I’m going to give you a quick peek behind the curtain of sales training.  Here’s what (smart) sales trainers do:  They attempt to predict buyer behavior patterns, and then create techniques designed to work with those buyer behavior patterns in order to move the buyer toward a positive buying decision.  They then teach salespeople how to use these techniques.

But – what if buyer behavior patterns change?  This is the problem facing many people in the sales profession right now.  I’ve been saying it for a while, and it bears repeating.  Today’s buyers are getting younger, they’re more empowered and informed, and they have different wants and needs from salespeople than the buyers of years past had.  That’s changing the foundational assumptions upon which many sales techniques are built – which makes those techniques obsolete.  I heard a story a few days ago that positively blew up one of the oldest and most foundational assumptions of sales, and we’ll unpack it here and talk about what it means.

I was talking to a production manager for a manufacturing company.  He sees salespeople all the time, of course, and he was telling me about one particular visit that he’d had.  He’s 37 years old, which becomes very germane to the story.  A salesman came in for his first visit with the production manager.  As he did, the salesman took a quick look around the office.  As we’ll see, he was doing a quick scan for pictures, mounted fish on the wall, trophies, or anything else that would give an indication of the buyer’s personal interests.

In other words, he was revving up to do some old, hackneyed, fish on the wall selling.

He introduced yourself and spotted a picture of the buyer’s 13 year old son on his desk, about to run track.

The salesman said, “Is that your son?”  Again, common.  You’ve either seen it done or done it yourself.  This was his opening rapport-building gambit.

The buyer said, “Uh, we just met.  Don’t you think it’s a little creepy to ask about my kids?”

The salesman’s jaw dropped and he didn’t know what to say.  After some stammering, he picked up his jaw and said, “Well, I had a son who ran track, too, and I was just asking because I’ve been there.”

The buyer said, “I didn’t have you in here to talk about my kids.  Get to business.”

I should point something out here.  The buyer wasn’t playing games and he wasn’t trying to be rude.  He’s a good dude and a friendly sort.  BUT – he’s also not going to divulge a bunch of personal information when he first meets someone.  And he’s particularly not going to tell you all about his kids and family upon first meeting.  He had 30 minutes reserved on his schedule to talk about what the salesman had to sell – which was, in fact, something he very much needed to buy.  But the salesman’s old rapport-building technique actually did the opposite, and put up the buyer’s defenses.

Why did this happen?

Well, one of the most foundational assumptions of selling – one I hear constantly to this day – is:

“People buy from people they like.”  Because of this foundational assumption, salespeople the world over have accepted the duty of being liked by the buyer first before being eligible to talk business.  Hence, rapport-building techniques have centered on personal likeability, rather than business needs.

I’m not sure that’s as true now as it used to be.  Different generations have different expectations of how their time is to be used by salespeople, and they also have different personal boundaries.  Past generations (in many cases) were more protective of their business needs and information, and much more open with their personal information.  What past generations thought of as a good opening conversation, younger generations think of as phony (because it usually is) and even creepy.  Say what you will about the tech immersion of Millennials and Gen-Z’s, they tend to have a good BS detector when it comes to their business dealings.

The Millennial and Gen-Z generations tend to be much more private about their personal lives in a business setting, and much more open to getting right down to business.  In fact, they demand that you get to business quickly.  The biggest change we see in younger buyers is that, as opposed to forming relationships with salespeople based first on personal connections and then moving to business needs, they form relationships based on your ability to solve their business problems first, and then they are more open to discussion of personal lives and forming a personal bond.

In addition, Millennials and Z’s tend to be more protective of their time and want salespeople to be efficient and productive with it.  I think there are a couple of reasons behind this.  First, work/life balance is more important to these generations, and their mindset is that the more work they can get done in the allotted work time, the more they can focus on enjoying their personal time.

The second is what I call the “Amazon effect.”  These generations are used to being able to buy things quickly and efficiently.  Amazon doesn’t ask if you fish, or what sports your kids play, or how you liked the game last Sunday.  It just gives you the info you need to buy and tells you the price.  That’s efficient, and this mindset translates into their sales interactions.

