High Magick X Systems | I see & remove blocks you don't know exist, but feel - without Zoom, phone calls or being in the same room | Change Mentor for Executives & Founders who want to live with more depth & die happy

Most of the decisions you regret weren’t “bad decisions”.

They were built on values you never defined properly.

It’s why you stay in roles, relationships and versions of you that look fine on paper but wrong in your body.

You didn't just end up there - you unknowingly decided your way into them.

Because each choice you make sits on top of values that collapse the moment people, money or pressure push back.

In The Obsidian Vault, we cut through all of it so your tough decisions feel simple to make:

We'll break down: 
- What’s really happening.
- What you’re actually loyal to and why it matters.
- What it will cost to keep things as they are.

That’s how you stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't.

You'll see clearly, decide cleanly, and live closer to what you truly value with each choice you make.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫
 -You’re smart, capable & deeply responsible, but privately exhausted
 -You’re dragging unfinished conversations, roles or relationships behind you
 -You’re standing in a life that looks fine on paper & wrong in your body
 -You’re value driven, but feel a constant gap between what you stand for vs what you tolerate.

More insights, healing or content won’t change that. This is the lever:

Language, structure and perspective that makes it harder to lie to yourself.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐚𝐦
I’ve walked parallel paths since I was 19, when I quit uni to build a 25 year career with the likes of Goldman Sachs, UBS, HSBC, Barclays and others.

I set up my first business alongside my first job, went on to build two jewellery brands, a business transformation consultancy, and a private practice working with 600+ founders and executives through High Magick.

All while navigating Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD)

Tough calls come with that territory, and often arrive all at once. But that wasn’t new to me.

Aged eight, I became a carer for my disabled aunt. It was violent and turbulent.

I had a front row seat to what happens when loved ones refuse to make obvious decisions, what it costs them, and me.

It taught me something most miss:

Your best decisions are made when you can be a bystander in your own life at the right moment - then move swiftly.

That’s tough for most people.

Master it, and you solve problems before they can even exist - just like I, and 600+ executives and founders have.

Through real-life (anonymised) examples from their sessions and my own life, I explain how.

When you need to stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't, welcome.

https://theobsidianvault.substack.com/about

Sonal Bhaskaran

What being a carer in a violent home at 8 taught me about decision-making at 45:

Clarity requires separation.

The closer you are to a situation, the more deliberate that separation must be.

We view separatiom as ‘cold’.

I know many people have thought that of me with personal decisions I've made.

But it isn't.

It’s objective curiosity.

Curiosity creates understanding.

Understanding creates distance.

Without distance, most adults react and call it ‘intuition’. 

But if you can observe chaos without entering it, you control the next move.

That distance creates clarity.

Clarity gives you choice.

And when you have choice?

You gain the kind of personal power you've needed all along.

Writer @The Obsidian Vault | Letters for smart people who are tired of making decisions they regret - and want to build a life they don’t.

Richard Moore

I help consultants get clients on LinkedIn, using sales and content 🚀 Follow #RichTips for content

At some point it becomes obvious: your expertise isn’t the problem.
The real challenge is turning that expertise into consistent, high-value revenue.

Whether you lead a commercial team or run your own consultancy, gaining traction with potential clients on LinkedIn often feels harder than it should.

That’s where I come in.

I train leaders, consultants, and founders in the psychology of high-trust deal-making and sales. This helps individuals and teams move from interest to commitment without pressure or scripts.

My work blends behavioural psychology, strategic communication, and modern sales design.
More importantly, it comes from doing it:
22+ years of being a sales practitioner and $millions in converted deals.

Because theory is powerful
But you can't beat having done it too

Crucially, the help I give is for those who want to sell with nuance, credibility and long-term results.

