This week, I was a chaperone for 6th grade camp with my youngest son. We spent a lot of time outdoors, learned survival skills, and did a load of activities. Sleeping accommodations and food? Not so great, but that’s a different topic. Something that really caught my attention over those few days was how the camp counselors communicated with the kids.

Below is one of the most impactful sales tactics I’ve ever implemented. It’s wickedly simple - and it works. But first some background…

“I have something to tell you, but please keep it between you and me.” This is how a friend started our conversation the other day, pulling me to the edge of my seat. “I’m absolutely crushing my sales quota, but only working 15-20 hours per week.”

Power washers are always amazing to use. A filthy patio floor, outdoor furniture or nasty stains on the side of the house. You can try a scrub brush, special soaps, or some serious elbow grease which often doesn’t work, and is a huge pain in the neck!

In 2010 I was on a family vacation reading George W. Bush’s personal memoir, Decision Points, and was struck with an insight that I’ve carried ever since. There were plenty of topics that I found interesting in the book, including his devotion to his family, and his general climb through the world of government and politics. But what stood out to most wasn’t about politics at all - it was a simple mention that he worked out every morning before heading into the Oval Office to lead the free world. So how could I possibly justify to myself that I don’t have time to work out every day? “I’m so busy!” was my thought - or more clearly, my excuse.

I’m often asked about my favorite book on sales, and as you can imagine there is no single book. Finding success over time is about our experiences, our successes and failures, and trying a lot of things to see what works and what doesn’t. Books are always a wonderful source of new ideas, and there are plenty of lightbulb moments I’ve experienced in reading.

Negotiation is something that should happen very naturally, and occurs throughout the buying process where the seller is working to understand the clients need and what they really value, and the buyer is trying to understand what the potential supplier has to offer. Below are a couple common examples of where I see people negotiating more with themselves, and are missing out on what the client really needs and is willing to pay for.

So much of sales success comes from basic fundamentals of being a reliable person. Not magic closing moves. Not sales tech. Not some tricky way of asking questions.

The businesses that win are those with teams playing more advisory roles in client and customer relationships.

Salespeople are too often afraid of the budget convo, when really it’s just one of many key elements to having a genuine and meaningful business conversation. No reason to hold back and the sooner you have some concept of budget the better so you can make sure you aren’t wasting your time - or the clients time on an opportunity.