By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training

​You may have heard the old saying that 90 percent of success happens between the ears. That’s easy enough to say.

​But what does putting this principle into practice really mean? What does it look like when it shows up, in a discussion with a prospective buyer, as part of who we really are?

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
The salesperson who claims to “like” prospecting hasn’t ever done it. How can anyone “like” a process that produces such an arena for rejection? When salespeople say they like prospecting, what they might mean is this: “I don’t mind paying the price of prospecting to reach my objectives.”  Many salespeople haven’t reached that stage. If you’re still at the stage where prospecting means dialing a number and hoping the line is busy… don’t worry. You’re okay. You just haven’t learned to focus on the end result. 

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever noticed that some people jump to quick conclusions, don’t like to get bogged down with details, and like to take the 30,000-foot view of issues?  Or that others prioritize making and keeping friends?  Or that still others just don’t like change and conflict, and want to avoid making decisions?  If you’ve ever noticed people who fit those descriptions, then you’re in a good position to expand your repertoire of selling languages!

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever volunteered a price reduction before someone asked for it?  Have you ever felt less than okay about yourself because somebody didn’t decide to buy from you? 

​If you answered “Yes,” you should be aware that you let your buyer into your personal headspace, where the buyer didn’t belong. ​You chose to become emotionally involved in the sales process. And you know what? That usually doesn’t end well.

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Have you ever sat in front of a prospect and thought you should say something – but didn’t?  If you’re like most of us, the answer to that question was “Yes.” You cut that thought short and chose not to put it into words. You recognized that you weren't confident enough to say what you wanted to say, because you thought it might jeopardize the sale. In that instant, your gut was talking to you and telling you about something important that needed to be communicated. A little voice inside you was telling you, “Say it, say it!” The problem was you didn’t know how to communicate what you wanted to say without.

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Many of us in sales use the presentation phase for educating the buyer about what we do and what we offer. Does that really make sense strategically? We may be tempted to use the presentation as an opportunity to talk about everything we’ve done in our career. Everything our awesome product or service does, has done, or might do in the future. Everything our happy clients and customers have said about us. Here’s a question: How do you feel when you’re on the receiving end of a presentation like that?  Of course, you tune out. We all do. So what we tell our clients is simple: Don’t do it.

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
The powerful learning model David Sandler called the Success Triangle is a proven formula for sales success – and a proven formula for every other kind of success.

​Sales leaders, and all leaders, can benefit from learning about it and implementing it with their teams. You have probably heard about the Success Triangle. So, what is it?

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
​​How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, when a prospect tells you “Let me think it over?”  If you answered anything other than a 1, there could be a problem. You may want to consider implementing a classic Sandler selling rule: “A decision not to make a decision is a decision.”  Think about it. If we’re completely okay with a prospect telling us, “I need to think this over,” or “You’re close, but we need some time to evaluate,” or “We’ll let you know” – what does that really say about us as sales professionals?

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
It’s time for a 21st-century reality check: We all live (and sell) in a ridiculously fast-paced environment. We all have more platforms, more information, more commitments, more conversations, and more priorities to address than we can comfortably handle. That’s kind of our defining trait these days: data overload and compressed timelines. As a result, we are sometimes spread too thin, which means we are prone to miss things, perhaps important things, that are going on in someone else’s world. 

by Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
We have all been in situations where we are on a sales call, and we get the sense that the other person has checked out of the discussion for some reason. Maybe there is an uncomfortably long silence on the phone. Maybe we can see the other person looking disengaged, making faces, getting distracted, or checking their phone.

The question is, what do we do then?

by Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
When you know you’ve lost the business, what do you usually do?
 
We have all been in that position. We thought we had something. The deal fell through. We know it’s over. The buyer made a decision. We have to say something. The question is, what? There should be a go-to move in this situation, something we do consistently, as part of a process. So: Does that go-to move exist? 

by Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
Carlos was in a great mood. Forty minutes in, the meeting with his top prospect’s senior staff was going great. He was getting nothing but engagement, smiles, and positive body language from everyone around the table, including the CEO of the company. He knew what that meant. He was about to close his first big deal! The timing couldn’t have been better. Because this was a potentially major account, Carlos’ manager Charlene was in attendance. Today, she would get to see him work his magic first hand. 

By Cal Thomas, Sandler Training
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Believe it or not, your parents were wrong. Money actually does grow on trees. That's one of the essential Sandler Selling Rules.  

​Skeptical? Don't be. Just be willing to ask yourself: what kind of tree? And the answer is: a referral tree.