Untap Your Sales Potential

Ian Koniak
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Untap Your Sales Potential helps tech sellers close the gap between good and elite. Through real stories of sellers who transformed their results, you’ll learn the mindset, habits, and skills behind top 1% performance. If you know you’re capable of more and want a clear path to get there, this podcast will show you what’s possible and how to achieve it.

  1. 1d ago

    #26 - You Know What to Do. So Why Can't You Start? | Ian Mai

    The night after Ian Mai closed the biggest deal in his company's history, he couldn't sleep. The deal was about 20 times the average deal size at the time. By every outside measure, it was a massive win. But instead of celebrating, he felt more beat up and more broken than before. One question kept running through his head: how am I going to keep doing this? He had built his entire career on pressure, stress, and anxiety. And he couldn't keep pretending he had it all together. I think a lot of sellers experience some version of this. When it's the end of the quarter and you're behind your number, you lock in. Pressure is the only thing that gets you moving. But on a normal day, it's the opposite. You know exactly what to do. Call the prospect. Write the executive email. Build the proposal deck. And you sit there and can't make yourself start. I deal with this too. Most mornings, I'll find something else to do before I start my workday. For example, right now there's a lead generation project for our business that’s one of the most strategic things we should do for our business, yet I've been putting it off for a month. Most sellers spend two to three hours a day on RGAs (Revenue Generating Activities). If they could get that to four to six hours, it's game over. President's Club this year and every year thereafter.  But KNOWING what to do and DOING it are two completely different things.  That's why I wanted to host Ian Mai on our monthly Fireside Chat. On paper, he had it all. Valedictorian. President's Club winner. Professional bodybuilder.  Behind the scenes, he was battling overwhelm, addiction, and shame. After hitting rock bottom, he cleared $60,000 in debt, lost 60 pounds, and saved his marriage. With a background in electrical engineering and 12 years in technical sales, Ian now helps executives, founders, and sellers understand why they struggle to do the things they know they should be doing. His approach combines neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and faith. What I loved is that he didn't just explain the problem. He gave us practices we could use right there on the call. What's actually happening in your brain Ian explained that getting started takes two things: pressing the accelerator and letting go of the brakes. The brakes come from the amygdala, your fight, flight, freeze response. It fires in under 300 milliseconds, faster than you can even notice it. That's the numb apathy you feel staring at your laptop screen.  Why constant dopamine makes deep work harder Quick hits of dopamine from your phone, sugar, and scrolling lower your brain's sensitivity to it. Then the parts of your brain you need to focus and follow through don't get what they need. Because your brain is constantly in search of immediate gratification, focusing and doing work that requires thinking feels much harder than it should.  Instead of understanding the reasons behind why we struggle to get started, I asked Ian to share and demonstrate simple techniques we can all start using immediately.  Learn more at: https://untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast/

