Sales Melon

Ever wonder where all of these prospecting techniques and approaches come from that you see and read about every day?

If the answer is yes, I dissected it all in the latest episode of The Sales History Podcast (~ 17 minutes long).

Prospecting Fundamentals - From Sales History - The Sales History Podcast This episode dissects prospecting from 50 to 120 years ago...discussing five key elements:1) The origins of the word "prospecting" as it relates to sales2) The mindset - quality prospecting over simply focusing on metrics and scale3) Metrics and p...

For those who are interested, I have amassed a collection of books, magazines, ads, tools and artifacts from the history of the sales and sales leadership profession. Over the past few weeks, I've added quite a bit to the collection, and in this video, I walk you through...

00:00 Intro & Summary
01:05 The Book "Salesmanship" from 1956
01:55 Another Book "Salesmanship" from 1950
02:50 Sears Catalog from 1908
03:40 Check writing machine from the 1920s
04:35 Practical Salesmanship series of books from 1929/1930 (7 books)
05:16 A 1936 print of How to Win Friends and Influence People - Carnegie
06:31 Fuller Brush catalog, brochure & letter opener from the 1930s
07:33 Hand-signed letter from Lucinda W. Prince from 1926
09:29 Wrap up, podcast, IG & Twitter

Check out The Sales History Podcast for more...or follow along at both Twitter and Instagram.

Sales History: Recent adds to my collection & library For those who are interested, I have amassed a collection of books, magazines, ads, tools and artifacts from the history of the sales and sales leadership pr...

Could the profession of sales become so deplorable that those in it would be rounded up and exterminated? By the 10’s of thousands?

As crazy as it sounds, I found that it actually happened (at least) once - during the Roman Empire.

All because merchants and peddlers prioritized money over vurtue. Here's the background and the story...

The Rise of the Roman Empire – and the Deplorable Salesperson? The Roman Empire… What comes to your mind when you hear those three words? Strength, patriotism, and heroes. In what was referred to as “The Eternal City”, we probably don’t consider the peddlers and merchants. In the final two centuries B.C., the streets of Rome were filled with the sounds ...

In celebration of , let's revisit the pioneer for , Lucinda W. Prince.

Lucinda W. Prince - THE Pioneer for Women in Sales - Todd Caponi Do a Google search for Lucinda W. Prince, and you won’t find anything. However, in my sales history research, I've found one of the most fascinating sales

In 1946, as the second world war had ended, many returning military were entering the sales world, and the country needed small business to success, the US Government actually wrote a sales book.

The need for a consistent set of standards for sales leaders was clear – resulting in The “Creed of Standards” adopted by the National Federation of Sales Executives in 1946.

They should be the Creed for today, too...timeless and smart. Let's dig in together:

A Creed of Sales Standards - from 1946 - Todd Caponi A Creed of Sales Standards

For any of us who have been in the sales and marketing world for more than ten years, you know that the title, “Chief Revenue Officer” is a fairly new one.

It’s rise as an official title began to rear itself soon after The Great Recession around 2010. Is it just a novel little title to appease sales leaders who had no other place to go except to the CEO role?

Or, is there a reason for its uprising?

Well, the "role" has been around for 100 years...

The Rise of the Chief Revenue Officer - Or Is It? - Todd Caponi How has the sales profession changed requiring the rise of the Chief Revenue Officer position?

What was the first sales methodology? When you Google it, the answer is...well...incorrect. Being the nerd I am, I had to investigate...and found what appears to be the clear answer.

What was the first sales methodology? - Todd Caponi The first sales methodology came from the National Cash Register NCR Corporation. Documented in the NCR Primer, it became the foundation for not only their

What does "sales methodology" really mean? And, could "Transparency" and The Transparency Sale actually be a sales methodology?

According to the definition, coupled with the way companies are implementing it, the answer is becoming a clear "yes".

The Transparency Sale Sales Methodology - Todd Caponi Is The Transparency Sale a sales methodology?

Sales kickoff best practices. Can they be found as early as the late 1800s?

They sure can, It's season, so let's take a look at the first known "Sales Convention".

Sales Kickoff Best Practices - with lessons from the late 1800s - Todd Caponi Sales kickoff best practices. Can they be found as early as the late 1800s?

