Podcast Summary: "Stop Overpricing The Crap You're Selling" — Pricing Expert Todd Caponi Has a Warning

Podcast: Unemployable with Jeff Dudan
Host: Jeff Dudan
Guest: Todd Caponi, Sales Historian & Author
Date: January 27, 2026
Episode: #246

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into modern and historical sales practices with Todd Caponi, a self-described "behavioral science nerd," sales historian, and author of The Transparency Sale. Caponi and host Jeff Dudan discuss the dangers of overpricing inferior products, the enduring truths and mistaken beliefs in sales, why transparency and radical honesty trump perfection, and how negotiation and storytelling should drive credible, productive selling. Caponi also previews his upcoming book, Four Levers Negotiating, emphasizing win-win approaches and trust as the foundation of effective sales.

Key Themes & Insights

1. If the Truth Won’t Sell It, Don’t Sell It

• Core Principle: Todd opens with an old sales adage:

  “If the truth won’t sell it, don’t sell it. If you’re selling an inferior product that’s overpriced, find something else to sell. Like, what are you doing?”
  — Todd Caponi quoting Arthur Dunn, [00:00] & [02:01]

• He stresses that trying to sell overpriced, low-quality offerings is a losing game. Authenticity and product quality are foundational.

2. The Real History of Sales: Lessons from the Past

• Caponi traces the profession from the late 1800s, collecting old books and artifacts ("It smells like grandma’s basement in here." — [18:44]).
• Key lessons:
  • Sales began as the “science of service” and was revered, even taught at universities ([06:00]).
  • Over time—amid economic downturns like the Great Depression—desperation led to high-pressure tactics, eroding the profession’s trustworthiness ([09:58]).
  • Historical misconceptions: Even in 1910, buyers were “known to know more,” reflecting concerns similar to today about information asymmetry ([08:00]).

3. Why Does Sales Get a Bad Rap?

• The shift from service to aggressive tactics (“asymmetrical information”—I know something you don’t and use it against you) creates mistrust ([09:58]).
• Caponi argues the profession can—and should—return to a service orientation where value and relationship are paramount.

4. Building Trust Through Radical Transparency

• Caponi explains (using research from his PowerReviews days) that both buyers and sellers benefit when companies openly address their shortcomings.
• Key data point:

  “A product that has negative reviews...sells faster and more often than a product that has nothing but perfect five-star reviews.” — Todd Caponi, [12:30]

• Buyers are suspicious of perfection. Highlighting flaws builds credibility:

  “We don’t buy when we’re convinced. We buy when we can predict.” — Todd Caponi, [17:22]

5. Modern Sales: Qualify Fast, Win or Lose Quickly

• Be upfront about potential downsides early in the process:

  “Second best thing in the world is losing fast.” — Todd Caponi, [32:52]

• Story: Caponi recounts a sales meeting at Calvin Klein where he began by openly stating the competitor’s advantages, which quickly built trust and ultimately led to a closed deal ([28:44]).
• Quote:

  “I would argue it’s gutsier not to do it because they’re going to find out anyway. Would you rather find out from you or from your competitor?” — Todd Caponi, [32:52]

6. The Power of Storytelling in Sales

• Don’t “wee, wee, wee” all over the customer—focus first on their situation, teach, and lead to your solution ([47:13]).
• Caponi’s reality TV analogy:

  “Reality makeover TV shows...They start with understanding your current state...lead to their solution instead of leading with it.” — Todd Caponi, [48:17]

• Make the customer the hero; you’re the guide who helps them win. Echoes Donald Miller's "StoryBrand" model ([51:08]).

