In my extensive journey collaborating with diverse sales leaders across varied cultures and landscapes, a tapestry of challenges has emerged. Today, let’s delve into the intricate threads woven into the fabric of sales leadership predicaments. 1. The Mindset Conundrum: At the heart of leadership excellence lies a critical determinant – the mindset. My observation resonatesContinue reading “Unveiling the Tapestry of Sales Leadership Challenges”
Tag Archives: Learning
Selling is Learning: Embracing the Antifragile Nature of Sales
In the fast-paced world of sales, the phrase “selling is helping” has been a mantra echoed in sales training sessions, motivational speeches, and self-help books. But is it just a catchy phrase, or is there a deeper truth behind these words? Let’s unravel the layers and explore the concept of selling as a journeyContinue reading “Selling is Learning: Embracing the Antifragile Nature of Sales”
Navigating the Unpredictable Waters of Probability and Authenticity
In the world of sales, there exists a curious paradox: a seller can meticulously follow every rule, employ every technique, and still find themselves unable to close the deal. Conversely, a seller could seemingly fumble at every turn and yet emerge victorious, clinching the deal against all odds. How can this be? The answer liesContinue reading “Navigating the Unpredictable Waters of Probability and Authenticity”
“If”
During the summer break, along with a discussion with a friend, I said that I did not like to say “if” in general and preferred to take things as they were. Then, she told me about the poem by Rudyard Kipling, “If”. I have never heard about it before. I searched for and loved it.Continue reading ““If””
Love what you do…but how?
Confucius made it clear more than two thousand years ago: “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. It turns out that it is not easy as we keep reminding ourselves of the same phrase for centuries. Moreover, when we think about “the job we love,” selling is not necessarily at the top of our list…
Path to commercial excellence
When discussing commercial excellence, we overthink instructions, training, analysis, and metrics. I already wrote about it…the key to commercial excellence is clarity. What exactly do you want to achieve? The answer can change from one year to another. Therefore, there is no one correct answer. You can look for growth at all costs during three years, and after, you might want to look for profit optimization.
Once you have clarity, all you need is to coach your team. And please…
Curiosity mindset
Socrates once said that wonder is the beginning of wisdom. Today, many articles and books are written about curiosity and developing a curiosity mindset. In selling, genuine curiosity is also valued as one of the critical competencies to have. Overall, everybody agrees that it is almost a life hack.
Then, why are we still talking about it since Socrates keep coming back to the same point where we fail to apply it in all fields of life? Why could we not make any progress in using our curiosity to improve?
Rising with your competitors
In selling, we face two types of competition: internal (peer competition) and external (market competition). In both cases, we learn and practice competition as a war where one must lose for the other to win. In other words, a zero-sum game.
I always try to avoid zero-sum games and transform them into positive-sum games, meaning that both competing parties can be better off in the end. But how can this be possible when selling in a competitive environement?
How to make learning last?
I believe the biggest problem with learning is not about how to learn. It is about making it last. And it goes through three stages:
-learning the knowledge
-learning how to implement
-learning how to become
Any learning experience (training, workshop, course, etc.) reaches its limitations because we often do not go to the third stage, which is the most challenging part…
Selling vs. dating
A sales meeting is almost like a date. And your attitude is clearly defined by your expectation of the outcome. If you would like to build a long-term relationship, you would be more interested in the other party. And you would be genuinely curious about their lives. If you are looking for a short-term benefit (a one-night stand or one-off sales transaction), you would be more talking about yourself because you would like to cut to the chase.
Ironically, most sales trainings teach salespeople how to present themselves and talk about their companies and their products. Even in line with the trend of “problem-solving,”…
Learning for Performance 