SOMETIME’S IT’S ON USJIM OLSONEDITED BYDAVID RUBINSTEINA good friend of mine shared this story with me the other day. He was playing golf at one of the nicest country clubs in town. He had the round of his life going – two under at the turn.  On the 10th hole, he hit his drive in [...]

QUESTIONS WE RARELY ASK, BUT PROBABLY SHOULDDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONHow many times have you left a sales call and said to yourself “why didn’t I ask that when I was in there?” Or, after a meeting de-brief, kick yourself for the same reason?Consider the following as part of your “New Year’s Sales Resolutions.”Many Sellers make [...]

TEMPLATESDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONA “Template” is a repeatable pattern. In Selling, Templates enable us to “leverage language,” making the sales process easier. It makes sense to get to the point as quickly and powerfully as possible. I have no idea why Templates exist but they do and they make our job easier.There’s a point in [...]

THE“SALES SEQUENCE”DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONThere has to be order in Sales. Name a profession where this isn’t true. Changing the oil in the car. Going to the dentist. In Apollo 13 when Tom Hanks keeps asking Ed Harris, “what’s the protocol?”Too often Sellers tell me that they show up and the rest happens naturally – [...]

LISTEN WELL AND “FOLLOW THE BUYER”DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONEvery Sales Trainer talks about the need to develop listening skills. Many tips are given to accomplish this – focus on the speaker’s lips, repeat what’s being heard, take notes while conversing, etc.I’ve found that improving listening skills goes hand-in-hand with asking the right questions. We talked [...]

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ASALES MANAGERDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONBeing a Sales Manager is tough stuff.  Sellers often view bosses as obstacles to their efforts. A Sales Manager’s job is reminiscent of a parent – trying to maintain control while yielding little bits of empowerment without necessarily providing justification. A good Manager can provide guidance, [...]

LUCKY BUM!DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONLuck can be defined as things that can’t be controlled.  Sometimes, the results are good – known as good luck. Sometimes bad – that’s right, it’s called bad luck. Either way, luck can play a major role in our sales results.When was the last time the phone rang and the caller [...]

NO HARM, NO FOUL!DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONHow many of you are tired of non-responsive prospects? We call and leave messages – nothing. Sometimes, we’ll connect and be told to call back in “a couple of days.” More nothing. It’s incredibly unprofessional and unnecessary. Just let me know you’re not interested and I’ll move on – [...]

DON’T DO ITQUESTIONS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE ASKEDDAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONNever leave a birdie putt short. Never leave a runner on third with less than 2 outs. Never lead with your chin.I believe that most Sales questions are good questions and only a limited number of questions should never be asked. Here are my absolute [...]

DEALING WITH OBJECTIONSPART 4DEAL WITH IT!DAVID RUBINSTEINEDITED BYJIM OLSONOkay, we screwed up – maybe – and it’s now time to “deal with it!” First, take a step back just to make certain of what happened and to confirm that we’re at fault. Begin with...·        “What happened?”And, you did it – or at least someone in [...]