"Harry, you’re the best salesperson I ever knew," Mitch resumed. "You were my mentor and my role model. The most important things I ever learned about selling, I learned from you. You helped me become successful. And you’re still at the top of your game. I did some checking, and I know you're a ...

“I suspect there are other buyers and influencers hiding in the weeds, maybe including the real decision maker. Instead of presenting a final proposal to John, I probably should be conducting a needs analysis with some other players. But I’m not even sure where to look for them. If they had titl...

How many of the employees on your payroll understand that their real job is to generate loyalty from your customers? I think such an understanding should be deep and clear, not only among your salespeople but in every single employee who comes into contact with your customers....

I felt as if, for nine years, I’d been chipping away at a giant log with a dull little toy hatchet. One day somebody walks up and says, ‘Oh, are you trying to cut through that log? Here.’ And he hands me a chain saw....

Congratulations! Your sales force just made a sale. You’ve gained a new customer. Now, what happens when that customer begins to interact with the rest of your organization? What happens when the customer comes into contact with functions like technical support or customer service?...

Matt and Joe walked off the plane and into Concourse B at Denver International Airport. An arrivals-and-departures screen informed them that Joe’s connecting flight to Chicago would leave shortly from a gate just a few steps away....

Every business leader wants a productive, efficient, and effective sales organization—one that consistently hits quota. So why do recent studies suggest that two-thirds of sales reps fail to hit quota?...

Matt glanced out the window at the mountainous terrain passing slowly below. The plane’s scheduled arrival in Denver was half an hour away. Quick flight, he thought. Or maybe it just seems that way because I’ve learned more about selling on this plane than I did in nine years on the job....

“I’ve sold myself, and I’ve sold my company,” Matt said. “Iverson ought to be ready to consider his third buying decision. So now I open Act 6 and sell my product, right?”...

Assuming I did everything right in Acts 2, 3, and 4, Iverson has made the first of his five major buying decisions: He has bought me. So now we move on to Act 5: I sell my company...