Content about Selling

March 27, 2012
Salespeople Are Different—and So Are Companies

If your company’s sales training program isn’t in tune with the organization’s culture, history, and preconceived notions, it may bring polite nods but deliver little else. Here are five aspects that can’t be overlooked.

By Ken Wax

My recent article explored “10 Reasons Why Training Salespeople Is Different and What You Can Do About It” (http://trainingmag.com/article/yes-salespeople-are-different%E2%80%94and-so-training-them). It showed why the very nature of their work makes them different than most other groups.

February 27, 2012
How to Teach a Course That Doesn’t Exist

People—usually successful, senior-level people—will speak of this course easily, almost casually. They seem to know it well, as if they’ve taken it themselves. And the day may come when you hear it requested, with little further explanation, as the cure to some pretty serious problems. What course is this? It’s called “Sales 101”—and no one has ever taken it.

By Ken Wax

People—usually successful, senior-level people—will speak of this course easily, almost casually. They seem to know it well, as if they’ve taken it themselves. And the day may come when you hear it requested, with little further explanation, as the cure to some pretty serious problems.

What course is this? It’s called “Sales 101”—and no one has ever taken it.

January 30, 2012
Want Higher Performance from Sales Teams?

More than one of every three HR managers (37.9 percent) named Sales as the department most in need of training, based on a global talent management survey by NorthgateArinso.Training correlates to several key outcomes, based on AchieveGlobal research. Moderate to substantial coaching and training tends be related to higher deal sizes, greater increases in personal sales revenue, and generally more overall success compared with those receiving minimal coaching and training.

By Sharon Daniels, CEO, AchieveGlobal

Ultimately, all companies are in the business of sales. While goods and services vary from brand to brand, a company’s lifeblood is in the revenue generated from sales. That’s why it’s critical to consider what comprises an organization’s sales DNA—ranging from the talent of individual salespeople, to strength within the leadership ranks, to organizational structure.

January 27, 2012
Yes, Salespeople Are Different—and So Is Training Them

In surveys and interviews with training professionals, one group always stands out as being particularly challenging: salespeople. Here are 10 reasons why, and then 10 ways to work with those differences. By understanding their world, pressures, and what makes them tick, you can improve their experience in classes—and yours.

By Ken Wax

In surveys and interviews with training professionals, one group always stands out as being particularly challenging: salespeople. Here are 10 reasons why, and then 10 ways to work with those differences. By understanding their world, pressures, and what makes them tick, you can improve their experience in classes—and yours.

September 11, 2006
Turn Your Sales Team into a Growth Machine

Finding and keeping sales rainmakers who bring in new customers is a huge challenge for just about every company. If the oft-quoted metric that 80 percent of new accounts are sold by 20 percent of salespeople is true, it's axiomatic that most sales representatives don't pull their weight when it comes to bringing in new accounts. Finding and keeping rainmakers who bring in new customers is a huge challenge for just about every company. Along with turnover rates and high costs of recruiting and training, it's the main reason companies keep sales people who are marginal performers. 

If the oft-quoted metric that 80 percent of new accounts are sold by 20 percent of salespeople is true, it's axiomatic that most sales representatives don't pull their weight when it comes to bringing in new accounts.



Finding and keeping rainmakers who bring in new customers is a huge challenge for just about every company. Along with turnover rates and high costs of recruiting and training, it's the main reason companies keep sales people who are marginal performers.