Meet Franklin’s Distinguished Sales Speaker: Todd Caponi, author and founder, “The Transparency Sale” | Sales Melon

Todd Caponi is the author of the 3x best-book-award-winning and international best-seller, “The Transparency Sale,” and the new bestselling book, “The Transparent Sales Leader.” Todd is a multi-time C-Level sales leader, behavioral science and sales history nerd, and has guided two companies to success. He now speaks and teaches revenue organizations on leveraging transparency and decision science to maximize their revenue capacity as Principal of Sales Melon LLC.

Don’t miss out, register today! 100 *free* copies of Todd’s international best-selling book will be given away during the session on Sept. 13: https://bit.ly/3QMBqB7.

Just when I thought I had figured out when telephone cold calling began, a new find has me rethinking all of it!

Here's a 5:50 video revealing some newly found research from 1911 - and the story of a company that was using the outbound canvass before anyone else seemed to have been trying it.

When Did Cold Calling Begin - A New Discovery A recent find has provided a new perspective on the beginning of telephone cold calling. When you Google it - one article has it beginning...before the telep...

When did in sales actually begin?

What you'll find in a Google search is flat out incorrect. I did the homework. Here's the story of when it started "in-person", and when it started over the phone.

The latter (telephone) is more recent than you might think!

When did sales cold calling actually begin? When did sales cold calling actually begin? Well, face-to-face was oh...around the beginning of man. But the telephone? Let's clear that up!

Do you believe history repeats itself? Sure hope not - based on my research from 100-years-ago that eerily looks like today - just before the sales profession experienced 85% turnover in a single year (1922).

"The Great Salesperson Purge of the Early 1920s"

This isn't a "Here, yee! Here, yee! The end is near!" message, but we probably shouldn't bury our head in the sand and pretend it's not possible, either.

For your nerdy reading enjoyment...

The Great Salesperson Purge of the early 1920s - Todd Caponi If we believe history repeats itself, there's history we should be aware of from 100 years ago. The great sales purge of the 1920s.

Who are the you should be following? You can find those lists anywhere. But how about a breakdown of who you would been following 100 years ago? I'm just the nerd to break that down for you...

Influencers a Salesperson Must Follow - In 1922 That's not a type-o. If you were around 100 years ago, who would you want to follow? Here's your top 5, plus some honorable mentions.

The Transparent Sales Leader is slated for launch in the Spring.

For my new website (coming soon), here's the 2-minute video of what the book will cover:

The Transparent Sales Leader - Coming Spring 2022 As a salesperson, I always had a process...a structure.As a sales leader, I was a dog chasing a car down the street, never knowing where it was going. I had ...

Irony: Have you ever thought about the fact that an expectation of a discount causes you to actually WAIT to buy something?

Would you ever pay full price for something at The GAP, or Eddie Bauer, or Banana Republic? You know a discount is coming, so you WAIT for it. You're ready to buy. You have the means. But you WAIT.

The B2B sales world has established a WAIT in buyers. End of month. End of quarter.

Then, we make it worse by offering a discount that expires the end of the month, or the end of the quarter; which makes a buyer WAIT even longer: "If they're giving me this discount for nothing, they must be really needing this. So, I may as well wait...then ask for more."

Irony: Your discounting is making buyers wait instead of accelerate.

Here's why, and what to try instead...

The Irony Of The Expiring Discount The Fall has arrived, and sadly, I’ve managed to mangle one of my favorite sweaters. It’s a merino crewneck sweater from Banana Republic - that I accidentally threw in the wash wit

Are you responsible for "drumming up business" in your role? Do you "carry a bag" as a salesperson?

Do you know where those terms come from?

They come from the traveling salespeople of the 1800s.

Imagine being a traveling salesperson during the Civil War...walking into town with a sample box. In the south, landowners thought you might be a spy.

So...you drummed your sample box on your way into town to identify yourself - to avoid being shot.

The “drummer” was born - drumming up business. 🥁

Or, even earlier, a traveling salesperson going town to town on horseback with saddlebags full of merchandise.

“Here comes the ‘bagman’” - thus, “carrying a bag” was born.

In this week's episode of The Sales History Podcast, I tell their story; what it was like to be one of the hard-drinking, back-slapping "Drummers" and of the horseback riding "Bagmen". .and why they disappeared.

Find it wherever you listen...
Direct: https://buff.ly/37BsFVz
Spotify: https://buff.ly/37m4Y3h
iTunes: https://buff.ly/3yqMqed

The Origin of "Drummers" & "Bagmen" - The 1800's - The Sales History Podcast Are you responsible for "drumming up business" in your role? Do you "carry a bag" as a salesperson? Do you know where those terms come from? They come from the traveling salespeople of the 1800s. In today's episode, I tell their story - of the har...

