- If you care more about solving pain than selling products you’ll get fewer objections and close deals faster.
- Relationships matter — but demonstrating value matters more.
- Prospecting isn’t something that you do; it is a part of everything that you are — what you say, how you look, and how you make people feel.
- You have to work your strategy (again and again and again and again) before it starts working.
- Today is always the best time to follow up and follow through.
- The right sales tools can help you scale more, but they won’t help prospects know you care more.
- You’re more likely to fail because you’re not mentally, financially, and physically fit rather than because you don’t have the right sales skills.
Dan Waldschmidt is an international business strategist, speaker, author, and extreme athlete. His consulting firm solves complex marketing and business strategy problems for top companies around the world. Dow Jones calls his Edgy Conversations blog one of the top sales sites on the internet. He is author of Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Outrageous Success.
Good stuff Dan, thanks. I’m curious what you mean by #7, especially financially fit for sales. Would love to read more.
Salespeople are notorious for living hand-to-mouth (paycheck-to-paycheck).
That screws up any chance of long term deal making. Smart sales people save, plan, and save some more. That allows them to invest in their own long term success.
Dan
Good stuff Dan, thanks. I’m curious what you mean by #7, especially financially fit for sales. Would love to read more.
Salespeople are notorious for living hand-to-mouth (paycheck-to-paycheck).
That screws up any chance of long term deal making. Smart sales people save, plan, and save some more. That allows them to invest in their own long term success.
Dan
Good stuff Dan, thanks. I’m curious what you mean by #7, especially financially fit for sales. Would love to read more.
Salespeople are notorious for living hand-to-mouth (paycheck-to-paycheck).
That screws up any chance of long term deal making. Smart sales people save, plan, and save some more. That allows them to invest in their own long term success.
Dan
Good stuff Dan, thanks. I’m curious what you mean by #7, especially financially fit for sales. Would love to read more.
Salespeople are notorious for living hand-to-mouth (paycheck-to-paycheck).
That screws up any chance of long term deal making. Smart sales people save, plan, and save some more. That allows them to invest in their own long term success.
Dan
Secret to sales success in 7 sentences? Not really – this is just a couple points of common-sense, blended with empty generalizations.
#7 is a good example of empty-speak: “You’re more likely to fail because you’re not mentally, financially, and physically fit rather than because you don’t have the right sales skills.” I’ve watched MORE salespeople fail because they could not sell — regardless of mental, financial or physical factors. Some should just be honest with themselves .. if your sales skills are bad, learn better ones, don’t rely on anything that claims to have “The Secrets,” like the unrealistic, one-liner “inspirational” simple fixes listed in this blog.
Another misguided principle: “Prospecting isn’t something that you do; it is a part of everything that you are — what you say, how you look, and how you make people feel.” Prospecting is an action, so it IS actually something that you do … the rest of the sentence is valueless.
Hey Gerry,
I am sure you have met some bad sales people who had no clue how to sell. I have met a bunch of them as well.
The reality is that learning how to sell is easier than staying disciplined when you hit the jackpot (financial health) or when you face repeated rejection (mental health) or when you don’t think you can put in any more effort (physical health).
New fancy tactics and “get rich quick” techniques only help you patch over the disease growing inside you. That’s bullshit. And we all know better.
As for prospecting, YES, you have to “do” something. But doing is for amateurs. It’s the bare minimum. All stars don’t just cold call or network — they live their brand. It is their calling. Their mission. Their fight. It’s personal.
It’s OK to be cynical, Gerry. Hot air on a blog page doesn’t benefit anyone. But I’ll push back against your “generalizations” comment with a simple question: “Why did you read this post in the first place?” Probably because you were looking for answers.
I’ve made millions in sales looking for those same answers. And those 7 lessons are the keys to my success. You might find your answers in a different way. Via con dios!
Dan
Secret to sales success in 7 sentences? Not really – this is just a couple points of common-sense, blended with empty generalizations.
#7 is a good example of empty-speak: “You’re more likely to fail because you’re not mentally, financially, and physically fit rather than because you don’t have the right sales skills.” I’ve watched MORE salespeople fail because they could not sell — regardless of mental, financial or physical factors. Some should just be honest with themselves .. if your sales skills are bad, learn better ones, don’t rely on anything that claims to have “The Secrets,” like the unrealistic, one-liner “inspirational” simple fixes listed in this blog.
Another misguided principle: “Prospecting isn’t something that you do; it is a part of everything that you are — what you say, how you look, and how you make people feel.” Prospecting is an action, so it IS actually something that you do … the rest of the sentence is valueless.
Hey Gerry,
I am sure you have met some bad sales people who had no clue how to sell. I have met a bunch of them as well.
The reality is that learning how to sell is easier than staying disciplined when you hit the jackpot (financial health) or when you face repeated rejection (mental health) or when you don’t think you can put in any more effort (physical health).
New fancy tactics and “get rich quick” techniques only help you patch over the disease growing inside you. That’s bullshit. And we all know better.
