a battle to a partnership.
When you:
· Start in their world
· Diagnose deeply
· Align solutions to outcomes
· Build confidence
· Guide them through their real buying decisions
· And make next steps simple
…you don’t have to “sell.” Customers instead, pull themselves forward.
The future of sales belongs to the people who create experiences, not just pitches.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Influence vs. Persuasion: The Key to Sales Success
Most salespeople spend their careers trying to persuade customers.
But the best sales professionals, the ones who consistently win premium clients, shorten sales cycles, and create long-term relationships don’t rely on persuasion at all. They use something else called influence. And the difference between the two is the difference between chasing business and attracting it.
Persuasion Pushes. Influence Pulls.
Persuasion is about getting someone to agree with you. It’s pressure-based. It’s momentary. It works until the buyer steps away to rethinks everything.
Influence, on the other hand, is about shaping how people see the situation, the solution, and most of all you. Influence is earned, it’s durable, and it continues working even when you’re not in the room.
Persuasion Creates Resistance. Influence Creates Trust.
When buyers feel persuaded, they feel pushed and people instinctively want to push back. They hesitate, they stall, or they go silent trying to avoid the situation and the person.
Persuasion triggers doubt in the customer’s mind: “Is this salesperson trying to win, or trying to help?”
Influence on the other hand removes doubt. It builds trust because it’s grounded in credibility, clarity, and understanding the buyer’s world. Influence allows the customer to see how well the sales person works and sees how it aligns with what others have told the customer about this sales person. That’s right, customer’s talk to each other…
Persuasion Works Short-Term. Influence Works Long-Term.
Persuasion may get you a yes today, but influence gets you the following:
· repeat business
· referrals
· premium pricing
· faster yeses
· deeper relationships
· access to decision-makers
Influence positions you as someone worth listening to, not just someone worth buying from in hopes that this solution will work for the customer. When customers see you as a trusted guide, not a sales rep, they keep coming back. And here is a really big thing, they also bring others with them. That’s right they start selling for us when we use influence.
Persuasion may help you win a moment, but influence enables you win the relationship, the deal, and the future.
If you want sustainable success, more yeses, fewer objections, and customers who follow your lead then build influence. It’s the skill that makes every part of selling easier.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Build a Sales Process That Converts Every Time
Most salespeople don’t lose deals because they lack talent.
They lose deals because they lack consistency.
Great customer experiences don’t happen by accident, they happen by on purpose.
A clear, repeatable sales process ensures you show up the same way on your best day, your tired day, your busy day, and your “nothing’s going right” day.
A process is your insurance policy. It protects your performance, your pipeline, and your customer relationships.
Here’s why a strong sales process matters, and actually helps you sell more with less effort.
Consistency Builds Trust
Customers don’t buy from unpredictable people. A process ensures every buyer gets the same high-level experience. They know who they are working with and know how to engage with them every day. When customers know that they can call the sales person and get the similar response, they will feel comfortable and start building bonds with the sales person.
When buyers know what to expect, trust follows.
A Process Reduces Mistakes
Without a process, sellers skip steps and can’t figure out why they did not get the yes they were looking for. Sales people jump too quickly to selling their products’ features and benefits hoping the customer will leap out of their chair. The sales person misses key questions that will uncover a wealth of opportunity making them a one hit wonder at best.
Without a process in place, the sales person will lose more opportunities before they even begin.
A Process Makes You More Efficient
When you know the path, you don’t waste energy creating it from scratch each time. Ever have a great idea in the shower? It’s because you don’t have to think about what you need to do which allows your mind to flow. The same thing happens when sales people have a process they follow in sales. They start seeing more signs, having more moments of clarity, and feel more engaged because they don’t have to think about what they need to do next.
A Process Helps You Perform Under Pressure
Stress happens and when you have a plan of how to execute you don’t have to stop and think about what to do next. It is already built in to help you move through it. When I was a volunteer fire fighter, we constantly had to train for putting out fires, how to manage resources, and maneuver obstacles. When the stressful time came of saving someone’s home from fire, if we did not have a process of what needed to be in place, we would have lost the advantage and lose all of the belongings people held close to their hearts.
The same is said in sales, as we will get emergency meetings, phone calls, emails that will stress us out as we are walking into a new prospect, but having a process in place of how we show up with the potential customer, we can walk through it and not have to worry. By having the process in place, we will not have a clunky, awkward discussion with customers. We are steady and able to move forward with the potential customers to help them see the value we bring even under stress.
A process isn’t about scripts, control, or rigid rules. It’s about showing up consistently, guiding customers confidently, and creating clarity at every step.
When you build the right kind of sales process, one rooted in how customers actually make decisions, you stop improvising and start influencing with less effort.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Beyond the Sale: Goal Setting That Turns Transactions Into Partnerships
As the year winds down, most sales professionals are busy planning their next set of targets, more calls, more meetings, more revenue. But what if this December, you set goals that don’t just fill the pipeline… but fill the relationship?
The top 1% of sales professionals are not focused on closing more deals. They’re focused on opening more relationships, the kind that create loyalty, advocacy, and long-term growth.
This is the mindset shift that separates the transactional salesperson from the trusted advisor.
And it starts by redefining what success looks like in your sales process.
When you view every customer interaction through the lens of “how can I make this person’s life better?”, you instantly move from being a vendor to being a partner. Instead of asking, “Did I close them?” start asking, “Did I earn their trust?”
At your next team meeting, replace your closing metrics with relationship metrics.
Track things like:
· Referrals earned
· Repeat customers
· Personal check-ins made post-sale
Because influence isn’t measured in conversions, it’s measured in conversations.
Joey Coleman reminds us that the real work begins after the sale. If you don’t design the post-sale experience intentionally, you leave loyalty to chance.
Here’s a framework for 2026 goal setting:
Create experience goals alongside your revenue goals.
For example:
· Within 7 days post-sale: Send a personalized thank-you message or video.
· Within 30 days: Check in to ensure the customer feels supported and satisfied.
· Within 90 days: Surprise them with a “you made the right decision” touchpoint—something small but meaningful.
This isn’t just retention, it is reassurance, and reassurance builds long-term influence.
People don’t buy from the best most polished salesperson, they buy from the person who makes them feel like their story matters. That they matter, and that their a key story to tell.
Influence isn’t about authority. It’s about empathy, clarity, and consistency. When you help your customer win, they’ll make sure you win too.
Ask yourself before every goal you set:
“Does this goal help my customer look and feel like the hero of their story?”
