NOTHING GOODEVER HAPPENS WHEN...DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONYou take your cell phone into an appointment and it rings. And, then you answer it!Simply turn it off or leave it in the vehicle.You decide to change your out-going voice-mail message daily but forget for a week or so!Change it daily and religiously.You have a plan for a [...]

THE 10 COUNTER COMMANDMENTSDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONIn most companies, Outside Sales is usually the “glamour” job. Frequently, the Outside Sellers know that and some act accordingly – every Sales staff has its diva/prima-donna. This Morsel is not about them.This is about the unsung heroes of most sales operations, the Inside/Counter Sellers or Service Representatives. These [...]

THE PROCESSIONALA “SALES-MAP”FOR EVERYONEDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONI believe that Sales is linear and sequential, a process that anyone can learn. By using the same methodology each time, the Sales process becomes much easier and repeatable. This is counter to many Sales Trainers who tell us do things based on what they consider to be a [...]

4 WAYS TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM.OR, HOW ABOUT THROWING ME A FRICKIN’ BONE?!DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONBefore you get there, how do you earn the opportunity to be there? The best Seller in the world has to be invited in at some point.There are four (4) ways to get the opportunity to perform:1. THE [...]

LOWER THOSE EXPECTATIONSDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONAsk a room of Sellers what their expectations are when they make cold-calls. How many of those calls do Sellers expect to “close” at some point? More than half will respond with “most” or “all.” I find this expectation wacky.How can the mere fact that we show up at an [...]

PRACTICE?IT’S JUST PRACTICE!DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONAlan Iverson protested loudly and incredulously about the need to practice. He was dumbfounded that his coaches expected, actually required, that he work hard during practice. Iverson was probably one of the greatest point guards to have ever played (although he does not own a Championship ring) in the NBA. [...]

WHERE IS YOUR EMPHASIS?ASKING FOR THE ORDERDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONThere’s a movie with Mike Myers and Gwyneth Paltrow called “View From the Top.” It’s a light comedy and certainly worth renting. Mr. Myers plays an instructor in flight attendant school who, as usual, is a bit off-the-wall. For some weird reason he uses the phrase [...]

GETTING THE MOSTOUT OF SALES TRAINING DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONAs we all know, Sales Training needs to be supported and leveraged to yield the results we want. We also know that for this type of Training to be effective, our Sellers’ activities are going to have to change – and therein lies the rub. It [...]

TELLER OR ASKER?DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONWhich are you?I’ve begun asking Sellers whether they are “tellers” or “askers.”  The almost-immediate answer is, “I’m an asker.” Sometimes, though,  reality and perception are very far apart. After much discussion and a little video-tape role-play, the realization creeps in that most Salespeople do more telling than asking.Of course, Sellers [...]

WHAT DOES “VALUE” MEAN?AND, WHO DECIDES?DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONIt’s said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What about as it pertains to sales? Who determines value? The Buyer or the Seller?Nothing initiates a more heated discussion in SLH Training sessions than this question. Folks stake positions and use all their powers of [...]