Just in case any of you are interested, my called "The Sales History Podcast" is now up to six episodes.

I needed an outlet for my nerdery, so if you're in the sales profession, like history, like podcasts, or just need something to lull you to sleep at night, check it out.

Episode 1 is about Mark Twain and Ulysses S. Grant; I think it's a pretty heroic story of saving a US hero's family & legacy through an unbelievable campaign to sell books, led by Twain.

In other episodes I take you through subjects like the pioneer for women in sales (Lucinda Prince) and her amazing story, weird sales methodologies from the early 20th century like Phrenology, and how the profession lost its way - from being respected & trusted, to now dragging the bottom of Gallup's annual list of "trusted professions".

Check it out wherever you listen. Links below to direct stream it, or find it on Spotify or iTunes.



https://buff.ly/3wGoem7
https://buff.ly/3ieE4zh
https://buff.ly/35eJPH0

The Sales History Podcast Listen to The Sales History Podcast on Spotify. Bringing the incredible (and sometimes strange) brains from the profession of sales' past to the 2020's - from Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale.

They say that over the next 10 years, technology will completely change the sales profession. 🤖

They also say those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. 🧐

100 years ago, the sales profession was trusted, respected, and even ADMIRED.

As our profession received the incredible gifts of technology (starting with the telephone), we ruined it. 😳

Can we learn those lessons and apply them today?

Can we refresh our purpose...and then use our tech stacks for good, rebuilding the profession’s reputation while maximizing our results?

I have no doubt…

Incredibly honored to be the keynote at 's Summit, “The Funnel is Dead”. Tomorrow! July 14th, I’ll be bringing together my three sales loves; transparency, leadership & history into what I believe to be piles of easily actionable goodness.

Join us?
ttps://buff.ly/3kgm4HA

The 105 year anniversary of the first Sales World Congress is TODAY. July 9th, 1916. 3,000 attendees. Keynotes by President Woodrow Wilson, Grant Nablo and other luminaries. Hear all about it on the .

The 1st World Sales Congress & An Admired Profession - The Sales History Podcast 105 years ago - the sales profession was not only respected & trusted, it was admired! As evidence, the first World Sales Congress was taking place in Detroit, keynoted by the President...in the middle of a world war! Here's the story of the e...

The "resource scarcity" play. The "expiring discount".

Salespeople & leaders: The techniques traditionally used to drive end-of-funnel urgency?

👉 They're driving end-of-funnel trust erosion, which, ironically, slows down your deals instead.

🗣️"Better sign early. Due to high demand, if you wait to sign, you'll go to the back of the line for implementation."

- Think about that sentence from a buyer's perspective:

You're taking a big risk. Your reputation is on the line. And now the vendor is saying they may have an ability-to-execute issue?

🗣️"This pricing expires on June 30th. If you don't sign by then, we'll have to go back to the drawing board on July 1st."

- Think about that sentence from a buyer's perspective:

"The effort I put forth to get budget allocated, approvals, and purchase orders generated will have to start over if we're even a few hours behind? Nice way to begin a partnership!

"Oh, and I've heard this story before...it's clearly bull. The June price is the price we're paying, regardless. And based on their clear desperation, maybe we can even do better!"

Trust eroded. At the goal-line of your deal.

A lack of trust = slower movement.

I dig in below - with ideas on what to do instead.

What say you?

Creating Quarter End-of-Funnel Urgency? It's more likely doing the opposite. End of quarter negotiations. The techniques used most pervasively to create end-of-funnel urgency are ironically, in most cases, doing the exact opposite. What are these techniqu

I've written about her - but after doing even more research, it's time to tell the whole story.

The story of Lucinda W. Prince.

If you're looking for a quick weekend listen, I tell her story here in Episode 2 of The Sales History Podcast.

A pioneer, advocate and even hero for .

I accidentally stumbled upon her when reading a 1916 article in the Journal of Education. Yes, I know, I’m a nerd. 🤓

I dug in...

She started classes for saleswomen - in 1905.

Taking the classes to businesses, in order to establish credibility she challenged their top salespeople - and outsold them.

She even brought sales curriculum to high schools in the 1910's.

