by Mike Brunel | Mar 11, 2026 | Leadership, Sales
A simple insight about “priority clients” that turned presentations into almost-guaranteed sales.
Sales Leaders and Sales Managers, a question?
Do you actually know your clients?
One of NRS Media’s great successes was our ability to truly understand our client base.
Knowing who actually bought advertising, and why, was a key factor in the company’s success.
We achieved that by studying the categories of businesses that consistently bought media.
Our business operated globally out of Wellington, New Zealand, Sydney, Australia, then in the USA, UK, Europe, and South Africa, and even Bogota…
We travelled from city to city, working with media companies, presenting advertising opportunities ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 per client per year.
We listed it to only 100 clients. It sold out on those markets year after year.
Over time, we began to notice something interesting.
For certain clients who attended the presentation, almost always bought.
So we decided to analyse the data more carefully.
We didn’t have any sophisticated AI or CRM to manage that data; we just really worked hard with our clients to ask them why they bought.
When we isolated what we called “priority clients,” we discovered something remarkable.
If those clients attended the presentation, close to 100 per cent of them purchased the programme.
But there was another pattern.
These were also the clients who received a personal invitation to attend.
Once we understood that, we became very deliberate about how we treated those prospects.
If someone fitted the priority profile, we did everything possible to get them into the room.
We dressed up invitations in branded-style envelopes.
We delivered invitations in presentation boxes with ribbons.
We hand-delivered them whenever possible. ( Our most successful strategy.)
Sometimes we even picked people up and chauffeured them to the event.
In other words, we treated them like the near-certain sales we knew they were.
As a result, our acquisition costs dropped significantly while our conversion rates remained incredibly high.
The famous copywriter Dan Kennedy calls these people “hidden buyers properly exploited.”
The first key was profile.
We worked out exactly who these buyers were.
We studied their demographics, their behaviours, and the types of businesses most likely to purchase media advertising.
Once we understood that profile, we could predict a sale with high confidence.
The second factor was timing.
Many of our ideal buyers were older, established businesses that wanted to keep their name consistently in front of their customers.
Advertising wasn’t a gamble for them. It was a long-term brand strategy.
There’s a powerful lesson in this for any business.
Once you truly understand who buys your product or service, everything becomes easier.
Your marketing becomes clearer, your sales process becomes more focused, and your conversion rates improve dramatically.
The key is simple.
Find your hidden buyers.
Understand their profile.
And make sure they show up.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike.
P.S. I am looking for 5 Sales Leaders who want to work with me to identify who on your team can sell, who can prospect, and who are trainable.
by Mike Brunel | Feb 13, 2026 | Leadership
Most sales hiring is stuck in the same comparison trap.
“We hire experienced reps.”
“We hire motivated people.”
“We hire good communicators.”
“We hire people with a proven track record.”
Sounds sensible, right?
Feels responsible.
Still loses in my opinion.
Why?
Because it’s just better, not different.
Every recruiter. Every sales manager. Every HR team is saying the same thing. Candidates are compared on CVs, gut feel, and interview performance.
And when everyone looks “good enough,” hiring becomes a gamble.
I think that is a trap.
Now here’s where the POP7 Assessment flips the power dynamic.
POP7 doesn’t help you hire a better salesperson.
It makes you stop comparing altogether.
Instead of asking “Who sounds good in the interview?”
You ask, “Who is actually wired to sell in this role?”
POP7 measures Sales DNA.
The stuff that doesn’t show up on a CV.
The stuff reps can’t fake in an interview.
Things like:
How they handle rejection.
Whether they initiate or wait to be told.
If they can push through discomfort.
How do they self- manage when no one is watching?
Once you see that, the comparison game ends.
You’re no longer choosing between candidates.
You’re choosing between fit and future problems.
This is the same shift companies like Uber made.
They didn’t say “we’re a better taxi.”
They made taxis irrelevant.
POP7 does the same thing to sales hiring.
You’re not choosing between two reps anymore.
You’re choosing between
Predictable performance
Or rolling the dice and hoping.
That’s why price stops being the conversation.
Because POP7 isn’t an assessment.
It’s a decision filter.
It answers one question clearly and early:
“Is this person built to sell here or not?”
Once you have that, everything else becomes secondary.
That’s how you escape the hiring price war.
That’s how you stop guessing.
That’s how you become the only logical choice.
I have 5 opportunities for February to help you recruit, train and hire the right salesperson.
If you are interested in my Sales DNA programme, reply in the comments with “Sales DNA”, and I will send you the details.
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 | Oct 5, 2025 | Leadership, Uncategorized
Love helping my clients.
“Mike comes with a wealth of knowledge & expertise that is unparalleled by anyone I’ve met before. He’s helped me improve my business development strategies and grow our business. I highly recommend working with him!”
PD
Mike
(Plus, whenever you are ready… here are three ways I can help you grow your business.)
