The Selling Academy

04/04/2026

45 years around the sun today. So got dressed up and forced my husband to take some pics of me. Like I live in my trackies most days working from home. So was not going to waste this opportunity.

He only took 4 pics🫤, so didn't have the luxury of choice.

He was like, "The house is a mess! What about all the kids toys on the floor behind you?" I was like "don't worry bro, AI photo background delete will clean up the mess." 😉

Regardless, I'm really grateful I made it to this age. Because a lady asked me if I feel old as a joke, I was like "are you kidding me? Do you know how many people would have killed to get to this age and beyond?"

She did agree and said, "thanks I'll remember that in September when I'm depressed about getting old."

28/08/2025

Your customers don’t really care about your products.

Here’s what they do care about:
– Keeping their customers
– Growing their customers
– Serving their customers better

And most of all? Growing revenue, boosting profits, and keeping shareholders happy.

So how do we show we actually get that?

It’s called,

Customer Focused Selling.

And no, it’s not just about pitching features, benefits, and solutions. It’s about way more than that.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Better discovery:
Not just asking questions, but digging into what’s really driving their decisions. What are their commercial goals? Internal pressures? What does success actually look like for them?

2. Mapping the buyer’s journey:
Not just 'awareness' or 'decision' It’s understanding how they move through internal approvals, stakeholder politics, and timing. And knowing what each player cares about.

3. Helping them grow profits:
Whether it’s retention, expansion, or efficiency, your solution should link to real commercial impact.

4. Reducing costs:
Not just offering a discount.
It’s about cutting waste, saving time, and streamlining complexity.

Example: A SaaS AE showed a RevOps leader how consolidating three tools into one saved $180K a year, not just in license fees, but admin hours and support tickets. This shortened the typical sales cycle by 4 weeks.

5. Mitigating risk:
Think compliance, churn, customer experience. In fact, risk is often the quiet driver behind big decisions.But it’s not just about solving risk, it’s about uncovering it early. And that starts in discovery.

6. Helping them serve their customers :
This is the heart of it.
It’s not about your product, it’s about how it helps them deliver better results to their own customers. When you help them retain and grow their customer base, you’re not just a vendor. You’re a strategic partner.

So next time you’re in a customer conversation, ask yourself:
How can I help them keep, grow, and serve their customers?

Let that reflection guide your entire discovery.

And that’s Customer Focused Selling.

26/09/2024

How to Nail Your Next Cold Call, According to a Sales Pro

Full article: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/cold-calling-tips/

Cold calling is a type of sales solicitation to a prospect who has never interacted with the company before with the goal of closing a sale.

25/07/2024

Happy 1st birthday to my handsome boys. Being your mum is not an obligation or shore, but more of a pleasure and privilege.

06/06/2024

14 Lessons I Learned from Making Thousands of Cold Calls.

1. You will get rejected 98% of the time. It's about getting to the 2 - 3% who need what you have.

2. To be good at cold calling, you need to create thick skin and not take it personally.

3. Trust in the law of averages. The more people you call, and NOs you hear, the closer you are to getting that YES. So KNOW YOUR NUMBERS.

4. Yes, you will bother people, but in 5 minutes they won’t remember who you are. Their life does go on without you. They won't even remember that you bothered them at 11:40 am on the 6th of June 2024.

5. Sometimes you may be making many phone calls before you speak to a decision-maker.

6. You don't need to close on the first call. Use it to create awareness, build relationships, gather information and establish next steps.

7. If there isn’t an immediate need, transform a cold call into a warm connection by asking if it's okay to check in again in a few months. This opens the door for future opportunities and shows that you value their time and priorities.

8. A cold call is not a one-time event. It’s critical to build a sales pipeline, follow up and nurture it.

9. Understand who you're speaking with. The ICP and Persona. This will help you open up the cold call with something relevant.

10. The more you do it, the better you will get at it. Use it as your chance to practice. Be sure to jot down what you did well, and what can be improved on the next call.

11. It’s important to have a compelling why when making the cold call. What's in it for them? What impact can your products/services make in the prospect's life/business? What's in it for you? What impact is the extra commission$/career growth/achievement etc, going to make in your life?

12. The negative story you continuously tell yourself about why cold calling sucks, is preventing your sales success. Be aware of the limiting stories and change them into ones that are empowering.

13. You cannot control the prospect on the other end, you can only control your reaction to the disappointment you face.

14. You can't always rely on waiting for leads to come to you. Cold calling is the key to filling up your schedule with appointments and hitting your sales targets every month.

Remember, cold calling is a skill that improves with practice. pick up that phone, make more visits, envision success, and make those connections!

Do you make sales calls in your job? If so, what lessons can you share?

05/06/2024

"But they will probably say no."

"They are probably using a better product."

"Their company is too big and complex to manage change."

"They already have in-house solutions and won't be open to discussing any other (put your solution here.)