Here’s what we focus on:
Strategic positioning: shaping how your expertise is perceived by buyers and decision-makers

Authority content: creating trust through clarity, not noise

Conversation design: turning dialogue into opportunity with structure and intent

Deal-flow mastery: applying timing, buyer psychology, and decision dynamics to close complex deals

I’ve worked with organisations from Microsoft and LinkedIn, to JP Morgan and Deloitte
Beyond this I've also coached thousands of consultants, coaches and founders

All of them have had the focus on refining how they sell and how they communicate

As a 2x LinkedIn Top Voice and LinkedIn Learning Instructor with five courses on sales and communication, studied by tens of thousands of professionals worldwide, I'm asked to work with professionals on their delivery, awareness of buyer state and the words that move a buyer to step forward. 

My communities, the LinkedIn Client Accelerator and Art of Sell, bring together over 500 members focused on mastering client acquisition and high-trust sales.

In the offline world I founded Entrepreneur Business Live, a global event series connecting business leaders to support local causes and I’ve delivered keynotes and lectures at Oxford University, Warwick Business School, University of Edinburgh, Nottingham, Pearson Business School and many more.

If you want to elevate how you or your team win clients, with more trust, depth, and commercial precision, this is where we start.

DM me here on LinkedIn
Or email directly richard@therichardmoore.com
Or check out the featured links on this profile for more

Follow #RichTips for insights on high-trust deal-making and sales

Founder - LinkedIn Client Accelerator

You know that saying "people buy from people"?
Well that's only partly true...

You also need to present your offering in a very particular way.

You see, only around 10% of purchases are for the product itself:
The "how"
The fine detail, under the hood

So approaching a prospect and over-focusing on specs, how well written the code is or how much work went into making it is typically going to fall on deaf ears.

Good for you if you love the product. 
You should. 
And you should keep striving to make it best in class.

But until it's been established that the person you're speaking with also cares about all this, hold that part back.

Instead, focus on the "outcomes" for them of using your offering.

Because people are interested in outcomes. Another word for this is the 'wins' for them. 

For them. 

They need to feel:
↳ does it make me look good / more successful?
↳ does it save me time / is it a convenience hack?
↳ does it save me money?
↳ does it make me money?

Why is this the case? 
Because you're supposed to be a solution, not another 'thing' they have to work out how to operate or another person to manage.

Be and present the solution.

Don't just indulge in over-explanation.

What's the #1 'outcome' for your offering?

--
📌Useful? So repost this to your network or save it for later
PS check out the "visit my website" link at the top of this post👀

#RichTips

I train founders in the psychology of high-trust deal-making and sales | Creator, Art of Sell | 3× LinkedIn Top Voice | 5 x LinkedIn Learning Instructor

How to Pitch your Service

"$36k was giving me the panics. Then I quoted $66k"

One of the members (let's call him Jake) in the Art of Sell community almost doubled his price mid-call

and he still closed the deal.

What you don't know is, I've watched Jake's mindset level up in the last year

The panic Jake said he was feeling is never about whether they can afford it, and always about saying the number out loud to another human.

Yes, the same "am I worth it" feeling you battle.

There's value in saying a higher price out loud

Even if they don't buy
Because the moment you do it, your baseline shifts

↳ Once you say it and someone says yes, everything changes
↳ Going back to lower prices starts to "feel weird"

There's a guy who runs a $300M company who got 20 minutes with Elon Musk

You know what he learned?
"I am playing so small"

Every time you go up, you realise it wasn't hard

You just had to do it

That perspective shift is EARNED

- Through reps of saying the number
- By you closing at that level
- Until it becomes your new normal

So what's the price you're too scared to say out loud?
That's probably where you need to start.

---
PS Building pricing confidence is one of the core sessions in Art of Sell.
We cover the exact conditioning process that gets you from "Oh my God, can I really charge this?" to quoting six figures without flinching.

Click "visit my website" at the top of this post to join.

#RichTips

Richard Moore seated, hosting his Entrepreneur Business Live Barcelona charity networking event.

If your calls 'go well' but don't convert, this is why:

You're treating the call as a persuasion event.

It's not.

The decision was already made before you ever spoke. The call simply confirms or undermines what they already believed about you.

