Frequently Asked Questions

I have a PhD in sales—Piled High and Deep!—and another from the School of Hard Knocks.

Actually, I have a B.S. in Geography from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO and a B.S. in Meteorology from Texas A&M University.

I spent five years on active duty before resigning my commission in the Air Force to enter the profession of sales in September 1997.

Since then, I've held several licenses in the financial field, including my Series 6, 7, 63, and 65, as well as life and P&C.

I've also held a real estate license in Texas and many CRM and marketing automation certifications, including Salesforce.com for Dell's deployment, which began in 2007, HubSpot, Infusionsoft, and Ontraport. Not to mention countless sales, marketing, speaking, negotiation, and copywriting programs, courses, seminars, and workshops.

I've spoken on sales, marketing, SEO, copywriting, goal-setting, financial planning, fundraising, and even marriage preparation at our church.

Wes graduating from USAFA May 27, 1992

As I mentioned above, I've been in full-time sales since 1997.

I've sold stocks, bonds, annuities, mutual funds, commodities, and more across the kitchen table, over the phone, at the conference table, and everywhere in between.

I've flipped houses, built spec homes, and done traditional real estate.

When I was in the high-tech space, I closed seven-figure deals with Google and $635,000 training deals with Dell.

Since 2006, I've helped thousands of entrepreneurs around the world automate their inbound marketing and sales.

I've also spoken on sales, marketing, SEO, copywriting, goal-setting, financial planning, fundraising, and even marriage preparation at our church.

Wes in Mobile, AL with oldest son Jake (standing) and Matthew (crawling) around August 1998.

(My wife brought me leftover pizza for lunch because money was tight, and I was working seven days a week. I made exactly $100,000 from May 1998 to May 1999, was in the top 1% of the 2,200 sales reps nationwide, and was promoted to General Manager and given my own retail center in June 1999.)

You can say I've been training since being recognized as an upperclassman at the Air Force Academy in May 1989 because training incoming freshmen was the main role of sophomores.

In 1995, I went through formal instructor training at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS, where I was the top graduate out of about 25 students.

For two years, I helped build and deliver the 90-day new officer training at Keesler to nearly 80 young officers.

As owner of The Sales Whisperer®, I've been training professional salespeople, sales managers, business owners, and entrepreneurs since 2006.

I have also spoken and trained in sales, marketing, SEO, copywriting, goal-setting, financial planning, fundraising, and even marriage preparation at our church.

Wes leading one of his first sales training groups in Temecula, CA, July 2007

Big enough to support you if I take you on as a client but not so big that I'm forced to charge you 10X what I should just to pay people who sit around and tell me how swell I am.

I help humans sell to humans, thus, the name of my sales training programs include “Sell More of Everything," "Make Every Sale," and the "IDSS Training."

The world of sales, marketing, and business has changed dramatically since our parents were learning to…

• "Always Be Closing" and
• "Coffee is for closers!" and
• "Never take no for an answer!" and
• "The sale begins when the prospect says no!" and
• "You have to get five no's before you get to yes!"

The internet has changed the role of buyer-seller forever.

Social media has changed the role of buyer-seller-forever.

It's no longer enough to be great at sales.

Sure, sales is at the heart of every human interaction from dating to ordering at your favorite restaurant to getting hired to getting a raise, but you can no longer "throw a bunch of sh*t against the wall and see what sticks." You'll just end up with a sore shoulder and a messy wall.

(Do you know how you can tell sales is in charge of marketing? They have huge "BUY NOW!" buttons in red and neon green and flashing GIFs all over the site.)

However, it's not enough to be good at just marketing.

Yes, with the evolution of the internet and social media, more prospects are spending more time educating and pre-qualifying themselves—and you—with your marketing content, which means marketing is as important as ever.

But if you focus all of your energy on "brand awareness" and "social shares" and getting your social media profiles verified with no clear, compelling call to action, you'll end up liked, maybe even known, but out of money.

(Do you know how you can tell marketing is in charge of sales? You call, and the phone rings and rings, voicemails aren't returned, and requests for information go unanswered for days.)

Finally, better/more technology alone is not the answer, either.

Leveraging technology to efficiently and quickly disseminate a weak message or a message you cannot fulfill will only accelerate your demise.

Which is why I focus on the proper blending and utilization of all three.

But I start with sales, which is my specialty because nothing happens until a sale is made.

However, I am one of the best in the world at uncovering your true message, your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and crafting that message in a way that resonates in the marketplace and makes your ideal customers contact you and beg you to take their money.

Then, like seasoning a fine meal, we add just enough technology—and the right mix of technology—to enhance your abilities, not overwhelm and drown them out.

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is...