"Their procurement people are known to be a nightmare."

"It looks like a men's/women's club. Probably not open to talking with a woman/man."

Too many salespeople love making assumptions about potential customers who they have never spoken with.

But to be a high sales performer, we need to get rid of all assumptions and enter every conversation by being open and curious.

Read full article 👉 https://thesellingacademy.net/f/why-making-assumptions-about-potential-customers-is-not-helping

By Rana Kordahi 16/07/2022

03/06/2024

You can blame this on human behaviour or psychology, but there are some universal truths in sales that will never change.
1. You should never ever begin telling, pitching or providing solutions before the customer articulates what they want to gain, achieve or solve.

2. People buy things when a recommendation or solution resonates with their current needs.

3. People are more likely to buy when they are talking, than when you’re talking.

4. People buy things when it’s their idea.

So before thinking about how you can perfect your pitch, it's key to take the time to understand the client's situation, goals, needs, challenges and vision. Only then, will you be able to customise a solution that resonates with them.

30/05/2024

Did you know that many of your inbound leads are playing the field? Yep, they are dating around. I mean, they’re talking to 5 - 6 of your competitors. While I love a good inbound lead and get excited that I was found on google, I must work harder to prove myself to them.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do work hard to prove myself worthy, as I love a bit of competition, and definitely value them and their business. For myself personally, nothing beats a highly interested outbound lead. Those that I specifically targeted, reached out to and nurtured. (And of course some turn into inbound, after a lot of marketing and personal branding efforts.)

I like to get to these outbound leads early enough in the buying window, that I eliminate most competition.
For me, it's critical to constantly build an outbound list of ideal clients, and not just rely on inbound. It’s even more important to not only create their ICP and persona, but deeply understand both.

So, when I do reach them early enough, they are like, ‘wow, this person speaks my language. How did she know that this very thing was in the back of my mind?’’

From experience, it’s essential to be 5 steps ahead and anticipate needs before they arise. For instance, if you specialise in selling commercial tiles, reaching out to architects before they have a specific project in mind can lead to future opportunities.

So don’t be afraid of doing outbound and creating your own opportunities. By nurturing these connections and consistently providing value, you can stay top-of-mind and increase your chances of securing long-term partnerships.

29/05/2024

When making sales calls, an important number that salespeople need to track is their average ratio of outbound calls to contact made with decision-maker.

This is the average number of outgoing calls that a sales rep has to make until they have a conversation with one lead.

Suppose they had to make over 20 calls to reach one lead. In this case, their ratio would be 20:1 (20 calls per successful contact). This low ‘contact made’ ratio indicates that the sales rep’s outreach method may need adjustment.

Their low ‘contact made’ ratio affects their ratio to booked meetings, and lead conversion. As a result, the sales rep ends up spending more time dialling than having meaningful conversations.

Some things the sales rep should consider when trying to make contact with a decision-maker:

1. Are they wasting a lot of time during golden hours on admin and research, rather than dialling?

2. Is their database correct and up to date?

3. Are they using prospecting technology that gives them enough mobile phone numbers of decision makers so they can cut through switchboards and gatekeepers?

4. Do they know how to get through gatekeepers if all they have is a landline phone number?

5. Is the sales rep dialling during a time and day when the decision maker is most likely to be available?

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Are you a sales leader looking to boost your sales team's performance and enhance their sales techniques? Schedule a quick 20-minute chat to explore how we can support you in achieving your goals. Calendar link in the comments 👇

28/05/2024

I once knew a sales rep who sold peak body memberships to the automotive industry. He spent hours sitting with owners of mechanic shops and panel beaters sipping coffee and chatting the day away.

You could say he had many great relationships with existing customers, as well as potential ones. But when it came to his numbers, he was not performing. While he had no issues building rapport and trust, he didn’t know how to drive renewals and grow his customer base.

In the evolving landscape of sales, relationship-building continues to be important, but it’s no longer enough to drive success.

So where did this guy go wrong?

1. Too much Chitchat: The sales rep spent hours sipping coffee and chatting with existing clients. Now although rapport is important, too much chit chat affects productivity, and distracts from helping the customers, as well as from achieving our sales goals.

2. Was too Complacent: He got complacent and relied too heavily on existing relationships without actively seeking new business. However, this did backfire when the COVID-19 pandemic hit as many of his customers had to go into lockdown.

3. Feared Closing: He avoided closing deals. From having coached him, it seemed that deep down he feared rejection or lacked confidence. He also internalised the customer’s objections.

4. Missed Renewals and Upselling Opportunities: He missed the mark on renewals and upselling. As previously mentioned he enjoyed long conversations about everything, but business. Existing customers are valuable; neglecting this area is a missed opportunity.

While yes it’s true, people do buy from people they like, trust and have solid relationships with, they are not looking for a new best friend. I’m sure they already have one or more. They are looking for someone who can help them find solutions to complex construction needs and problems.