I'm really enjoying Maestro, the program in which a selection of Dutch celebrities compete to become conductor. With a real golden baton. Why? It's about connecting on so many levels. What I see: The wannabe conductors are from “all walks of life” and everyone, despite the weekly dropout, encourages each other to the final The audience shares a laugh and a tear with the candidate conductor during the performance, which is truly an exam moment. And the PHILharmonic Orchestra m

I don't know any salespeople or consultants who take the train. They're all in company cars. And that means they're stuck in traffic. Why? "I have to go to multiple locations. And be presentable to customers." Nonsense. Now that we're conducting interviews online, how often do you need to be at multiple locations in a single day? And how many customers see your car or ride along? When I rush past the traffic jam on the train, I only see 1 driver per car. After years of drivin

It's not what you do that sells, but what you bring. The biggest mistake I see sales consultants make? When they're allowed to pitch something... They explain how they do something, rather than what they offer. And they do this very early in the sales process. Understandable! Because you have expertise or great technology to offer. But nobody wants that. In fact, if you do it too quickly, you'll give your prospect every reason to say, "Yes, but," or "That won't work here," or

You would think that after 30 years it would become routine. I've been involved in consultative sales for about 30 years now, and as a sales coach for 19 years. Thousands of sales and coaching conversations conducted, hundreds of deals closed, but certainly also many missed opportunities. And you know what I like most about it? I'm still learning every day. That's why I think it's important to keep doing sales myself. How else can you train and coach someone? The pitfall of m

Everyone thinks sales starts when a customer says “yes.” But that is not true. Sales starts with "no." It starts with "I don't know you," "I don't need it right now," or "We're already working with someone else." That's where sales really begins. Because if someone immediately says "yes," no sales are needed. It's simply a matter of accepting an order. But what if someone says "no?" Then you have to show them why your idea is relevant, why they should know you, why now is the

There's a misconception that you need gray hair to be successful. Or no hair at all. That you need years of experience before clients take you seriously. This is not true, because there is no age associated with sales. I know young consultants of 30 who outperform colleagues with 20 years of experience. Not through experience, but through willpower, belief in their own story, and above all, a genuine willingness to understand the client. Self-confidence is intriguing to prosp

The biggest mistake in sales? Making assumptions. You think you know what the customer wants. You jump straight to a solution. You create a quote before you've qualified. And then you offer a Ferrari, while they actually need a Passat. I see it happen all the time. A good conversation, a quote request. We rush to the office to work day and night on a mega presentation outlining all our strengths and use cases. You are an expert consultant who, after one conversation, thinks:

30 years of experience, many successes. And yet, I still get that knot in my stomach before every important conversation. I always strive to achieve the maximum. Top-notch, getting the most out of myself, pushing boundaries. In all my conversations, workshops, and coaching sessions. That sounds nice, ambitious and strong. But what I never tell you? That drive comes at a price. Fear of failure. It's still there. Even now, even after 30 years of sales and entrepreneurship, even

Account managers are not friends with prospects "Hey, how are you? How are the kids? Are you still working out?" That's not sales. And yet I see it happen all the time: account managers who think they have to be friends with their clients. Those who call for a friendly chat. Those who stop by without an agenda. Those who think a nice smile and an interest in someone's private life are enough. But I am adamant about this: account managers are not friends. Are you allowed to be

All stakeholders agreed. My team was perfect. And yet, the deal went to the competitor. Back in time: Peru. I'm happily backpacking. Carefree. Because that mega deal? It's in. All stakeholders agree. My team agrees, everything's perfectly arranged. Or not? Back at the office, my program manager is waiting for me. He's never stressed. Now whiter than a tablecloth. He comes to sit at my table. It's about a lot of money. "Frits, I have to tell you something." My heart sinks into

Showing slides or a long intro in the first 10 minutes of a sales call is an accelerated conversion killer. Yet most tech (sales) professionals still think: "I explain my solution and what benefits it has for the customer." The higher the rank, the greater the belief that prospects want to listen to you. Wrong. This makes you EXACTLY the classic salesperson you DON'T want to be. Pitching instead of listening. Yesterday I was at a software company. Their top architect had an i

Qualifying is different from cross-examination. "When do you want to start?" "Are you the decision maker?" "What is the budget?" That's not a qualification. That's a cross-examination. Real qualification works differently. But before you start qualifying, you've obviously first asked your prospect about their ambitions. After all, prospects are just like people. They love to share their dreams and plans. And certainly not pain points after they've known you for five minutes.

Most consultants think clients are interested in their services. But I tell you: Not the case! Customers are interested in their own problems. So, to align your potential customers, you should NEVER start by explaining your service. You become more valuable when you can explain your service starting from your customer's perspective! 4 steps: → Step 1: Start with the customer question Not: “We do data analysis and have done it many times.” But: "How important is your data to y

Last week I spoke to a director who had spent €15,000 on sales coaching. The result? Lots of insights. Great conversations. Improved self-image. But zero change in results. And by results, I don't mean euros, but four concrete things: 1) Take your customer seriously. So, be truly willing to think "in reverse." Look at your questions and offering from the customer's perspective: would I buy this myself? This requires a confrontational yet inspiring coaching style to shake you

Not doing sales because you are technical is the biggest misconception in service delivery. In more and more industries, the difference between competitors is virtually zero. That is exactly why you MUST sell. There are 3 reasons why this just works even if you're the “technical” one: 1) Customers want to trust you They want to talk to the people who really know. Not with a smooth salesman who says "yes" to everything. With the specialist who honestly tells you what is and is

Photos from sailboats. Expensive watches. Happy faces. "That's how I built my million-dollar empire in 3 years!" And my posts? It's simply about my experiences and insights from years of sales. Ups and, yes, plenty of downs. And yes, you do sometimes start to doubt yourself if you can't use these feats as a headline. Yeah, I am just going to keep it real. It's THEIR truth. Their path. Their context. Their happiness. But they don't tell you everything. They idealize entreprene

"A good salesperson is a bad manager" I hear it all the time. Only the opposite is true. I actually say: A good salesperson is the best sales leader. “Huh. Why?” I hear you thinking. Well, because he understands what a salesperson goes through. In good times and bad. He's not an office worker, hidden away in an Excel spreadsheet. He goes with you to clients. He knows what you need to perform. The first time, he demonstrates the conversation. The second time, he intervenes alo

Oh, unfortunately I can't reach my target for this year..." I hear it often. Rarely true. And many professionals experience it as unpleasant, a means of pressure My view? You can ALWAYS reach your target. If you plan it right. And...a target contributes to your success! It makes you happy. How can a target make you happy? → It gives focus and therefore peace → Satisfaction when you make it → Increasingly more insight into where your value is purchased because you manage your

Roger Federer has won barely more points than any of his opponents in his entire career. Still, I consider him the best tennis player of all time. What made him so special? He always stayed in the moment. Completely focused on the ball. Lost a point? On to the next one. Won a point? On to the next one. Moral of the story? Every point counts for him. And he treats it as the "one and only point." In my opinion, this is exactly where many salespeople and consultants fail. They c

Anyone can learn sales. But who does the customer trust most? The professional. Not the salesperson. I see this happen over and over again. The technician is asked, "How exactly does this work?" Answer: Detailed, accurate, credible. The salesperson is asked the same question. The answer is: "I'll get back to you," or vague chitchat. Guess who the client trusts? This is precisely why I don't work with random salespeople. I look for professionals who already understand that sal