by Mike Brunel | Nov 24, 2025 | Uncategorized
Want a More Focused Sales Team? Do This Every Friday.
In my media sales management days, I had this great coach, Brian.
One of those blokes who could see the whole chessboard when I was still trying to remember the rules. And Brian had this mantra:
“The more you focus on a result… the more likely you are to achieve it.”
Sounds obvious. But like most simple things, it only works if you actually do it. Fast forward to a recent coaching gig. I was helping a client get a weekly sales meeting up and running. We started strong… then the wheels slowly came off. Meetings wandered. People rambled. And yes, I’ll put my hand up — that was on me.
Brian would’ve given me the look.
His rhythm was simple: Monday/Tuesday → a clear agenda.
During the week → “Coach in the car,” he’d say
Friday → a sharp 15-minute review, celebrate wins, finish strong. Nothing fancy. Just consistent. But here’s the thing: Doing that every single week turned one loss-making media company into a profitable one… In six months. So if you’re wondering whether a Friday review is worth it.
Yeah.
It absolutely is.
Have a great week running your time:
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Mike
by Mike Brunel | Nov 17, 2025 | Leadership, Uncategorized
Why Some Sales Teams Love Mondays… and Others End Up in the RIP Zone
If you’ve been in sales leadership long enough, you already know this truth:
Monday morning exposes everything.
Some managers walk in smiling, because the numbers are lining up.
Others walk in bracing for the post-mortem, the weekly RIP for the pipeline.
This is the heart of any sales team performance review.
It’s not about spreadsheets, dashboards, or colourful charts. It’s about people — and whether they walked into the week with discipline or drift.
Two Teams, One Monday
I’ve coached teams where Monday feels like a launchpad, reps arrive with energy, clarity, and a plan.
And I’ve coached teams where Monday feels like a funeral service for last week’s excuses.
Here’s the difference:
Some reps show up ready to create new conversations.
Some show up waiting for the phone to ring.
You already know which group drives your revenue.
The One Question That Tells You Everything
If 20–30% of your team consistently underperforms, try asking this simple prospecting question:
“Walk me through your plan for creating new conversations this week.”
That’s it. No pressure, no complicated framework, no interrogation.
This single question does three powerful things:
1. It reveals their process.
If there’s structure, they’ll show it.
If there’s no structure, you’ll see the blank stare instantly.
2. It reveals their initiative.
My favourite part.
High-potential reps speak proactively , they’ve already mapped out their activity.
Low-potential reps speak reactively, they talk about what they’re waiting for.
3. It reveals their problem-solving ability.
Great reps lay out a clear path.
Strugglers drift into excuses, deflections, or vague “I’ll try to make some calls” lines.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Sales is a performance business. Always has been.
But today’s environment, remote selling, distracted buyers, tighter competition — means that personal accountability is everything.
Your Monday question isn’t just a check-in.
It’s a reset button.
A calibration.
A chance to help your team own their week before the week owns them.
How to Make It Part of Your Rhythm
- Start every Monday with it.
- Ask it 1-on-1 or in team meetings.
- Listen for clarity, ownership, and forward motion.
- Coach on gaps immediately — don’t wait until Friday.
Small question.
Big shift.
And it works every single time.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
— Mike Managers and Sales Directors Love Monday mornings!
Well, some do and some don’t, the week in review, or RIP for some.
For some, it’s going to be a great review. For some, it’s going to be RIP.
Reps are insufficient and simply not performing. What’s RIP in today’s sales world?
You have some team members who wait for leads, quickly lose focus, and need constant pushing.
If you are in that world for 20% 30 % of your team, ask this prospecting question: “W𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠.”
Here is the takeaway: It does three things for you.
It reveals their process. If there’s no structure, you see it instantly.
It reveals their initiative- 𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲
High-potential reps talk proactively.
Low-potential reps talk reactively.
It reveals their problem-solving ability.
They’ll either give you a clear path, or they’ll drift into excuses.
Sales is a performance business, nothing more, nothing less.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike
by Mike Brunel | Nov 11, 2025 | Uncategorized
If your team is sending proposals instead of starting conversations, you’ve got a people problem, not a pricing one.
Sales Rep: “I just wanna email him. That’s all he wants.”
You: “So you’re going to email the presentation, the proposal, and all the pricing, correct?”
Sales rep: “Yes, that’s what she wants.”
You: “Okay, have you done a qualification exercise?”
Sales Rep: “No, I haven’t. What’s that?”
Now I know that’s the extreme for a lot of Sales Directors, but it’s what could be going on inside your organisation without you knowing.
Why? Lots of reasons: you’re as busy as hell, the world is falling apart because sales are hitting the floor, and you’ve only got six weeks till Christmas — or should I say four weeks?
But when you really think about it, it could be the fact that you didn’t recruit the right person at the right time, or you rushed it.
You had to fill a hole. You didn’t have someone on your team; you rushed it because it would have cost you money.
But now it’s costing you more money.
Is that you?
I’m looking for five Sales Directors who are keen to participate in a pilot program to help them recruit better, train more effectively, and retain their staff for much longer.
You’ll find out who can sell, who you need to move on, and who actually qualifies to begin with for every client who comes across your business.
It starts with January and again. I’m only looking for five Sales Directors.
If you want the details, pop yes in the comments.
