Maybe you have a verbal commitment. Maybe you’ve followed up a few times. Maybe you’re considering moving on to a new prospect because you just can’t seem to get through. It seems they’re just not that interested.

I was recently asked this question, and I sat down to try and come up with a definitive group. I’ve got to admit, after an 11+ year career of sales and challenging myself to get better, I’ve got quite a library to narrow down.

Sales is a results-oriented game, so it’s easy to focus on the results and assume that with your eye on the prize, everything else will magically fall into place. That’s only partially true – it’s not the whole story.

If you’re really in touch with your customers, you’ll know the real reasons they buy. You’ll also know by now, that those reasons don’t have a whole lot to do with what is in the copy on your website, or printed on your brochures.

What’s more responsible for your success, your acumen or your corporate credit card?

If you cultivate an environment where you look out for your customers’ best interests, and provide enough value, you’ll find that they’ll do the same for you.

You may not think you’re the funniest person in every room you walk into, and you don’t have to be. Just remember the little things that make all the difference between making a real connection with your customer, and just another sales call.

How many salespeople don’t actually have a perspective on sales? They may have views. I’m sure they have opinions. But so many people are dug into a specific process or system that doesn’t allow them any field of vision.

Ten things you might think motivate your customers to buy from you, and ten real reasons why the do.

The real problem in the sales industry today is not that there aren’t enough tools, it’s that nobody knows how to sell.

Whether you’re new to sales, just starting a new gig, or a grizzled sales veteran looking to stay on top of your game, these five essential pieces of sales advice will benefit you, make you think differently, and set you apart.

Some sales are easier to make than others, but the fundamentals are all the same.