Sales Stories and Articles
Professional articles, interviews and sales stories from the field, drawn from more than 35 years of training salespeople.
- The Apartment on Janusz Korczak StreetA tiny apartment worth $50,000 on a good day, and my decision to sell it for $80,000. A story about preparation, belief and nerve, and the buyer who came back years later to learn how it's done.
- Noah's RavenA blunt customer decided I looked like a teacher and asked what I taught. I couldn't say "sales", so out popped "the Bible". Big mistake.
- Bateman EngineeringThe competitor already had a verbal yes, the order was all but signed, and I was only there to rubber-stamp it. One walk-through with a notepad and pencil changed everything.
- Interviewing ElvisA sales candidate who looks like Elvis, talks like a champion and lasts exactly three months everywhere. A story about the one trait that ruins everything.
- Not ClosingA retired couple walks in completely ready to buy, and a brand-new salesman insists on showing them the trunk. A one-on-one coaching visit at a car dealership, and one very loud whisper.
- Fake NewsOnce I tried to fool a crafty competitor and found out he'd closed the deal the day before. Years later, two pages that "slipped in by mistake" won us a huge project.
- Liar, LiarA regional manager pulled out a calculator, did some very complicated math and whispered, "A special price, just for you." The problem: the receptionist had already quoted me the exact same price.
- Know the Rules of ProcurementMatch the competitor's price exactly, or don't bid. I came with two quotes in my briefcase and left with a higher-priced order and a crack about used-car salesmen.
- Alarms: The Auction HouseA tough, aggressive and very savvy competitor, a big client on the fence, and a few words of honesty. How one perfectly innocent remark decided the deal.
- Digging a Pit for the CompetitionA story from the seventies: a young alarm salesman, an elderly shop owner who won't even take a quote, and a crafty competitor who left a mine behind.
- Yehuda and the MiceThe Technion was about to sign its first order, and then my sales rep got bored and asked one question about mice. A story about knowing when to just stay quiet.
- Blame It on the WeatherA sales team doubled the company's revenue in a year, and the CEO told the paper the secret was a nicer cafeteria and a new lobby. Since then I have one standard answer: it must be the weather.
- A Confession by the BonfireThe project head was smart, knew all my tricks and wouldn't let me squeeze a word out of him. Years later, by a holiday bonfire, I told him where the information came from anyway.
- The Omega WatchA customer with 12,000 shekels in his pocket asked to see a watch, and the saleswoman decided it wasn't worth taking off the shelf. She had no idea who would hear about it.
- Buying DecisionsAn engineer who swore he was completely rational and ran every purchase through an Excel spreadsheet. One small request from me, and two weeks later the whole class was in stitches.
- Just ClosingClosing time at a Haifa mall, a woman who only wanted to know the price of a picture in the window, and one small question that turned curiosity into a sale.
- Short CircuitsAt a workshop for a luxury builder, I insisted you could sell a high-end apartment in a single meeting. They laughed. A week later, three of them were waiting for me at the Hilton.
- In Memory of Itzik, a Gifted ManRafael against Elbit at the height of its power, and a cocky rival rep who eagerly collected every bit of "information" we fed him. A story of cunning, arrogance and a gifted man.
- He Knew His CustomersAt one place he talked only to the buyer. At the next he started with the chef and a recap of last Saturday's sermon. What did the company's best salesman know that I, the trainer, didn't?
- The Million-Dollar DebtTwo competitors rushed to submit their quotes. I waited until the last possible moment and sent a very optimistic budget estimate. To this day, with a wink, they say I owe them a million dollars.
- Preparation Is Worth Its Weight in GoldA new salesman was about to walk into a minimarket completely blind. One three-minute phone call turned the visit into one of the best sales I saw that year.
- Ingrained HabitsA veteran interior designer insisted that in her field you can't close in one meeting. I bet she was the one bringing on the delay herself, and one videotaped role-play proved it.
- The PR EntrepreneursA tough CEO who ignored them for three months suddenly calls and says their price is too high. Two entrepreneurs almost walked away, until they saw what that objection really meant.
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