Getting deals unstuck can feel frustrating, especially when you reach the end of a quarter and nothing seems to be moving. Karen Kelly, one of the 100 most powerful women in sales 2025, breaks down how the way you show up in your sales process can be the difference between a deal that stalls and one that moves forward.

Meet Karen Kelly

Karen Kelly is a sales trainer, coach, and speaker who has spent over 20 years helping sales professionals improve how they show up and sell.
Having experienced the challenges of sales firsthand, she understands what it feels like to navigate uncertainty, missed opportunities, and stalled deals.
Her approach is centered on rehumanizing the sales process. Instead of relying on scripts and surface level tactics, she teaches how to build genuine conversations that create trust and move deals forward.
Through her training, coaching, and workshops, Karen helps sales professionals shift their mindset, take intentional action, and build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their clients.

Reframe Your Mindset

The first step is to reframe. Before you even send an email or get on a call, ask yourself how you are showing up. Are you focused on helping or just trying to close
Karen shared that language shapes reality. When you shift from “I have to” to “I get to,” everything changes.
Your energy shifts, your confidence improves, and your conversations become more customer focused. Buyers can feel the difference.

Reveal the Human Side

Instead of hiding behind a perfect, polished version of yourself, bring authenticity into the conversation.
Share experiences, lessons, and even past mistakes that shaped how you work today.
When you open up, your prospects feel safe to do the same. That is when real conversations happen.

Revisit the Fundamentals

Go back to the basics of selling. Does your prospect actually recognize the problem? Do you have alignment and buy in? Are you following up consistently?
Karen reminded us that many deals stall because we skip these simple steps. They may not be exciting, but they are what move deals forward.

“Reveal is a big one. A lot of people are still giving the illusion of perfection, but it doesn’t exist.” - Karen Kelly

Resources

Connect with Karen Kelly on LinkedIn or visit her website to learn how she helps sales professionals drive real results.
Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.
Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.
Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey . We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.