    #26 - You Know What to Do. So Why Can't You Start? | Ian Mai

  2. Sep 29

    #25 - He Became a Strategic Seller With 4,000 Accounts! | Ahiman Alexander

    Last week I had my mind blown by one of our clients Ahiman Alexander, who doubled his income during his time in our program from $220K to $420K/year.  The thing that impressed me most about Ahiman is that he found a way to apply strategic selling skills to his mid-market role at Asana, and scale this approach across 4,000 accounts! His average deal size is just 15K, yet he will sell over 2M this year. That’s 10-12 deals per month! He set the record for the biggest deal in his division, and closed over 500K last quarter and is very close to hitting his aspiration goal of $750K this quarter.   Before joining the program, Ahiman was in a dark place, losing his father and mother in-law in a period of 6 months. That’s when he decided to go ALL IN on the program, and applied nearly everything I teach to his sales and personal life.  Here are the 10 things he applied which made the biggest impact:  Mindset  1. He found his why and connected it deeply with a daily mission statement.  2. He shifted from an inward to outward focus. Instead of trying to sell, he focused on serving 3. Stoicism + Process thinking – he detached from the results and attached to the inputs Habits 4. He joined a 12 week year accountability group and sold more in 12 weeks than most do in a year at his company 5. Addition by subtraction – he cut out the habits that no longer served him in his personal life 6. He set boundaries around his work hours so he could be present with his family at home Selling Skills 7. He applied the 80/20 rule and had 80% of revenue come from 20% of his deals 8. He had rigorous prospecting discipline and made sure to complete 50 touches per day 9. Qualifying ruthlessly – every deal had to complete a PREDICT scorecard(opens in new tab) 10. He coached and educated his clients on how to buy software and controlled the process.  Every month I run a Member spotlight, where our members get the opportunity to receive coaching from our top performing clients. This month’s member spotlight with Ahiman was so powerful that I asked if he’d be willing to share the recording with my public audience. He graciously obliged.  If you want to change your sales and your life very quickly, check out this video and hear exactly how Ahiman transformed himself and his results in such a short period of time.  I know you will be deeply inspired after hearing his story. I will also serve as a wake-up call to execute every day, serve your clients, and give everything you got so that you can become a person you are truly proud of and get the results you always dreamed of!  Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #25 - He Became a Strategic Seller With 4,000 Accounts! | Ahiman Alexander

  3. Sep 22

    #24 - She Was Making Half a Million a Year, but Knew Something Was Missing | Christi Civalier

    Christi Civalier was crushing it in sales and making half a million a year, but something was missing. Deep inside she knew there was another level of selling she had yet to reach.  She felt stuck in her career, and had hit a ceiling..  Five years ago, while I was still working at Salesforce, she started messaging me whenever I posted on LinkedIn, asking to work together. At the time I had no capacity for 1:1 coaching, and told her to stay patient until I launched my coaching business. When the first cohort of Untap Your Sales Potential opened, she was the second person to sign up. She still calls herself an OG. We coached together for three years, which turned out to be the best years of her career. She mastered executive selling, and consistently closed large, transformational software deals. She had so much success in the program, that I asked her to coach on my team as a side hustle. Then her clients started seeing similar results. One of her clients just closed a $34 million deal. He got there because Christi talked him into walking away from a smaller deal he had been chasing for months, which freed up his time and attention to go find a much bigger deal! She found coaching so fulfilling that she decided to quit Corporate Sales entirely this year to coach full time.  Christi’s story is inspiring and powerful. She's 59 years young, and a single mom to two teenage daughters. She’s the breadwinner in her house, and walked away from a lucrative sales career to follow her passion and make an even bigger impact in the world. She just finished writing a book, which will be released in a few months.  In this week's podcast, Christi shares how she reinvented herself and how she now coaches sellers to do the same. We discuss: Why successful and stagnant is such a dangerous place to be What she learned at Untap your Sales Potential, and how it helped her reach the next level of sellingWhat the million dollar earners actually do differently with their timeWhy she left a successful sales career at 59 and started overThe book she's writing, Identity Under Pressure, and who it's forIf you look successful on the outside and feel stagnant on the inside, I strongly encourage you to watch this entire episode. If you have ever told yourself it's too late to become the person you know you could be, this might be the exact story you need to hear today. Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #24 - She Was Making Half a Million a Year, but Knew Something Was Missing | Christi Civalier

  4. Sep 15

    #23 - He Landed His Dream Sales Job at Microsoft with Zero Experience | Daniel Borodyansky

    I get asked all the time how to break into Enterprise tech sales. Since I don't offer career coaching, I decided to interview my good friend Daniel Borodyansky, who broke into Microsoft with no sales experience. Not only did he share his step-by-step playbook for landing his dream job, he also broke down how he hit 97% his first year at Microsoft, then used that as motivation to crush his quota the following year.  This year, Daniel will make well over $500,000 and have his biggest year yet. He is also a father of 3, avid boxer, and launched his own company building AI sales systems for other sellers. The craziest part? He's only 30 years old. Here's what we covered on the latest episode of the Untap Your Sales Potential podcast: The exact goal-setting and journaling practice Daniel has used since he was 19Why the side door beats the front door when you're trying to land your dream jobHow to tell your story so your current experience counts as sales experienceWhy he spent $12,000 on coaching two weeks into his first sales roleMissing quota his first year, and what he changed to have his biggest year afterwardsThe frameworks that reshaped how he sells: the 12 Week Year, territory planning, and thinking like a businessman instead of a sellerThe buyer-not-seller mindset he runs every call withHow he uses AI as a thinking partner at every step of the sales cycle If you want to land your dream sales job, this episode is for you. And if you want to know how to crack $500,000 with just a few years of sales experience, this one's for you. Learn more at: http://untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #23 - He Landed His Dream Sales Job at Microsoft with Zero Experience | Daniel Borodyansky

