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Going Negative - the best sales tactic I've learned

Posted by Arjun Moorthy

Nov 11, 2012 7:43:00 AM

I just finished reading Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan, a book my sales coach Rick Roberge recommended I read.  There are several lessons the book teaches, and that Rick echoes, but one I've taken to heart is to "Go Negative" with the prospect - frequently and quickly.  This isn't called out exactly as such in the book, or even by Rick, but it's my simple way of remembering to qualify a prospect well.   

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Topics: training

Secret to sales success: ask better questions

Posted by Arjun Moorthy

Sep 22, 2012 4:12:00 PM

Many people think that to be good at sales you need to have “the gift of gab”, i.e. be able to talk and present well; generally be affable.  This is important but I realized a while back that even more important was the ability to be a great listener.   As my boss, Brian Halligan so succinctly put it “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.”  However, I learned a couple weeks ago that even great listening skills is not what separates average sales people from great sales people.  The key is asking the right questions to lead the conversation where you want it to go.  And this is the skill I’ve been working on with my coach, Rick Roberge, the last couple weeks.

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Topics: training, feedback

Sales training for an engineer - lessons from a master

Posted by Arjun Moorthy

Sep 1, 2012 12:44:00 PM

A few weeks ago I decided to get formal sales training as my role in Business Development calls on sales skills as often as it does marketing and product skills.  My coach, Rick Roberge, is prolific in the sales training arena and has trained several people I respect – Pete Caputa, Jeetu Mahtani and, at least implicitly, HubSpot’s own Sales SVP and Rick's son, Mark Roberge.

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Topics: training, feedback

Professional coaching - a must no matter how experienced you are

Posted by Arjun Moorthy

Nov 19, 2011 5:57:00 AM

A recent article by one of my favourite New Yorker writers, Atul Gawande, talked about the benefits of having a professional coach.  The article essentially says that no matter how senior or experienced you are in your job you can benefit from a coach, even one who might be less experienced than you.  After a few months of stumbling along in my new role of business development - a nebulous term that can mean anything from driving sales via distribution agreements, building marketing relationships or arranging for technology licensing - I decided I needed a coach as I didn't have a sales or marketing background.

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Topics: mentoring, training

Career Advice I Wish I Knew Earlier 

Hello.  I started this blog to distribute some of the best career advice I have been given over the many jobs I've had.  I've been fortunate to work for and with some great bosses like Brian Halligan, Francis DeSouzaNancy Kamei, and Rick Roberge, and some unique companies, like The Boston Consulting Group, that invest heavily in making each employee a success even after leaving the firm.

The advice and training I received here stands in contrast to my experiences with some not-so-great bosses and companies I've also worked for.  I'm continualy amazed at how valuable good advice has been in my career so I hope to pass on the good advice, and insights from mistakes I've made, via this blog. 

Thanks in advance for your comments, particularly when you can improve upon the ideas posted.

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