Sales is the straw that stirs the drink.”

Nothing happens until a sale is made.

So, while I spend time with my clients addressing three main areas of sales and revenue growth:

1. Sales, i.e., pipeline creation, prospecting, reaching decision-makers, overcoming objections, negotiation, etc.
2. Marketing, i.e., messaging, taglines, slogans, USPs, ads, campaigns, etc.
3. Technology, i.e., CRMs, chat-bots, AI, SMS, hosting, etc.

I don’t prefer or emphasize or stress one area over the other.

I meet you where you are to determine your needs and opportunities and apply the best solution to help you create the best results.

That being said, what makes me unique among the sales trainers, CRM experts, marketing consultants, copywriters, funnel-builders, Facebook advertisers, SEO gurus, etc., is that I am well-versed in all the above, with an understanding of and appreciation for sales excellence.

I approach all of the above with the mentality of a salesman, not a graphic designer, not a videographer, not a programming Geek—not to disparage any of them—but a great salesman can sell with no video, logo, CRM, or even a website.

So start with determining what is needed to make more sales, then add the best solution to get you there.

Makes sense?

Wes on stage with Keap/Infusionsoft CEO, Clate Mask

I've worked with a lot of sales technology for a long time.

• 2004: started using Salesforce as a salesperson.
• 2007: hired by Dell for ten months to deploy Salesforce and train their 3,000 North American sales team.
• 2008: certified with Keap (Infusionsoft).
• 2012: wrote the book on Infusionsoft.
• 2014: certified with Ontraport.
• 2014: certified with HubSpot.
• 2017: started The CRM Sushi Podcast.
• 2025: started The BJJ and Biz Podcast.
• 2026: dove into AI development and optimization, with a focus on Claude.

I can help you get more out of your current systems and/or help you find the best sales tools for your team, budget, and goals, to include:

• CRM
• Email Marketing
• Sales Enablement
• E-Commerce
• Affiliate Marketing
• Landing Page
• Social Media Marketing
• Tracking, etc.
• AI

In 2015, I converted my Wordpress website to the HubSpot CMS, so you're reading this content on the HubSpot platform!

So Anthropic/Claude and HubSpot are my main areas of focus currently, but we can also support you on Nimble, ActiveCampaign, Pipedrive, Keap, Ontraport, and most any other CRM through The CRM Butler program, so let’s talk.

Messy Southern California freeways, combined with the love of my large family and training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 5-6 times per week, have led me to lean heavily towards working remotely with my clients.

In fact, I’ve worked from home since 2000, so I was remote and “quarantined” before it was “cool."

Now that I think about it, since 2006, I've probably only met 2% of my clients, who hail from 29 countries.

However, I have spoken in Slovenia and trained in Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Boston, Tampa, Santa Barbara, and many other cities.

So, I can and will come to you if that is the best way to help you meet your growth goals. (But if you’d like a nice discount, you can come to me.)

Wes at the HubSpot HQ in Cambridge, MA, receiving an award at the Infusionsoft Partner Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, and speaking at the Ontraport Ontrapalooza Conference in Santa Barbara, CA

Yes.

I ramped up trainers to assist companies like Dell for ten months in four cities back in 2007, I’ve done private consulting with executives, and I have my small group of ongoing sales training and support called the Sell More of Everything Community & Program.

It is affordable, meets weekly, and will help you sell more, faster, at higher margin, with less stress, and more predictably.

It’s crazy that we have to discuss this, but we do.

I can’t tell you how often someone comes to me literally begging for help and/or at their wit’s end not knowing what to do to grow, they retain me, then fight me at every turn.

Lookey here: You're coming to me for help with your sales, marketing, and/or technology because I have extensive experience.

Allow me to diagnose, prescribe, launch, test, measure, adjust, re-launch, and grow your sales.

Would you trust a doctor who only prescribed what you asked for or a surgeon who operated on you based on your self-diagnosis?

You're coming to me to scratch an itch you can't reach…To solve a pain that is slowing you down, if not crippling you…A pain whose source you either can't accurately or make go away.

So buckle up and keep your hands and feet in at all times. It's going to be a great ride.

That only happens if you withhold information upfront or don't follow my advice.

After decades in sales, helping thousands of professional salespeople, sales managers, business owners, and entrepreneurs sell more, faster, at higher margins, with less stress and more fun, I have perfected the onboarding process for new clients to ensure we are a good fit.

We'll start with a quick call to discuss your needs.

If it sounds like we're a fit, I'll have you invest a nominal fee in my Initial Process Assessment.

After the Initial Process Assessment is complete, we'll review your exact needs based on how you answer the questions you'll receive.

Then, I'll map out a precise course of action to achieve your goals, including pricing, timing, duties, and responsibilities.