  5. Sep 8

    #22 - The Most Ungrateful Gratitude Salesman on Earth | John Israel

    Nine years ago, a guy I just met at a mastermind was in the middle of a strange challenge. He was handwriting five thank you cards a day every day for a full year. This challenge eventually led to a book “The Mr. Thank You Project,” Ted Talk, and professional speaking business.  Not long afterwards, I started my own 365-day challenge, where I posted a motivational video every day for a year on Instagram. Those videos became the foundation of my sales coaching business, which ultimately became Untap Your Sales Potential, the world’s fastest growing sales coaching company.  So it's fair to say this company exists in part because of John Israel. This week I finally got to sit down with John on our monthly Fireside Chat and hear his entire story. Including why he owns 205 chickens on his homestead outside Dallas, Texas.  Here's the part about John most people don't know. John was the #6 seller out of 10,000 reps at Cutco, where he sold gifting services for client appreciation. And in his own words, he had become the most ungrateful gratitude salesman on planet Earth. One evening he got home ready to complain to his wife about his day, and he stopped. She was nursing their newborn with one arm and handwriting a thank you card with the other. He couldn't appreciate this beautiful moment because he was too stressed and overwhelmed.  He has a name for that which he calls “perpetual discontentment.” That never-ending feeling that you aren’t where you’re supposed to be in life.  If you carry a quota, you probably know the feeling. Only allowing yourself to be happy when you’re performing, and typically that happiness is short-lived when you have to start all over again next year.  That was the catalyst. John committed to five handwritten thank you cards a day for 365 days, and that one year turned into a book, a TED talk, and a career built on a single idea: gratitude is one of the biggest, underutilized advantages in sales. We covered a lot in this one: What he actually does with his 205 chickens The four black-and-white rules that made him finish 365 days straight, when most of us quit a challenge by day nineThe $1,000-a-day bet that guaranteed he never missed a single dayThe "Story, Significance, Struggle" formula for building real connections fast (it lines up almost exactly with what we teach for executive conversations)How to make everybody in your life feel safe, seen, significant, and supportedHow he uses strategic gifting to turn expensive, hard-to-reach executives into lifelong customers The quickest way to get yourself to prospect every single day If you've been grinding hard and still can't enjoy the results, this episode is for you.  Learn more at: http://untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #22 - The Most Ungrateful Gratitude Salesman on Earth | John Israel

  6. Sep 1

    #21 - He Just Sold $28M in New Logos! | Mike Webster

    There are only a few individual sellers on the planet who have sold 28M in a single year.  Mike Webster is one of them, and I just interviewed him last week as my Fireside Chat guest.  Mike is a top seller at a leading Microsoft services partner and reseller.  His numbers are absolutely insane – last year he sold over 28M against a 15M quota and had his best year ever.  He has broken 7 figures W-2 for the past several years, and his consistency is off the charts.  During this Fireside Chat, Mike and I dive into the following:  Mike’s origin story and how he transitioned from Field Service to salesWhat character traits, qualities, and actions separate him from other sellersKnowing the value of your time, and your team’s timeHow to become a trusted advisor in his biggest accountsHow to win 75% of your deals, even in competitive situationsWhy walking away early from deals is key to success, and when to walk away And MUCH, MUCH, MORE.  Best of all, Mike is not a sales influencer or guru who gives out sales advice online.  He’s quietly crushing it at his company and practicing what he preaches,  Mike is the real deal, and this is the first public interview he has done where he shares his wisdom with the world.  Enjoy!  Learn more at: http://untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #21 - He Just Sold $28M in New Logos! | Mike Webster

