David Bliss

“No” may be the most powerful word in sales. Saying no may also be the hardest thing to do in sales. For me, learning to sell happened one mistake at a time.  Most people want to please, and in fact, studies have proven our brains get a boost when we help others. Maybe this is […]

The excuses some salespeople use to explain away their lack of productivity are never-ending. Their unwillingness to do the dirty work of selling seems to be a reflection of their fear or insecurities. Some account executives (AEs) spend more time trying to acquit themselves of their responsibility than simply marching forward. Admitting failure sucks, but

My career move into sales was a total surprise. One day I’m doing consulting work, the next day I’m in sales. Closing a sale kinda seemed like playing a ball game; you either won or you lost. Maybe this new gig wouldn’t be so bad after all if it was like winning at sports.  Getting

Sometimes we get so surprised by what someone says or does to us that we don’t immediately know how to react. This was one of those situations.    “Congratulations, you’re in sales now. Plan on being in San Antonio next Thursday for a demonstration,” announced my boss during our morning sports catch-up.    No one

“Those damn sales guys won’t use the system,” the Chief Information Officer (CIO) grumbled with the highest level of contempt for salespeople. And yet, there I was, one of those rotten sales guys standing at the entryway of his supersized corner office.  We salespeople are a hard bunch to please when it comes to crappy

Why is corporate America hell-bent on providing crappy software for their employees, especially ineffective sales systems?  Whether you’re a one-man band selling a homemade product in your local community or a global powerhouse selling industrial equipment, you’re likely using a sales system to track your opportunities, contacts, next steps, and maybe much more. Clearly, companies

Several years ago (at the peak of my superpowers), something happened that sent me reeling back to reality. But, hey, with three kids, a new house, a challenging career, and a hardcore workout fanatic — nothing could stop me!  Or so I thought until I spotted a little blood in my urine. Paralyzed with fear

Relaxing with colleagues and their spouses is always entertaining while at company events. The topics spin all over the place. Fueled by a little alcohol, these chitchats are often knee-slapping hilarious affairs as we get way too much information on what’s going on behind closed doors. During one such event, the conversation meandered into vacations,

One day while chasing virtual rabbits in the ether of the interweb, I stumbled upon an article describing the Pomodoro technique. Could this very simple approach to time management get me off the multitasking fantasy highway to nowhere? I’m a junky for improving efficiency and always a willing participant to experiment with new things to

February was almost over and we were still in negotiations to close a significant deal that started in mid-December the previous year.  It only took one week to negotiate 50-something pages of a ridiculously long contract and now, there we sat, each side dug in over the same three damn issues a month and a