If the answer is yes, you’re no longer selling, you’re leading. And that’s the ultimate differentiator.
Before setting new goals for next year, take 30 minutes this month to review your customer relationships:
· Which ones feel strong enough to last years, not months?
· Which customers trust you enough to recommend you without hesitation?
· Where can you add one small gesture to turn satisfaction into advocacy?
When you set goals that elevate the relationship instead of just the result, you move beyond the sale, and into real influence.
In the end, it’s not about how many deals you close. It’s about how many partnerships you open.
See you in 2026!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Lead With Heart, Win With Clarity: The Blueprint for Goals That Build Unbreakable Teams
Most leaders set goals that sound good on paper such as revenue targets, engagement metrics, or retention numbers. But when the numbers take priority over the “why,” even the best teams quietly disconnect. The result? You hit your targets but lose your people.
Great leadership isn’t just about outcomes, it’s about creating cultures people never want to leave. As we move into a new year, here’s how to set heart-centered yet accountable goals that ignite your team’s purpose, clarity, and drive.
Before you decide what to achieve, get crystal clear on why your team exists. John Maxwell reminds us that “people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” As I share in my “Mastering Influence Keynote,” there are five buy in decisions that our employees need to buy before they will commit to the vision. And just like John Maxwell, the leader is the first decision.
Things you may want to ask your team:
· Why do we show up each day?
· Who are we really serving?
· What impact do we want to make together?
Purpose turns a goal from a number into a mission. When your team feels connected to a bigger reason, performance becomes personal. Buying in takes on a new meaning instead of hitting a metric.
Once the “why” is clear, translate it into team alignment. Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors—trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results create the foundation we need for success with our teams. Set goals through these lenses:
· Do we trust each other enough to tell the truth about what’s working and what’s not?
· Are we willing to engage in healthy conflict to protect our mission?
· Can every person commit to the next steps without confusion or hidden agendas?
Clarity transforms ambition into movement. It keeps your team rowing in the same direction when challenges hit.
Purpose without accountability is potential wasted. Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership approach gives you a rhythm that keeps goals alive:
· Weekly: Review scoreboards and track progress out loud with the KPI’s.
· Monthly: Celebrate wins and recalibrate priorities.
· Quarterly: Reset with clarity, what’s next, what’s done, what’s dropped.
Accountability rhythms turn goals into habits. And habits create consistency which is the mark of every thriving team. The best teams don’t chase goals, they embody them. They know their purpose. They trust their process. They feel their work. They own their outcomes. When this happens, everyone wins!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
The Influence Audit: How Top Performers Set Goals That Actually Stick
As we close out the year, the familiar ritual begins: setting new goals. Again, it feels like we just did this. After a year full of market shifts, new regulations, and nonstop noise, it’s easy to wonder: is there a better way to do this?
The truth is, most people set goals based on what they hope to achieve, not the behaviors that actually create results. Hope-driven goals fade fast. But behavior-driven goals stick.
This year, instead of writing another list of targets, try conducting an Influence Audit, a practical, reflective process that identifies which habits, relationships, and systems truly moved the needle for your leadership, your team, and your business.
Ask yourself:
· Who did I impact this year, and how did that provide real ROI (Return on Influence)?
· Which customers, colleagues, or partners contributed the most to growth, innovation, or efficiency?
· What relationships helped us move faster or think clearer?
Influence always leaves evidence. Look for it in the form of trust built, partnerships deepened, or processes improved. Those are your multipliers.
The Pareto Principle is alive and well in every organization: 20% of actions produce 80% of outcomes. So, what made the difference this year?
· Was it a specific team or initiative that overdelivered?
· A new process that created efficiency?
· A behavior that turned potential into performance?
Once you’ve identified the high-impact 20%, study it. What mindset, environment, or decision unlocked that success? Influence grows when you understand its root cause.
Leaders often spotlight success briefly and move on to the next challenge. That’s a mistake. Let your high-performing teams and individuals teach what worked. Have them present their wins, lessons, and shifts in behavior to others. When you extend the spotlight, you expand ownership and influence spreads organically across the culture.
With insight from your audit, now you can set goals that actually matter. The question isn’t, “What should we do next year?”
It’s, “Which behaviors and beliefs created our biggest wins and how do we multiply them?”
Tie every new goal back to:
· Engagement: Does this goal make our team more connected and motivated?
· Efficiency: Does it simplify or streamline how we work?
· Impact: Does it drive measurable ROI, Return on Influence?
When you link goals to behaviors, results stop being random. They become repeatable.
Results without behavior change are just words on paper. The most successful leaders don’t chase goals, they audit their influence. They study what actually worked, celebrate it, and then scale it.
Before you plan another year, pause. Look at your impact.
Because the best goals aren’t about doing more, they’re about doing what matters most, on purpose, repeatedly.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Beyond the Degree: Practical Programs That Transform Sales Careers by: Candace Simon
In sales, the pressure to stand out can feel relentless. Traditional degrees such as The University of Toledo’ s Edward Schmidt Sales Degree have long been viewed as the ticket to credibility, but the reality is shifting. Increasingly, professionals are finding that targeted, non-degree learning opportunities offer sharper tools, faster returns, and more flexible access. These programs aren’t framed by long semesters or steep tuition bills; they’re designed to create immediate, visible impact. For sales professionals, this means skill sets that influence conversations today rather than credentials that sit on a résumé tomorrow. What follows is an exploration of how executive coaching, public speaking workshops, and language learning platforms are reshaping career paths in ways that rival traditional higher education.
Why non-degree routes matter now
Formal education has value, but it can be slow to adapt to the demands of modern business. By contrast, skills-based, non-degree credentials are emerging as high-traction pathways because they are aligned directly to workplace needs. Instead of broad theory, these programs emphasize hands-on learning that solves real problems. For sales professionals, that might mean mastering objection handling, refining negotiation strategies, or strengthening relationship-building tactics. The power lies in immediacy—what you study today becomes usable in the very next client call.
The market for learning is evolving, and sales professionals are in a strong position to take advantage. The future of professional development lies in non-credit programs that emphasize adaptability and lifelong growth. Unlike degrees that may lock you into a single track, these opportunities invite exploration and experimentation. A language course taken today can lead to new markets tomorrow. A workshop completed this month might unlock your next promotion. The promise of non-degree learning is not just in affordability—it’s in its ability to evolve alongside you.
