Sales is an art that requires a deep understanding of human psychology, effective communication skills, and the ability to build strong relationships with clients. Mike Bosworth and David Rosen, renowned experts in the field of sales, recently engaged in a thought-provoking conversation where they shared valuable insights on the best practices of salespeople.
Mike Bosworth is a highly respected sales professional and coach with a wealth of experience in the field. He is widely recognized for his expertise in sales training and his innovative approaches to building strong customer relationships. Bosworth is the author of several best-selling books, including “Solution Selling: Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets,” which has had a significant impact on the sales industry.
Bosworth is known for his emphasis on the power of storytelling in sales. He believes that storytelling creates a deeper connection with prospects and helps salespeople effectively communicate the value of their products or services. Bosworth’s one-minute story technique has become a widely adopted practice in the sales world.
Throughout his career, Bosworth has trained and coached numerous sales teams and individuals, helping them refine their skills and achieve remarkable results. He is passionate about empowering salespeople to connect authentically with customers and create meaningful experiences throughout the sales process.
Bosworth’s insights and teachings have influenced countless sales professionals, and his methods continue to shape the sales industry. His focus on the human element of sales and the importance of understanding customers’ needs and emotions has made him a highly sought-after speaker and consultant in the field.
The Key Takeaways
Let’s delve into some of the highlights from their conversation and explore the key takeaways.
1. Intuition Over Models:
Bosworth emphasizes that great salespeople rely on intuition rather than following a rigid model. While having a framework is essential, intuition allows salespeople to adapt and connect with clients on a deeper level, fostering trust and understanding.
2. The Power of Storytelling:
The one-minute story technique, as described by Bosworth, is a powerful tool that invites prospects into the sales process. Craft compelling stories that resonate with potential customers, creating an emotional connection and sparking their interest.
3. Discovery and Problem Scoping:
Effective salespeople understand the importance of discovery. Through active listening and thoughtful questioning, they uncover and confirm customer pain points. This process helps in scoping the problems accurately and tailoring solutions accordingly.
Bosworth: In today’s world, when do you need a salesperson? You need a salesperson. When you’re selling something new, paradigm shifting, or most of your market don’t know why they need it or how they’re going to use it.
4. Three Essential Elements:
According to Bosworth, three crucial elements are required for successful startups: a compelling story, a scalable solution, and a salesperson who can execute the sales process effectively. These elements work in synergy to drive growth and success.
5. Customer-Centric Approach:
Adopting a customer-centric selling approach simplifies the sales process. Instead of focusing solely on pain points, salespeople should encourage prospects to share their goals. By aligning their solutions with customer objectives, salespeople can establish a stronger connection and increase the likelihood of closing deals.
6. The Power of Stories:
Salespeople face resistance during the discovery phase, which can hinder progress. Bosworth emphasizes the significance of becoming story seekers. By incorporating storytelling into the sales process, salespeople can overcome resistance, engage prospects, and build stronger relationships.
7. Three Distinct Stories:
Bosworth suggests that salespeople should develop three distinct types of stories: hero stories, personal stories, and company stories. These stories humanize the sales process, making it relatable, engaging, and memorable for clients.
8. Diagnosis and Solutions:
Successful salespeople excel at diagnosing customer needs before offering solutions. Jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the prospect’s requirements can lead to missed opportunities. Thoroughly analyze the situation and provide tailored solutions that address specific pain points.
Bosworth: And selling is a skill and they have to practice it. And the problem with the sales profession, it’s the only highly paid profession I know where the professionals hate to practice.
9. Focus on People:
Rosen highlights that people issues are often the differentiating factor between success and failure. Building strong relationships, both within the sales team and with clients, is crucial for achieving sales targets and fostering a positive work culture.
Bosworth: Understand how your customer uses your product you’re offering in their business To make money, save money, achieve goals, and solve problems.
10. Authenticity and Vulnerability:
Authenticity and vulnerability are key attributes of successful leaders in the sales domain. Cultivating these qualities enables leaders to connect with their teams on a deeper level, fostering trust and enhancing team performance.
Bosworth: Your buyer is gonna be a lot more comfortable sharing pain with you if you are vulnerable as a human being first.
11. Balancing Leadership:
Balanced leadership, as discussed by Rosen, involves understanding and addressing the needs of all stakeholders involved. By striking a balance between profitability, employee satisfaction, and customer experience, sales leaders can create a harmonious and successful work environment.
The best practices of salespeople encompass intuition, storytelling, effective discovery, customer-centricity, and strong leadership. By understanding and implementing these practices, sales professionals can enhance their sales effectiveness, establish meaningful connections with prospects, and drive business growth. As Mike Bosworth and David Rosen emphasized, successful salespeople focus on empowering people to solve problems rather than simply selling products or services.
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This article was curated and based on David A. Rosen’s Interview with Mike Bostworh on Rosen’s Amazing Execs show: https://acrelicgroup.com/106-mike-bosworth-enterprise-sales-author-trainer-and-legend
David A. Rosen – Global Strategic Visionary, Board Director, Business Advisor, Innovator, and Data-Driven Business Leader
David A. Rosen is a highly accomplished Tech Industry CEO and Management Consultant with a proven track record of driving unique innovation, fostering and executing pragmatic process and strategy, aligning and transforming organizations, and catalyzing ongoing value creation and effective business performance. With in-depth industry experience in B2B markets and a focus on commercial aerospace, computing, networking, software, manufacturing, industrial automation, robotics, and the application of Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR, and related deep-tech segments, David brings a wealth of expertise to his roles.
As the Founder & CEO of Acrelic Group LLC, David has successfully advised and guided numerous technology industry startups, middle-market companies, and business units of the largest global enterprises. He has played pivotal roles in over 40 M&A transactions, led global business development resulting in Billions of $’s in new, annual revenue and profits, and spearheaded the commercialization, packaging, and strategy for a $1.5 billion telecom software and services company. David has also founded multiple startups, including a leading enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, and has served as a board member/ director and advisor for eight companies.
With a focus on pragmatic process and strategy, David has driven significant business turnarounds, transformed organizations into faster growth markets, and inspired teams to exceed expectations. He has led thousands of business consulting engagements in 50 market segments, on four continents with great outcomes and remarkable results.
David’s expertise extends beyond business consulting and leadership roles. He is an angel investor, actively advising and coaching over 45 startup companies, helping them develop strategies, find product/market fit, enhance and focus on value propositions, raise capital, and create sales and marketing programs. He has been recruited by prestigious institutions like Northwestern University, Rutgers, Boston University among others and has served on advisory boards and as a mentor, judge, and guest lecturer.
As a Global Strategic Visionary, Board Director, Business Advisor, Innovator, and Data-Driven Business Leader, David A. Rosen brings a unique blend of visionary thinking, practicality, and deep industry knowledge to drive innovation, value creation, and effective business performance in the tech industry. His ability to align organizations, catalyze growth, and deliver exceptional results has made him a sought-after leader in the field.
David lives in Boston, MA in the USA, with his wife Lynn and their Golden doodle, Stan Lee, and has managed to get two of his kids off the payroll and operating independently. He can be reached at david.rosen(@) techxfoundry(dot)com or 617-865-4770.
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About the Author:
Marko Lavrenčič, M.A. is a startup mentor and news editor who has managed and mentored dozens of startups. He mentored startups in the largest regional business accelerator ABC, while also mentoring high school classes. He is the author of a number of articles and co-author of TV news stories for the first German national TV channel ARD and European ARTE TV, covering politics, elections, startups, the migrant crisis, business and sustainability. He can also be found on LinkedIn and is happy to be contacted. He also reports on regional business development opportunities and edits content on, businessobserver24.com.