Here's what actually happens:

They came to you positioned as the prize. You showed up like a service provider hoping to be chosen.

I've watched this pattern across thousands of conversations over 22 years.

The call starts well.
They're engaged.
Everything feels positive.

Then comes the shift.

↳ You ask vague questions.
↳ You over-explain your process.
↳ You serve and coach instead of diagnosing and prescribing.

The version of you they met doesn't match the authority they expected.

They're looking for certainty.
What they experience is uncertainty.

You see, objections don't happen at the conversion. They're just the buyer naming the uncertainty you introduced earlier, usually when you switched into 'nice person' mode.

Here’s how to change it:

↳ Stop asking "would you be open to..." and start saying "the next step is..."
↳ Stop offering options for them to choose and start prescribing the solution they need

Authority established through content must be maintained through behaviour.

When those two things don't align, buyers feel it immediately.

They ghost.
They go cold.
They "need to think about it."

When they do align? That’s when the call converts.

Do your calls match how you position yourself?

--
📌Speakers from Microsoft and Nike. 
All coming up in Art of Sell
So, who are you learning from?
When I built AoS I wanted speakers good enough that I needed to take notes. 
Because if you're not learning from best in class, it's a serious waste of valuable time
More on my featured links here: → Richard Moore

#RichTips

Richard Moore hosting his Entrepreneur Business Live London charity networking event, 2023

Here's how I closed a deal with Sony
(or, the "competition play"):

Many feel the way to get a sale is to:
↳ Know the benefits
↳ Build up some rapport
↳ Lean into the best features

But everyone does that, so you need more edge.

I remember wanting to work with Sony Professional (their industry arm of the business)

And I knew that just approaching with relevance ("hey, I can help you") wouldn't work. 

That's what everyone does
That's what they expect
And I only get 1 shot

So instead, I used leverage:
In this case it was their competition

At the time, we were working with Samsung's Commercial division so I collected everything I could on their results with us.

When I approached Sony, everything I said to the Product Director was through the lens of their competitor:
• "Here's how we're doing it with Samsung"
• "This is what Samsung said when we got the result"
• "See that there? That's Samsung winning again, because of us"

I'll never forget how she started laughing down the phone at me when I asked for the order.

I started to feel concerned that I may have messed up. 

So I asked "why are you laughing?"

She said "because I have to do it, don't I?!"

The competition play isn't always the most elegant way to sell, 
but with the right people paid to take market share, it works.

And here's the lesson:
You don't have to be mean to do it

Show your results with a similar client.
It's far more compelling than just describing benefits.

Now, they'll believe it truly works

--
📌Speakers from Coca Cola, Microsoft and Nike. 
All coming up in Art of Sell
So, who are you learning from?
When I built AoS I wanted speakers good enough that I needed to take notes. 
Because if you're not learning from best in class, it's a serious waste of valuable time
More on my featured links here: → Richard Moore

#RichTips

Richard Moore hosting his Entrepreneur Business Live London charity networking event

Me in a workshop recently:
"Here's how to find people actively looking"

Everyone else:
"Make lists of CEOs and DM them all"

Here's the thing about prospecting:

Amateur level LinkedIn prospecting is this:
- Make a list of 100 CEOs
- Scrape their emails with a 3rd party app
- Pray you don't get banned
- Send the same DM to them all
- Get 0 replies so think maybe your profile needs optimising
- Buy another course on improving your reach

Legendary level LinkedIn prospecting is this:
- Know where to find active leaders with a need
- Know how to start a conversation that can pivot
- Do 3-5 of these in a day
- Schedule a call a day
- Get a deal a week
- Feel fulfilled

High ticket deals with premium buyers on LinkedIn is a volume game when you haven't got a clue

But with a system and some competency, it becomes a tiny number of interactions with the right people

Easy choice (in my opinion):
Spend 80% of the day mucking around on LinkedIn 
or
Spend 80% of the day with customers

Which one did you start your business to do?