Coaching that accelerates professional growth
Working one-on-one with a coach provides accountability and sharpens self-awareness in ways most classrooms never could. Studies highlight five benefits of executive coaching, including heightened clarity in goal-setting, improved leadership behaviors, and greater resilience under pressure. For those in sales, coaching offers a safe environment to test strategies, dissect missteps, and prepare for high-stakes meetings. It transforms performance by focusing not on abstract principles but on specific patterns of behavior that can be adjusted quickly. A few sessions often uncover blind spots that years of solo trial and error would never reveal.
Workshops that sharpen presentation skills
Sales professionals often underestimate how much credibility hinges on delivery. Enrolling in programs that teachtechniques from public speaking workshops can change the way clients perceive you before you even reach the heart of your pitch. Small adjustments in tone, body language, or pacing can be the difference between a flat response and a handshake deal. These workshops are immersive, feedback-driven environments where you practice in front of others who are also eager to improve. The shared energy creates momentum, and with every iteration, your communication skills become sharper and more persuasive.
Language learning for cross-cultural success
Sales doesn’t stop at borders anymore, and cultural fluency can be a decisive advantage. One practical route is to learn Spanish with online Spanish classes that are personalized, flexible, and supportive of different learning styles. These sessions are human-led, which means you can progress at a pace that builds confidence while still fitting into your workday. The private and immersive format helps professionals pick up effective communication skills they can apply immediately in conversations with clients. For those expanding into new markets, this becomes more than an academic pursuit—it’s a practical and motivating way to deepen trust and speak like a native when it matters most.
Building persuasive confidence
Speaking up in front of a group isn’t just about projecting your voice. It’s about developing composure and presence that carries into every business interaction. The benefits of public speaking skills extend far beyond the podium. Strong communicators close more deals because they can frame solutions clearly, handle objections without losing balance, and maintain authority under pressure. The act of mastering public speech is a training ground for managing nerves, reading an audience, and creating trust quickly—all essential for sales professionals looking to build long-term client relationships.
Coaching inside the sales function
Coaching is not just for executives. In sales teams, structured programs are becoming one of the most reliable performance multipliers. Evidence shows that sales coaching boosts performance, not by offering a rigid script, but by tailoring improvement strategies to each rep’s strengths and weaknesses. This process reinforces repeatable behaviors that drive outcomes, whether that’s more effective prospecting, tighter closing ratios, or stronger account expansion. Teams that adopt coaching cultures tend to outperform because improvement is treated as a continuous loop, not a one-time training event.
Practical frameworks for selling
Many professionals are tired of sales clichés and buzzwords that overcomplicate the work. What they need is a grounded framework. Kevin Sidebottom’s Sales Workshop delivers this by stripping away gimmicks and focusing on a clear, customer-first process. His keynote, The Sales Process Uncovered, arms teams with practical tools that accelerate deal cycles and strengthen relationships. This isn’t theory for theory’s sake; it’s about applying a proven process that resonates across industries. The confidence teams gain translates directly into conversations where clarity and trust matter more than jargon.
Sales is about connection, clarity, and confidence. Degrees may still carry prestige, but they don’t always equip you for the immediacy of client demands. Executive coaching helps refine how you show up under pressure. Public speaking workshops polish the way you command a room. Language learning builds bridges where cultural gaps might otherwise limit opportunities. Non-credit programs provide an efficient, accessible path that fits real business realities. For sales professionals, these alternatives aren’t secondary options; they’re primary engines of growth that prove personal development doesn’t have to be formal to be transformational.
Some Questions I Often Hear About This Topic
Q1: Are non-degree programs really respected in professional settings?
Yes. Employers increasingly value demonstrated skills, and programs that provide direct, measurable results are taken seriously, especially in performance-driven fields like sales.
Q2: How do I choose between coaching, workshops, or language learning?
Start with your immediate growth needs. If confidence in communication is the issue, public speaking workshops help. If strategy and process matter, coaching is key. For expanding into global markets, language learning is essential.
Q3: Do these programs take a lot of time?
Most are designed to be efficient. Coaching sessions may run an hour, workshops often span a weekend, and language classes can be scheduled flexibly around your work.
Q4: How affordable are these alternatives compared to a degree?
They’re typically far less costly. Many workshops or language courses can be taken for the cost of a single textbook in a traditional program.
Q5: Can these skills translate into immediate career growth?
Absolutely. Improvements in communication, cultural fluency, and sales process mastery directly affect how you perform in client meetings, negotiations, and leadership opportunities.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Making Tie-Backs a Habit in Every Sales Conversation
You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your habits.
Salespeople know tie-back questions work. They’ve seen the lightbulb moments when customers connect a feature to their own outcome. But here’s the trap: tie-backs are often used as a tactic, not a discipline.
One big demo? They use them.
Quarter-end deal push? They use them.
Everyday calls? Not so much.
The real power comes when tie-back questions become automatic, woven into every conversation until they’re a behavior.
Here’s a practical structure you can practice until it’s instinct:
1. Listen actively.
Capture the exact words your customer uses. Don’t paraphrase into sales jargon.
Example: Customer says, “We’re buried in manual reporting.”
2. Connect back.
Use their words in a question that ties directly to your product.
Example: “If reporting were automated, how much time would that free up for your analysts?”
3. Anchor outcomes.
Reinforce the link between their answer and your product’s value.
Example: “That’s exactly why our reporting module exists, to give teams back 10+ hours a week.”
This cycle turns features into outcomes, and outcomes into reasons to act.
When done well, tie-back questions don’t sound like a script. They sound like curiosity. The customer barely notices you’re guiding them toward your solution.
Poor example (feels forced):
· “Our product improves efficiency. Wouldn’t that be good for you?”
Better example (feels natural):
· “You mentioned efficiency is a priority. If this cut your team’s workload by 30%, how would that change things?”
The difference is subtle, but it builds trust.
When tie-back questions become behavior, you stop “selling features” altogether. Your conversations shift:
· From what your product does → to what it means for them.
· From explaining benefits → to having them describe the impact.
· From transactional deals → to trusted advisor relationships.
That’s where influence lives. That’s where trust grows. And that’s where deals close faster, and new opportunities start piling up.
Have a great week!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
The Tie Back Formula
Over the past few weeks we have been talking about this mystical formula and how well it works for sales and leadership to gain engagement. Today we learn the process for creating the tie back questions and start adding a tool to our toolbox for better sales and engagement.
Most salespeople know they should sell benefits, not features. But here’s the twist: the best way to highlight benefits isn’t by telling, it’s by asking.
