Course Description

Who doesn’t like a good story?  Especially when the reader personally can relate to the content.  Well, here are 88 stories …war stories might be a better description…that every salesperson, rookie or seasoned pro, can relate to. 

Delivered anecdotally, the format for these “coaches” is Problem/Analysis/Solution.  This format mirrors the sales cycle as it should occur.  First, the prospect should make a statement about the problem in general.  Next, the salesperson should diagnose the causes of the problem. Finally a solution or prescription should be recommended.  If that sounds like the medical profession, it’s done purposefully.  Too often, as you’ll see from the stories we tell, the salesperson fails to complete the diagnosis before he or she begins to prescribe a solution.  It’s malpractice in medicine, and it’s malpractice in selling as well.

There are things you won’t find in any other training program.  You’ll get a laugh out of some of the stories, and undoubtedly experience a feeling of embarrassment, as many of them will touch you personally. The good news is that there’s powerful lesson in each one.

We cover situations in every selling area from qualifying to closing, prospecting to negotiating, dealing with people to managing yourself, strategic issues to very focused tactics, and much more.  You’ll find value in each of the 88 lessons.

As you read these stories we encourage you to do some self-examination.  How often do you experience these very same sales challenges, and how do you handle them?

Jim Dunn & John Schumann

The creators of the Common Sense Selling® process are two not-so-common sales professionals and trainers, Jim Dunn and John Schumann. They saw the lack of results and frustration that most salespeople experienced using the old “feature, advantage, and benefit” selling approach in today’s more complex selling environment.Using their combined 65 plus years of sales experience, they developed a new, common sense approach to selling that is unconventional, by most standards…and it works!

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Self-Management

    • Common Sense Selling

      FREE PREVIEW

    • “Damn, I’m Good!”

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Top Ten Ways To Raise Your Self-Esteem

    • The Sales Charlatan

    • The Fallacy of a “Full” Pipeline

    • All-Pro or Peddler?

    • Excuse Making

    • Looking Down On Your Meeting

    • How Good Is Your Sales B.S.? (Belief System)

    • The Law of Detachment

    • Dealing with Rejection

    • Be Careful, You Might Get What You Wish For!

    • I’ve Just Won the Lottery, and I Don’t Need the Business

    • Just the Facts, Ma’am

    • Missed Those Goals…Again!

    • “Makes Sense To Me”

    • “You Haven’t Heard the Best Part”

    • What’s a “No” Worth?

    • The Holiday Mentality

    • It's Your Choice

    • News Flash - Head Trash Sets You Up for Failure

    • Thinking Out of the Box For the New Year
  • 2

    Prospecting

    • The Marquee Account

      FREE PREVIEW

    • It’s the Numbers, Baby

      FREE PREVIEW

    • A Prospecting System that Guarantees Results!

    • “I Can't Think of Anybody Right Now”

    • Are Some Prospecting Calls Just a Waste of Time?

    • Beware of What You Send Before Your Meeting

    • Sounds Like You’re Busy

    • Death of a Salesman

    • Gatekeepers & Screeners: Roadblock or Asset?

    • Sound Like a Salesperson? Get Ready for Rejection

    • Referrals Going Nowhere? Upgrade Them!

    • “May I Ask What This Is in Reference To, Sir?”

    • No Secret Formula

    • A New Twist on Getting Referrals

    • Sending Information? Mutilate It First

    • Cultivate Your Referral Sources

    • Why Should They Give You an Appointment?

    • Another Bloated Pipeline

    • Another Lousy Appointment
  • 3

    Dealing With People

    • Mixing Like Oil and Water

    • Making the First Ten Seconds Count
  • 4

    Strategies & Tactics

    • Draining the Pipeline at Quarter’s End

      FREE PREVIEW

    • How to Screw Up a Sure Thing

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Begin With the End in Mind

    • All’s Well That Ends Well

    • Close the Sale Before You Present Solutions

    • Qualifying Proficiency Determines Closing Efficiency

    • Set the Trap… for Yourself!

    • Eliminate Mutual Confusion

    • “We’d Like to See a Demo”

    • Good Cop, Bad Cop

    • Easy Exits

    • Break the Rules and Win More Bids

    • The Gridlocked Prospect

    • Sleepless in San Diego

    • The Hammer Isn’t Always the Right Tool

    • Try a Pattern Interrupt for Better Sales Results

    • Wimping Out

    • When All Else Fails, Become a Consultant

    • Too Many Options

    • “We’re Thinking About Making a Change”

    • The Bag Dive

    • Good Guys & Bad Guys

    • The Brochure Brush-Off

    • High Tech Trade Show “Selling”

    • Now That We're Done, Can I Ask You a Question?

    • Who Pulls the Trigger?

    • Vito and Seymour*

    • Stump the Gatekeeper

    • Presenting to a Group

    • Surrogate Authority

    • Assign Your Prospect Some Homework

    • Your Price is NOT Too High

    • The Real Value of Your Features & Benefits

    • The Incumbent Strikes Back

    • Leave Your Agenda at the Office

    • It’s Seldom About Price

    • Let the Prospect Eliminate His Own Objections

    • Getting Objections? Try a Role Reversal

    • Silence is Sometimes Golden

    • The Price Trap

    • We Like You the Best, But

    • They're Still Laughing Back at the Office

    • The Accidental Salesperson

    • Only a 5% Discount

    • Are You Delivering Value, or Just a Proposal?