Episode Summary
What if everything you've been taught about sales is backwards? Jeff Bajorek, who's turned dead territories into multimillion-dollar producers and coached teams across 60+ companies, sits down to expose the uncomfortable truths most sales leaders won't admit. This isn't another feel-good episode about "mindset" and motivation. Jeff breaks down why your sales training investments are wasted, how a 13-year-old newspaper carrier outsold seasoned professionals using one simple strategy, and the five prospecting fundamentals that separate real closers from glorified telemarketers. Whether you're leading a team that's underperforming or hustling solo trying to hit quota, this raw conversation delivers the frameworks and mindset shifts you need to stop losing deals you should be winning.
00:00 – Sales Without Money: Why Your Teen's Car Request Is Teaching You Everything
02:15 – The Dangerous Truth About "Selling Is Selling" That Most Get Wrong
04:09 – Transfer of Enthusiasm: Brian Tracy's Forgotten Secret to Every Sale
07:36 – The Toyota Strategy: When Giving Up Margin Makes You Millions
11:35 – The 13-Year-Old Who Crushed Objections Better Than Your Sales Team
15:03 – Ego Vs. Service: Why Showing Up to Impress Guarantees You'll Lose
18:43 – The Apprenticeship Model: Why Sales Mastery Takes Decades, Not Days
24:25 – Generational Sales Manager Trauma and How It's Killing Your Numbers
29:09 – Training Teams That Don't Want It: The Pre-Sale Nobody Talks About
37:14 – The 5 Prospecting Fundamentals Your Competition Doesn't Know
44:03 – Building Courseware That Actually Works: From Beer to Best Practices
52:15 – Discovery Before Demos: Why SDRs Fail and How to Fix It
Jeff Bajorek
Sales Consultant, Author & Speaker
Transforming Sales Teams Through Service
Connect with Jeff:
Website: https://www.jeffbajorek.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbajorek
Connect with John Rankins:
Website: https://thesalesmachine.com/
YouTube: @JohnRankinsOfficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrankinsofficial
Your CRM is DEAD—just a glorified address book. While you chase reports, competitors win deals. The Sales Machine drives actual performance with automation, insights, and gamification that work.
Book a strategy call: thesalesmachine.com