What this means to us is that, with Millennial and Z buyers, it can often be much more important to be seen as valuable than it is to be overly likeable.  Being a person of business value is your gateway to them liking you – which is a complete flipping of the script from the past. This doesn’t mean that you should be a jerk and make your buyer dislike you, but it’s more likely to get the first order if they feel neutral to you on a personal basis and value you on a business basis these days.

So, your task is easy, right?  Walk in, look at the buyer, figure out what his or her age is, and base your selling style accordingly.

Not so fast.

An interesting phenomenon I’ve seen is that some older buyers – Gen-X (who already had some of the business-first traits of the generations that followed) – and even Boomers are learning from their younger counterparts.  They too want to be more efficient with their time, and some of them are moving toward a business-first paradigm.  Now it’s getting harder, isn’t it?  That’s why sales is a job for those who are smart and mentally agile.

Here’s my advice.  First of all, it’s hard to go wrong with a business-first approach these days.  My opening question to buyers has always been, “So, tell me, how did you come to be in this job?”  This allows them to tell their story.  You build rapport just by listening, and because it’s a business-first question, it doesn’t cross any bad boundaries.  Within their answer, they’ll tell you if they like to talk about personal issues or to stick to business.

Second, the key is to remain mentally agile.  As I said, a business-first approach is the safest, but in those instances where a buyer wants to build a personal bond first, they’ll pump the brakes a bit, and then you can switch to a personal-first approach.  With that said, I do think that the personal-first approach is becoming obsolescent, and may be obsolete in another 10 years or so.

And that’s okay.  One thing to remember – time efficiency for the buyer is also time efficiency for you.  You may find that you’re able to make more sales calls and have more quality interactions than before.  And that’s a win, isn’t it?

Lately, it’s seemed fashionable for a lot of sales trainers to write articles about “why sales training doesn’t work,” which of course allows them to slyly inject why THEIR sales training is the only sales training that could have a possibility of working, in this and all other imaginable worlds.  I think I’ll stay away from that.

I prefer to stay on the positive side, so let’s talk about how to make sales training work.  Will that generate a bit of ROI for your time in reading this article?  Hopefully, it will.  Full disclosure; this article was inspired by a lunch that I had recently with a client who commented on how effective my training was.  In retrospect, I have to say that part of what made it so effective was how the client handled it – and that’s what I propose to pass along today.  First, however, let me pass along the Dirty Little Secret of sales training:

Almost any sales trainer can, and will, generate ROI for your company.  That’s a big statement, I know, and there are certainly exceptions.  But the reality is this:  The economies of sales training are such that even the most expensive sales trainers can pay for themselves if just one person in the class takes what he learns and uses it to significantly up his or her performance.  And I’ve taught very few classes where at least a few people didn’t take the teachings and run with them.  Again, there are exceptions; there are people out there teaching techniques that will actually generate negative ROI because the techniques, when implemented, actually make the customer uncomfortable and less likely to buy – but let’s assume that we’re talking about trainers who at least understand customer friendliness.

So, now that the Big Secret is out there (and I’ll follow up on it at the end by giving you some guidelines on how to pick your trainer), let’s talk about what YOU (whether you are manager or salesperson) can do to make training work for you.

Preparation is key.  I wish I could tell you how many times I’ve walked into a room, looked around, and discovered that the salespeople have no real idea of why I’m there or what I’m there to do; they just know to show up at a certain place at a certain time.  Don’t be that guy. If you’re a manager, prep your people on what will happen and what the expectations are.  Much time gets wasted in these sessions just crossing the “Oh, this is training” hump.  If you’re a salesperson, don’t just settle for a scheduled meeting; ask what will be happening and what the expectations are.  It’s your time, after all.  Good trainers will inform you as to the program outline and plan when they are selling the business; make use of that.

