The Myth of the “Natural” Salesperson

“…I have to work hard to nurture whatever talent I have as an actor. I feel like it’s not natural to me. So I don’t take it for granted ….” — David Duchovny

As a rookie seller in the eighties, I would spend hours preparing to make cold calls, only to quickly hang up when [...]

5 Steps for Successful Role Playing

Role-playing:  love it or hate it, it’s a part of sales, a part of acting, and a part of life! Results-Oriented Role-Playing turns this dreaded practice into a successful tool that produces results – as opposed to just an exercise to please your sales manager.  Take a look at the following examples of Results-oriented Role-playing [...]

75 Powerful New Sales Actions

In sales as in life, we tend to choose the same habitual actions or reactions – even when they have failed to work for us in the past! This particular form of insanity can keep us stuck indefinitely. Here are a few steps to get you out of that rut, along with a [...]

How to Keep Motivated when Sales Get Tough

A director tells an actor to walk across a stage, pick up a glass and say his line.
Actor: “What’s my motivation?”
Director: “Your paycheck.”

Sound familiar? Unfortunately, as salespeople, there may be more truth to this than we care to admit. And why not? Sales can be a lucrative career. Compare that to [...]

7 Rules of Improv for Sellers (Part II)

Best laid plans can go right out the window any time another person is involved! This is as true in sales as it is in other areas of our life. Improv training provides some great sales tips for dealing with anything we hadn’t planned for — whether it’s an unexpected objection or an impromptu elevator [...]