You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, 2nd Edition: Sandler TrainingΓÇÖs 7-Step System for Successful Selling

A few days ago, I finally finished reading You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar: Sandler Training’s 7-Step System for Successful Selling by David Sandler. I started this book 31 January 2019 and now 183 days later, I’ve finished. I should have finished reading this book much sooner, but I’m glad I did finish reading it.I was previously introduced to the Sandler selling philosophy in January 2015 and I didn’t realize then what I know now to be true, which is that the Sandler approach to sales works and it works because it is different than traditional sales philosophies that are taught. There are other sales training systems out there and I don’t have any experience with those systems, but this I can say, the Sandler way works.Overall, this has been a great book for me to read and become refreshed by the whole approach to sales that the Sandler sales system provides. It’s important that no matter what books are read, especially if they relate to sales and becoming a more effective salesperson, the techniques that are given must be routinely practiced so that it becomes second nature. It must be reinforced through one-on-one practice so that improvements are made and more sales success is realized.The book is like a mini-course on how to sell effectively, strategically and successfully and if the Sandler philosophy is reinforced on a daily basis, the salesperson will go to the bank more often with more closed sales to their credit.Two of the components of Sandler that I have found most helpful are the Up-Front Contract and the Pain Funnel. I believe these 2 things are crucial to the success of every sales call and whether or not a sales opportunity is even available because not every prospect is qualified to buy someone else’s product or service. This helps a salesperson to not waste time in pursuing the wrong prospect opportunities.The UFC is essentially used to gain mutual agreement for an appointment and determine if there is a potential fit where both parties mutually benefit. The use of an UFC is key for this to occur and it works. There is no ambiguity regarding what's going to happen in the future and that is critical to get established up front.Utilizing the Up-Front Contract is essential and incredibly helpful in determining a clear expectation for both parties and these 5 elements make up a good UFC:Purpose of the meetingProspect’s agenda and expectationsSalesperson’s agenda and expectationsTimeOutcomeHere's what that might sound like, "Tom, I appreciate you inviting me to meet with you today. Do you still have 30 minutes for us today? Naturally, you're going to have some questions for me to learn more about what I do, and obviously I'm going to have some questions for you as well. Would it be ok for us to ask each other a few questions? Typically, at the end of our time together, we should be able to decide together if it makes sense to move forward to the next step, or not. If it doesn't make sense for us to move forward, are you ok with telling me, no?"The Up-Front Contract should be used comfortably and not come off as a robotic statement because it really helps to begin utilizing listening skills, which is also critical in this process.Using an UFC is one of those things where I’ve said, “Had I known then what I know now,...” my past sales experience would have been much different, and utilizing the UFC is not just for gaining sales appointments because it’s useful in everyday life, especially at home.Add descriptionNo alt text provided for this imageThe 7-Steps of the Sandler system is best described by the Sandler Submarine and as each compartment is effectively concluded the door is closed to move on to the next compartment until finally reaching the Post-Sell stage.When I first entered sales many years ago, there were 2 things that were taught to me to sell against any competitor: 1. Features and benefits and, 2. Price. Problem solving was rarely the reason why I made any sales.Unfortunately, if I had worked for a competitor company to the product, or service that I was selling, I’d be selling based on features, benefits and price. There’s no differentiator at all when selling that way. Value-based selling, or more importantly, problem solving for the prospect is the approach utilized by Sandler that is what makes the sale and the salesperson different from their competition.If a prospect isn’t experiencing pain in their business, pain where there is a problem that hasn’t been solved in a long time and they haven’t found the right solution yet, the Sandler approach helps to discover that more clearly. Pain is a problem that must be solved and as David Sandler says, without pain, there’s no sale.Pain in a business is found by asking these questions:How long has this been a problem?Could you be a bit more specific? Give me an example.What have you done to try and fix it?How did that work out for you?How much time and money have you invested in doing that?What will you do if this can’t be fixed?Have you given up trying to deal with this problem?Why is this important to you now?It makes a lot more sense to gain an understanding of a prospect’s problems when these questions are asked, rather than trying to sell based on features, benefits and price.Each question goes deeper into gaining an understanding of the problem and how bad it may be, so that the prospect feels that they understand what’s going on and what the salesperson may be able to do to solve their problem.I don’t know about you, but I’d feel more comfortable with someone who truly understood my problem and how it could potentially be solved, if I were asked questions like this. It’s just like going to see the doctor, isn’t it? They ask questions like this too, as the doctor attempts to understand what the cause of the ailment is and the best recommendation for treatment? Don’t they ask questions like this too?How long have you had this problem?Could you be more specific about what you’re experiencing?What have you done to remedy this yourself?How did that work out for you?Do you see the similarity? The doctor is in sales too. If patients are concerned about how the doctor can make their pain disappear, it’s no different for someone in the sales profession. Does that make sense?Of the books that I’ve read from Sandler, I’ve enjoyed this one the most because it is a comprehensive picture of the sales process in 7 steps via the Sandler Submarine.I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking to improve their sales performance personally, or for a sales managers and the team they have in the field.This book, You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar is a book that helps take the fear out of much of what sales entails. Picking up the phone isn’t such a dread when you’re using an Up-Front Contract, either on the phone, or face-to-face.The questions that can be asked in discovering a prospect’s pain are limitless, but even just a select few, as it relates to an individual’s field of sales will help them quickly discover more qualified sales opportunities, instead of wasting time with the wrong prospects. Isn’t that what sales is about, finding more qualified sales opportunities?It’s a book that should be read at least twice a year, to help refresh an individual’s behavior, attitude and technique so that they remain focused on solving prospect’s problems more than selling features, benefits and price.Whether you’re in the field of technology sales, manufacturing and logistics, manage or work in a call center, customer service, home sales, professional services there’s a book that will help anyone in these fields of sales.Recommended Books:Prospecting The Sandler WayAsking Questions The Sandler WaySelling to Homeowners The Sandler Way