Professionalism is the most basic expectation.  When I was a sales manager and I sent my reps to training, I always did so with the expectation that they be on their most professional behavior; unprofessionalism was a reflection on me, after all.  However, too many training programs (again, of any type) end up looking more like Romper Room than a business environment.  Want to maximize the value of your money?  Make sure your people are on their game when they’re in the room, and that they are punctual when returning from lunches, breaks, etc.  If you’re the trainee, be the leader.  Look at it this way:  You’re going to be there regardless, so if others’ conduct is keeping you from learning, it’s your right to call them on it.  Is it the speaker’s job to ‘control the room?’  To an extent – but I tell all my clients that I am a trainer and not a babysitter.  If your staff requires a babysitter, that reflects on YOU.

One other aspect of professionalism that is worth talking about is what I call “the debaters.”  It doesn’t happen often – thankfully – but from time to time, I’ll encounter a group where one or more members feels that their job in training is to show how much THEY know, and they do it by debating as many points that the trainer makes as possible.  I have no problem with good discussion and differences of opinion.  In fact, my motto is, “If it works for you, and it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical, do it.”  With that said, when it becomes obvious that some members are arguing just to argue, what you (whether you are a trainee or the manager) need to understand is this:  Their ego trip is taking time away from others’ potential to learn.  Don’t be afraid to call the debaters out.

Focus on the “nuggets” – profitable behavior modifications.  As the training is going on, you will find elements that you have heard before.  That’s going to happen with any experienced worker going through any type of training.  Training becomes unsuccessful when attendees focus in on those commonalities and stop looking for the differences.  Virtually any training of any type, however, will have what I call “nuggets,” or ways to modify behavior that can be very profitable.  I went to a training session for speakers a couple of months ago; 98% of it was stuff that I had heard and knew; I’ve been working the 2% for the last two weeks with some excellent results.

Learn and reinforce.  There’s no substitute for management that participates in the sessions and learns right along with their people; there’s no substitute for when that management, having learned the lessons, continually reinforces that message when the trainer has left.  My client the other day said, “Our profit per stop is up significantly because of your training.”  That’s great, and I appreciate it – but reality is that it’s up partially because of what I taught, and partially because the company has adopted those teachings as part of the culture, and has reinforced those teachings in the months since I was there.

Too many managers look at training – of any type – as a self-contained fix-all solution.  It’s not.  Good training programs are incorporated into the culture of the company or department, and then reinforced consistently and when opportunity comes up.  Training is designed to show the benefits of behavioral change; however, true behavioral change does not happen within a one-day or two-day window.  It’s consistency of management and follow up that really spikes the ROI.

How do you pick a trainer?  So, I promised earlier that I would circle back and talk about how to pick a trainer.  I’ll do so now.  To pick the right person for your needs, just follow these simple guidelines:

• Pick someone who is expert. There are a lot of ‘seminar’ companies out there who provide general-purpose speakers with prewritten courses to present.  The training breaks down when the first person asks a question that starts with “Why?”  Make sure your trainer can answer those questions through personal expertise.
• Pick someone who is current. There’s a lot of training out there – in every discipline and genre – that hasn’t been revised or rewritten in decades.  The on-the-ground realities in every phase of business have changed. Does the proposed training take those changes into account? If not, perhaps you should look for a different trainer.
• Pick someone who is willing to learn. Too many trainers come in with a ‘program in a box’ and end up not speaking your language.  Good trainers build in pre-training time to learn the specific challenges and needs of your business.
• Pick someone who fits your culture, or the culture you would like to have. Training of any kind should set the tone for how things are done at your company; if the trainer is training a method counter to your culture, it won’t be effective.  When it comes to sales training, I always tell my clients that sales training dictates how you want your customers to be treated; is the curriculum and approach a fit?  Even in other departments, you should always remember that the way you treat your employees is reflected in the way your employees treat each other, as well as your customers. Training has a BIG impact on culture.
• Finally, pick someone who is available post session. I’ve heard horror stories about trainers who came in, did an outrageously expensive session, then when the manager or trainees have a question, he wants to bill a big amount just for answering.  Make sure your trainer doesn’t mind getting the occasional call or email post-session.  I always tell my clients that they are free to call or email with questions, and if it gets to a point where I will need to bill for time, I’ll let them know well in advance.

A well designed, planned, executed, and followed training session can be the best thing for you and your staff.  A bad one can be a time waster.  By following these simple steps, you can make sure that your training is effective.

