Think about the people you work with who buy from you. Now, think for a moment about those who could but don’t. Do they mainly care about the feature...

Salespeople often get a bad rap. There are many jokes about salespeople, but by far, this one could be the most hurtful: How can you tell when a sal...

The next time you hear an objection from a customer or prospect, ask about it and don't defend it.An objection is any concern of a prospect or c...

Want to be a better listener? Don’t interrupt! Mix up the letters of the word listen, and you end up with the word silent. That can’t be a coincidenc...

Often, when I travel, attend a business conference, or attend some other function, I am asked what I do for a living. When I tell people I work with ...

There are numerous studies regarding the importance of curiosity. These studies reinforce that the more curious a child is, the more they learn. If y...

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us here in the United States, so we are quickly working our way through November and coming to th...

Would you rather ride a bike uphill or downhill? Probably most of us would prefer riding a bike downhill. It requires a lot less work! But in most ins...

Why do so many salespeople fear prospecting? What is so scary about prospecting? If you find a new account to call or stop in and see, what is the wo...

We all have had people you click with from the start. We decide immediately whether this is someone we want to get to know or not. When we sense a co...

What traits make a superior salesperson? We often ask this question of salespeople and managers and hear many of the following adjectives:OutgoingDriv...

What do you think about this remark? Are you guilty of any of these below? It may be time you do something different.Treating everyone the same - do y...

Things you do for yourself that enhance your life:ExerciseEat a healthy dietLive within your meansGet plenty of sleepForecast Wait, what? Forecast? H...

Here are some riddles that apply to all of us:My value is more significant than you think, but if you lose me, I'm gone forever.I am easy to was...

For most salespeople, the longer they sell, the better they get. However, there is one area where experience and longevity can work against us. Those ...

Most salespeople focus on what their products and services are. Successful salespeople focus on what their products and services do, which encourages...

Many people desire to be in positions of leadership. However, they may not understand the concept of servant leadership. The most effective leaders d...

People want things fast. We pay extra to get in a shorter line or have something shipped to us quicker. What if you could accelerate the sales process...

You may remember The Ramones, an American punk rock band from New York popular in the 1970s. They released many songs back in the day, but their advic...

Most salespeople are good at asking questions to send a quote or what their manager may ask during a pipeline call. Successful salespeople dig deeper....

What would your prospects and customers say about your listening skills? What about your co-workers? What about your family? Listening is more than m...

While speaking with a client the other day, I mentioned that Sales Concepts has provided sales and customer service training for over forty years. Af...

Who are you most comfortable calling on within your accounts? Often salespeople are most comfortable working with the people in their accounts who ar...

Customers value different aspects of companies, products, and services. No single item universally establishes value in the minds of customers and pr...

Research shows prospecting is the most challenging activity for salespeople. Why? Salespeople shared the following reasons with us:It just doesn’t wo...

Do you find yourself having to discount to win business? What would discounting 2% less mean to your business? Relatively speaking, that might not sou...

In the song Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce sings, “But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.”Is he cor...

Do prospects or customers care whether they work with a well-trained salesperson? For example, if a prospect meets with your salesperson who has rece...

The following is a message from the president and founder of Sales Concepts, Don Sharp.After working in sales and sales management for over 45 years, ...

A quick game of semantics: Is it possible for you as a manager to motivate your people or keep from demotivating them? We often feel as though it is ...

Have you ever heard the country song by Toby Keith, I Wanna Talk About Me?Have you ever been on a date and listened while the other person talked abou...

Salespeople and managers must master the ability to deal with customer objections confidently. Merriam-Webster’s definition of the word objection is ...

Have you ever asked a child what they want to be when they grow up and heard them say, I want to be a salesperson? Probably not! If you ask a current ...

"My people know how to sell. They just don't close." Unfortunately, we hear these words from sales managers we speak with more frequent...

Assumption: Something accepted as true, without proof.“Without proof” powerful words.All salespeople make assumptions, but what separates the most su...

Successful salespeople know that all of the different buying influences in a company determine whether a purchase will move forward, stall, or go to a...

One of the first things lawyers learn is to never ask a question during a trial to which they do not know the answer. Well, it's the opposite fo...

The other day a coworker was talking about his lunch. He is counting calories and successfully losing weight. He complained about how you could not e...

Are you a good listener? According to the International Listening Association, most think we are, but we are not. The average listening efficiency is...

We hope not! But you probably wouldn’t fish with a strawberry either, would you?The following is a poignant message from one of our training consultan...

I recently saw a couple get engaged. It was an exciting moment. One the couple will remember forever. It looked easy from my perspective. He asked. Sh...

One of every salesperson's most important responsibilities is to keep the top of their respective sales funnels full of potential opportunities. ...

One of my clients shocked me the other day when I mentioned our upcoming Leadership course in Chicago this July. He told me his managers are well trai...

As a salesperson, you not only have the right to remain silent, you are often obligated to stay quiet! When selling, anything you say can and will be ...

Fred Rogers is famous for the children’s show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS from 1968 to 2001. His objective was to use television to help children...

Hard to believe that here in the United States Thanksgiving is upon us which means we are quickly working our way through November and 2018! Time for ...

Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and thought, do I really look like that? Maybe you saw a photo of yourself and thought the same...

As sales professionals, we should be curious like a four-year-old. Most times we are not. When we are not curious, we are often dismissed, at least m...