The Sales Pulse with Marla M. Koupal

Marla M. Koupal

In a noisy world of scripts, funnels, and persuasion tactics, one sales coach invites you to slow down, tune in, and sell with clarity. Marla M. Koupal, The Sales Conversation Architect™, is a 50-year sales veteran who curates Selling Common Sense and teaches the 4 C’s of Sales Success—Competence, Confidence, Consistency, and yes, Common Sense. She helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs drop the gimmicks and revive the lost art of conversation…where calm presence, smart questions, and emotional timing lead the way. This isn’t sales theater. It’s sales fluency. On The Sales Pulse, you’ll learn how to match a buyer’s pace, listen between the lines, and guide them toward decisions with confidence—not coercion. Because when you sell with fluency, there’s no need to pitch or pressure. This is where clarity replaces persuasion and trust becomes the currency of every deal. If you’re ready to sell in a way that finally feels right—for you and for the buyer—join Marla each week for fresh insights, bold truths, and practical tools that deliver results without compromise. Bold sales, one clear, curious conversation at a time.

  1. 2D AGO

    How Sales Chaos Starts at the Leadership level

    Send us a text Sales teams rarely fall apart because of bad strategy, weak motivation, or lack of product knowledge. More often, sales chaos starts quietly — at the leadership level. In this episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, sales conversation architect Marla Koupal breaks down how a leader’s internal regulation — or lack of it — directly shapes team behavior, buyer experience, and sales outcomes. When sales results wobble, leaders often respond with urgency disguised as support: more check-ins, more direction, more pressure. But urgency narrows thinking. It shuts down curiosity. And it quietly trains sellers to rush conversations instead of building real connection with buyers. You’ll learn: Why calm is not a personality trait — it’s a leadership disciplineHow emotional contagion creates sales pressure without anyone saying a wordWhy sellers mirror a leader’s tolerance (or intolerance) for uncertaintyHow urgency shows up as “help” — and why it actually damages sales conversationsThe difference between managing results and setting conditions for resultsIf you lead a sales team — or influence other sellers — this episode will help you see why buyer resistance often starts long before price, timing, or objections ever appear. Calm leadership doesn’t remove pressure for results.  It contains pressure — so sales conversations can mature instead of collapse. 🎧 Subscribe to The Sales Pulse Podcast for real sales skills, not scripts. 📩 If this episode reflects what’s happening on your team, connect now for a conversation with Marla no pitch, just clarity on possible new directions. successwithmarla.com  Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    12 min
  2. 6D AGO

    How CALM Becomes the Operating System for Sales Teams

    Send us a text How Calm Becomes the Operating System for Sales Teams Description: Most sales teams don’t struggle because they lack effort.  They struggle because they lack regulation. In this follow-up episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, Marla Koupal expands Tuesday’s conversation on calm as a personal sales skill—and shows why calm is the operating system for high-functioning sales teams. You’ll learn why sales teams don’t copy strategies first—they copy emotional states. And how a leader’s urgency, anxiety, or steadiness quietly sets the ceiling for sales maturity, decision-making, and buyer trust. This episode explores: Why most sales breakdowns are self-regulation problems, not motivation problemsHow leadership urgency creates rushed conversations and scripted sellingWhat happens when calm (or chaos) becomes the ambient condition of your sales cultureWhy teams cannot outperform a leader’s tolerance for uncertaintyHow calm leadership lowers buyer resistance before conversations even beginIf you lead a sales team—or plan to—this episode will change how you think about performance, pressure, and results. 🎧 Listen to Tuesday’s episode first for the full framework on calm as self-leadership, then come back to this conversation for the team-level application. Call to Action (Soft, Direct): If this episode sharpened how you think about selling, subscribe to The Sales Pulse Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And if you’re noticing this exact breakdown inside your sales conversations or team dynamics book a call with Marla...see what is possible..."https://successwithmarla.com/book-a-conversation-with-marla"  Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    12 min
  3. JAN 6

