Most sales training is a day in a room and a binder nobody opens again. This is the opposite: one idea a day for five days, each with something to do on a real call. It is free. A new salesperson can run it alone; a manager can run it with a team using the guides linked at the end.
Day 1 — How people buy
Read Chapter 5 of Selling Made Simple (free, about ten minutes): the five stages every buyer moves through, and the one that sits underneath them all. Then take one client you are working with and write down which stage they are actually in.
Day 2 — Listen first
On every call today, ask one more question before saying anything about what you sell. At the end of the day, write down what each client said they wanted — in their words.
Day 3 — Objections
Every objection is one of five things: an unresolved want, need, information, feasibility or trust. For each objection you hear this week, name which one it is. Then step back to that stage instead of pushing harder.
Day 4 — Your numbers
Count your activity for the week so far: calls, conversations, appointments, proposals. Work out your ratios. Results come from activity you can control; this is how you see which part of your process needs work. The free sales activity calculator does the arithmetic.
Day 5 — Review
Sit down with your manager or a peer and go through the week using the discussion guide questions. What stage were your best conversations in? Which objection type came up most? What will you do differently on Monday?
Running it as a team
The team reading guides turn each book into short weekly sessions for a sales team — one chapter, one discussion, one thing to try. All four guides are free downloads:
- Selling Made Simple — Discussion Guide
- Selling Made Simple — Team Reading Guide
- Sales Leadership Made Simple — Discussion Guide
- Sales Leadership Made Simple — Team Reading Guide
New to the fundamentals? Start with Sales 101: the basics of selling.