That’s where tie-back questions come in.
A tie-back question connects your product’s features to the customer’s real-world needs. The stronger the question, the clearer the benefit becomes, and the more the customer convinces themselves of your value.
Grab a sheet of paper. Write your product’s features across the top. Under each, list the benefit. Then, under the benefit, list the need it answers.
Example: In my trainings, I use a clicker with a button that blanks out the slide.
· Feature: Slide blanking button
· Benefit: Audience attention shifts back to me
· Need: Refocus the group when making a key point
Once you know the need, craft questions that highlight it.
For the blank-slide feature, I might ask:
· “Would it be valuable if you could instantly refocus your audience during a presentation?”
· “How much more influence would you have if you could pause the slides to drive home a critical point?”
Notice what’s happening: I’m not pitching the button. I’m pulling the customer into imagining how much better their world looks with the benefit.
Below is the complete process of creating the questions that tie back your features and benefits:
Back when I sold stand-on lawnmowers (before they were a thing), I didn’t start with horsepower or specs. Instead, I asked questions like:
· “Have you ever had employees get stuck when a mower tipped near a retention pond?”
· “How do your crews handle steep inclines today safely?”
These questions tied directly to the mower’s feature, standing design with easy step-off, and the benefit: greater safety and maneuverability. Customers quickly connected the dots themselves and could see the advantage that the product was offering them. A safter way operate and have less lawsuits!
Tie-back questions do three things:
1. Expose real needs. You find out if the feature actually matters.
2. Highlight benefits naturally. The customer says “yes” to their own pain points.
3. Build alignment. By the time you present, you’re not pitching, you’re confirming.
Using this process with your products you will be able to make higher levels of engagement in your meetings with customers and gain traction / speed on their decision making. This is the essence of how we can make larger sales with the sales cycle decreasing.
The best part…When the customers start seeing the benefit you bring to them, they can’t help but tell all their collegues in the industry to contact you. Then your prospecting becomes more efficient allowing you to have more freedom and income in your pocket.
Does that sound like a value to you? If so, implement this and see how well it works for you. If you have questions reach out!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Driving Urgency w/ Tie Backs
You’ve probably been there: a customer nods along, agrees with your points, even tells you your solution looks strong, and then they stall for months when you follow up asking about next steps.
“Let’s revisit next quarter.”
“We need more time to think.”
“It’s not urgent right now.”
The frustration is real. The value is obvious, yet the decision lingers. Why? Because people naturally avoid risk. Taking action, spending money, adopting a new tool, changing a process feels risky. Waiting feels safe. That is why we need to be making sure we are asking the right questions to help them understand the waiting is actually hurting them.
This is where tie-back questions become a game-changer. They don’t just connect your product to a problem; they connect inaction to consequences.
Tie-back questions that drive urgency usually focus on two things:
1. The cost of doing nothing
2. The benefit of acting now
Imagine this exchange:
Customer: “Collaboration between departments is slow.”
Seller: “If this continues for six more months, how much do you estimate it will cost in missed opportunities?”
That question reframes the problem from an annoyance to a measurable loss. Suddenly, inaction looks expensive.
Then pivot to the positive:
Seller: “If we solved this today, how quickly could you start hitting your quarterly goals?”
Now urgency isn’t about fear, it’s about speed and results.
Behavioral economics tells us people are twice as motivated to avoid loss as they are to pursue gain. Tie-back questions tap into that bias by making inaction visible.
At the same time, you can’t only push on pain. Hope motivates too. The balance is critical:
· Highlight the cost of delay. (Loss avoidance)
· Show the upside of speed. (Hope for gain)
When both levers are pulled, urgency rises.
Tie-back questions don’t just connect your product to value, they shine a spotlight on the hidden costs of waiting and the visible rewards of acting now.
And when customers see both, hesitation turns into momentum.
Have a great week!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Building Trust Through Tie-Backs
In sales, trust is the currency that moves prospects into customers, and customers into partnerships. Not the partnerships where the buyer says they want to be a partner as long as it benefits them.
Without trust, even the best product won’t be bought. Tie-back questions help us earn that trust by proving we are not just waiting for our turn to pitch. No, we are genuinely paying attention to the customer.
Here’s how it looks in practice:
· Customer: “We’re under pressure to reduce costs.”
· Seller: “If this solution lowered your overhead by 15%, how would that free up resources for other priorities?”
This approach shifts the spotlight back on the customer. It says: “I hear you, and I want to explore how this impacts your bigger goals.”
Now, if we are going to make a statement like 15% reduction in overhead, we better make sure we can back that up with data. Now this is a big step because we have better understood the customer’s business before offering up something like this. We better have case studies, or something of proof to show how we can in fact do this like testimonials. You get the point though that the customer will be more likely to lean in if we are asking some questions that mirror what they have stated in the past.
The same thing happens when we are in leadership. Our employees are just like customers asking themselves if the leadership is even listening to the employees. Nothing worse than an environment where there is no trust in leadership. All the top performers start leaving in droves while the employees we wish would leave stay. Want to talk about a toxic culture…
Leaders need to use tie back questions as well to make sure the employees feel like they are heard, valued, and matter as well. Without employees feeling this way, the engagement empties faster than a container of sweet tea at a southern BBQ!
When leaders are talking with their employees, they should be asking their employees questions to learn about them not just to answer task-oriented questions.
· Employee: “I am failing to see how my work is helping the organization, or customers.”
· Leader: “By you running the financial proforma of a product offering the sales team is looking to launch, we can avoid negative profit margins resulting in having to take cost out later driving the quality and sales into the ground” Does this help you see the value you are brining to the team and the organization?
When you tie back like this, you’re not guessing, you’re confirming. And when customers or employees feel understood, they begin to see you as a partner that they will want to work with for years instead of months.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the magnetic force that attracts top performers and your best customers?
I’m Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, sales trainer, and author—and I help organizations unlock the power of influence to achieve breakthrough results.
In this blog, I reveal why influence is the ultimate currency in business and leadership—and how you can use it to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal and buy again
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your leadership approach to inspire stronger performance
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how leaders earn loyalty, I equip sales professionals and executives to deliver lasting value, strengthen customer relationships, and drive higher revenue.
👉 Featured Resources to Grow Your Influence:
· Email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
· The Sales Process Uncovered Membership
· The Sales Process Uncovered (Book on Amazon)
If you’re serious about elevating your sales process, leadership impact, and team performance, this blog will show you the path.