    How "Calm" Sets the Standard for Sales Leaders

    Send us a text How Calm Sets the Standard for Sales Leaders Selling doesn’t improve when you talk louder.  It improves when you become steadier. In this episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, Marla Koupal explores why calm is not a personality trait — it’s a sales skill. Most sales struggles aren’t effort problems.  They’re self-regulation problems. When a seller loses calm, curiosity collapses. Listening narrows. Urgency sneaks in. And buyers feel it before they ever evaluate the offer. This conversation breaks down: Why calm expands perception in sales conversationsHow pressure weakens judgment and listeningWhat happens internally when buyers hesitateWhy confidence doesn’t close sales — regulation doesHow unsettled energy signals risk to buyersThe difference between managing the conversation and regulating yourselfCalm is your ability to stay present when outcomes are unclear.  It’s the capacity to tolerate uncertainty without filling space, forcing resolution, or over-explaining. If your sales conversations feel rushed, awkward, or draining, this episode gives you a new standard to measure your effectiveness — not by urgency, but by steadiness. 🎯 This episode focuses on self-leadership in selling.  #SalesLeadership #SalesSkills #CalmInSales  #SalesPsychology #EmotionalIntelligence #SalesConversations  #BuyerDecisionMaking #SelfRegulation #SalesFluency  #TheSalesPulsePodcast  Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    12 min
  4. 12/23/2025

    The Lie Sales People Tell Themselves!

    Send us a text What if the biggest lie in sales isn’t pressure—but pretending you have none? In this episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, Marla Koupal challenges one of the most common (and costly) myths salespeople tell themselves: “I’m not trying to influence anyone.” Drawing on a powerful inversion from Seth Godin—and an unexpected lesson from Spider-Man—this conversation explores why denying influence doesn’t make selling ethical… it makes it unclear. You’ll hear why avoiding responsibility leads to scripts, rushed decisions, and surface-level conversations—and what responsible selling actually looks like when curiosity, pacing, and presence lead the way. This episode is for sellers, leaders, coaches, and advisors who want to sell without pressure, pitching, or psychological tricks—and still create real momentum. If you believe selling is about clarity, trust, and helping people think—not forcing outcomes—this episode will shift how you show up in every conversation.  Buzzsprout Hashtags #SalesSkills #ResponsibleSelling #SalesConversations #SalesLeadership #CuriosityInSales #EthicalSelling #BuyerPsychology #SalesTraining #SalesMindset #TheSalesPulse #Seth Godin  Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    12 min
  5. 12/16/2025

    Selling Urgency Has a Place...December Isn't It.

    Send us a text Selling Urgency Has a Place. December Isn’t It. December selling exposes one of the most misunderstood tools in sales: urgency. In this episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, Marla Koupal breaks down why urgency often backfires during the holidays—and how using it too early erodes trust, creates resistance, and gets sellers ghosted. Urgency helps people act. It does not help them decide. December buyers aren’t avoiding decisions—they’re processing. Emotionally full. Financially stretched. Reflective, not reactive. When sellers push urgency during this season, it feels like pressure, not leadership. You’ll learn: Why December urgency damages long-term sales momentumWhere urgency actually belongs in a sales conversationHow trust—not countdowns—creates January follow-throughLanguage that preserves relationships instead of forcing decisionsIf you sell services, coaching, network marketing, or lead sales conversations of any kind, this episode will help you sell with timing, not tension. 🎙️ Selling isn’t about speed. It’s about timing.  #SalesFluency  #SellingWithoutPressure  #SalesConversations  #HolidaySelling  #BuyerPsychology  #SalesTiming  #SalesLeadership  #TheSalesPulsePodcast   Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    9 min
  6. 12/09/2025

    FOMO Season is not a Sales Strategy

    Send us a text December brings a tidal wave of FOMO—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the New Year “Upgrade Everything” parade. But here’s the truth: FOMO may work for marketing, but it wrecks real sales conversations. In this episode, we talk about why buyers shut down, how assumptions push them away, and how fluent sellers turn fear-driven noise into calm, grounded decision-making. Learn three practical skills to make December your most connected selling month yet. For more...Join Marla In The Sales Conversation Lab on Skool. #SalesFluency #SalesPulsePodcast #FOMOinSales #HumanSelling #OpenEndedQuestions #BuyersCues  Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    15 min
  7. 11/25/2025