  7. Aug 25

    #20 - He Got Sober Without Rehab or AA | Ed Wakefield

    On paper, Ed Wakefield was successful by every measure. Successful career in B2B sales. President's Club winner at Salesforce. Happily married with two young boys. But behind the scenes, Ed was secretly struggling with alcohol. 18 months ago, he decided to get sober completely on his own.  No rehab, AA, or sponsor. Instead of following conventional paths to sobriety, Ed built his own path based on discipline, replacement habits, changing his environment, and being radically honest with his wife. His wake-up call came while sitting at an airport bar drinking a beer and watching his son's baseball game on his phone. He looked around and saw two other dads doing the exact same thing. Three fathers sitting at a bar, thousands of miles from home, watching their kids as dots on a screen while chasing business success. That moment changed everything and he quit drinking on the spot.  In this week's podcast, Ed shares exactly how he got sober and changed his life. We discuss: The moment he knew he needed to changeThe habits and routines he used to replace alcoholWhy changing your environment is criticalHow sobriety has made him a better husband and fatherThe importance of honesty, discipline, and community This episode isn't just about alcohol. It's about identifying ANYTHING in your life that is holding you back and having the courage to CHANGE IT. Bad habits, addictions, or unhealthy behaviors and vices.  We all have something we can work on. If you know there's something in your life that needs to change but aren’t quite sure how to do it, I strongly encourage you to watch this entire episode. If you tried getting sober on your own and failed in the past, this might be the exact story you need to hear today. Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #20 - He Got Sober Without Rehab or AA | Ed Wakefield

  8. Aug 18

    #19 - He Closed an $8.5M Deal on the Last Day of the Year | Rob O'Keefe

    Imagine working an 8.5M deal for an entire year, and still having the paperwork unsigned going into the last day of the fiscal year!  That would rattle anybody, but Rob O’Keefe fully trusted that the deal would close on Friday January 30th, and that’s exactly what happened.  He knew this because he had personally brokered 18 meetings between Senior Executives at his company (Docusign) and his customer, and he had a direct line to all key decision makers to ensure it would close on time.  This deal was the largest net new revenue deal of the year at Docusign, and helped Rob nearly triple his earnings from $350,000 to $970,000 W2 his second year in our coaching program, finishing at 248% of quota!  But Rob’s story isn’t just how he closed the big deal. It’s a story of persistence, determination, and resilience.  Before he “boomeranged” back to Docusign, Rob struggled with three and a half years of underperformance at startups. Then he decided to go back to Docusign, and didn’t sell anything for two quarters straight before landing his biggest deal on the last day of the fiscal year.  Most Enterprise reps would have called it quits during that “valley of despair.” But not Rob.  He kept walking the hallways and building relationships with executives at an account which had been neglected for years.  He kept meditating twice a day and fully trusting himself and the process.   And when the deal finally closed, he could breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he had made the right decision returning to Docusign.  On the latest episode of the Untap Your Sales Potential podcast, I sat down with Rob to discuss how he closed one of the biggest deals in Docusign’s history. He gave a Masterclass on how to quarterback and close a massive Enterprise deal, crack into the C-suite, and fully leverage his  executive team to win.  Here is what we covered: How he brokered eighteen C-level meetings for a single deal, and why that level of multi-threading protects a deal when things get shaky at the endHis advice on how to quickly connect with Executives and be seen as a peer at that levelHow to use the org chart as a “treasure map” The two quarters of goose eggs, and exactly how Rob kept faith without the results. The value of meditation, breath work, and simplifying his morning routine The handwritten thank you note and small gift habit that sets him apart from othersWhat happened behind the scenes as the $8.5 million deal came down to the wire Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

    #19 - He Closed an $8.5M Deal on the Last Day of the Year | Rob O'Keefe
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Untap Your Sales Potential helps tech sellers close the gap between good and elite. Through real stories of sellers who transformed their results, you’ll learn the mindset, habits, and skills behind top 1% performance. If you know you’re capable of more and want a clear path to get there, this podcast will show you what’s possible and how to achieve it.

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