You can use that to shop around or apply the IPA retainer to the total, and we'll get to work on growing your business with the plan we created together.

If we decide to move forward together, I would suggest that my usual initial agreement is for 90 days.

That’s enough time to find all the “gotchas,” address the most crucial issue in your business, and start seeing some improvements and a positive ROI on your initial retainer.

At that point, we can confidently decide how to move forward via one of three options:

1. On an annual basis, we keep on keepin’ on.
2. On a project basis, we scope out what remains to be done and provide a fixed price and timeline to achieve it.
3. We don’t move forward because sometimes, 90 days is enough.

Helping you grow is what lights my fire.

As the Venn diagram above shows, my expertise lies at the intersection of sales, marketing, and technology.

Being a salesman at heart with a penchant for persuasion via the written word, I always start with the message, the content, because content is still king.

I then find the imagery that is needed to make the words pop, if any imagery is needed.

Then we add technology to help you scale because technology in sales is like salt in food: Once you put in too much, you ruin everything.

So let’s figure out your powerful message and how to deliver it in a powerful way, which depends upon your audience, then we’ll get into making it pretty and techie.

That's what lights my fire.

It's a mixture of what I’ve written above.

I’m a salesman/entrepreneur first, so I approach your issue as a sales issue.

But I understand marketing, CRMs, inbound marketing, social media marketing, SEO, SEM, PPC, and ROI, as well as APIs, ERPs, CPAs, and my own "The A.B.C.D.E.™ Sales & Marketing System.”

I start by asking, "What needs to be done to make the sale?" and "How much technology and imagery is needed to increase sales?"

Most other AI/CRM/Marketing Automation firms think the technology is the end-all be-all, and they are wrong, but it's you and your business that pays the price for their narrow-minded thinking.

My focus is on the prospect's mind and understanding what will get them to buy and helping you present that offer in the most compelling way ever and we'll use technology only if and when it is needed to make that happen.

My focus, experience, and success in sales.

Most marketing consultants are secretly afraid of sales and/or they failed at sales so they got into marketing.

I succeeded in sales because of my proper leveraging of marketing and then I learned the technology side of things to accelerate my growth, which is the proper order of events in any business, in any industry, selling anything to anyone at any time.

The world of sales training has been stuck in the 80s since the 1960s!

You can tell by how many times you hear, "The ABCs of selling are Always. Be. Closing." and "Coffee is for closers."

Life's too short, and buyers today are too savvy to be hard-closed, at least in any business that values its reputation and seeks repeat customers.

What makes me different is that I understand how sales have changed, have changed with the times to create my own success by bringing together sales, marketing, and technology, and I help you do the same.

Yes, because most businesses need better content.

That being said, content can be the most expensive part of our work together.

But having written two books and over 1,500 pages and posts here, as well as helping thousands of clients in dozens of industries in 28+ countries sell everything from asbestos remediation training to high-end portraits to yachts to vacation rentals, I can tighten up your content quickly and effectively, which is why I’m reassuringly expensive.

I'm in love with growing your sales.

If we can do it with social media or billboards or sky writing or smoke signals I'll do it.

The medium is not the message.

You and I will do business first and foremost because we have chemistry.

This means we like each other and share the same goals, motivations, aspirations, and views about how to treat our prospects, customers, neighbors, family, friends, and those in need.

Once we complete the Initial Process Assessment, we'll know from the outset if this is a one-month, 90-day, six-month, or 12-month engagement, and we'll enter into that agreement with our eyes wide open.

Should things materially change with your business and we feel we cannot help you achieve your goals I am always open to ending an agreement in an amicable, mutually-beneficial manner at any time.

I guarantee I'll cash your check and work hard to help you meet the goals we set during the Initial Process Assessment.

I guarantee I'll be easy to reach.

I guarantee I'll cancel our agreement if you try to push or boss me around or treat any of my people like they are your servants or that you are better than them.

If you're looking for a savior, go to Mass and find Jesus, don't call me.

If I knew how to do that, I would either be off on my own island somewhere playing golf, or I would charge you a shit-ton (it’s a word) to give you that knowledge.

I’ve noticed that parents who stay married and attend religious services together tend to have more polite, well-mannered kids.

All seven of ours have their own personalities and have needed a little soap in their mouths or a swat to the rear, but so far, they have all been surprisingly easy and enjoyable.

I was never a big chocolate fan growing up, but my wife is, and being married to her since 1995 has made me appreciate chocolate much more, especially her chocolate chip bunt cake, but Blue Bell’s French Vanilla is hard to beat.

Actually, their Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream is my all-time favorite.

If you still have questions, let's talk.

Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.