Five Limiting Blind Spots Sales Professionals Have
Sales professionals like many other professions suffer from blind spots. We are familiar with blind spots while driving our vehicles. The same is said for blind spots in ourselves. Everyone has a blind spot or two. Today we will talk about five blind spots that plague sales professionals.
Lack of Personal Development
This one is high on just about anyone’s list. But especially for sales professionals, personal development is crucial. If sales professionals are not improving their skills, their presence, competitive marketplace landscape, or their mindset, they will fall by the side of those that are developing their craft. Many different professionals can hide behind a title, but sales is all about performance. There is no excuses when the sales person is not succeeding.
Not Adapting to the Buyer’s Style
Buyers come in all shapes and sizes, backgrounds, and presentation styles. When I first stepped into sales, I was told to memorize the DISC personalities and be able to quickly diagnose the different styles so that I could present to the buyer in the way they like to be presented to. I have since taken and understood more assessments like predictive index and Myers-Briggs. To understand the other person is crucial to help them find their communication style so there is no miscommunication. I large deal can be lost because someone did not understand the value.
Thinking it’s a Numbers game
Too many people in sales start out thinking it is just a numbers game. Smile and dials, cold calls, running the phone, all different names for it. What I found is that the more influence I had with customers the more they helped me sell my products and services. This meant selling actually got easier. Now I will say the numbers approach does mean we have to build the relationship so that takes time and relationship, so showing up multiple times is required.
Not Building Relationships
Long-term success is about influence, not transactions. As mentioned above it’s all about relationships and influence than about selling a product / service. When perform my “Sales Titans” keynote help the audience with refocusing on how to make the customer a hero of their story. As with any relationship, if we are only self-focused then the relationship fails to thrive. The same is said for sales. We need relationships if we are going to succeed in sales.
Misaligned Motivation
Ever seen a broke sales person? They are almost hanging on the customer’s leg as the customer races to the door as to say, “please don’t go, I need this sale.” Customers can sense when they are being manipulated and they don’t like it. Would you? We need to stop chasing sales targets and making sure that we are putting the customer in a light so they can win. When we do that sales actually take off. No this is not a quick fix kind of strategy, it is a long-term sales future. I have been in sales for over two decades and it’s because I don’t manipulate, or am self-motivated in the relationship.
These are the top blind spots that sales professionals have when approaching sales, but the cure is making sure after every sales call we review how it went and where we may have missed the mark so we can learn, grow, and make more sales for a successful career.
Have a great week!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
Top Five Ways Sale People Fail to Execute
The sales industry has made it almost impossible for the customer to trust sales professionals.
Sales is tough and it only seems tougher as the noise around us continues to increase in volume. The noise of constant email drips to us with sales pitches even though we have unsubscribed multiple times. Spam calls coming in even though we have spam blockers on our cell phones. That’s right it is hard to win sales when we are competing with the others in our industry trying to sell to the same people that we are. This is making the customer apprehensive to engage with even the best intentions from a sales professional.
Today let’s talk about the top five reasons why sales professionals are losing before they even begin the sale’s process.
Talking Too Much, Listening Too Little
There was a saying when I first started in sales that stuck with me ever since. We have two ears and one mouth so we need to be listening twice as much as we talk with the customer. Far too often sales professionals jump right into their pitch about how great the product or service is for the customer without knowing enough about the customer and their needs. Sales professionals pitch before they understand the customer. If sales professionals want to quickly end the sales cycle, this is by far the quickest end it.
Focusing on the Product, Not the Problem
I started in sales like most people rattling off how great my product offering was and I had the opportunity from one individual to stop me and say the following…”That’s great, but how does it help me?” Insert the gut punch. Until the sales professional knows what is keeping the customer up at night and what is causing the customer to wonder if they will move forward with their organization, the sales person is going to lose the sale. We cannot sell our product or service before we understand what is going on and how our product will support the customer to achieve their goals.
Skipping Discovery
I know this goes along with the item above, but far too often the sales professional has not asked enough questions to get to the root of the issues that the customer is having. If the customer is trying to figure out why they are having an issue and we jump in and say that our product will fix it, how do we think that customer is going to respond. It’s like going on a date with someone and asking them to marry them on the first date. Huge red flags if we are not understanding the other person in the conversation first.
No Clear Value Proposition
I did this when I first started in sales and yes, I own that. I just said my product will fix your issue and solve your efficiency issue because of this feature and this feature and this feature…The customer must have been saying to themselves how is this going to solve my problem because this product is shiny, or red, or have these cool things on it. When we present the solution, we need to make sure that the customer is understanding the value, not the sales price. If we are not selling value, we are going to turn into a commodity that will have us in a race to reducing profits against the competition.
Failing to Handle Objections
No one really enjoys objections. We in sales want everyone to say yes and thank us for saving their lives. When sales professionals hear an objection, instead of understanding that this objection is a map to help find the sale, most sales professionals instead, pack up and leave. Objections are like guardrails on the expressway helping us stay on track so we can get to the destination. Objections are great because they help us refocus and make sure we have discovered the largest issues the customer is facing. When we face objections and calibrate to align with the customer, we start building trust. If we are going to go anywhere with customers, we have to have trust.
That is why I have written, “The Sales Process Uncovered,” and created the online training to help sales professionals succeed in their careers by making the customers a hero of their story. The more we avoid these top five areas of failure the quicker we will win more sales with higher profits.
Hope this helps and have a great week!
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
The Top 3 Things You Can Do to Truly Learn About Others
Last week we talked about being curious about others and how that can actually benefit ourselves. Not for the fact of using people, but the byproduct of being curious in general.
We live in a world where we’re constantly surrounded by people, coworkers, family, friends, even strangers. But how many of us truly take the time to learn about the people we interact with? To understand their values, experiences, and motivations?
Learning about others is more than just making small talk. It’s about building meaningful connections, fostering empathy, and becoming more insightful in your personal and professional life. If you're looking to form deeper relationships or just want to understand those around you better, here are the top three things you can do to learn about others.
Ask Thoughtful Questions
The most straightforward way to learn about someone is to ask them the right questions. But don’t just ask surface-level, “How’s your day?” or “What do you do?” questions—dig deeper to understand their values, aspirations, and experiences.
Think about asking questions like:
“What’s something you’re passionate about?”
“What’s been the biggest challenge in your life right now holding you back?”
“What’s one thing you’ve learned recently that surprised you?”
“What do you value most in your relationships with others?”