Have you ever run a marathon?  Yeah, me neither.  But when it comes to sales, I’ve run a number of them – the long sales cycle.  In our profession, we love quick win – that satisfying moment when a prospect becomes a customer in a matter of days or weeks. But what about those industries where the sales cycle stretches into months or even years? How do we keep our sales teams motivated, strategic, and successful when the finish line seems so far away?

Long sales cycles present unique challenges. They test a salesperson’s patience, strategic thinking, and ability to maintain momentum over extended periods. They can also tempt even the most disciplined sales professionals to neglect prospecting, as the gratification of a closed deal feels perpetually out of reach.  But here’s the truth: mastering the long sales cycle is not just a skill – it’s an art form. And like any art, it requires dedication, practice, and a specific set of techniques. Let’s explore four key strategies that can help you and your team excel in the marathon of long-cycle sales.

1. Never Stop Prospecting

Imagine you’re a farmer (no, not the old, outdated “hunter/farmer” sales term). You know it takes months for your crops to grow, but you also know that if you don’t plant seeds regularly, you’ll eventually have nothing to harvest. The same principle applies to long-cycle sales.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Why start new conversations when I won’t close them for years?” But remember this: you can’t finish a sale unless you start one. Prospecting is the lifeblood of your sales pipeline, regardless of how long it takes to close a deal.

Make prospecting a non-negotiable part of your daily routine. Set aside dedicated time each day to reach out to new potential clients. Use a mix of cold calls, emails, social media outreach, and networking events to keep your pipeline full. Remember, the seeds you plant today are the deals you’ll close tomorrow – or next year.

2. Think Strategically, Act Consistently

Once you’ve initiated a conversation with a prospect, it’s time to shift into strategic mode. This is where the real art of long-cycle sales comes into play.

Start by estimating a realistic timeline for the deal. Is it six months? A year? Two years? This timeline becomes your roadmap, guiding your interactions and helping you set milestones along the way.

With each contact, your goal should be to move the sale forward, even if it’s just by inches. This is particularly crucial when you’re up against an incumbent vendor with an existing contract. You’re playing the long game, so every interaction should add value and strengthen your position.

Maybe it’s sharing a relevant industry report, offering a fresh perspective on a challenge they’re facing, or simply checking in to maintain the relationship. The key is consistency. Regular, value-added touchpoints keep you top of mind and position you as a trusted advisor, not just another vendor.

3. Keep Your Contacts Current

In the span of a long sales cycle, a lot can change. Decision-makers move on, new stakeholders emerge, and organizational priorities shift. Your job is to stay on top of these changes and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Make it a habit to regularly verify and update your contact information. But don’t stop there – strive to expand your network within the organization. The more contacts you have, the more resilient your opportunity becomes to personnel changes.  “High, wide, and deep” should be your watchword.  Get as high on the corporate food chain as you can.  Get as many contacts (a wide base of influence) in the target company as you can.  And make sure that they genuinely know you and the value you bring. This approach not only provides you with a more comprehensive understanding of the organization but also helps safeguard your opportunity if your main contact leaves.

4. Be Ready When the Stars Align

Here’s a fundamental truth about sales: a deal happens when need, solution, and timing intersect, and the Buyer’s Journey completes. In a long sales cycle, your job is to be ready when that moment arrives.

Think of yourself as a constant gardener, tending to the relationship, nurturing it, and watching for signs of readiness. Maybe the incumbent vendor slips up, budget suddenly becomes available, or a new initiative aligns perfectly with your offering. Your consistent presence and value-added interactions have positioned you to capitalize on these moments.

Stay alert to industry trends, organizational changes, and any shifts in your prospect’s business that might create an opening. When that window of opportunity appears, be ready to act swiftly and decisively.

Remember, managing long sales cycles is not about passive waiting – it’s about active preparation. It’s about building relationships, demonstrating value, and positioning yourself as the obvious choice when the time is right.  As Dave Ramsey likes to say, “There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.”