As for prospecting, YES, you have to “do” something. But doing is for amateurs. It’s the bare minimum. All stars don’t just cold call or network — they live their brand. It is their calling. Their mission. Their fight. It’s personal.
It’s OK to be cynical, Gerry. Hot air on a blog page doesn’t benefit anyone. But I’ll push back against your “generalizations” comment with a simple question: “Why did you read this post in the first place?” Probably because you were looking for answers.
I’ve made millions in sales looking for those same answers. And those 7 lessons are the keys to my success. You might find your answers in a different way. Via con dios!
Dan
Secret to sales success in 7 sentences? Not really – this is just a couple points of common-sense, blended with empty generalizations.
#7 is a good example of empty-speak: “You’re more likely to fail because you’re not mentally, financially, and physically fit rather than because you don’t have the right sales skills.” I’ve watched MORE salespeople fail because they could not sell — regardless of mental, financial or physical factors. Some should just be honest with themselves .. if your sales skills are bad, learn better ones, don’t rely on anything that claims to have “The Secrets,” like the unrealistic, one-liner “inspirational” simple fixes listed in this blog.
Another misguided principle: “Prospecting isn’t something that you do; it is a part of everything that you are — what you say, how you look, and how you make people feel.” Prospecting is an action, so it IS actually something that you do … the rest of the sentence is valueless.
Hey Gerry,
I am sure you have met some bad sales people who had no clue how to sell. I have met a bunch of them as well.
The reality is that learning how to sell is easier than staying disciplined when you hit the jackpot (financial health) or when you face repeated rejection (mental health) or when you don’t think you can put in any more effort (physical health).
New fancy tactics and “get rich quick” techniques only help you patch over the disease growing inside you. That’s bullshit. And we all know better.
As for prospecting, YES, you have to “do” something. But doing is for amateurs. It’s the bare minimum. All stars don’t just cold call or network — they live their brand. It is their calling. Their mission. Their fight. It’s personal.
It’s OK to be cynical, Gerry. Hot air on a blog page doesn’t benefit anyone. But I’ll push back against your “generalizations” comment with a simple question: “Why did you read this post in the first place?” Probably because you were looking for answers.
I’ve made millions in sales looking for those same answers. And those 7 lessons are the keys to my success. You might find your answers in a different way. Via con dios!
Dan
Secret to sales success in 7 sentences? Not really – this is just a couple points of common-sense, blended with empty generalizations.
#7 is a good example of empty-speak: “You’re more likely to fail because you’re not mentally, financially, and physically fit rather than because you don’t have the right sales skills.” I’ve watched MORE salespeople fail because they could not sell — regardless of mental, financial or physical factors. Some should just be honest with themselves .. if your sales skills are bad, learn better ones, don’t rely on anything that claims to have “The Secrets,” like the unrealistic, one-liner “inspirational” simple fixes listed in this blog.
Another misguided principle: “Prospecting isn’t something that you do; it is a part of everything that you are — what you say, how you look, and how you make people feel.” Prospecting is an action, so it IS actually something that you do … the rest of the sentence is valueless.
Hey Gerry,
I am sure you have met some bad sales people who had no clue how to sell. I have met a bunch of them as well.
The reality is that learning how to sell is easier than staying disciplined when you hit the jackpot (financial health) or when you face repeated rejection (mental health) or when you don’t think you can put in any more effort (physical health).
New fancy tactics and “get rich quick” techniques only help you patch over the disease growing inside you. That’s bullshit. And we all know better.
As for prospecting, YES, you have to “do” something. But doing is for amateurs. It’s the bare minimum. All stars don’t just cold call or network — they live their brand. It is their calling. Their mission. Their fight. It’s personal.
It’s OK to be cynical, Gerry. Hot air on a blog page doesn’t benefit anyone. But I’ll push back against your “generalizations” comment with a simple question: “Why did you read this post in the first place?” Probably because you were looking for answers.
I’ve made millions in sales looking for those same answers. And those 7 lessons are the keys to my success. You might find your answers in a different way. Via con dios!
Dan
[…] This post orignally appeared on the Dan Waldschmidt blog. […]
[…] This post orignally appeared on the Dan Waldschmidt blog. […]
As Always – Awesome! One question about #2 – what do you mean by demonstrating value? Value of relationship? Value of rapport? Value of myself or my product/service? Value of solution? Thanks
Value could be any of those things — maybe all of them (at the same time).
Ask yourself: “What can you deliver that no one else can do?”
It might be money or connections or access. It probably isn’t features or functions.
Dan
“What can you deliver that no one else can do?” made into photo #quote. You may see it on Twitter.
As Always – Awesome! One question about #2 – what do you mean by demonstrating value? Value of relationship? Value of rapport? Value of myself or my product/service? Value of solution? Thanks
Value could be any of those things — maybe all of them (at the same time).
Ask yourself: “What can you deliver that no one else can do?”
It might be money or connections or access. It probably isn’t features or functions.
Dan
“What can you deliver that no one else can do?” made into photo #quote. You may see it on Twitter.