1. Grab a Free copy of my book
It’s the sales roadmap to attracting prospects, building, and making more sales in your business without coming across as salesy- Click Here.
2. Join the Sales Mindset Inner Circle and connect with salespeople like you.
It’s our new Facebook community where salespeople learn to get more income, enhance their ability, and get access to exclusive content- Click Here
3. Join –“Sales Mindset Blueprint: (INVITATION ONLY) Elevating perspectives, boosting confidence, driving results and not coming across as salesy. Reply to SALESY, and I will get you the details.
by Mike Brunel | Sep 25, 2023 | Leadership
A Simple Solution that Saved a Quarter of a Million Dollars.
“Cost-Saving Success:
A Lesson in Business Efficiency and Sales Optimization”A leading manufacturing company headquartered in Japan managed to trim a whopping quarter of a million dollars from its expenses, and the secret to their success was surprisingly straightforward – they turned off the lights.
In an effort to uncover innovative ways to save money without disrupting their day-to-day operations, the company organized a competition.
The question posed to its employees was deceptively simple: “How can we save money in our company without compromising our daily operations?”
The company’s workforce, ranging from senior management to factory workers, embarked on a week-long brainstorming journey. When all the ideas were gathered and assessed, a suggestion from one of the lowest-paid workers emerged as the winning solution.
Saving money is right in front of you.
The winning proposal was elegantly simple: switch off the lights in the computer room and the factory where automated robots tirelessly assembled vital components. The employee received 20 per cent of the initial savings as a reward for this brilliant cost-saving idea.
This story underscores a valuable lesson: sometimes, the most effective solutions to complex problems are right in front of us all along.
Not every solution needs to be intricate; often, simplicity reigns supreme.
Moreover, it highlights that the answers to your business challenges may not exclusively reside within the upper echelons of management.
Encouraging employee input across all departments can yield surprising and innovative solutions that may significantly benefit your company’s bottom line.
What does this story teaches me about sales?
As a salesperson, you can apply this lesson in several ways to boost your performance and contribute to your organization’s success:
- Seek Cost-Efficient Sales Approaches: Consider how you can optimise your sales process without increasing expenses. Sometimes, a streamlined approach can lead to significant savings, such as cutting unnecessary travel or marketing costs.
- Collaborate with Colleagues: Don’t hesitate to tap into the collective wisdom of your colleagues. Engage in brainstorming sessions with your sales team to discover innovative techniques and cost-effective strategies for achieving sales targets.
- Incentive Ideas: Encourage creative thinking among your sales team by rewarding innovative cost-saving or revenue-enhancing ideas. Recognize that valuable insights can come from anyone, regardless of their position or experience.
- Simplicity Sells: When presenting solutions to potential clients, remember that simplicity often resonates more effectively than complexity. Highlight how your product or service can streamline processes or reduce costs for the customer.
By embracing these principles and adapting the story’s essence to your role as a salesperson, you can contribute to your company’s profitability while delivering outstanding results to your clients.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…Here are 4 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – big or small.
1. Want to become a Sales Mindset Blueprint Member? You get access to an exclusive coaching session with me and full access to my sales programme every month. Get the deets here.
2. Try the new ‘7 Days to Sales Success’ framework. Make more sales in 7 days—the framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to learn how to grow your business by making more sales.
3. Join our private Facebook group – The Sales Mindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas. Every week, we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here
4. Could you work with me one-on-one? If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Please jump on a FREE 30-minute brainstorming call with me by clicking here.
by Mike Brunel | Sep 12, 2023 | Leadership, Presentation
“Want to Nail Presentations?
What if I told you that you only needed to know four simple words to create an outstanding presentation?
What if these four words could effectively communicate your message to your audience every single time?
Well, not only can you learn these four words, but I’ll also provide you with a practical framework that you can apply whenever you’re planning a presentation, a promotion, or sharing an idea.
But before we dive into the framework and workbook, let’s focus on the first word:
“Why.”
Did you know that 35% of your audience needs to understand why they should take a particular action or why they should pay attention to the information you’re about to share?
This portion of your audience truly engages with your content when you provide them with a compelling reason for why they need this information and how it can benefit them.
If you’ve ever noticed your audience losing interest early in your presentation, the solution might be as simple as incorporating a clear “why” right at the beginning.
Why not explore the various learning styles further with the help of my free workbook?
Sincerely, Mike (Your Guide to Better Presentations) Brunel
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…Here are 4 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.
1. Want to become a Sales Mindset Blueprint Member? You get access to an exclusive coaching session with me and full access to my sales programme every month. Get the deets here.
2. Try the new ‘7 Days to Sales Success’ framework. Make more sales in 7 days—the framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to learn how to grow your business by making more sales.
3. Join our private Facebook group – The Sales Mindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas. Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here
4. Could you work with me one-on-one? If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Please jump on a FREE 30-minute brainstorming call with me by clicking here.