In conclusion, succeeding in long-cycle sales requires a unique blend of patience, persistence, and strategic thinking. It demands that we resist getting demoralized due to the lack of quick wins and instead focus on building lasting relationships and delivering consistent value. By maintaining a steady prospecting rhythm, thinking strategically, keeping our contacts current, and staying ready for opportunity, we can master the marathon of long sales cycles.

The road may be long, but with the right approach, the destination is well worth the journey. After all, in sales as in life, it’s often the challenges that take the longest to overcome that yield the sweetest rewards.

Nothing stays the same, and that includes sales.  After all, I’ve been writing and making videos for the past two years on how much our profession is changing.  But I get it – change is hard.  I think that the pace of change has intimidated some professionals, who find themselves clinging to past successes rather than adapting to current market demands. These individuals, whom we’ll call “Legacy Performers,” once excelled but now struggle to maintain their edge. This article will help you identify Legacy Performers and offer strategies for reinvigoration.

First, let’s define our term.  A Legacy Performer is a salesperson who once had “it” but has lost their competitive edge. They’re not novices; their past successes are real and documented. When they tell you how they used the sharp-angle close to take a guy who wanted to buy a used ’74 Maverick and sell them a brand new Lincoln, that story was REAL.  However, the traits that once drove their success have faded. It’s crucial to note that being a Legacy Performer isn’t about age – it’s about mindset and adaptability.

Spotting Legacy Performers

1. Aversion to Prospecting: This is the uppermost characteristic of this type of salesperson. The best salespeople know that, no matter how good you are or how much you are selling, current customers will leave (sometimes through no one’s fault – perhaps they just go out of business or retire), and new prospects will show up. Legacy Performers don’t worry about that.  Prospecting is a difficult and time-consuming process (more so now than ever), so they figure they’ll “just work on referrals.”  Over time, their customer base dwindles and they never refill the sales funnel with new prospects.

1. Resistance to Change: While not all change is positive, Legacy Performers tend to fight against any modifications to their routine. They fear increased oversight and potential exposure of their shortcomings.  This also applies to sales tech, like CRM, and other ways that salespeople must adapt to new methods and tools.
2. Avoidance of Customer Interaction: Legacy Performers may shy away from direct customer contact, particularly with new prospects. They often find excuses to be elsewhere when fresh opportunities arise.
3. Constant Complaints About Customers: Instead of analyzing lost sales for improvement, Legacy Performers blame customers for failures. They have an excuse for every setback rather than seeking solutions.  There’s an old saying:  If one customer tells you “no,” they might be wrong.  If 100 customers tell you “no,” you might be wrong.
4. Living on Past Glories: Legacy Performers frequently recount stories of their former triumphs without demonstrating current value or results. A Legacy Performer is a salesperson who used to have “it,” but doesn’t have “it” anymore.  A Legacy Performer is not someone who never had “it.”  When a Legacy Performer tells you stories about former successes, don’t mistake – those stories are real and provable, and that’s what makes the L.P. so dangerous from a company’s perspective.  The track record is there.  The traits that made it happen aren’t.  I should also make it clear that being a Legacy Performer doesn’t have anything to do with age – I’ve seen salespeople in their 20s who have been Legacy Performers.  I’ve seen salespeople in their 70s with more energy than you could contain in a room.

Turning the Legacy into the Right-Now

If you recognize these traits in yourself or your team members, it’s time for action. Here are strategies to reinvigorate your sales performance:

1. Embrace Modern Prospecting Techniques: Leverage social media, LinkedIn, and other digital platforms to connect with potential clients. Attend industry events and webinars to expand your network.
2. Invest in Continuous Learning: Stay updated on industry trends, new sales methodologies, and technology. Consider online courses, sales workshops, or even pursuing relevant certifications.
3. Adopt a Growth Mindset: View challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. Celebrate small wins and learn from setbacks.
4. Reconnect with Your Passion: Remember why you chose sales as a career. Find aspects of the job that excite you and focus on those to reignite your enthusiasm.  If you don’t love this job, as I’ve said many times before, it’s one hell of a hard way to make a living.  If you love it, well, it can still be a hell of a hard way to make a living at times, but it’s a lot more fun.
5. Buddy Up: If you’re not getting it done, it’s likely that someone else on your team is.  Humble yourself.  Forget the old war stories, take that person out to lunch, and ask to pick his or her brain.  Good salespeople help other salespeople, and it’s perfectly OK to seek help.
6. Embrace Technology: Utilize CRM systems, sales analytics tools, and other technologies to streamline your processes and gain valuable insights.
7. Set New Goals: Establish clear, achievable objectives for yourself. Break these down into daily and weekly targets to maintain focus and motivation.