These kinds of questions invite the other person to share more than just a quick response. They encourage reflection and lead to genuine conversations that can reveal insights about their personality, experiences, and worldview. Plus, active listening is just as important as asking—when you listen attentively, you send the message that you genuinely care about their thoughts and feelings.
By showing curiosity about the person’s experiences and interests, you also create a space where they feel heard and valued, which fosters trust and connection.
Pay Attention to Body Language
Sometimes, you can learn a lot about someone without them saying a word. Non-verbal communication, body language, facial expressions, and posture, can give you deep insights into how someone feels or what they truly think. Hostage negotiators and interrogators watch body language when questioning suspects to learn if they are being lied to, or if they are on the correct path.
Pay attention to:
Facial expressions: A smile, raised eyebrows, or a furrowed brow can tell you if someone is comfortable, happy, or confused.
Posture: Leaning in can indicate interest or engagement, while crossed arms might suggest defensiveness or discomfort.
Eye contact: Are they making eye contact or avoiding it? It can indicate trust, confidence, or a lack of interest.
Gestures: Subtle movements like tapping feet, fiddling with an object, or using hands while speaking can reveal nervousness or excitement.
By tuning into these cues, you can better understand someone’s emotional state and what they might be trying to communicate, even if they’re not using words. It’s a powerful way to read between the lines and deepen your understanding of others.
Observe Their Actions and Behavior
Sometimes, you can learn a lot about someone simply by observing how they act and interact with the world around them. People’s behaviors often provide more insight into their character than anything they could tell you.
How do they treat others? Notice how they interact with strangers, employees, or people they don’t know very well. This can reveal their values, such as kindness, respect, or humility.
What do they prioritize? Observe how they spend their time—whether they’re dedicated to their family, career, or personal hobbies. What someone prioritizes often speaks volumes about what they value most.
How do they handle stress or conflict? Pay attention to how they behave in stressful situations. Are they calm under pressure, or do they react impulsively? This can teach you about their emotional intelligence and coping mechanisms.
By observing someone’s actions and behavior, you learn about their true nature, often in ways that words can’t express. People often act in alignment with their core beliefs and principles, and these actions can teach you more than any conversation ever could.
Learning about others isn’t just about gathering information, it’s about building meaningful relationships, increasing understanding, and cultivating empathy. Whether you’re looking to improve your personal relationships, become a better leader, or simply connect on a deeper level with those around you, these three practices, asking thoughtful questions, observing body language, and watching behaviors,will get you closer to truly understanding others.
If you approach every interaction with an open mind, a curious heart, and the willingness to listen, you’ll unlock the power of human connection in ways that can positively impact your life and the lives of others.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
Why People Working a 9-to-5 Should Think About a Side Hustle
And How It Can Change Your Life
We all know the drill: you clock in, you grind through the workday, and then you clock out. Rinse, repeat. But let’s be honest, this traditional 9-to-5 hustle doesn’t always check the boxes. The paycheck? Sure, it’s there. But is it enough to meet your dreams, secure your future, or even give you the freedom you crave?
For many, the answer is no. That’s where the side hustle comes in. It’s not just about making extra money but about gaining control over your life. Here’s why working a 9-to-5 should be the catalyst for thinking about your side hustle, not an excuse to settle for less.
Multiple Income Streams = Financial Security
The world is uncertain. Economic instability, job layoffs, inflation, these are just some of the risks we face every day. But a side hustle? That’s your financial safety net.
According to a 2023 survey by Bankrate, 45% of Americans say they have side hustles to supplement their main income. It’s a smart move. Having an extra source of income cushions you from unexpected expenses and gives you financial flexibility.
And it’s not just about emergencies. A side hustle could enable you to hit financial milestones faster, whether that’s saving for a down payment on a home, paying off debt, building your emergency fund, or simply padding your retirement account.
A traditional 9-to-5 paycheck may be enough to get by, but it’s unlikely to build the kind of wealth you dream about. According to a report from Credit Suisse, the top 1% of wealthiest Americans own 40% of the nation’s wealth, and they didn’t get there just by sticking to their 9-5 day jobs.
Side hustles give you an opportunity to diversify your wealth-building strategies, whether it’s through real estate, stocks, or launching an online business. Multiple streams of income are a cornerstone of building wealth. A side hustle is an investment in your future.
Unlock Your Passion and Potential
How many times have you daydreamed about something other than your 9-to-5 job? Maybe it's photography, graphic design, writing, or teaching. A side hustle allows you to explore your passions without quitting your main gig.
A side hustle can also help you develop new skills that can improve your current job performance, or a new passion. You might discover that your hobby is actually an untapped talent that can take you far beyond your 9-to-5. Maybe you want to work from home or spend more time traveling, the beauty of a side hustle is that you get to control the hours, location, and pace.
Starting a side hustle isn’t just about making more money, it’s also about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. It requires you to develop new skills, take risks, and learn the ins and outs of running a business. Whether it’s learning about digital marketing, customer service, or time management, a side hustle forces you to grow.
Think about it: you’re no longer just following a set of instructions you are actually creating something. You’re learning by doing. This process not only builds your confidence but opens doors to new opportunities in your career and beyond.
It’s time to stop thinking of a side hustle as an afterthought. It’s your opportunity to start building the life you truly want, on your terms. If you’re still on the fence, consider this: start small. Whether it’s selling a few products online, freelancing in your area of expertise, or launching a service, the journey to financial freedom and personal growth begins the moment you take action.
So, what’s your side hustle going to be?
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
The Truth About Passive Income
Yes, It Takes Work (And Here's the Data to Prove It)
Ever heard these statements on social media with the promise to make life easier?
“Make money while you sleep.”
“Earn six figures from your laptop on a beach.”
Sounds great, right? Who wouldn’t want passive income? The promise of earning money without working for it every single hour is tantalizing. But here’s the reality: passive income requires work. A lot of work.
Statistics show that, while passive income can eventually bring in cash with minimal effort, it takes a significant amount of initial effort and time to set up. Let’s understand a few facts:
Passive Is Front-Loaded
The biggest myth is that passive income requires no effort. In reality, it's front-loaded work that eventually pays off.
A study from The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) found that 65% of people who invested in rental properties had to spend more than 10 hours per week in the first year just to manage their properties effectively. That’s not passive. That’s commitment. Those shows that take only a half hour to do a complete flip. Yeah those ones.
Even digital products like online courses require significant upfront effort. According to Teachable, a platform for creators, it takes an average of 3–6 months to create and launch a successful online course. And that doesn’t include the time spent refining and marketing it afterward. Only about 5% of course creators report making enough money to replace their full-time income, according to DataCamp.
