The Luxury Of Choice - Sales Skills Podcast

Hosted by Steve Vaughan

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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.

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June 14, 2026Episode 1834 min

Hamid Ghanadan: How Technical Buyers Really Make Decisions

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 data alone rarely drives purchasing decisions.The conversation explores the psychology behind technical buying decisions, the balance between curiosity and scepticism, and the common mistakes salespeople make when trying to persuade highly intelligent buyers.Hamid also shares practical techniques for opening sales conversations, handling objections, responding to ghosting, and using behavioural heuristics to create more productive customer interactions.Whether you're selling into laboratories, biotech, diagnostics, engineering or other technical markets, this episode offers a fascinating perspective on how technical buyers really think—and how salespeople can adapt accordingly. Key Takeaways Scientists are sceptical, but they're also naturally curious. Data matters, but emotion and personal relevance still influence decisions. Salespeople lose control most often when opening conversations, delivering value propositions, handling objections and responding to ghosting. Creating curiosity is often more effective than delivering information. Storytelling can be more powerful than statistics. Asking more questions consistently leads to better sales outcomes. Technical sales and marketing teams should operate from a single commercial strategy. Hamid Ghanadan on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/hghanadan/Not Buying it book : https://thelinusgroup.com/book/not-buying-it-by-hamid-ghanadan/Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

May 31, 2026Episode 1733 min

Sales Manager's Playbook – Coaching vs Controlling

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 many sales managers default to controlling behaviour, especially under pressure. The role of questioning, active listening, and helping salespeople find their own solutions. How coaching builds ownership, accountability, confidence, and long-term performance. When directive leadership is appropriate, particularly with new or inexperienced team members. Using Situational Leadership to adapt management style to the individual and the task. The balance between winning critical deals and using customer visits as coaching opportunities. How to handle performance issues and when coaching alone is not enough. The value of planned coaching sessions versus spontaneous day-to-day coaching moments. Building a coaching culture through peer-to-peer support and mentoring. Key Takeaways Coaching is about helping people think, not telling them what to do. Great coaching relies on asking effective questions and listening actively. New salespeople often need more direction; experienced salespeople need more coaching and autonomy. Coaching is an investment of time that ultimately creates more capable and independent team members. The best sales managers consciously adapt their leadership style to the situation. If you're not coaching regularly, you're missing one of the most powerful tools available to a sales leader. Recommended ReadingGrowing Human Potential by Sir John Whitmore – a classic introduction to coaching and the GROW model.Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

May 17, 2026Episode 1633 min

Imposter Syndrome in Technical B2B Sales

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. Rupa Ark on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupaark/Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

May 3, 2026Episode 1532 min

You're Not the Technical Expert- and That's OK!

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 successBuilding credibility through honesty and relationshipsKnowing when to involve technical expertsPersonalization and customer connection strategiesBalancing technical expertise with sales skills. Our thanks to Matt for joining us for this show. Matt McCormack on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjmccormack/Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

April 19, 2026Episode 1436 min

Unlocking LinkedIn: How to Find Your Perfect Customer

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 LinkedIn proactively, and why sales professionals need to thing about their personal profile, writing it about their perfect customer. Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

March 29, 2026Episode 1436 min

How to Make Cold Calls Warmer (Without Sounding Like a Sales Script)

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 like in B2B sales—especially in technical and life science environments.The big shift? Cold calling isn’t about calling strangers anymore. It’s about earning the right to the conversation before you pick up the phone. What You’ll Learn Why cold calling still matters (even if nobody enjoys it) How to “warm up” a call using LinkedIn, AI, and smart research The role of personalisation—and why most salespeople get it wrong How to add value before asking for a meeting Why generic outreach destroys trust (and what to do instead) How AI can dramatically improve your prospecting efficiency The importance of treating B2B as person-to-person (P2P) When (and how) to ask for the meeting without turning people offSpecial thanks to Manel Berga for joining us on this show. https://www.linkedin.com/in/manelberga/Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

March 8, 2026Episode 1329 min

What do GREAT sales people do after EVERY sales visit?

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.Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

February 20, 2026Episode 1231 min

How to walk away from a sale

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. Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

February 15, 2026Episode 1136 min

Getting your purchase order out of purchasing - revisited!

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 discuss best practice in working with purchasers so sales people never have to say to their boss "It's stuck in purchasing"!Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

February 1, 2026Episode 1039 min

Handling customer objections -revisited!

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 Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton and Steve Vaughan. Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche, Jayne Green and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd. You can email the show at: Podcast@georgejames-training.com The trainers on LinkedIn: Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/