34 episodes

Bringing the incredible (and sometimes strange) brains from the profession of sales' past to the 2020's - from Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale & The Transparent Sales Leader.

The Sales History Podcast Todd Caponi

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 11 Ratings

Bringing the incredible (and sometimes strange) brains from the profession of sales' past to the 2020's - from Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale & The Transparent Sales Leader.

    Salesman's Creeds - The "In Thing" of the Early 1900s

    Salesman's Creeds - The "In Thing" of the Early 1900s

    Salesman's "Creeds" - There was a concept that started popping up around 1905, spreading to individual companies, industries, and eventually to entire cities by the 1910s. Established to change the perception of the sales profession. these "creeds" defined a core set of beliefs every salesperson should have in taking goods to market.

    In this episode, we'll talk through what these creeds were, why they were developed, how they were used, and how the concept is suddenly springing up again today.

    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
    Support the show




    Support the show

    • 13 min
    Don't Be A Dunderblitzen - a Sales Leadership Parable from 1909

    Don't Be A Dunderblitzen - a Sales Leadership Parable from 1909

    It's the story for so many - great at selling, promoted into leadership without training or a holistic understanding of what the role actually is. 

    In today's episode, I share a parable written by Worthington C. Holman in 1909 about a medieval military leader named Dunderblitzen Von Shoosh. I loved this story so much, I had to share it...along with lessons for today.

    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
    Support the show

    • 16 min
    The History of Email - in Sales & Marketing

    The History of Email - in Sales & Marketing

    I went digging...into the origins of email as a communication medium. Along the way, I found a ton of really interesting timeline milestones that are amazing, interesting, and in some cases pretty funny.

    So, in this episode, we explore those milestones - from invention to the CAN-SPAM act, and how we really haven't fixed a whole lot along the way.

    Here's the article I reference - with a full timeline with resources, links & pictures: https://toddcaponi.com/history-of-email-in-sales-and-marketing/
    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.


    Support the show

    • 19 min
    Sales Compensation Plans: Origins and Lessons from 100 Years Ago

    Sales Compensation Plans: Origins and Lessons from 100 Years Ago

    Sales compensation plans - where did they come from? How did they evolve to where they are today? Are there lessons we can learn from their origins we can apply today to make our plans more of what they are meant to be?

    In today's episode, I take you back as far as 1914 to learn about the types of quotas, the mistakes they acknowledged in 1918, and the lessons from the 1920s about compensation plan design that are possible things to consider even today.

    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
    Support the show

    • 16 min
    The Rise of the Roman Empire – and the Deplorable Salesperson

    The Rise of the Roman Empire – and the Deplorable Salesperson

    Can you imagine - a profession so deplorable that those in it were rounded up and murdered? As crazy as it sounds, I found that it actually happened during the Roman Empire B.C.

    In an incredible find, I uncovered a sales history well over 2,000 years old where money was prioritized over virtue - in a way we still see today. In today's episode, I tell the story, with quotes from the great philosophers and poets from the final two centuries B.C.

    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
    Support the show
    Support the show

    • 16 min
    The Nine Traits of a Successful 1913 (and current) Salesperson

    The Nine Traits of a Successful 1913 (and current) Salesperson

    If sales has changed so much, why haven't the #salestips? Reading a collection of the top sales tips in 1913 - and I swear I was reading a collection of the top sales tips today. There's no conflict...at all.

    What's presented as revelation today on all of the socials are fundamentally the same through the eras of selling, so in today's episode, I share them. Worthington C. Holman's 9 things a successful salesperson must do, from System Magazine's February of 1913 edition.

    And given that Holman was an artist with his words...they're even better back then!

    @saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    @saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
    The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes a number of quotes and lessons from sales' past.
    The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.
    Support the show

    • 12 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

Nigrxgy ,

Excellence.

What a wonderful show. Full of vital information. The work put into the research is amazing. Highly recommended for any sales professional that’s serious about learning their craft.

MadMav72 ,

History Buff that’s also in sale

As a history buff that has been working sales for over 20 years (yikes!) this podcast is fantastic. Both episodes have been fantastic and looking forward to hearing more! I even listened to it with my retired Dad who was never in sales (but also a history buff) and he really enjoyed the podcast!

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