Adaptation is Vital.

Our profession is changing, and what worked ten years ago won’t work now.  In fact, what works now might not work in ten more years! Successful salespeople adapt their strategies to meet changing customer needs and market conditions. By recognizing the signs of stagnation and taking proactive steps to improve, Legacy Performers can transform into dynamic, results-driven professionals once again.

For sales managers and business owners, it’s crucial to identify Legacy Performers within your team. Provide them with the support and resources needed to regain their competitive edge. Sometimes, this may involve difficult conversations or decisions about role fit.

Remember, the key to long-term success in sales is to find something to love about the profession every day. Stay curious, remain open to new ideas, and never stop growing. By doing so, you’ll ensure that your sales career remains vibrant and rewarding for years to come.

What if I told you that you were your own profit center? I’ve said many times before that salespeople can, and should, be a self-contained profit generation machine.  Salespeople who create profit for their employees and their customers never have to worry about their next appointment, their next sale, or even their next job – and they also don’t have to worry about being replaced by AI.

I’ll amplify – the ability to be a profit center is one of the most valuable qualities in business.  The trouble is that most salespeople don’t understand how to create profit for their customers – or worse, they’re afraid to do it.  This is because most salespeople think that they only way they can profit their customers is by the old “save them money” gimmick – which always results in chopping their price.  That’s not necessarily the case, but to take the high road requires a lot of work.  That’s okay, because we’re not afraid of work – right?  Read on.

To be able to generate profit for your customers, you have to be willing to ask some tough questions.  They’re tough for a couple of reasons:

First, these questions may require a high degree of trust from your customers, to get them to answer.

Second, the answers to the questions may reveal problems with what you’re doing.  You have to be willing to change if that’s the case.

Basically, you have to understand a few key things about your customers.  They are:

You have to understand how your customer generates profit.  The obvious answer is “They sell their products.”  But that’s no more true for them than it is for you.  You need to know what your customer considers good, profitable business.  You also need to understand how the customer produces its product or service, and the ways that it generates efficiencies.  On the flip side, you should also know how unnecessary costs get into the customer’s production/marketing/sales system.  Yes, this is scary stuff.  If you’re an “unnecessary cost,” you’d better figure out how to generate return on investment for them.  If you know how your customer generates profit, you can help them in a multitude of ways, some of which have little to do with your actual product or service.

You have to understand how your product or service fits into their overall profit picture.  Now that you know how your customer makes money, you can start working to generate return on investment for your product or service.  What would be the cost of not using you or your products?  What are the alternatives?  More importantly, are they underutilizing your product, and you can help them maximize the investment?  Don’t be afraid to get involved.

You have to understand how your contact is rewarded.  Assuming that you have a relationship with your contact (and if you don’t, get cracking and build one), it’s time to understand his/her personal and professional needs.  When your contact is rewarded based on something you’ve done, you have generated “profit” for your contact.  This is where most salespeople will drop to the old “price cutter” model, but you need not go there.  Instead, work to make sure that your product and your time is being used efficiently, and contribute your expertise as is appropriate.  If you can connect your contact with other resources that can help, do it.

It’s worth pointing out that I’ve had this philosophy of salespeople being profit centers for over 20 years – and it’s more important now than ever.  As younger buyers come into positions of power, they don’t care how much fun you are to have a beer with, or how you golf.  They care about whether or not you can help them improve their business, and their lives.  And if you aren’t prepared to do those things, you’re going to lose out to salespeople who will.

After you’ve taken action, quantify the results in a quality business review, and you’ve generated profit – and proven your worth.  By the way, if you don’t quantify the results of your work, your competitors will.  Want to guess what light you’ll be painted in?