--
🚀Moving people from "😭please! No more coaching about reach" to "cool! Now I know how to convert the small amount of traffic I DO get" is what my Accelerator is all about. 
5 years. 246+ members. $Millions in deals. 
DM "I've got to change" and I'll share how they do it

#RichTips

Image of a DM conversation between Richard Moore and one of his LinkedIn Client Accelerator members.

You're meant to be the expert
So why do you do this 1 thing when closing?

I've sold using my Doctor Method™ for 7 years
And one crucial component comes at the end

If you don't do this, you throw away all the magic your
- Content
- Brand
- DMs
worked to create

Don't throw it away with this simple mistake

--
PS I'm right.
PPS good luck commenting on this one, AI ;)

📌Join me at 2pm UK / 9am ET today for a live AMA here on LinkedIn

And, for more reading on my Doctor Method™, check out my December 12 Art of Sell newsletter on my profile here → Richard Moore
And consider joining the almost 18,000 subscribers to the weekly newsletter

#RichTips

I just learnt founders waste $50k-$100k in year 1
That’s huge. But why?

Because the wrong tools or reworking is needed by early-stage teams

These are invisible costs
And they compound faster than burn rate.

Of course most of that loss doesn’t show up on a P&L, I’ve discovered, too.

Instead, it shows up as delays, rebuilds, context switching and fragmented decision-making.

These infrastructure decisions are strategic though.

And that’s why I partnered with Notion to launch the AI Founder’s Kit
↳ A practical and no-cost stack
↳ Designed to help founders
↳ It moves them from idea to execution and fundraising with far less friction.

What’s included:
- 1 year of Framer to design and ship your product experience
- $60 in v0 by Vercel to accelerate front-end development
- $300 in Supabase to stand up a scalable backend
- Up to 6 months of Notion Business with AI to run your ops and knowledge layer

But here is my favourite part

Beyond these tools, there is:
- A vetted list of 2,000+ early-stage investors, incubators, and accelerators
- 50 real pitch decks from YC, a16z and Sequoia-backed companies
- Tactical guidance on pitching, storytelling and fundraising from operators
- No hypey SaaS that doesn’t really do anything
- And no noise for your team

The stack helps serious founders reduce waste and execute

And that gives me (and I’m sure you, too) confidence!

If this would be useful for you or your team, comment NOTION and I’ll send you access

--
💕Thanks to the Notion team for partnering with Art of Sell

#RichTips #ad

Richard Moore speaking at an event in London

Most sales training = learn persuasion 
But that misses the point

The real job is transferring risk
Here’s why:

Every buyer will silently ask one question:
“What happens to me if this goes wrong?”

Not:
↳ “Is this good?”
↳ “Is this clever?”
↳ “Is this impressive?”

More:
↳ “Will this make me look less capable?”
↳ “Will this affect my reputation?”
↳ “Will I have to explain it to my boss?”

That’s why ROI slidedecks won’t close your deals
It’s why features don’t move people
And why “trust” isn’t built by being friendly

Trust is built when you show someone you understand the consequences they’re living with.

Again: you show them you understand

Here’s how to actually close:

1. Understand pain before you show upside
ROI only matters once risk is understood
Until then, you’re just waving numbers 
So get context in the conversation first

2. Share stories to help the buyer see themselves
Not case studies with only numbers 
But narratives where they think
“Okay, that’s literally me”

3. Handle their objections as fear, not logic
“I’ll think about it” means
I’m not feeling ready at all 

4. Do the close by making inaction feel heavier than action
No pressure. Ever!
Instead, bring clarity to what happens if nothing changes

If you’re using pressure, you’re doing it wrong.
More, you need to show them standing still is uncomfortable

When have you felt most comfortable buying?

--
PS I've put together 4 x videos showing how I close on the first call
Click the 1st featured link on my profile to watch them for free

No AI comments, please.

#RichTips

Richard Moore giving the keynote speech at Greenhouse Jersey, 2024

Discussion: You're Thinking Too Small. Go BIG in 2026

You set your goals for 2026, right?
But were they at the right level?