    Gratitude is a Sales Strategy...Use It

    Send us a text Gratitude Is a Sales Strategy… Use It In this Thanksgiving-week episode of The Sales Pulse Podcast, Marla Koupal breaks down one of the most overlooked sales skills: gratitude. Not the greeting-card version of gratitude...the behavioral kind that changes how you listen, how you respond, and how you guide a buyer through a conversation. Marla explains how gratitude slows the seller down long enough to see the buyer, ask instead of assume, stay neutral instead of defensive, and create a true Buying Space. When sellers stop performing and start discovering, buyers share the real story, the real need, and the real timeline. And that’s where confident decisions happen. If you want to make selling feel easier, warmer, and more human,  this episode gives you a grounded way to shift your conversations from pressure to connection. Gratitude calms your nervous system, strengthens your curiosity, and puts you back in the driver’s seat of the conversation. Selling gets simpler when two humans slow down long enough to understand each other. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for listening. Listen now and subscribe to The Sales Pulse Podcast on YouTube.  #SalesFluency #SalesConversation #ThanksgivingMessage #GratitudeInSales #SoftSelling #SmallBusinessSales #BuyerConnection #CuriosityBasedSelling #SalesSkills #RelationshipSelling #HumanSelling #EntrepreneurMindset #SalesTraining #ConversationSkills   Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    9 min
  8. 11/18/2025

    Defensive Selling Part 2: The Hidden Cost of Trying Too Hard

    Send us a text Welcome back to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t about scripts — it’s about fluent, human conversation. In this episode, we dive deeper into defensive selling — the subtle habits that feel “helpful” to the seller but shut down buyer curiosity. This is part two of our mattress-store story, and today we break down why defensiveness shows up, what triggers it, and how to pivot before the sale collapses. You’ll learn: • The emotional triggers behind defensiveness (and how to catch them early)  • Why buyers’ questions are rarely rejection — and what they really mean • The three defensive personas: The Over-Explainer, The Prover, and The Rescuer • What to say instead so you guide the conversation without pressure • How silence, pacing, and permission restore connection • How to ask clarifying questions that shift the energy instantly • How to recover the moment you feel yourself explaining, proving, or “saving” the sale If you’ve ever felt that moment where your pulse jumps, your voice tightens, or you suddenly start selling harder… this episode will help you breathe, reset, and reconnect. Your challenge this week: catch yourself once when you feel defensive, pause, and ask one open-ended question. Watch what opens up. Real conversations. No pressure. Bold Sales — One Clear, Curious Conversation at a Time.  #salesfluency #defensiveselling #softselling #salescoach #salescommunication #buyerspace #salesconversation #curiositydrivenselling #listeninginsales #salestrainingtips   Welcome to The Sales Pulse Podcast, where selling isn’t a performance,,,it’s a conversation. I’m Marla Koupal, your Sales Fluency Guide. After decades in sales, here’s the truth: the close isn’t where the sale happens—it’s where the buyer lands after a strong beginning. We’ll focus more on how you open the conversation and connect with how your buyer thinks so that closing never feels like a wrestling match.  Support the show 🔁 Key takeaways: buyer pacing styles, real-life sales stumbles, and how timing builds trust. 💛 Love the podcast? Support it for just $3/month: [Insert Your Buzzsprout Support Link] 📲 Connect: https://successwithmarla.com | https://www.facebook.com/marla.koupal | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marla-m-koupal-sales-and-ai-fluency-skills-facilitator-125372126/

    13 min

About

In a noisy world of scripts, funnels, and persuasion tactics, one sales coach invites you to slow down, tune in, and sell with clarity. Marla M. Koupal, The Sales Conversation Architect™, is a 50-year sales veteran who curates Selling Common Sense and teaches the 4 C’s of Sales Success—Competence, Confidence, Consistency, and yes, Common Sense. She helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs drop the gimmicks and revive the lost art of conversation…where calm presence, smart questions, and emotional timing lead the way. This isn’t sales theater. It’s sales fluency. On The Sales Pulse, you’ll learn how to match a buyer’s pace, listen between the lines, and guide them toward decisions with confidence—not coercion. Because when you sell with fluency, there’s no need to pitch or pressure. This is where clarity replaces persuasion and trust becomes the currency of every deal. If you’re ready to sell in a way that finally feels right—for you and for the buyer—join Marla each week for fresh insights, bold truths, and practical tools that deliver results without compromise. Bold sales, one clear, curious conversation at a time.