The building blocks of great conversations never truly change. Whether you’re trying to sell a product, talk to someone on a first date, or even just chat with your kid to find out how they’re doing, the same rules apply: listen actively, ask open-ended questions, be confident, and have empathy for the other person and […]

“He doesn’t sound like a salesperson.” The organizer of an event at which I was speaking overheard one audience member say this to another about me. This is one of the greatest compliments I’ve received. Not being “salesy” is something I’ve worked on my entire career. Truth be told, I’m not entirely certain what a […]

Sales coaches and mentors are a crucial part of the sales ecosystem. If sellers aren’t taught how to sell effectively, then they’ll have a much harder time hitting quota. But what about when your do reps have access to sales coaching and mentoring, but they just… don’t remember it? Unfortunately, this happens all too often. […]

Have you ever wondered why some of your reps consistently outperform their peers, while others struggle to hit their quotas regularly? It’s the classic bell-curve problem, where 10-20% of sales reps simply seem to be better than others. There’s two ways to fix this: either figure out how to only hire the best reps in […]

Telling stories is important in sales. But, not when you’re telling them to your sales boss. For instance, fiction doesn’t strengthen a forecast. As humans, we hate ambiguity. We feel a burning need to make sense out of uncertainty. So, in situations where we don’t have a complete set of facts, we take the limited […]

You don’t have to be a manager to be a coach. In my career, some of the best coaching I received was from other sellers; my peers. In addition to helping others, peer coaching is also a great way to learn how to improve your sales skills Want to learn how to take your sales […]

Don’t let other people define you. You can achieve success on your own terms. Check out the evaluation of Tom Brady by NFL scouts prior to the NFL draft in 2000. “Poor build, Skinny, lacks great physical stature and arm strength, Lacks mobility and the ability to avoid the rush, lacks a really strong arm, […]

A sales process does not win deals. A seller does. It’s not your sales process that connects with a potential buyer. It’s not your sales technology that activates the interest of a prospect. Your sales process isn’t the one building trust and credibility with the buyer. Your sales tech doesn’t inspire the prospect to take […]

Sales managers often say “Janet wants to be liked by her buyers” as if that were a bad thing. Sometimes it is. However, it doesn’t need to be. Let me explain. If your motivation to be liked by your buyer is that it gives you the warm fuzzies all over from being validated by another […]

Too often I see sales coaching fall into one of two categories: strategizing and game-planning sales opportunities coaching the mechanics of sales New tools and apps support this orientation. AI-powered call recording and analysis tools are a good example. They’re useful tools for managers to use to coach the mechanics of selling. “Say this, not […]

Introducing a new ringDNA video series… Brought to you by YODA AI. U.S. companies spend over $70 Billion a year on sales training. Yet, sales managers are stuck repeating the same coaching advice again and again. Take ringDNA’s very own Sr. Director of North America Sales, Ryan Vaillancourt, for example. When asked, “When you review […]

Research has found that the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person can actually increase your brainpower. But, only if you use it. So, if you’re in sales, you have two essential motivations to be empathetic: Empathy is an avenue to connect with your buyer It gives your brain a boost and […]