I have a podcast. You might have heard of it. Or listened to it. Our 1000th episode is less than 3 weeks away. My podcast stands out in a crowded space because of the quality of the conversations I have with my guests on the show. The quality of those conversations is derived from my […]

I read a lot of books. If a guest on my podcast, Sales Enablement with Andy Paul, has written a book, then I will read their book in preparation for our conversation. As a result, I read roughly 100 books per year on sales, sales leadership, sales enablement, marketing and related topics. In fact, I’ve […]

Has losing become a habit? We all know how hard it is to change a bad habit. So, let me ask you this: has losing become a habit for you? It’s easy to determine if that’s the case. What’s your win rate? What percent of the qualified opportunities in your pipeline do you win? Let’s […]

Do you understand what it takes to win a sale? Many sellers place a lot of blind faith in their sales process. They think that if they just follow the blueprint they’ve been given, they’ll be safe. Here’s the problem: “Safe” doesn’t win deals. Process doesn’t win deals. People do. There’s never just one factor […]

“If you focus on goals you may hit your goals, but it doesn’t guarantee growth. If you focus on growth, you will grow and you will meet your goals.” I love this quote from John Maxwell (the famous American business author.) For the metrics-obsessed in sales, take note of how Maxwell uses growth in this […]

“Well the buyers were just liars.” Once I was riding Amtrak from NYC to Boston when a cell-phone-toting salesperson sitting in the row of seats behind me uttered this deathless couplet. It was the last day of the sales month and my fellow passenger, who I will call Jon, clearly was attempting to rationalize his […]

Sales is not purely about the numbers. Or your process. It’s about people and their time and attention. Are you so consumed with hitting your activity goals, that you forget about the human beings that are the objects of your sales efforts? By this I mean the buyers and stakeholders that you need to engage […]

Objection is a funny word as it’s applied to sales. The buyer objects to your price? Not really. The buyer has an objection to your product features? Not really. Your buyer doesn’t care enough to object. “I object!” The trouble with using the word “objection” is that it doesn’t accurately portray the buyer’s perspective. Objection […]

How do you build rapport with a prospect? Rapport is a central element of establishing a trusted-based connection with a buyer. Sometimes empathy is used as a synonym for rapport. However, I believe that empathy actually is a necessary prerequisite to rapport building. Whereas empathy is the ability to understand or share the feelings of […]

Complacency is a killer in sales. I came across this piece of art in Rockefeller Center on a morning walk with my wife. It’s Jaume Plensa’s “Behind the Walls,” part of the Frieze Sculpture public art installation. It’s a powerful piece in person. It forces you to stop and think. What are each of us […]

Sellers aren’t robots. Or workers on an assembly line. No matter how much certain sales bosses like to think they are. Peter Drucker was one of the greatest business thinkers. One of the things he is most known for is his theory of autonomy. He believed that knowledge workers, a term he first coined in […]

For better sales results don’t train fast. Learn slowly… I was thinking about the ways most organizations invest in sales training. Which tend to be events. Hire a Keynote speaker for an hour-long talk at your SKO or ASM. Bring in an expert to conduct a half-day training seminar. Retain a trainer to conduct a […]