Join Jodie Cook and Richard Moore for the first of the new, weekly Art of Sell Livestreams

This week's discussion: You're Thinking Too Small. Go BIG in 2026

Discussion...
Rants too? 
Our perspectives
The views of others
And even your questions

It's 60 minutes of dialogue, exploring where new years goals go right (and wrong) with our 2c and advice added in

Jodie Cook has experience setting goals from competing in UK powerlifting to building her social media and SaaS businesses, working with the likes of Daniel Priestley along the way

Richard Moore has experience setting goals from competing in European and UK taekwondo to a corporate sales career, then his own business, revolving around sales. He's worked with Deloitte, Sony, Microsoft and LinkedIn

Come armed with your questions and views! 
See you Friday🚀

I train founders in the psychology of high-trust deal-making and sales | Creator, Art of Sell | 2× LinkedIn Top Voice

Radiana Miteva, Dmitry Pavlotsky and 56 other attendees

Discussion: You're Thinking Too Small. Go BIG in 2026

Here's how my team and I closed £millions.
(it even worked on cold calls)

In my corporate days, my world was cold outreach.
By phone, by email, in person.

And my teams and I closed millions without:
- The best product on the market
- Building a personal brand
- Referrals from buyers

You see, most people use one thing to reach out

Relevance.

Here's their logic:
↳ "I do X. You can buy X. Therefore, listen to me"

And of course it doesn't work. 

Just check your junk mail for proof!

But when you add leverage to relevance, things change

What's leverage? 

It's a reason to pay attention:
↳ "You work with X. We work with X too. Let's talk"

People like that you're already trusted.
And even more if you're trusted by their friend.

Now, you have the right kind of attention;
You have trust.

And when you're a nobody, trust is the currency you need. 

--
📌We've got speakers from Microsoft, Apple and Nike, 
All coming up in Art of Sell.
So, who are you learning from?
When I built AoS I wanted speakers good enough that I needed to take notes. 
Because if you're not learning from best in class, it's a serious waste of valuable time
More on the website link at the top of this post☝️

#RichTips

Until you learn to spot and fix this conversion gap:

Consistent client acquisition will remain a pipe dream.

The gap isn't between content volume and deals closed.

Right... Where is it?

It's between the psychological state you're creating and the state required for someone to buy.

I've watched this across 7 years on LinkedIn.

Founders create content that generates agreement and then struggle to turn attention into action.

Because agreement and certainty are not the same thing.

↳ Agreement is "this makes sense"
↳ Certainty is "this person can guide me"

You're optimising for the first. 
But buyers really need the second.

You write content that resonates.
It gets likes.
But your calendar will stay empty.
 
A recent client had a stack of likes but zero calls booked. 
Her content was designed to be read and shared, not to position her as the person you hire.

2 weeks after fixing her positioning, she booked 4 qualified calls.

What changed?
She stopped educating everyone and started demonstrating judgment for the people who needed her.

That’s where the conversion gap closes.

When you shift from creating agreement to creating certainty.

How?

↳ Start speaking to buyer decision-making states rather than writing to impress peers
↳ Start demonstrating judgment of their context rather than demonstrating expertise

As a result, you'll have more of the right people seeing you in the right way, compelled to engage.

Likes measure resonance.
Conversations measure certainty.

Which one are you creating?

--
📌We've got speakers from Microsoft and Nike,  
All coming up in Art of Sell.
So, who are you learning from?
When I built AoS I wanted speakers good enough that I needed to take notes. 
Because if you're not learning from best in class, it's a serious waste of valuable time
More on my featured links here: → Richard Moore

#RichTips

Richard Moore sitting in an aeroplane ready to taxi out for a flying lesson

AI is affecting the workplace 
But how about sales?

LinkedIn News this week shared the recent International Monetary Fund chief's views on how new skills and AI are shaping work.

So I wanted to share my commentary as it relates to sales roles. 

