Episode 131

full
Published on:

19th Feb 2025

A Mass Shooting Helped This Rep Find His Human Side of Sales - Brian Hicks, VP or Sales, Belkins

Summary:

Today we engage in a deep conversation with Brian Hicks, exploring the intersection of sales and human connection. Brian shares his journey from jewelry sales to B2B pipeline generation, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and genuine relationships in sales.

Before you jump in, you should be warned that this episode can be triggering for some. Brian shares a deeply personal story of what he learned by being a witness to a mass shooting. It completely changed Brian's life but it also changes how he sells is a profound way.

Our talk delves into Brian's story, the concept of human-centric selling, the power of storytelling, and the value of engaging in difficult conversations. B

Brian also reflects on the influence of his mother in shaping his values and approach to life and sales. He also shares profound insights about the impact of his mother's love and values on his life, the transformative experience of surviving a mass shooting, and how these events reshaped his approach to sales and personal connections. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity, genuine relationships, and the need to focus on what truly matters in life and business.

This episode is one not to miss and will teach you how a once robotic salesperson found his human side through realizing what really matters.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to Human Connection in Sales

02:01 The Journey of Brian Hicks: From Jewelry to B2B Sales

03:04 Defining Human-Centric Selling

06:14 The Essence of Being Human in Sales

09:49 Storytelling: The Power of Authenticity

12:14 Engaging in Difficult Conversations

15:15 The Value of Authentic Discovery

18:45 Lessons from Family: The Influence of Brian's Mother

19:32 The Influence of a Mother's Love

26:28 Transformative Experiences: From Sales to Survival

28:11 Life After Trauma: A New Perspective on Sales

44:09 Building Genuine Connections in Sale

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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.