Newsletter: Running the marathon and learning new skills
By Niraj Kapur, 7th May, 2026
At the weekend, my wife, youngest stepdaughter, and eldest stepdaughter's boyfriend ran the 26 mile Belfast marathon as part of a team.
It was a challenge but they had great support and were cheered on by myself, my eldest stepdaughter and her stepchildren, with my parents, daughter and in-laws cheering on virtually.
How is that for a blended family!
As someone who has a body not built for running, I’m in awe of anyone who can run a marathon or 5-6 miles as part of a team.
How did they do it? They used the same foundations that it takes to get better at anything - including sales!
- Practice
- Always look at how to improve
- Don’t give up
- Ask for advice
Upskilling is a vital part of business.
Right now, people are investing heavily in AI in the hope that it provides a magic bullet. AI alone is not enough!
No matter how much you invest in technology, you MUST have sales skills to succeed in 2026!
I’ve had over 200 emails and 100 LinkedIn DMs in the last month, all obviously copy and paste, all badly written and all sounding like a bad sales person. This is what gives sales a bad reputation and it doesn't have to be like that.
Example of a bad sales message I was recently sent
Upskill and get results
If you do what everybody else does, you will achieve what everybody else achieves. Very little and what you do achieve feels hard earned.
If you want to upskill with me, wonderful, I will help you go further.
If you want to upskill with someone else, no problem, I wish you good luck.
However you choose to upskill, please make the effort and commit to it. Once you do, you will find selling not only becomes easier, it becomes more enjoyable!
