Episode 9 of Train.Brain.Daily dives into one of Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson’s most influential ideas: Wombat Selling, a radically different approach to sales built around trust, value, relationships and word of mouth.
Hewitt-Gleeson shares the story behind the concept, tracing it back to his PhD research in New York under Edward de Bono, with Professor George Gallup as his examiner. At the time, most sales training was built around one central idea: the salesperson closes the sale.
Hewitt-Gleeson challenged that assumption.
His research led to a simple but powerful insight: the customer closes the sale. The salesperson cannot control the customer’s final decision, but they can control whether they move from being unchecked to in check, from having no contact with a customer to actively creating a meaningful interaction.
Morry Morgan explains this through the memorable “hamburger” example. Before someone says “hamburger”, you may not be thinking about one. The moment the word is said, that changes. In sales, every meaningful contact can work the same way.
Using chess as a metaphor, Hewitt-Gleeson explains that the salesperson controls the check move, while the customer controls checkmate. Instead of obsessing over closing a deal after one interaction, salespeople can budget multiple check moves to build trust, understand the customer, improve the offer and create genuine value.
Hewitt-Gleeson and Morry also discuss the X10 Selling approach, why sales managers can accidentally create rejection by focusing only on results, and how measuring activity rather than immediate sales can dramatically change behaviour.
The episode then explores the real goal of Wombat Selling: not simply winning one customer, but creating a customer who replicates.
WOMBAT stands for Word Of Mouth, Buy And Tell.
A true Wombat customer is so satisfied with the relationship and value they receive that they willingly recommend the business to someone else without being paid to do it.
From New York hospitals and Mercedes sports cars to Chinese sales teams, Harley Davidson, pass on value and 45 follow ups before a major deal, this episode is packed with stories and practical lessons for anyone involved in sales, leadership, consulting or business development.
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