1. Behavior & Mindset a. Self-esteem: “Role success or failure is merely a measurement of how well you are doing in your acquired roles. But in no way do roles affect your value as a human being” b. The most effective sales training is reinforced over time and in person c. Use “pay time” (usually 9a-5p) productivity; complete administrative work during “no pay time” d. Always go for a “yes” or “no”; there is nothing worse than “I want to think it over”; e. Negative reverse selling: “Mr. Jones, based on what you have told me so far, my feeling is that you have absolutely no interest in what I am selling. So, before I leave, can I ask you one last question: Is it over?” f. Know your competition, specifically your and their key differentiators g. “Top sales performers spend 80 percent of their time servicing their clients and customers, and only 20 percent of their time prospecting” h. Speak softly. Nice and easy. i. ask the prospect to share how they expect to use and get value from your product (ex: “Could you tell me more specifically just how you see the fit?”) j. “Quite often, salespeople think they’re slacking in performance because they don’t set goals, or they don’t work their plan, or they don’t execute their techniques effectively in front of a prospect.”2. Bonding a. Prospects try to gather as much information as possible while giving little; do not allow prospects to treat you as an unpaid consultant; “sell today [and gather information] and educate tomorrow” b. “the best way to get in front of a prospect is via an introduction from an existing customer” c. Preempt expected stalls and objections d. “Don’t act superior. Don’t use buzzwords. Don’t appear to be Mr. or Ms. All-Together.”3. Up front contracts a. “make an agreement with the prospect about what’s going to occur during the sales process, and once the agreement is firm, the pressure is off because the sale is closed.” b. “set the agenda for [every] sales call” c. “If you decide to send literature to a prospect, don’t do it without an Up-Front Contract that explains what happens next.”4. Pain a. People buy emotionally5. Budget a. Focus on the cost to your prospects if they do nothing b. Don’t wait to deal with money until the end of your sales presentation. Get the issue on the table up front. “Do you have a budget set aside for this project?” c. Give the client the opportunity to apply the small investments toward the big-ticket price, and you’re likely to lock up the business.6. Decision a. Uncover the decision making process in the prospect’s firm b. “One of the most important decisions you must make is when to disengage because you haven’t qualified the decision maker!” c. “who besides you will be involved in the decision-making process?” d. “Help your prospect organize his or her presentation to the decision makers.” e. “Let’s assume that you have five pains to solve during your presentation. You begin with the most troublesome pain first and explain how your product or system can alleviate the problem. You then say: “John, are you 100 percent comfortable that my service will solve the problem?” f. The Thermometer Technique Before you proceed with any more pain, however, use the Thermometer technique, which helps you measure the degree to which your prospect has been sold. Here’s how it works: “John, we’ve covered a lot of ground so far, and there’s still more to show you, but on a 0-to-10 scale, 0 meaning you have no interest in my service and 10 meaning you have already decided to buy my service, where are you?”7. Fulfillment a. Show your prospect that your product/service will eliminate their pain (rather than selling features & benefits)8. Post-sell a. the traditional salesperson underestimates Buyer’s Remorse b. “Instead of rushing to the office to process the order before the prospect changes his mind, give the person the chance to back out, while the two of you are talking, before you seal the deal.”

Great advice and well articulated for the professional sales person. I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to bring credibilty, professionalism and value to customers. Your customers will thank you for it!

Though much of this book uses timeless sales techniques like selling to pain, most of the book still fees like it was written in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Though this addition provides many updated comments the book still feels like it is ready for a ground up rewrite.

Great book, there is a reason why the Sandler methodology is the basis for all others and this book showcases that very well.

If you have gone through Sandler Sales training or are considering it for yourself and team, I would highly recommend reading this book! Effectively using the skills you will learn requires constant practice and execution to master them. The truth is in the title of the book. You cannot learn and master these techniques in a seminar or boot camp. You must remember to repeat and repeat to remember. It’ll take you over 750 hours to master the techniques (750 one hour sales call per year... that’s 3 calls per day, 15 per week). You will fill you pipeline and have great success! My copy is always with me when I’m on the road. It’s marked up and bookmarked. Has some coffee stains too! Always be closing! Good selling!

Commercial for Sandler coaching , all available online for free.

Other sales books and training clearly take inspiration from Sandler and rarely provide anything groundbreaking or different to what's in this book.

Cela fait vingt que je suis commercial. Je viens enfin de comprendre ce qu'est la vente.Et ça n'a rien à voir avec ce que j'ai toujours pensé. Merci pour cette méthode

I use this book and the Sandler method to create a culture of repeatable success. The step by step nature of the method, coupled with putting specific language to process steps has made it so that we can all speak from a common platform when discussing sales. I have bought and given away more than 50 copies of this book in the last 7 years, and it has helped me to guide salespeople to greater levels of success. While many sales methods rely on feelings and intuition, this book creates a repeatable template that allows me to guide sales people through a process.

Listened to the audobook and read the book too. The sandler method works, I can say that as a salesperson in the b2c home improvement industry, implementing Sandlers methods is a game changer. Even implementing one change at a time has a dramatic improvement in close ratios.