Sales Coaching Archives

Posted on September 13, 2018, updated on September 17, 2018 by Rod Osthus

No one likes being told “no,” especially salespeople. In fact, fear of rejection is the top reason why salespeople hate to prospect for new business. They hate the thought of being turned down because they believe it’s a personal attack on thei…

Posted on August 21, 2018, updated on August 22, 2018 by Rod Osthus

At what age are you old? At what point do you become obsolete? I’m 68 years old and a 46-year member of the seed industry. When you’re that long in the tooth, I suppose it’s easy to be perceived as being past your prime and out of touch with th…

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Rod Osthus

What makes some seed sellers more successful than others? It took me two years but I figured it out — accidentally. It all started when I hired Fred, the father-in-law of one of our employees. Fred had been working as a mechanic for an implement d…

Posted on June 14, 2018, updated on June 15, 2018 by Rod Osthus

I didn’t coin that title but, when I saw it, it reminded me of the strategy many companies are using to prepare their salespeople for the 2018 selling season. I call it the Titanic Sales Strategy because it creates false confidence in their plans a…

Posted on May 10, 2018, updated on May 23, 2018 by Rod Osthus

For decades, the democratic system of selling to farmers was fairly successful. That is, sales reps set their own sales goals and decided how and when they were going to achieve them. Many sellers were independent dealers who had the freedom to set t…

Posted on April 11, 2018, updated on April 12, 2018 by Rod Osthus

The secret to success in seed sales is staying in control of the sale. If control is not maintained, the chance of getting the seed you sold planted decreases dramatically. Every year there are seed sellers who struggle to meet sales goals and this y…

Posted on March 15, 2018, updated on May 23, 2018 by Rod Osthus

General George S. Patton once said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.” I’ve been in the seed business for 45 years and continue to love it, but I’ve discovered many companies in this industry think alike. So, some…

Posted on February 8, 2018, updated on May 23, 2018 by Rod Osthus

When I tell salespeople to stop listening to their customers, they stop listening to me. They think I’m nuts. It’s because they’ve been taught the No. 1 thing to do if they want to get sales is to be good listeners when talking with prospects a…

Posted on January 12, 2018, updated on January 15, 2018 by Rod Osthus

How many ways are there to get sales increases? Every field seller knows there are just two: get new buyers and sell more to current ones. As simple as that sounds, many companies continue to struggle to get the increases they need. Why? Because they…

Posted on December 9, 2017, updated on January 1, 2018 by Rod Osthus

Do you spend time every year worrying whether or not your salespeople are going to achieve their sales goals? Most managers do, and for good reason. Salespeople are getting weaker. It’s not because the marketplace is getting tougher, and they’re …