• About Us
    • Our Story
    • Customers
      • Sales Training Case Study
    • Products and Services
      • Sales Training Programs
        • Train the Trainer Courses
      • Sales Management Training
      • Sales Force Training
      • Sales Certification
      • Sales Training Workshops
      • Customer Relationship Professional (CRP)
        • Why You Need to Train Customer Relationship Professionals
        • Why Customer Satisfaction Isn’t Enough
    • Sales News
  • SALES SKILLS
    • 5 Critical Sales Skills
      • Sales Skill #1 – Buyer Seller Relationship
      • Sales Skill #2 – Sales Call Planning
      • Sales Skill #3 – Questioning Skills
      • Sales Skill #4 – Presentation Skills
      • Sales Skill #5 – Gaining Commitment
      • Sales Skills Training
    • Sales Skills Assessment
    • Sales Skills Articles
      • Don’t Make Classic Selling Errors
      • Learn Critical Selling Skills
      • Understand How Buyers Buy
    • Sales Skills White Papers
    • Sales Skills Books
      • Action Selling Sales Book
      • Selling Your Price
      • Questions
      • Masters of Loyalty
      • Sales Strategy
    • Sales Skills Videos
    • Sales Skills eLearning
  • Sales Training
    • Action Selling
    • Sales Training Workshops
    • Leadership Training
    • Best Sales Training
    • Sales Training Articles
      • Business Skills for Salespeople
      • How to Train Salespeople
      • Use The Best Sales Process
    • Sales Training White Papers
    • Sales Training Books
      • Action Selling – Sales Book
      • Selling Your Price – Sales Book
      • Questions – Sales Book
      • Masters of Loyalty – Sales Book
      • Sales Strategy – Sales Book
    • Sales Training Videos
    • Sales Training eLearning
  • Customer Service Training
    • Customer Relationship Professional (CRP)
    • CRP White Papers
    • CRP Videos
    • Masters of Loyalty Book
  • Search
  • Contact
1.800.232.3485
The Sales Board The Sales Board
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Customers
      • Sales Training Case Study
    • Products and Services
      • Sales Training Programs
        • Train the Trainer Courses
      • Sales Management Training
      • Sales Force Training
      • Sales Certification
      • Sales Training Workshops
      • Customer Relationship Professional (CRP)
        • Why You Need to Train Customer Relationship Professionals
        • Why Customer Satisfaction Isn’t Enough
    • Sales News
  • SALES SKILLS
    • 5 Critical Sales Skills
      • Sales Skill #1 – Buyer Seller Relationship
      • Sales Skill #2 – Sales Call Planning
      • Sales Skill #3 – Questioning Skills
      • Sales Skill #4 – Presentation Skills
      • Sales Skill #5 – Gaining Commitment
      • Sales Skills Training
    • Sales Skills Assessment
    • Sales Skills Articles
      • Don’t Make Classic Selling Errors
      • Learn Critical Selling Skills
      • Understand How Buyers Buy
    • Sales Skills White Papers
    • Sales Skills Books
      • Action Selling Sales Book
      • Selling Your Price
      • Questions
      • Masters of Loyalty
      • Sales Strategy
    • Sales Skills Videos
    • Sales Skills eLearning
  • Sales Training
    • Action Selling
    • Sales Training Workshops
    • Leadership Training
    • Best Sales Training
    • Sales Training Articles
      • Business Skills for Salespeople
      • How to Train Salespeople
      • Use The Best Sales Process
    • Sales Training White Papers
    • Sales Training Books
      • Action Selling – Sales Book
      • Selling Your Price – Sales Book
      • Questions – Sales Book
      • Masters of Loyalty – Sales Book
      • Sales Strategy – Sales Book
    • Sales Training Videos
    • Sales Training eLearning
  • Customer Service Training
    • Customer Relationship Professional (CRP)
    • CRP White Papers
    • CRP Videos
    • Masters of Loyalty Book
  • Search
  • Contact

Differentiate on How You Sell – Not What You Sell

Sales Skills Articles

One of our sales reps has asked me to explain our experience in sales training within the computer industry. I was an IBM Business Partner in the 80’s. I owned a company (Currentech) that was one of the top 25 IBM Resellers in the US. Currentech was founded in 1982, a pivotal year in the industry as IBM had just announced its first PC. IBM decided to authorize over 2,000 dealers nationwide. I had 40 competitors in my backyard (Minneapolis). Most were significantly larger and better financed. Large competitors bought IBM products at C level while I bought at B Level (a 7% higher price).

Survival meant growing faster than others in order to achieve and maintain C Level. We sold the same “boxes” and similar “value added” services. Fortunately, for me and Currentech, I decided that we needed to find a way to differentiate from the competition around something other than our products and services.

I decided that we would have “The Best Trained Sales Force in the Computer Products Business.” We would not differentiate around “what” we sold. We would differentiate around “how” we sold. We began a rigorous training schedule focused on developing our selling skills.

Within months we were outselling our competition up and down the streets of Minneapolis/St. Paul. We gobbled up nearly every large account. Our growth was 6 times the industry average.

Obviously, we had to do many things right to have this experience. But, after selling the company in 1989, I looked back on what allowed us to experience the success that we had. The single most important thing that we did was the training of our sales force on selling skills. In 1990, I decided to document what we had done and package it so other companies could develop their selling differential like Currentech had done.

The result is Action Selling. Over the years, The Sales Board has been developing and enhancing this important sales training product. Today, it is the best sales training program in the world. Does it fit the needs of the computer industry? Absolutely! Will it allow you to grow faster than your competitors? If you implement Action Selling based on our training methodology, I guarantee it.

Good Action Selling!

Share

You also might be interested in

Video: SalesFails #10 – The Price You Pay

Aug 26, 2016

You will pay the price if as a salesperson you make the common selling mistake of telling non-relevant information to your customers. Find out what sales skills are most important. Assess your selling strengths and find out areas that need improving. Take our Free Sales Skills Assessment.

Video: SalesFails #4 – Let’s Talk Less About You…

Aug 25, 2016

Listen more than you talk when you are with a customer. Don't make the common selling mistake of talking too much and listening too little. How are your sales skills? Find out what sales skills are most important. Assess your selling strengths and find out areas that need improving. Take our Free Sales Skills Assessment.

A Toolkit for the Best Year in the History of Your Company

Dec 15, 2016

Regardless of how much education you’ve had, you can always learn more. When your profession is sales communications, and you want to be great at selling, then what you say—and the way you say it—are pretty important.

FREE SALES COACHING

Signup for GREAT IDEAS directly from our Sales Training Consultants!
  • By clicking submit, you acknowledge that you may be contacted by an Action Selling Representative.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

THE NEW ACTION SELLING

The New Action SellingA Quick Read That Will Boost Your Sales -- Guaranteed! The Action Selling series of sales books will help you achieve quota, sell bigger deals, shorten selling cycles and retain your customers.

Shop Action Selling
Action Selling

Since 1990, The Sales Board’s Action Selling Sales Training and Sales Certification Programs have consistently increased revenue, protected margins and improved the sales culture for thousands of businesses worldwide. Action Selling Sales Training Programs Work. Your salespeople will become top producing sales professionals. Your sales managers and sales trainers will become effective sales coaches. And whether your business consists of a few reps or a large, global sales force, the Action Selling process will differentiate your company and products/services.
The Sales Board

14505 21st Avenue North, Suite 206
Minneapolis, MN 55447
1.800.232.3485 | 763.473.2540

Copyright © 2019 The Sales Board, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

Prev Next
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Necessary Always Enabled