Leading a global SDR team? Just promoted to SDR manager? This episode is packed with real-world advice from Catherine Olivier, VP of Global Sales Development at Cognism, on how to build and lead high-performing sales development teams—without burning out or losing your team’s trust. Catherine shares hard-earned lessons from her experience leading S…

In this unmissable episode of The I Used To Be Crap At Sales Podcast, legendary sales trainer Josh Braun, joins our host Mark Ackers for a deep, unfiltered dive into what really drives consistent sales performance. If you’re a sales rep chasing targets, a team leader trying to motivate your reps, or a founder building a sales motion—this episode is…

How do you truly motivate a sales team? Most sales leaders struggle to keep their teams engaged and performing at their best - especially with 53% of the workforce being made up of Millennials and Gen Z. In this episode, our host Mark Ackers sits down with Phil Putnam, the author of Desire-Based Leadership, to uncover the secrets behind scaling hig…

Building & Scaling Successful Sales Teams Sales leaders and ambitious reps, this one’s for you! In this episode of I Used to Be Crap at Sales, Mark Ackers sits down with Richard Bounds, a seasoned sales leader and fractional CRO, to unpack the biggest challenges in scaling sales teams, hiring top talent, and driving sustainable sales growth. Richar…

In this episode of The "I Used To Be Crap At Sales" Podcast, hosted by Mark Ackers, we dive deep into the art of sales development. Our guest, Gabe Lullo, is co-founder and CEO of Alleyoop. the global leader in prospecting and outsourced sales development. Thousands of companies try to replicate what Alleyoop does, but Gabe reveals the secrets behi…

In this episode of Everything is Sales, we’re joined by Neil Bhuiyan, Founder & Managing Director of Happyselling.io, to explore the transformative power of coaching in the world of sales. Neil shares his journey into coaching, his experience working with MySalesCoach, and how he built Happyselling.io to empower SDRs (Sales Development Representati…

Stepping into your first sales leadership role, or aspiring to walk the beaten path from successful sales rep to leader? It’s a whole new ballgame, and not all top-performing sales reps are cut out for the challenge. In this episode of I Used to Be Crap at Sales, Mark Ackers sits down with seasoned sales veteran Alan Clark to unpack the truths ever…

In this episode of the "I Used to Be Crap at Sales" podcast, Dougie Loan shares his inspiring journey from a young call center rep to CRO of thriving SaaS company SourceWhale. If you’re passionate about SaaS sales career growth, overcoming sales challenges, and developing leadership traits, this is a must-watch! We delve into critical topics like s…

Ep. 13 - I Used To Be Crap At Sales | James Ski Building Your "Sales Confidence" In This episode of the "I Used To Be Crap At Sales" Podcast, our host Mark Ackers sits with one of LinkedIn’s top global sellers who knows exactly how to shatter sales obstacles and fuel unstoppable confidence from doing it himself first hand - James Ski. After all, wh…

Mastering Sales Leadership: Proven Strategies to Crush Limiting Beliefs and Skyrocket Sales Performance” In This episode of the "I Used To Be Crap At Sales" Podcast, our host Mark Ackers sits with Bryan Mulry, ex salesperson at Google and Salesloft. This episode will give you valuable insights into what the best sales leaders at huge companies do t…

In this episode, Emma and Shabri break down their approach to leading an SDR team, Emma's recent making moves award, and how to drive change in salesBy Kaspr

From Scrapping Her Way Into Sales, to Scaling With Datamaran: Carly's Unconventional Path To Leadership, and Her Secrets For Building High-Performing, Winning Teams” In this episode, our host Mark Ackers dives deep into Carly’s story, which is packed with lessons for any sales leader. Carly candidly reveals how she “scrapped her way” into the sales…

From Sales Struggles to Sales Leadership Mastery: Chris Dawson on Coaching SDRs, Escaping the Leadership Hamster Wheel and Leading Teams to Win! In this episode of the I Used To Be Crap At Sales Podcast, Chris Dawson sits with our host Mark Ackers to take sales leaders on an insightful journey through his personal experiences and lessons learned fr…

Debt Collection, Demotions And Finding Meaning In Life Through Death. The captivating story of how Jack Frimston transformed from Del Boy dreaming of playing the O2 arena to top performer in Sales. In this episode of I Used To Be Crap At Sales, Jack Frimston sits with Mark Ackers, leading us through his unconventional journey from boy band dreams t…

