Episode #529 – Kelly Riggs

On this episode, I’m joined by acclaimed author, speaker, and sales leader Kelly Riggs, founder of Business Locker Room Inc.  We discuss the key steps to building high-performance sales teams and explore the art of effective coaching and talent development. Kelly also shares candid advice on understanding which metrics really matter, and his top dos and don’ts for leading a thriving sales organization.

Outline of This Episode

• [03:12] Mentorship and constructive feedback
• [07:23] Advocating for one-on-one meetings
• [10:27] Sales coaching and meeting strategy
• [16:02] Analyzing and adjusting execution plans
• [18:26] Importance of role play in sales
• [22:40] Discussing leadership challenges and growth
• [24:29] Addressing leadership challenges

The Power of Personal Development

Reflecting on his own career, Kelly recalls the impact of leaders who invested in his personal development. When his manager gave honest feedback, genuinely believed in his abilities, and followed through with mentorship and growth opportunities, it was transformative. Nurturing talent matters more than simply executing tasks.

Talent, Culture, and Leadership

To create consistently exceptional sales teams, Kelly advocates a multi-pronged approach:

• Acquire Unique Talent: The foundation of any great team is attracting and hiring the right people. Many managers lack effective hiring methods, leading to underperformance.

• Develop Leadership: Every problem is a “leader problem,”. Leaders are responsible for their team’s outcomes, from hiring to training to results.

• Establish a Distinctive Culture: Success flows from leadership-driven culture—one that nurtures, challenges, and encourages continuous development.

When you combine those 3 components, you get a unique culture, a unique leader, and unique talent. Having a great team is an afterthought. The results will follow automatically.

The Essentials of Effective Sales Coaching

Sales coaching is frequently misunderstood. People often conflate “Coaching” with pipeline reviews and technical support, activities that don’t actually help people grow. Effective coaching builds skills through proximity and presence, like riding along on calls and holding structured one-on-one meetings.

Kelly champions the weekly one-on-one: The typical one-on-one lasts about 30 minutes, and that conversation gives him and the salesperson everything they need to know.  These meetings should follow a consistent structure focused on development, not merely on numbers or activity reviews.

Technology and Its Role in Modern Sales

While tools like AI and advanced CRM systems are valuable, Kelly cautions against treating them as replacements for human connection; they can be phenomenal tools that can be used to augment what a salesperson does. The best use of technology is to enhance efficiency—handling research, organization, and administrative tasks—while leaving the core work of influence and relationship-building to human professionals.

Leading vs. Lagging Indicators

Kelly challenges leaders to look beyond “lagging indicators” like quotas and closed deals, which only reflect the past. Instead, the focus should be on the plan that you have to grow and develop your territory—the actions, strategies, and forward-looking behaviors that actually drive outcomes. Managing these leading indicators lets managers course-correct before frustration and underperformance set in.

Resources Mentioned

• The 5 Power Moves: How Struggling Sales Managers Become Transformational Sales Leaders by Kelly Riggs
• Dale Carnegie Leadership Development Program

Connect with Kelly Riggs

• Kelly Riggs on LinkedIn 
• Kelly Riggs on X

Connect With Paul Watts

• LinkedIn
• X

Subscribe to SALES REINVENTED

Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com

Learn More About Kelly Riggs

Leadership Journey: What was the defining moment in your career that transformed your approach to leading salespeople?

When I was promoted to sales manager at 29 and determined very quickly I had no idea how to be a sales manager or leader. From that moment, I decided I had to learn what made managers (leaders) effective in their roles.

Practical Advice: Can you share a leadership framework, coaching model, or management system that has consistently helped you build high-performing sales teams? Please include a practical example.

The “Radical Results” model I share in my newest book is critical to building a high-performance team. It outlines three specific areas that must be addressed to consistently and predictably develop performance: Unique Talent, Unique Leadership, and Unique Culture.  Without the right people, the right leader, and bullet-proof processes, a team will struggle significantly to reach its potential.

Overcoming Challenges: What has been your most difficult sales leadership challenge, and what did you learn from overcoming it?

My most difficult challenge was making the transition from contributor to leader. As a task-oriented personality, I was always focused on getting things done. Focusing on coaching and development was a huge change, and what I learned is the sales leader is always the bottleneck to high performance.

Building Great Teams: Recruiting, developing, coaching, and retaining top talent are all critical leadership responsibilities. What advice would you give to leaders looking to build world-class sales teams?

Learn how to coach effectively. There is no substitute for it.

Future Trends: Looking ahead over the next five to ten years, how do you see Modern Sales Leadership evolving, and what capabilities will distinguish tomorrow’s most successful Sales Leaders?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) will always distinguish the most successful sales leaders. The challenge with AI and other tools is to become reliant on them to create success. Tools are just tools. Leadership is what unlocks the potential of the individual salesperson.