The very first book that I ever read on sales was How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. It was the mid 70's and I had been selling for a decade, but was just starting to think of myself as a salesman. Frank Bettger wasn't a scientist, but he shared stories that made sense and I still use some of the lessons today.

This article was originally published 2 years ago about the #1 killer of salespeople. I'm republishing it in the hope that salespeople and management will get on the same page before I die.

Yesterday, I was debriefing a call with a rep. He told me that he did his rapport thing and proceeded to set his "Up Front Contract". He asked, "Are we still good for 30 minutes?" Then he started, "I'll have a lot of questions and I'm sure that you'll have a lot of questions..." I interrupted him and asked if he thought any of his prospects saw his attempts to use the Sandler System? When he said, "Yes.", I asked do they like it? He said, "Not usually."

As you may know, I've been spending more time with sales managers lately than with reps. Today as I was enjoying MLK Day, I found myself thinking about how stuck many sales managers are and how they got there.

Yes, there's a technique. Yes, there's a process, but it's a lot about mindset and if you get the right balance, it works every time. To start ...

I was in Montana last week. So, my year started Wednesday 1/9.

I've been selling for a few years. I've been using the OMG sales evaluation for over a decade. Yesterday, a conversation hit me like a sledge hammer to the forehead. I hope you enjoy the story and the lesson.

I've heard Don Battis say, "Rick and I are both retired, but neither of us is very good at it." It's true, but I think I'm getting better at it. He's had 4 gigs since he retired. I've only had one. However...

Will you be training your salespeople in November and December? Are you crazy? They're already short months and you're gonna take them away from doing the stuff that will help them hit quota? I wrote about this yesterday. With your permission, I'd like to focus on what you should do for the rest of the year.