Episode 87

full
Published on:

11th Jan 2023

A Star Hockey Player Helping Atheletes Become Stars in Sales, JR Butler, CEO Shift Group

Summary:

JR Butler is the CEO and founder of Shift Group - a company transitioning elite athletes to sales professionals with free foundational skills training and job placement in tech. A former athlete himself, JR understands the challenges that come with switching careers without losing your identity and succumbing to depression, substance abuse and other roadblocks preventing people from living in their truth. Athletes spend their lives engaging in team-based activities where they are rewarded for performance-based outcomes. Competitive drive, work ethic, and the desire to win are innate qualities of those performing at elite levels. Athletes at this level must have discipline, resilience, and grit. These are the intangible parts of any elite athlete’s identity. When combined with confidence, curiosity, and coachability, these traits separate great athletes – and great salespeople.

Key Moments:

02:21 - "There are a lot of people who sell, but not a lot of sales people". To be a good salesman you need to care about both sides of the table.

14:59 - Who inspired JR to become a great salesman

21:05 - What is the "Shift Group" and how they're working with atheletes

23:19 - Skills and traits for a successfull transition into a sales career

37:47 - Key human skills and traits for professional growth

Connect with JR

  • LinkedIN
  • Are you an athelete and want to be an elite sales athelete?
  • Check out JR's website:

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About the Podcast

Sell By Being Human
On the Sell By Being Human podcast, award-winning sales professional Alex Smith provides the proven way to harness your innate human skills like empathy, curiosity, and kindness to learn how to sell and navigate the sales journey.
This is where human connection and sales meet. You may be someone whose success depends on influence, negotiation, and your ability to create change, but you may reject aggressive sales tactics. Maybe you feel stuck in corporate "autopilot," knowing your best asset is your genuine personality, but you struggle to use it to get what you want. Then this channel is for you.

It will teach you how to close the gap between wanting to be ethical and feeling pressured to sell aggressively. You’ll also learn actionable strategies for translating emotional intelligence into high-trust results. Join Alex and top guests, including NY Times bestsellers, keynote speakers, and global founders, as they prove that being truly human is the ultimate sales advantage.

About your host

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Alex Smith

Alex Smith is a seasoned sales professional and podcast host who champions a human-first approach to selling. With nearly two decades of experience, he explores how empathy, curiosity, and genuine connection drive influence in everyday life. Through his podcast, he highlights stories from people across all professions, showing that anyone can persuade and create impact simply by being human.