The Luxury Of Choice - Sales Skills Podcast
The Luxury of Choice podcast is a technical B2B sales skills and knowledge podcast brought to you by the training team of george james ltd. Each show features a discussion between the host Steve Vaughan and fellow sales trainers on various aspects of sales skills based on their vast experience. George james ltd is a specialist sales training and consulting business operating in the life science, laboratory equipment, medical devices and precision industrial market sectors. Based in the UK , our customers base is global. All opinions voiced on the podcast as those of the presenter in question and may not necessarily be the policy of george james ltd. Any facts and data quoted are believed to be correct at the time of recording.
Episodes
In technical B2B sales today, it has never been easier to be busy and yet never been harder to be effective. Salespeople need to focus on things that maximise their time on activities and plans that bring about the best business return. In short, to approach their territories and selling with a "CEO of my territory" mindset.
In this episode, Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Jonathan Slasinski and Christian Walter. Th...
The podcast is back for season 4!
In this episode Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Pru Layton and Jonathan Slasinski to discuss one of the most frustrating part of sales.
Why don't customer change supplier? You have have clear (to you) benefits in your product or service, but the customer is fine to stay where they are.
As the team discuss, the reasons are many. They include: poor qualification, timing, not...
In this special episode, Steve Vaughan welcomes the newest member of the George James training team, Qing Qing Dai, joining us from Singapore.
With more than a decade of experience in laboratory instrumentation sales, product management and sales leadership across Asia-Pacific, Qing Qing shares her journey from an introverted Food Science graduate who never imagined a career in sales to becoming a successful sales leader responsible...
In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan is joined by George James trainers Jonathan Slasinski and Christian Walter to explore one of the biggest challenges in sales development: making learning stick.
The team discusses why even excellent training can fail to deliver lasting results without coaching, reinforcement and leadership support. They share practical ideas for creating new habits, measuring the right behaviour...
In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan and Christian Walter are joined by Hamid Ghanadan, founder of The Linus Group and author of Not Buying It- The art of selling to scientists, doctors, and other professional skeptics.
Drawing on his background as a biochemist and commercial strategist, Hamid explains why scientists and technical buyers are often described as the world's most sceptical audience—and why...
n this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan is joined by Jonathan Cooper and Pascal Le Floch to explore one of the biggest challenges facing sales managers: knowing when to coach and when to direct.
The discussion covers:
- What coaching really means—and why it is not giving advice or telling people what to do.
- The difference between coaching, directing, supporting, and delegating.
- Why ma...
Most salespeople and leaders face Imposter Syndrome in sales - the feeling of self doubt and of being " a fraud". In this episode, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow George James trainer Jonathan Cooper and special guest Rupa Ark, a Senior Sales Director from Azenta Life Sciences. The panel discuss why salespeople can suffer from Imposter Syndrome, how to cope with it, and why it shows you care about your job and the customer.&...
Can technical sales people in B2B sales be TOO technical? And can their technical knowledge be a comfort zone crutch in the sales call, to the detriment of understanding and satisfying customer needs? In this episode of the Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan and Jonathan Slasinski are joined by Matt McCormack, International Sales Manager of Natus Sensory to discuss:
- The role of technical knowledge in sales success
- Building cre...
LinkedIn is a phenomenal resource for B2B sales professionals to research, and then connect with potential customers. Even the free version of LinkedIn has powerful search tools to help you search for your perfect customer. In this episode, Steve is joined by Christian Walter, Pascal le Floch and Jonathan Slasinski for a face to face recording of The Luxury of Choice, following a team strategy meeting. The panel discuss how to use ...
Cold calling has a reputation—and not a good one.
In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, Steve Vaughan is joined by the George James training team and special guest Manel Berga to explore a simple but powerful question:
How do we make cold calling… warmer?
From rejection and low pickup rates to the rise of LinkedIn, AI, and changing buyer behaviour, this conversation unpacks what modern prospecting really looks li...
What do top performing sales people do when they leave the customer? And how can spending just a little time after a visit reflecting how the meeting went improve performance and results? Steve Vaughan is joined to discuss this important topic by regulars Christian Walter and Jonathan Slasinski, and also by a special guest - Kate Sanders, Sales Manager for UK and Northern Europe for Biosero.
Knowing how (and when) to walk away from a sales opportunity is a difficult, but important skill for a technical salesperson to learn. Great sales people lose fast and lose early! In this episode of the Luxury of Choice, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski to discuss when a salesperson should walk away, and how to do it professionally.
All the training team of George James have been delivering training programmes flat out across North America and Europe, so here is a chance to listen back to a show from 2025. Ensuring you have a working relationship with your customers purchasing department is vital if you are able to receive a purchase order at the right price and the right time. In this episode Jayne Green and Jonathan Cooper join Steve Vaughan to d...
The George James training team have been flat out since the start of 2026 and are at the time of uploading delivering sales and leadership training across the continents and time zones. So, here is the chance to listen back to a previous show from 2024 all about handling customer objections - and why, in fact customer objections aren't necessarily bad news. This episode has proved to be one of most popular shows, and features Jonat...
For this first episode of the Luxury of Choice Podcast, host Steve Vaughan is joined by fellow trainers Jayne Green and Pascal le Floche. Since the pandemic, getting face to face meetings with prospects has become more difficult, with an increase in virtual, remote meetings instead. Whilst sales calls over Teams, Zoom, etc have their place, there is no substitute for visiting the customer. Meeting face to face allows us to build tr...
For this last show of 2025, host Steve Vaughan is joined by the "two Jonathan's" - Cooper and Slasinski to delve into the critical topic of sales forecasting. The team discuss the definition of forecasting, its importance in sales management, and the best practices for achieving accurate predictions. Topics include the role of data, the challenges faced in forecasting, and the dynamics of teamwork in achieving sales goals. The epis...
In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host Steve Vaughan and his colleagues Jonathan Slasinski, Christian Walter and Pascal Le Floch discuss the importance of managing stakeholder groups in B2B sales, particularly in the life sciences sector. They explore the necessity of engaging with multiple stakeholders beyond just the end users, including decision-makers in various departments such as operations and IT. The te...
In this episode of The Luxury of Choice, host Steve Vaughan and guests Christian Walter and Jonathan Slasinski discuss the essential needs and expectations of customers in the laboratory equipment sector. They explore the importance of understanding customer workflows, the value of face-to-face interactions in building trust, and the role of emotional intelligence in sales. The conversation emphasizes the need for salespeople to pr...
Getting appointments with key customers and prospects is vital in successful B2B sales. It's never been easy, and it is only getting more difficult! In this episode of the Luxury of Choice podcast, host and Senior Sales Trainer Steve Vaughan is joined by two fellow members of the George James training team to discuss approaches, best practice and strategies in getting more face to face meetings with decision makers.
In this episode of the Luxury of Choice Podcast Steve Vaughan and Jayne Green and joined by Jonathan Slasinski for his first podcast with the team to discuss the inevitable aspect of rejection in sales. They explore how to cope with rejection, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the learning opportunities that arise from these experiences. A key takeaway that rejection is not personal but rather a part of the business pro...
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