Sales Articles & Insights

Discovery is the heart and soul of sales. Without strong discovery, you’ll never truly understand your prospect. You won’t know what they care about, what’s standing in their way, or how to help them move forward.  I often explain discovery using the analogy of a puzzle. Every answer gives you another piece of the puzzle.…

Most salespeople think the demo is their moment to shine. They think a Demo Call is show and tell. It’s not. It’s your prospect’s moment to see themselves in your product and your job is to make that happen. If you focus on the prospect, the demo almost takes care of itself. If you focus…

Cold calling works. But most salespeople are doing it wrong. When done well, cold calls create conversations that cold email and LinkedIn messages never could. When done poorly, it leads to the belief that ‘cold calling is dead’. These 10 tips will change how you think about cold calling, not just how you execute it.…

The DISC personality types model is one of the best tools for understanding yourself, your colleagues, and your prospects. Most people lean into one of the four core styles: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), or Conscientiousness (C). A lot of people show a blend of two, like a D with secondary I traits (a…

As an Entry Level Candidate You need a job, and you need it fast. You’ve tried mass applying. A few automated rejections, mostly silence. Meanwhile, you’re watching people with “sales experience” land interviews while you’re stuck wondering how anyone gets their first sales job if everyone wants experience. I get it. Three months ago, I…

What is Negative Reverse Selling? Negative reverse selling is a sales technique that reduces buyer resistance by doing the opposite of traditional pitching. Instead of pushing for a “yes”, you pull back using strategic language and questions that lead prospects to persuade themselves. Most salespeople chase or apply more pressure when they hear “no” or…

Ask for What You Want In sales, you must ask for what you want, directly, assumptively, and assertively. You must take the lead. You can’t expect, or wait for, your prospect to do it. You must ask the tough questions. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. Asking questions is how you get what you…

An Upfront Contract is an agreement between a salesperson and a prospect. They help salespeople avoid ‘mutual mystification’ and maintain control throughout the sales process.

What is Emotional Selling? People don’t buy with logic. They buy with emotion and then justify it later with logic. That’s the core of emotional selling. It’s the ability to tap into a prospect’s feeling state instead of triggering their thinking state. Because the more someone thinks, the more likely they are to pause, question,…

What is a Sales Breakup Email? A Breakup Email is a powerful tool to use when a prospect has been non-responsive after several contact attempts. It’s designed to break the silence and prompt a definitive response. Why Use a Breakup Email? The primary goal of a Breakup Email is to secure a clear “Yes” or…

In sales, people don’t buy from companies. They buy from people they trust. That trust starts with rapport. What is Rapport? Rapport is to be in connection with someone. It’s when that person thinks, “This person gets me.” That connection is the foundation of every successful sales relationship. It’s how we access people’s emotional state.…

What is Mutual Mystification? Mutual mystification occurs when a salesperson and a prospect are misaligned due to differing expectations that they have not clarified or addressed. The result is that neither the salesperson nor the prospect has a clear understanding of what’s happening next in the sales process. But then the prospect ghosted you? Or…

Reciprocity: More Sales, Shorter Sales Cycles You and your prospect need to have a reciprocal relationship. Many salespeople struggle with this. They have one-sided relationships with their prospects. The salesperson gives, gives, gives and asks for nothing in return. They hope that their giving will eventually result in receiving a signed contract. It usually won’t. And if…

To create urgency in sales, understand and leverage the Four Urgency Motivators: price, compelling events, pain alleviation, and excitement. When facing resistance, identify hidden blockers that prevent prospects from moving forward. If no motivators resonate, recognize when it’s time to walk away from unresponsive prospects.

The Status Quo Bias Salespeople talk a lot about losing to the status quo. We think about, and try, lots of different tactics to move our prospects away from it. Many of us have learned to do this by dialing up the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) or digging for pain. We think that if we can show that…

Prospect Engagement Prospect Engagement refers to the depth, quality, and frequency of interactions between a salesperson and a prospect during the sales process. This is important because high levels of prospect engagement indicate a greater likelihood of closing the sale. High prospect engagement reflects their sincere interest and commitment to buying. This is why the…