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Just because a prospect has a problem that we can fix doesn't mean it matters to them. One of our Sandler Rules is No Pain = No Sale. And while you can't take that too literally, a lack of personal impact definitely makes a sale much harder to make.

One of my roofing clients met with an insurance adjuster a while back. My client does a great job at making the interaction all about the other person, so he let the adjuster take the lead in looking at the roof. In this interaction, that meant letting the adjuster go up the ladder first to look around for damage. The adjuster seemed a little surprised, but he examined the roof with my client.

If you're in sales, you need to be aware of the perception other people have. Not only are they mentally comparing you to others in your industry, but really they're comparing you to all the other salespeople they've interacted with and even stories they've heard from others!

It's easy to get caught up in the trap of thinking when your prospect has pain, they must not have money. But that's not always the case. Plenty of times cash doesn't mean a lack of pain, and pain doesn't mean a lack of cash. Someone you're meeting with could be in plenty of pain and still easily be able to invest in your help.

Many well-known businesses around the country are franchises that are run by national organizations. Depending on your business and depending on the franchise, there could be some opportunity for you there, even when starting at the local level.

I typically work with people who want to grow their business or organization. A huge part of that is understanding the cast of characters in the decision-making process. When you're talking to a customer or prospect, who can say yes? Who can say no? Who has just a little input? Who has veto power?

Most of the people and organizations I work with prefer to be seen as a trusted advisor rather than a commodity. It allows them to make more money and help their clients on an ongoing basis.

The key to good sales is good prospecting. And a huge portion of that is making your prospect feel OK. In Sandler, we talk a lot about the importance of bonding and rapport. Good bonding and rapport is not about finding a family photo or sports memorabilia in someone's office and commenting on it. It's all about the subconscious ways you can connect with someone. Then they feel OK and can have a real interaction with you without becoming defensive.

Finding out your prospect's budget is a huge part of being able to make the interactions all about them, therefore making yourself look different than every other salesperson. It's not a matter of maxing out their budget, but a matter of helping them prioritize rather than trying to squeeze every last cent out of them.

If you're like most salespeople, chances are good that you could be way more active in your prospecting. You obviously want to make the best use of your time. But often, I find that salespeople are staying inside their comfort zone and engaging in passive prospecting instead of active prospecting. They're being lazy!