Passive income may pay off later, but only after you’ve put in the the great amounts of sweat equity up front.
Systems Don’t Build Themselves
Systems are a key part of building any passive income stream, and they don’t come easy. 95% of small businesses fail within the first five years due to a lack of proper systems and strategies according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Whether it’s affiliate marketing, an online store, or a blog generating passive revenue, the systems behind them require continuous effort—especially at the beginning.
For example, Shopify reports that over 1 million businesses use its platform, but 75% of new stores fail within the first year because owners don’t dedicate enough time to systematize processes like inventory management, customer service, and marketing. That means the give up.
Even after systems are in place, there’s no such thing as “set it and forget it.” A study from MarketingProfs reveals that 49% of marketers still need to spend an average of 12 hours per week on their content strategy, even for blogs or websites that generate passive income. The effort to optimize systems never truly ends.
I have been running my blog for multiple years and I am not supporting myself just on these writings.
Passive Income Is Still a Business
While it’s tempting to think passive income means you can completely step away, the truth is—it’s still a business. You still need to monitor, manage, and maintain. You still need someone to help you crash through the ceiling to hit the next level of success.
According to The Motley Fool, 90% of investors report that generating passive income through dividend-paying stocks still requires ongoing monitoring and strategy adjustments. You have to consistently reassess your portfolio to ensure it’s delivering the right returns—meaning passive income is only passive when you’ve actively managed it for years.
A statistical analysis from Forbes also shows that 85% of successful side hustlers spend at least 10 hours per week working on their business. That means that simply working from the beach means you are still working from the beach.
Final Word: Build It Now, Reap It Later
The key takeaway? Passive income isn’t “easy money.” It’s earned income—just earned over a longer period of time.
57% of millionaires in the U.S. report that they have multiple income streams, but these income streams didn’t materialize without substantial upfront work and sacrifice according to Charles Schwab’s 2022 Modern Wealth Survey.
While the work is challenging in the beginning, once the systems are set up and automated, passive income becomes more predictable. So if you're feeling discouraged by the initial grind, just know: you’re on the right path. Grit will help you achieve success that you can some day leave the day to day grind and work for yourselves, but you will still need to work at it.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
How to Thrive in a Stressful Environment (Without Burning Out)
Let’s be real: stress isn’t optional anymore. Our pace is faster. Expectations are higher. And calm? That’s a luxury, not a guarantee.
But here’s the good news: thriving in a high-pressure environment isn’t about eliminating stress. It’s about learning how to thrive in it.
Let’s break down three key ways to thrive when everything feels like it’s on fire.
Don’t Panicked and Don’t Spiral
Stress doesn’t just exhaust us it likes to follow us around like a pet.
When we don’t take care of ourselves we can run in a constant fight or flight response. Running in this state for long periods of time will cause us to be on edge, not sleep well, and end up getting sick.
I have had many times where I ran in this state for far too long and each time I have had consequences like enjoying the fun of shingles under the age of 50. That’s right shingles doesn’t care what age we are. I was focused on a deadline and trying to win a large 100 million dollar project. I was up at night during spring break working on presentations, pushing teams for information, and preparing for leadership meetings.
I won the project and got the pat on the back and then a week later had the experience of a lifetime with all the fun that shingles can be.
I was worried about what could happen instead of being present with my family and enjoying quality time. I was worn out and couldn’t focus.
Then the sharp pains and blisters from shingles set in. I had to learn how to relax and learn how to focus on the controllables instead of what ifs. I started box breathing during the painful times to lower my heart rate and help me focus. I had to pause and breathe when stress was high. This kept me from spiraling while staying focused on tasks at hand.
Control Our Controllables
We can’t control our customer’s attitudes when our plants missed their shipments. We can’t control a quality spill, and we can’t control what our elected government officials decide is a fair tariff impact.
What we can control is our attitude and how we show up. How we attack each task with focus and sometimes it is even just focusing on one foot in front of the other. Nothing more sometimes. But we have to take control of what we can control and not worry about other things. Maybe it’s just finding the three things we can do today that will make us feel successful for that day.
I start each day doing some reading, affirmations, and figuring out three things that if I get done today, will help me feel like I had a success. Some days its writing blog posts, doing video edits, making cold calls, or practicing a story for my keynote.
Other days it is taking a nap during a busy day, stretching instead of workouts, and taking a walk to clear my head.
What we can control is us and not others or outcomes.
Stress isn’t all bad. There are actually good stresses and yes there are bad stresses. We won’t get into each of these, but stress does make us sharper. When under stress we can focus on the task at hand and we can narrow in on the details that will make the project move forward instead of the stress.
When castings are made they is heat, pressure, and time. To make castings all three have to work together and when they do a new product is formed. A trough product that can be used to move a large truck forward down the road. Sometimes we need this stress to make us stronger.
Using stress to help us focus and learn to not tailspin when we are stressed will help us to succeed with higher levels of success.
This won’t happen overnight, but in time we can learn to harness stress to help us to do better and thrive in stressful environments.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
Grit Happens in the Mind. Here’s How to Train Yours.
Last week we talked about Grit and why we need grit if we are going to be successful. We talked about the difference between motivation and grit. This week let’s take a step into how we can become more gritty.
Did you know that grit isn’t about being the toughest person in the room? Most people think that to be gritty we need to have some special training, be an elite athlete, a special forces operator, etc. In fact for those that want to be gritty we just need to train our minds.
How to change our minds to rewire how we approach The one who fails, recalibrates, and keeps swinging. The one who turns down the noise in their head and tunes into something stronger.
If you’re serious about becoming unshakeable, this part matters more than all the rest.
Let’s get into it.
Rewire the Voice in Your Head
The most dangerous thing you’ll face isn’t the set-backs. It’s the story you tell yourself about the set-backs and yourself.
Too many people have focused on getting a trophy for showing up and this has made us a little soft. We have not had to push hard for some time and we want the easy button.
It’s actually our brains that intentionally look for the easier path. It is designed to make us efficient, spend less calories, find the less resisdent path, conserve energy. When I read the book “The Comfort Crisis” earlier this year it was a very thought provoking insight on how our brains function.
Through the journey in the Arctic on a hunting trip sleeping on the ground, in a tent…(we camp in the Holiday Express). This author tells how he has learned about our bodies and how the mind finds ways to make us more efficient and comfortable. This is why as a society we gain weight year after year by choosing to do the not so hard things. We instead look for the easy button like GLP1 insulin shots to magically lose weight (for most people).
