The “long dollar” is the most valuable prize coveted by sales; it’s a dollar that keeps on giving to the sales person and to the organization. The long dollar represents repeated customer spending over many months and years as opposed to the short dollar which is spent only a few times and typically is short ... Read More

When it comes to building a business, there is a huge difference between being an expert and being an entrepreneur. Experts come up with great ideas, products, and solutions, and that’s fantastic, but entrepreneur know how to make a sale, and without sales, you have no business. As an expert, this has been a painful, ... Read More

Twenty six page corners turned over! Without checking, that might be an all-time high, for my frequent readers you know that is how I judge the quality of the book I am reading—(how many page corners I turn over while reading any new book). Keeping it simple: if you want to “up your sales game”, ... Read More

So you are now well into Q3, Q4 is looming around the corner, and perhaps you are well behind where you need to be revenue-wise. Perhaps you have lost some big opportunities and you are feeling pretty defeated. If this sounds like you then consider a lesson from 1776. In the winter of that year ... Read More

Sales trainers, you must keep one very important thing in mind—customers don’t attend your training, only salespeople attend. This seems like an obvious statement, but many sales trainers don’t act as if they understand this. It means all sales trainers are faced with a significant limitation. They can only influence what salespeople are going to ... Read More

A friend of mine recently send me a link to an unbelievable YouTube video of a duet between world-renowned virtuoso cellist Tina Guo and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. It’s a performance of Bonamassa’s song “Woke Up Dreaming” and it will knock your socks off. When I watched it, I immediately thought of how that level ... Read More

Sales Coaching = Success Coaching Successful Sales Managers understand that sales and sales training is a process, not an event and they support their people on that journey. Too many times, sales managers get excited about a sales training event, hoping that it will be the magic bullet to help their salespeople meet their goals. ... Read More

Do you train salespeople just to sell better? If you answer yes, you are taking a very shortsighted view of the role of sales. Yes, sales should be proficient at practicing the detailed “movements” of the sales function, but it must be done with purpose. Sales training is a strategic issue; it should always be ... Read More

You’ll listen better and be listened to if you practice these TIPS from Tony: Let others tell their own stories first. By letting them speak first, you save time. When their interests are revealed you can tailor your discussion to their particular needs, goals, and objectives stop wasting time volleying of sentences that takes much ... Read More

Having recently become single, I of course get excited when someone asks me out to dinner, especially using the magic words, “I’m treating!” “Now, this is promising. Looks like someone really likes me!” Alas, however, my enthusiasm becomes dampened with these additional words: “I’m treating because I want to pick your brain.” Don’t get me ... Read More

Sales is the department that drives all the other departments. Without revenue, there is nothing to ship, install or invoice. So why is it that this important department is often the last one to be systematized? Can you imagine your accounting department not having systems for paying employees, vendors and the government? Or, how about ... Read More

1. PRODUCT AND SALES TRAINING ARE ONE In interviewing buyers, one of the biggest complaints we hear about is the “walking product brochure.” Reps that aren’t customer issues oriented and are hyper focused on product are dead in their tracks. Customers can gain product knowledge in a myriad of ways. It’s the responsibility of the ... Read More