Listen below, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

(warning, it's 100% self-produced...solid 4 out 5-star quality 😬)

The Modern History of Women in Sales & Lucinda Prince - The Sales History Podcast "Salesmanship" - a pervasive word at the time, but that doesn't necessarily mean women didn't play a prominent role in the profession 100+ years ago. And even more amazing, in this episode, I tell the story of Lucinda W. Prince, who became the pro...

The "resource scarcity" play. The "expiring discount".

Salespeople & leaders: The techniques traditionally used to drive end-of-funnel urgency?

👉 They're driving end-of-funnel trust erosion, which, ironically, slows down your deals instead.

🗣️"Better sign early. Due to high demand, if you wait to sign, you'll go to the back of the line for implementation."

- Think about that sentence from a buyer's perspective:

You're taking a big risk. Your reputation is on the line. And now the vendor is saying they may have an ability-to-execute issue?

🗣️"This pricing expires on June 30th. If you don't sign by then, we'll have to go back to the drawing board on July 1st."

- Think about that sentence from a buyer's perspective:

"The effort I put forth to get budget allocated, approvals, and purchase orders generated will have to start over if we're even a few hours behind? Nice way to begin a partnership!

"Oh, and I've heard this story before...it's clearly bull. The June price is the price we're paying, regardless. And based on their clear desperation, maybe we can even do better!"

Trust eroded. At the goal-line of your deal.

A lack of trust = slower movement.

I dig in below - with ideas on what to do instead.

Creating Quarter End-of-Funnel Urgency? It's more likely doing the opposite. End of quarter negotiations. The techniques used most pervasively to create end-of-funnel urgency are ironically, in most cases, doing the exact opposite. What are these techniqu

Did Mark Twain pioneer ?

You asked for it! Ok - a couple of you did. Ep. 1 of The is out, where I'll bring the stories from sales' history that won't fit into a tweet or IG post (, by the way).

And it's only 8 minutes long!

Find it on Apple, Spotify or stream it.

Was Mark Twain the Pioneer of Modern Sales Enablement? - The Sales History Podcast William Faulkner called him “the father of American literature”. From my research, Mark Twain may also be “the pioneer of sales enablement”. In this first episode, I tell you the story of how Mark Twain saved the Ulysses S. Grant family, turning h...

In your sales presentations, are you asking your audience to do brain calisthenics that it's not capable of doing? If you've got text on your slides, you are.

Here's the nerdy reason why text on slides doesn't work, and what to do instead...

Presentation Slide Science: Why Text On Slides Does NOT Work Imagine for a moment, you’re reading an article. You’re entranced...it’s captured your attention, and you want to get through it. But, as you’re reading, someone starts talking to

Putting text on your presentation slides doesn't work - and there's a simple scientific reason that explains why.

Think about it - you're in a coffee shop reading something, and someone starts talking to you. Are you able to both listen with comprehension and continue reading with comprehension at the same time?

Of course not! Our brains don't do that. 🤯

Yet, we ask our audiences to do that all the time...with sentences and paragraphs on the slides we're presenting.

Images to coincide with your words? A+

Paragraphs to coincide with your words? F-

Presentation Slide Science: Why Text On Slides Does NOT Work Imagine for a moment, you’re reading an article. You’re entranced...it’s captured your attention, and you want to get through it. But, as you’re reading, someone starts talking to

Experiencing higher turnover with your sales team? The answer isn't "We need more Zoom Happy Hours" or "Send more logoed socks to the team!"

It's time for Phase 3.

Have We Over-Indexed on "Connection" at Work? Time for Stage 3. Could we be over-indexing on “Connection” at work? As I’m researching for my next book, focused on transparent sales leadership, something jumped out at me that can’t wait until th

I see it coming...many of you do, too. The great sales turnover binge of 2021/22.

The physical cost of a job change is practically non-existent: Don't have to change your commute. Get a new laptop. Probably a bigger paycheck and some new skills through onboarding. All good...

The emotional cost of a job change - also very small: If you've never actually met the people you work with, it's easier to leave them. Video doesn't replicate human interaction.

We've over-indexed on family/trying to replicate connection/security. Zoom happy hours. Your kids or cat makes an appearance during a meeting. Tons of logoed swag sent home. Sweet!

We've under-indexed in another needed area...

Read on....

Coming Soon: The Great Sales Turnover Binge? From reading the tea leaves, I see a train filled with sales turnover coming. What tea leaves, you ask? I read a lot of behavioral science, and lately my focus has been on sales le