From Center Stage, Scripts and SDR Struggles, to Successful Sales Leadership at Gong. The captivating story of how Sarah Brazier’s acting roots helped her to weather the storms of sales - rising from a self proclaimed ‘F Player’, to an A player who pioneered a new era with Gong. In this episode, Sarah shares her unique journey into Sales - and how …

In this episode, Mark and Shabri breakdown the impact new technologies are having on the SDR org, they discuss: The role of content in sales and why Mark created RevvedUp The issues with personalisation at scale The growing complexity of tech stacks How AI will impact different SDRs depending on deal size…

Swapping Encyclopedias For Rolls Royces: The Transformation of Steve MyersFrom being admittedly ‘crap at sales’ and fired for nonperformance, to eventually becoming a global sales leader, working at the likes of Rolls Royce, Motorola and Sandler, Steve's story is filled with valuable lessons and insights for sales leaders. Alongside our host Mark A…

From Tennis Prodigy, to Amazon Driver, to Successful Sales Leader: The Inspiring Transformation of Jack Hankey Get ready for an inspiring tale of tennis, testing times, and transformation! In this captivating episode of "The I Used to be Crap at Sales Podcast," our host Mark Ackers sits down with Jack Hankey, Head Of Sales Development at Leyton, to…

In this episode, Kaitlen Kelly shares her gritty, behind-the-scenes journey from fashion racks to sales, transforming her initial struggles into monumental triumphs. Packed with raw honesty, this conversation is a treasure trove of practical advice and inspiring anecdotes, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to excel in sales. Episode Highli…

In this episode, Sean and Shabri break down how much outbound has actually changed in recent years. Sean runs through his career up to date and how Aircall have scaled their SDR org to suit the needs of buyers today. 00:00:00] Introduction and Sean’s Background Shabri welcomes Sean and introduces the topic. Sean shares his background, his role as V…

In this episode, Mark Ackers chats with Holly Allen, an account executive at Deel. Holly shares her journey from a party-loving university student to a successful sales professional, sharing insights on persistence, self-belief, and continuous learning. An open and honest conversation about the highs and lows of a career in sales. Episode Highlight…

Welcome to the latest episode of "I Used to be Crap at Sales"! In this episode, Mark Ackers chats with Benjamin Dennehy, the self-proclaimed UK’s most hated sales trainer. Known for his controversial and no-nonsense approach, Benjamin shares his journey from struggling salesperson to one of the most recognised sales trainers in the UK. Ben delivers…

Welcome to the second episode of "I Used to be Crap at Sales"! Join MySalesCoach Co-Founder and Head of Sales, Mark Ackers, as he chats with Stuart Taylor, Sales Director at Allego. Stu began his career in sales over 15 years ago at Barclays Bank. As a young man fresh out of school, he fell into a role in outbound telesales without really understan…

Mark Ackers sits down with Tom Boston - comedy sales content creator, social selling trainer, keynote speaker, and LinkedIn Top Voice. Tom shares how he overcame the struggles of cold calling, dealing with rejection, and transforming his sales career through perseverance and a positive attitude. The episode is full of insights, laughs, and practica…

In this episode, Shabri and Ellie take a look at what the current job market is like in sales, giving advice for both candidates and hiring managers. Ellie also shares her top advice on personal branding from the work she is doing advising sales teams. 01:00 - Ellie T intro 2:00 - How Ellie got into the consulting piece 3:00 - what she focuses on w…

In this epsiode, Shabri and Nia break down Nia's experience as an SDR manager, the importance of coaching and what she's doing as a result of the most recent SDR survey MySalesCoach have published. Show notes: Nia's career journey to SDR manager: [00:00:00 - 00:03:00] The transition from SDR to team lead, discussing the importance of having done th…

Recently Shabri Lakhani has been a juudge for the Wiser awards for top performing reps. In this weeks Friday Sales memo we break down what is standing out most.By Kaspr

Even the most prominent voices in Sales were crap at Sales once. Join bestselling Author, Founder and Sales Coach Mark Ackers as he speaks with successful Sales professionals about their early Sales struggles, and how they overcame these challenges to become the people they are today.By MySalesCoach.com

In this webinar, Shabri gave 10 ways SDRs can book more meetings this year. Going into mindset changes, along with more tactical ideas to book more meetings.By Kaspr

In the pod, Shabri and Elaine break down how to build out a successful SDR team in 2024 SDR role. Key areas include: hiring strategies, the importance of adaptability and potential in candidates, offering insights into future trends and effective team building.By Kaspr

Almost half of the SDRs surveyed didn’t think they would be with their current employer in 12 months’ time. What's causing this and how can orgs fix this? Taken from the full podcast with Mark, listen to Shabri and Mark breakdown this finding.By Kaspr

Taken from the full episode with Mark Ackers, this breaks down why cold calling anxiety occurs and how you can address it through training and coaching.By Kaspr

28% of reps never get coached. That's just one of the shocking results that came out of the MySalesCoach SDR survey. In this epsiode, Mark and Shabri break down the results and make recommendations to managers on SDRs on next steps. Timestamps: Introduction and Background of Mark Ackers: [00:00:00 - 00:03:00] Initial greetings and introduction of M…

This is taken from my recent conversation with Tom Boston,Brand Awareness Manager @ Salesloft and Top Social Selling Voice on LinkedIn.We went into detail on how he built his personal brand and what sellers can do to build theirs.By Kaspr

How often have you been told you need to build a personal brand? That’s because it works, and it’s only getting more important.But the hardest part is getting started: What do you even talk about It feels really cringey I don’t have the time Everyone you see posting now has experienced these before.So how can you overcome this?In this episode, Shab…

Every podcast, I ask a guest what is the best piece of outreach they have received recently. It has to be something that has stood out and actually led to a result. Let’s break down what stands out for Richard Smith, Author of ‘Problem Prospecting!?’ and VP of Sales EMEA @ Allego.By Kaspr

We need to change the way we think about metrics. The majority of reps aren’t hitting targets. Why? Companies are still using the same playbook from 15 years ago. I covered this in a lot more detail with Richard Smith in the recent podcast episode.By Kaspr

In this episode, Shabri is joined by Richard Smith, VP Sales EMEA @ Allego and Co-author of Problem Prospecting. The episode breaks down some key learnings from the book and what both leaders and individuals should be focusing on when it comes to outbound.By Kaspr

In the recent podcast, I asked Lewis Gadsdon, Founder at SDRs of London what email outreach he actually replies to. He gets tons of emails and DMs per day, so felt like a great person to ask. Pens and notepads at the readyBy Kaspr

We asked Shabri what her approach would be if she was an SDR today. Focus on quality, have fun with the role, A/B test and pick up the phone!By Kaspr

The SDR role is in a tricky spot right now. Most reps are not hitting targets. In a recent podcast, we covered the reasons for this in more detail with Owen Richards, but as an SDR manager, what can you do?By Kaspr

Taken from the recent episode with Lewis Gadsdon. We talk about what the SDRs of London community are seeing success with in the current market.By Kaspr

We sat down with the Founder at SDRs of London to ask why he first created the group. In this episode, we touch on what the key themes are in the SDR community right now.By Kaspr

From Shabri's recent conversation with Lewis Gadsdon and the trends he is seeing at SDRs of London. A lot of companies are now only hiring experienced SDRs. What's caused this change and what are the results?By Kaspr

In the recent pod with Owen Richards, we discussed the key issues with the current SDR org. Here's some tips to new SDRs addressing some of these issues.By Kaspr

The SDR teams that are winning in this market are using the phone. As outreach activity increases, we need to break through the noise and the phone is key to that. So why aren't more reps using the phone?By Kaspr

The SDR role is hard. I’ve said it so many times. It’s a role that constantly has to adapt to the changing environment. That being said, some key issues need to be addressed. Owen Richards, Founder and CEO of Air Marketing, highlighted these in more detail in our recent podcast (link once live). Here are three of the key issues…

In this episode, Shabri Lakhani and Owen Richards (Founder & CEO of Air Marketing) discuss the main areas that need to be addressed within SDR orgs today. This episode touches on the fear of cold calling, effective enablement and top tips you can start using right away.By Kaspr

A topic that seems to pop up every year. Is this the end of the SDR function? Companies are doing more with less, and for some that means restructuring and switching to more full cycle AEs.By Kaspr

One of the biggest issues facing sales teams right now is progression through the funnel. So how do we stop deals getting stuck? It all starts with the quality SDRs are putting in.By Kaspr