This is, at best, a primer for a far deeper discussion.
So I really welcome your views on the points made.

There's a lot of literature and research already in this space, I found. So do check out the footnotes I've shared. 

And as always, thank you to the almost 18,000 subscribers of the Art of Sell newsletter. These articles give me great pleasure to research and put together each week. 

Thank you for reading!

Richard

--
PS You can upskill your sales calls immediately with my free mini-course. 
Use the "visit my website" link at the top of my profile to access it.

#RichTips #ai #jobs

I’ve read a recent article from the International Monetary Fund [1] which zeroes in on something notable: as AI integrates rapidly with the workplace,

Open article: Sales is Changing What it Rewards: Three Capabilities that Now Win Deals by Richard Moore • 5 min read

Sales is Changing What it Rewards: Three Capabilities that Now Win Deals

In 2025 alone, social selling evolved a huge amount 
And the sophistication buyers need from you is far deeper now.

Here's my view on what I'm calling the end of the "content gold rush" 

I'm also sharing five key elements for social selling as a credible sales strategy in 2026.

As always, thank you to the c.18,000 of you that have subscribed to the Art of Sell newsletter. 

It's really one of my weekly highlights to research, geek out, deep think and write these for you. 

Do consider reading previous editions if you find them valuable. 
You can also subscribe, save to read later or share these with your network. 

For those that read this, what is your take? Always keen on dialogue with readers!

--
PS: Check out the link at the bottom of the article for a free gift
PPS: No AI comments please.

#RichTips

For years, the north star for social selling was a simple one to follow: post regularly, optimise your profile, add connections and the algorithm woul

Open article: The End of “Just Post More”: Social Selling after the Content Gold Rush by Richard Moore • 6 min read

The End of “Just Post More”: Social Selling after the Content Gold Rush

The day I almost quit attending workshops...

There I was, in 2016. I had my ticket bought and was ready to go deep in a workshop on buyer psychology.

I'd been sold the outcome of "walk away with a clear plan for why your own buyers will buy you"

What did I come out with?

↳ Two hours of nice chats
↳ Minimal discussion
↳ All high level lecturing from the host

Not good enough. 

That's why I'm very discerning about events I attend now.

You should be too. 

And that's why, when I run practical events, I do my best to give:
↳ Interaction time
↳ Ideation built into sessions
↳ Space for attendees to create

So I'm thrilled that Aarti Parmar & Sara Marshall see things the same way I do. 

We've curated a 3-part strategic immersion.
This. Is. Not. A. Workshop, people!

Welcome to Positioned to Convert.

12 people, in person, in London. March 12th.

Nice chats about marketing feels warm and fuzzy. 
But your business needs you to do better things with your time.

We'll go deep on understanding your buyers, how you'll strategise your interaction with them and the processes needed to convert them. 

For your branding:
Aarti Parmar is an award winning strategist, featured in Marie Claire, Forbes and working with Enterprise Nation

For your strategy:
Sara Marshall ex-SVP Global Marketing for Universal Pictures and Global Brand Strategy Director for Barclays

For your sales & conversion:
Richard Moore 3 x LinkedIn Top Voice in sales and conversion, 5 x LinkedIn Learning instructor. Clients include Microsoft, Deloitte and J.P. Morgan. £millions in converted sales for himself and his customers

We're keeping this intimate with 12 people so you get our fullest attention. 

You'll gain clarity for your specific business case
Not just learn about processes

So, expect to be challenged, tested and driven. 

Because this is what developing yourself should look like. 

Send me a DM if you want to apply to attend.

And consider this: do you invest in nice chats or genuine development?

--
PS Can't make it? Tag someone who might benefit. 

#PositionedToConvert #RichTips

Promotion of "Positioned to Convert" event covering branding, marketing and conversion techniques

taplio

The Battle

Sonal Bhaskaran

Richard Moore

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Performance ScoreSonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRichard Moore's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Sonal Bhaskaran

Richard Moore

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRichard Moore's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance