Sales lessons by Jim Downton
Know thy product. Find the need. Fill it.
Practical sales lessons for people who sell by email, built on the fundamentals that never changed.
Three steps, every time
Every lesson on this site comes back to the same three steps.
Know thy product
Know what you sell and the problem it solves.
If you can’t say it in one sentence, don’t expect the buyer to work it out for you.
Find the need
Find the person who has that problem, or an opportunity they haven’t spotted yet.
Do your homework first. Guessing isn’t research.
Fill it
Write to that one need, and be specific about it.
Then ask for a decision and let them make it, even if the answer is no thanks.
Why email?
A cold call interrupts.
It arrives when the seller is ready, not when the buyer is. That’s a big part of why selling got its pushy reputation, and why so many people stopped answering unknown numbers.
An email waits its turn.
The buyer opens it when it suits them, reads it at their own pace and decides whether to reply. The decision is theirs, which is exactly where it belongs.
That doesn’t make selling easier.
It makes it more honest. You can’t talk over anyone in an inbox, so the only thing that works is being worth their time: relevant, specific and clear about what you’re asking for.
Respect the buyer’s time and the buyer’s choice, and you’ve earned the right to ask.
The lessons, in order
Start at Lesson 1 and work forward. Each lesson ends with a link to the next one.
- 1Telesales or Telemarketing
- 2Communication Skills
- 3Prospecting Skills
- 4Persuasion Skills
- 5Organization Skills
- 6Preparation Skills
- 7Sales Presentations
- 8Cold Calling | Selling Over The Phone
- 9Call Screening
- 10How Do You Close A Sale Over The Phone
- 11Psychology Of Selling | Be Prepared
- 12Objection Handling
- 13Cold Calling Techniques | Breaking The Ice
- 14Selling Tips | How do you feel about Selling
- 15Sales Tips | Are You Selling With Integrity
- 16Objection Handling | How to Reduce Objections
- 17How To Close A Sale
- 18Closing Skills | Always Be Listening
- 19The Mechanics Of Selling
- 20Telemarketing Tips – Telesales Tips
- 21Sales Automation
- 22The Sales Cycle
- 23The Psychology of Persuasion
- 24Get out of the way
- 25From Cold Calling to Cold Email
- 26Cold Email | The One Question Nobody Asks!
- 27Cold Email | What Makes a Subject Line Work!
New lessons by email
When a new lesson is ready, it goes to your inbox.
Read it when it suits you, and unsubscribe whenever you like. A cold email guide is coming next, and you’ll hear when it’s ready.