Founder's Story

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Confessions of an inquisitive, driven mind

When I started in sales everything seemed so easy and felt so natural. Working in a fast moving consumables industry I quickly progressed from internal sales to external salesperson and then onto becoming sales manager. In doing so I neither studied nor committed to developing myself for progression in my chosen profession. I believed I was just good at it and I enjoyed it.  "Some people are just born salespeople", as the saying says and I figured I was one of them.

Then a fantastic thing happened to me (at least that's how I now see it). I was head-hunted and offered a job selling capital equipment which gave me the opportunity to earn more money and have a better life style. Naturally I took it … and then found myself struggling in a way I hadn't envisaged and wasn’t expecting. Over a period of three months my self-confidence waned and a state of almost desperation replaced my usual ebullience and optimism. It didn't take too long until I had forgotten how to enjoy my work and I'd resorted to questioning myself about all sorts of things.  I was learning that salespeople may not be born after all!

Seeing I was struggling, my M.D. (a former salesperson himself) invited me to join him on a sales call for an opportunity he had been working on. I went with him; sat, listened and watched what both my M.D. and the prospect said and did. The call was a very good one, as was the result with the meeting concluding with the prospect agreeing to place the order with our company.  Most striking to me though was just how easy my MD had made it look.

The call was just the tonic I had needed.  Replaying it back in my mind time and time again after the call, I decided that whilst my MD had said nothing I wouldn’t have or couldn’t have said, nor did he do anything I couldn't do, he said and did it all differently. I had learned that salespeople can be made, and that really good ones definitely are!  At that time, without my knowing it I had become interested in the mechanics of selling and over the 30 years since that interest has only increased. (I openly confess I'm a "sales-saddo" who probably needs a hobby!)  That interest sparked a journey spanning more than 30 years now building my knowledge as a result of attending training seminars, reading books, listening to podcasts and audio books amongst other forms of research into what makes the most successful people better.

As I Learnt It … I Wrote It

Moving forward and starting with the things I had picked up in that call every time I did, saw, heard or experienced anything effective I wrote it down and set about working on understanding not only what had worked, but why it had. A few pieces of paper quickly became a folder and eventually a folder became several lever arch files stuffed with tips, tools, techniques and disciplines of the most successful people and selling skills I had the pleasure of studying. What I had uncovered and recorded were their 'sales secrets'. Each had been dissected, modelled and tested to prove that it would work for me. In applying them, these 'secrets' of top performing salespeople helped me grow my sales as they will for anyone else willing to apply them correctly (as I have proved over time with thousands of salespeople, sales teams and their companies alike).

Over time, besides selling I also studied management, running businesses and looked at What It Takes to Succeed across various walks of life (business and sports included - although the same things apply across any endeavour where someone is looking to achieve more).  I started and built my own training and consultancy business for 8 years where I shared what I had learned with others and helped them increase their sales, improve their profits and beat their competition, selling a range of products and services across a broad range of industries.

As the financial crisis hit in 2008 I made a difficult decision to close my business, taking what I knew and applied it in the role of General Manager of a mature business.  Working in a company that had experienced limited growth for many years, the business started to grow with turnover doubling within 3 years and trebling within 5 years of my joining it.  Profitability soared as well as increasing the turnover as a result of managing the business with higher efficiency and structured procedures, keeping costs down.  Over 11 years in that role I evolved and developed my philosophy to cover more than just sales, encompassing culture, communication, team motivation, management, strategy, leadership and goal setting/achievement.

Today the contents of those lever arch files (and much more besides) - the 'secrets' form the basis of everything in the Wit2S programs, seminars, coaching and consultancy. For me there's nothing better than sharing them with people who want to achieve more, are prepared to apply them and make them work.  The 'secrets' extend beyond sales and business applications.  Between 2020 and 2024 they also helped me tackle and complete a record endurance challenge fundraising for Cancer Research UK, where I cycled an exercise bike in a single gear, up a hill 802 kms high (91x Mt Everest) around the circumference of the world (40,075 kms) in my spare time over a period of 4 years and 4 months.  

I trust that in having read to the bottom of this story you are a kindred spirit; if so we can do great things together.  I look forward to meeting you and sharing these tools, tips, techniques, disciplines and skills I have learned via training programs, coaching, speaking events or via our consultancy service. Until then I wish you every success in all you do!

Steve Lewis-Brammer

Founder