7. Four Levers Negotiating: A Modern Approach

• Caponi’s new book introduces four essential negotiables in any B2B deal:
  1. Volume: “How much you buy.”
  2. Cash Timing: “How fast you pay.”
  3. Length of Commitment: “How long you commit.”
  4. Predictability: “The timing of the deal.”
• Instead of concealing these, put them on the table:

  “Just play your cards face up. Here it is.” — Todd Caponi, [44:24]

• This approach reduces anxiety, leads to fairer deals, and is better suited to today’s information-rich, AI-powered world ([43:00]-[46:00]).
• Notable contrast:

  “What we sell is not the release of hostages from a bank heist...The concepts that I teach in Four Levers Negotiating are not meant for that kind of world.” — Todd Caponi, [41:19]

8. Losing as a Gold Mine for Sales Learning

• Caponi urges leaders to analyze losses for insight, not just wins:

  “Your losses are just such gold mines of opportunity for you to understand and to become that expert.” — Todd Caponi, [58:02]

• Celebrating and learning from losses refines the process, uncovers patterns, and fuels effective qualification.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I don’t believe it’s scalable to have every one of your customers paying a different amount based on how well or poorly you negotiated it.” — Todd Caponi, [41:26]
• “[Sales] at its core hasn’t changed...our job is to be the guide, the navigator for our customers and help them achieve outcomes maybe they never thought possible.” — Todd Caponi, [08:00]
• “If you get a customer that doesn’t like you and talks about it, it’s not the end of the world. As a matter of fact, it can build credibility...” — Todd Caponi, [17:22]
• “Trust will always trump features and benefits and price. Always, always, always.” — Todd Caponi, [37:41]
• “Embrace the idea that salesmanship is the science of service.” — Todd Caponi, [72:22]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---------|-------|-----------| | Introduction to Todd Caponi & Premise | [00:00] - [02:00] | | Sales history & core principles | [04:00] - [09:00] | | Trust, transparency, and reviews | [12:00] - [18:00] | | The shift from service to pressure | [09:58] - [11:00] | | Online buying, negative reviews, and decision-making | [16:20] - [18:35] | | Negotiation: Four Levers framework | [39:11] - [46:44] | | Storytelling in sales | [47:13] - [53:20] | | Losses as learning opportunities | [58:02] - [60:09] | | “If the truth won’t sell it, don’t sell it.” — Wrap-up | [72:22] | | Pizza debates & personal | [66:13] - [68:33] | | Rapid fire: new business idea & final advice | [69:20] - [72:50] |

Memorable Moments

• Caponi’s enthusiastic “sales historian” nerdery, office museum, and his wife’s tolerance of the “grandma’s basement” vibe. ([18:44])
• The use of reality TV makeover analogies for sales strategy ([48:17]).
• Jeff’s spice-cabinet insurance tip story, illustrating how transparency builds instant credibility ([54:42]).
• The Eminem “8 Mile” battle as a sales metaphor:

  “That’s what he did. That’s exactly what he...I mean, I knew he did it, but I didn’t connect it back to, you know, the sales process and disarming.” — Jeff Dudan, [62:00]

Todd Caponi & Salesmelon

• Business: Salesmelon — a hub for Caponi’s workshops, speaking, and resources on transparent sales and leadership.
• Focus: Training, keynotes, and workshops (not consulting).
• Contact/Resources:
  • ToddCapone.com
  • Sales History Podcast (for sales history nerds)
  • Instagram/Twitter: @SalesHistorian

Actionable Takeaways

• Sell truthfully: Don’t waste your life selling “crap.” If the truth about your product can’t sell it, move on.
• Embrace transparency: Lead with your imperfections and what you give up to be great.
• Lose fast: Disqualify poor-fit prospects early.
• Educate, guide, and build trust: Storytelling and service trump feature battles and price wars.
• Use losses to improve: Mine lost deals for insights, not just wins.
• When negotiating, put your cards face up: Use the Four Levers: Volume, Cash Timing, Commitment, Predictability.

Closing Advice (Lee Smith Fastball)

“If the truth won’t sell it, don’t sell it. Arthur Dunn, again, I think it’s that...transparency sells better than perfection. Embrace that. Embrace the idea that salesmanship is the science of service...Be transparent. You’ll feel better about what you do. It sells better.”
— Todd Caponi, [72:22]

This episode is an essential listen for anyone building a business based on integrity, long-term relationships, and honest value delivery in sales.