The Good News
Grit is like a muscle and can be trained. It takes time like losing my “Dad Bod”, these days. it is taking the hard road, leaning into the tough conversations, and not running away from challenges. We need to look at difficult times as well as set-backs as a way to grow out grit muslcles. it does not happen overnight, but we can grow it over time to build the gritty muscle that looks at challenges as a way to improve instead of fear.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
Building Grit: Start Here, Stay Here, Win Later
We all want results. Unfortunately too often we expect Fast ones. Visible ones. The kind that make people say, “How’d you do that?” Thanks Amazon…
But behind every meaningful result behind every transformation and breakthrough is actually a long process of set-backs, lessons learned, and caluses.
Grit is not flashy. Frit doesn’t go viral. But it’s the thing that separates people who try from people who actually finish.And if you want to build it, this is where it starts.
If you're serious about becoming someone who finishes what they start, you have to start enjoying the learning that come with the long process that is required to gain traction that is lasting.
Too many people quit not because they’re incapable, but because they expected it to be quick. Grit begins when you accept that this is not a microwave scenario. It’s more of a crockpot kind of process.
Grit doesn’t show up on demand, but every day you show up, especially when it’s inconvenient or thankless, you prove to yourself that you're in it for real.
How to you build grit?
You don’t build grit by reading about it.
You build it by choosing hard things, on purpose. That’s right, intentionally doing hard things. That is why ost people don’t have grit.
Wake up when your alarm goes off the first time. Finish the workout even when your legs are shaking. Speak up in that meeting. Push send on that uncomfortable email.
Over time, those daily decisions stack up. They don’t just build discipline, they build identity. And once you become someone who doesn’t back down, it changes everything how you show up and engage during hard things.
With Grit, there is one uncomfortable truth: motivation is a liar.
Everyone wants to talk about motivation. “Let’s get motivated.” Motivation actually makes big promises in the beginning. You feel pumped, focused, invincible. Then life happens. Stress piles up. Results don’t show fast enough. And just like that, motivation deflates like a balloon that is let loose with no knot to keep the air in.
Grit is what steps in when motivation bails. It says, “We’re doing this anyway.”
If you only act when you feel like it, results will always be held hostage by your mood. But if you train yourself to show up no matter what if you are tired, frustrated, bored, anxious you take your power back.
This is how champions are made. Not with hype, but with follow-through.
You don’t need more motivation. You don’t need a life coach. You don’t need a breakthrough.
You just need to start. Stay consistent. And trust that every small act of perseverance is building something unshakable.
This is how you build grit:
Accept the long haul.
Do the hard thing even when it’s small.
Show up, especially when you don’t want to.
Repeat that enough times, and you won’t need to act gritty anymore, you’ll be gritty.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
Are you ready to become the brand of choice for top customers and employees? Kevin Sidebottom—keynote speaker, trainer, and author—shares proven strategies to elevate your sales success and leadership impact.
In this blog, Kevin reveals why influence is the ultimate currency in building lasting relationships. Learn how to:
✅ Motivate customers to stay loyal to your brand
✅ Build trust and engagement with your team
✅ Transform your approach to leadership and sales
With decades of experience studying why people buy and how to inspire loyalty, Kevin equips sales professionals and leaders to deliver exceptional value, ensuring customers return again and again.
Featured Links to Grow Your Influence:
Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com
The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page
https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/pricing-page
The Sales Process Uncovered Book
Navigating the Long Sales Process and Preventing Team Burnout
In the relentless world of business, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind. The sales process drags on, deadlines loom, and the pressure mounts. Amidst this chaos, it’s crucial for teams to pause and celebrate their wins. Here’s why acknowledging success is not just a feel-good exercise but a vital component of maintaining momentum and preventing burnout.
Celebrations Fuel Motivation
When teams hit milestones, it’s tempting to rush to the next target without pausing for recognition. But celebrating wins is essential for maintaining motivation and enthusiasm. Each victory, big or small deserves recognition because it:
Boosts Morale: Celebrations create a sense of achievement and reinforce the value of hard work. They remind teams that their efforts are paying off and that their contributions are appreciated.
Builds Momentum: Acknowledging successes keeps the momentum going. It provides a positive reinforcement loop, encouraging teams to keep pushing forward with the same energy and drive.
The Sales Process is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The sales process is notoriously long and complex. It often involves multiple touchpoints, negotiations, and decision-makers, which can stretch over months or even years. This drawn-out cycle can wear teams down and make it challenging to stay motivated. Here’s why it’s such a grind:
Complexity: Modern sales involve intricate decision-making processes and lengthy approvals. The more complex the sales cycle, the longer it takes to close deals.
Uncertainty: Sales teams often deal with unpredictable outcomes and shifting priorities. This uncertainty can create stress and fatigue, making it harder to maintain enthusiasm.
Rejection: Rejection is part of the process. Constantly facing "no" or having deals fall through can be demoralizing and impact team morale.
Burnout is a Real Risk
Without proper recognition and support, teams are at risk of burnout. Long hours, high-pressure environments, and unacknowledged efforts can lead to exhaustion and disengagement. Here’s how to combat burnout and keep your team in top shape:
Regular Recognition: Make it a habit to celebrate wins regularly. This doesn’t have to be extravagant. Simple gestures like team shout-outs, small rewards, or even a quick team huddle can go a long way.
Encourage Breaks: Encourage your team to take breaks and recharge. Overworking without recognition or rest can quickly lead to burnout.
Provide Support: Ensure that your team has the resources and support they need to manage their workload. This includes offering training, tools, and a supportive work environment.
Celebrating wins isn’t just about having fun, it’s a strategic necessity. It boosts morale, builds momentum, and helps teams stay engaged despite the long, arduous sales process. In a business landscape where the grind can lead to burnout, recognition and celebration are key to maintaining motivation and ensuring long-term success. Don’t let your team’s hard work go unnoticed; make celebration a core part of your strategy and watch your team thrive.
Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with the best customers and top employees. How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits? How can we land and keep top talent in our organization with the salary wars. Kevin teaches your sales and leadership teams how to build the key ingredient to be successful with their relationships and take your goals to the next level with high levels of engagement.
Stop Gambling And Start Winning With Others: https://www.kevinsidebottom.com/stopgambling
Kevin’s website: www.kevinsidebottom.com
Kevin’s email: kevin@kevinsidebottom.com